OT: Is this normal?

[Renegade 13]

Alright, so as you may or may not know, I've recently started university...and hate it. Absolutely hate it. I hate the people here, my roommates, the work is absolutely nuts, etc etc ad nauseum.

I respect the opinions of the people here greatly, and so I'd like to ask...is it normal to feel this way when first attending a university, or am I just totally crazy gone nuts? I'm seriously thinking about dropping it, and finding something else to do that doesn't require university. Is that a wise choice? How vital is a university degree to get a good job?

Help me! Or just shoot me...

[General Woundwort]

I've been in your shoes twice. Once, in the early years of the Second Age of Middle-Earth, when I first went to college; and back in January when I started my grad program. And what you say sounds about right. Just stick with it, and try to get networked with people there who have similar interests and hobbies.

[Alneyan]

I felt pretty much the same way myself last year, though for relatively different reasons: the whole place felt more apathic than anything else, and I didn't sleep on campus (well, not that we are on a campus, but still). And no, you're not going nuts - probably not anyway.

I would give you the same kind of advice as the General did: try to stick with it, and find a few friends. Dropping university may not be a wise choice, as degrees are often used for applications, if only to filter out the candidates. I know my degree is virtually worthless, and its sole purpose will be to give me access to something actually useful, but yours ought to be slightly more useful.

I would wish you good luck, but you know what they say about that phrase, so I will settle with... Well, show them what kind of an EEE you are.

[Arkcon]

It was hard for me at first to find people I thought I'd like, but I am naturally shy.

If your're not, it may be confusing for you to be surrounded by total @$$#()||@5, who seem to have very set ways of behaviour, that don't seem to mesh with yours.

But in time, you will meet people with common interests, and the jerks will learn to get along with the group and everything will proceed swimmingly

Don't make my mistake, and fall behind in your coursework. Just plug through, as best you can. If you are the person the admissions board thought you were, you'll end up fine -- and better than the lusers who just give up.

[Renegade 13]

Whew, well good to know I'm not some freak of nature for hating it at first. It's actually not going to be so bad...for some classes. Chem will be no problem (which is as it should be, I'm going for a chem degree ), Bio not bad, Comp Sci easy. Physics and Calc...not so easy.

The worst part is the roommates I was assigned. Not sure if I mentioned this, but one is a total alcoholic/pothead, so his buddies are always here smoking up and/or getting drunk...which isn't exactly my thing! In the main room there's a large window, and already within 3 days they have stacked up 146 empty beer cans.

Suffice it to say, I'm not staying in residence for more than this semester!

Oh, and thanks a lot everyone for the encouragement, I've already decided to tough it out for a while, see how it goes. Might as well.

[General Woundwort]

Renegade 13 said:
The worst part is the roommates I was assigned. Not sure if I mentioned this, but one is a total alcoholic/pothead, so his buddies are always here smoking up and/or getting drunk. In the main room there's a large window, and already within 3 days they have stacked up 146 empty beer cans.

Suffice it to say, I'm not staying in residence for more than this semester!

Been there, done that. My first year in undergrad was in the dorms, and I got out of there ASAP. I got tired of waking up on Saturday mornings and having to navigate to the bathroom past the stolen orange highway pylons (with lights still flashing) collected by my inebriated roommates the night before.

[Slynky]

I could give the speech about how lucky you are to be able to go to college (and how lots of deserving people can't even go) but that's usually a turn-off for the listener (or in this case, the reader).

Or, I could say something like, "Life is like a box of chocolates..." but that would be more as a result of TNT network having a Forest Gump weekend recently (and probably a bit too "cute").

Keep a stiff upper lip...? Ehhh, never mind. I never quite understood what that meant anyway.

Oh well, I guess I don't have anything to offer. Go ahead and quit and hopefully it won't rain much while you're digging those ditches. (Oh...sorry...that's what I say to my worthless, deadbeat, flunky, junkie, cigarette-smoking, car-stealing, beer-drinking, 15-year-old stepson).

[Slick]

Most colleges have some kind of policy where you can move to a different dorm room to have more compatible room mates. Check your RA or campus housing dept.

[El_Phil]

Ahhh well he's Canadian he should be at least aware of the proud tradition of the Stiff Upper Lip. The British Empire was built on tea, Stiff Upper Lips and pith helmets.

[Renegade 13]

Slynky said:
Oh well, I guess I don't have anything to offer. Go ahead and quit and hopefully it won't rain much while you're digging those ditches. (Oh...sorry...that's what I say to my worthless, deadbeat, flunky, junkie, cigarette-smoking, car-stealing, beer-drinking, 15-year-old stepson).

Heh, point taken!

Most colleges have some kind of policy where you can move to a different dorm room to have more compatible room mates. Check your RA or campus housing dept.

I could do that, but (of course) there is a fee and no guarantee other roommates will be better. Yep I'm lazy and those are just excuses, but good ones nonetheless!

Besides, your current roommates will have to buckle down soon, or they'll just run out of spending money and flunk out of classes. I which case, you win anyway.

With this crowd, it's bound to happen.

Ahhh well he's Canadian he should be at least aware of the proud tradition of the Stiff Upper Lip. The British Empire was built on tea, Stiff Upper Lips and pith helmets.

Ahem..well..I'm actually kind of partial to coffee

And We're Dam Proud of it too
Is in fact drinking Tea

Clubs RD for drinking the abominable stuff.