OT: Is this normal?
 

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...

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

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.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

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.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

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 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

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.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

You probably just need to adjust to life living in a small space and dealing with other people in close proximity that you haven't become comfortable with yet. You'll get used to it and find your own way to adapt, but I wouldn't recommend dropping school. It's almost always better to stick with it than to drop it!

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

To use a well known phrase 'Culture Shock.' It took me a couple of weeks to find any decent mates when I went to uni, which sounds bad but I was fairly lucky. My sister hated her entire first semester and was seriously close to quitting and just not going back after the Christmas break. She went back and met some new people as her lectures changed and started to like it.

It is a fairly different experience, which I enjoyed immensely. Although like everything else in life I have tended to forget the boring bits, the hours spent learning stuff I really didn't (and still don't http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif) care about.

Give it till Christmas, if it still nasty with no redeming features then consider dropping it. Thats my 1.5 Trillion Turkish Lira.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Its a change in life. Changes are seldom nice and cozzy. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif But give it time, I am sure you will adapt. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Change is evil. I do not adapt well to change. Well, I adapted pretty good to the change from dial-up to high speed internet, but that's a separate matter http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

change is good. the alternative is stagnation and decadance.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

I could use a little of that right now http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Well, in university, make sure that you are studying something that you like, in a field that you are interested in. Don't enroll in a program just because it might lead to a high-paying job after graduation, if you don't like that field. For example, don't study dentistry if you're not interested in teeth and would hate being a dentist. It's not worth it and it will not lead to happiness in the long term. Make sure that the area of study that you choose is your choice and not something you're doing because somebody else, like parents, decided for you. Also, it's important to have a defined goal for university, to earn a specific degree in a field that you are interested in. It's not good to just take random courses every year without focus, as that would be a waste of money and time. (I've met people at university who did just that. They were there because they didn't want to work, and being a student was easier because their parents were paying for their expenses. So university was a just a means of avoiding work.)

When I finished high school, my father wanted me to study pharmacy in university so that I could become a pharmacist. I have no interest in drugs or pharmaceuticals and my dream was to become a scientist or engineer. So I didn't listen to my father and enrolled in Engineering Physics. I am glad I made my own choice! But yes there were times when I hated being in university. Like most things in life, there are positives and negatives, good times and bad. The bad times eventually passed. Sometimes I think back fondly to my university years, because in many ways I had more freedom as a student, than today, being an employee at a company.

Anyway, I agree with the other guys here that it's good to stick with university, at least for one complete semester and give it a chance, and see if things get better.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

I got lucky at Uni and landed in a house in the first year with two great guys who became my best friends. Many ppl end up living with arsehloes. If you're living with arseholes, move.

Uni is all about meeting people, learning to live away from your parents, learning to deal with people and manage your time and you life and stuff like that. The academic side of it is kind of secondary. Basically you will hate it until you meet ppl you like, and then you will love it, so get out there now and start meeting people.

My advice to you would be to check out any extra-curricular student groups you can get involved with: See if there's a sci-fi society, a space-strategy-wargaming society. If there's nothing catering to your interests, start something. If you don't have any interests, make some up. See what they're offering and try a few things out- uni is a great time to try new stuff and introduce yourself to some of the things that other ppl are into. Do it. Good luck.

But yeah, if you do all that and still hate it... quit. Uni is great fun and I recommend it, and if you really want to be a [insert job here] and need a [insert qualification here] to do it then stick it out, but it is entirely possible to be happy and earn well without a university education. Worrying about qualifications/ jobs/ careers is over-rated anyway. Many of the nicest, most interesting and most satisfied ppl I know don't have too much in the way of qualifications and are far more interested in living their lives than having a career.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Today it doesn't seem so bad. Maybe because I'm going home for the weekend after classes are done.

Just in case for some strange reason you're wondering what classes I have this semester, here they are: (all first year, of course)

-Chemistry
-Biology
-Computer Science (for non-computer science majors)
-Calculus
-Physics

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Ahh, all the easy ones. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Of course, what did you expect? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

An instant masters degree in "universal conquest" and "galactic empire management", with minors in "efficient starship design", "colony buildup management" and "tactical and strategic warship command". What else? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Hold on it Renegade. As you have heard, change is not only for good, it is inevitable. Those who doesn't adapt will perish. Simply rule of Darwinism. On another words, survival of the fittest. Luckily, our life is not that dramatic, but I have found out that life is lot easier when not to be overly worried over changes and take them as chances instead of obstacles. Go for it, beat yourself and be a winner. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

In my experience, it seems to be that for most people, the first 3 weeks are the worst, mainly for the 'culture shock' value. Even though you're pretty close to home, it's still NOT home.

Stick it out for the first semester/trimester/quarter/whatever. If you still don't like it, try to pinpoint what exactly you don't like; is it the people you live with? Move. Is it the school's culture? Transfer. Can't meet people? Look for interesting clubs. Just don't like academic life? Well, then try working for a while, but do it as a "Leave of Absence". Sometimes you'll realize after working that you really do want those extra few years in the bubble of academia.

And yes, it's normal.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Stick it out. Things will get easier. I have known lots of people who dropped out and regretted it later - every one in fact. Also, every single person I have known who swore that they would take some time off but eventually go back to college never did for numerous different reasons, but the fact is that all regretted it later. Hang in there, buddy.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

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 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif ), 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.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

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.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

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).

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

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.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

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...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!

Yeah, that sort of krvap is bound to happen. Now that you're there, you'll have a chance to talk to people. You'll find the place you'll want to dorm, and can make the switch.

*Hint* Talk to people about their dorm. You may encounter the person who finds his roommates "So boring and dull". That might be where you want to be -- the people may simply be pacing their fun with serious life pursuits, and not really dull.

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.

My sister transferred out of her first college, she just couldn't get along with her roommates there, and saw no other options. She was a little hasty, but anyway, found a local college that suited her.

Now I went to the local branch of my college for 2 years, then transferred to the main campus, so I was more older, and more accustomed to what was expected of me academically, before I had to make the transition to college life. But, it wasn't a prefectly smooth transition, even then. There were things I wasn't prepared for.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

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.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

And We're Dam Proud of it too http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif
Is in fact drinking Tea

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Heh, point taken!

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! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

With this crowd, it's bound to happen.

Ahem..well..I'm actually kind of partial to coffee http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Clubs RD for drinking the abominable stuff.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Wait a minute... Canadian and not liking tea. I don't like where this converation is going, towards the... Dark Side. French Canadian!

Tell me sir do you club seals? This is not a trick question.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Renegade, if you are looking to get out of the dorms, I own a duplex in PG. I live in one side but my tenants are moving out at the end of the month. It's a 3 bedroom unit and we're not that far fromt the university. If you've got a couple others that want to split rent... problem solved.

My wife and I were hoping to get students for tenants anyway, perferably those who are studying and not the roommates you've currently got. We can talk about it on Monday when you get back to town if you're interested.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Club seals? No. For one thing, I don't live anywhere near an ocean http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Bearclaw: Sounds interesting. Will talk to you about it Monday when I'm back in town (much easier in person than over a forum! ) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Renegade, Bearclaw: Are you sure? This is surely a recipie for disaster. Two SEIV players under one roof? Prepare to drop out of University, and quit your job. It's all over. Game Over, man, GAME OVER! *end crazy mode*

See, now THIS is why I like these boards. Makes me wish I could meet more of the folks here. You know, outside. Or in a pub.



P.S. Wait, is bearclaw a beta tester? Let me reiterate the crazy talk from before, only replace the $GAME string with SEV, instead of SEIV. Or (even worse) SEIV and SEV.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

LMAO! You're bad! SO-oooo bad! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

I will remind you of the cautionary tale of the bloke who died after too many hours straight gaming.

So we have no seal clubing OR tea drinking. I'm worried about Renegade, next he'll be saying he doesn't own a lumberjack shirt or doesn't secretly wish to be a Mountie!

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/redface.gif Canadians don't drink tea!!! Coffee!

Oh, and the way to identify a Canadian (well, a Canadian other than those that live near the border...wusses http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif ). Ask them if they like cold weather. If they say yes, they're a Canadian (or a Russian, but the accent should give that away!). I love the cold and snow and everything to do with it. Winter makes me happy. I like the darkness it brings too http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Vancouver winters are OK. Sometimes I feel like it's dark all the time, though because when I go to work in the morning it's dark, and when I go home after work it's dark, and in between I'm indoors. Cold weather is OK ... up to a certain point. I don't want to go to Fort McMurray again in January!

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Odd; I happen to like the cold, so should I apply for Canadian citizenship? Of course, I cannot say I have ever seen something looking like winter: the coldest it got here was a bit under -10 Celcius, only slightly below short-sleeves weather.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Bah, -10 is warm!

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

My best advice is to get out of the dorm environment if you don't like it. Where you live is very important, since you'll be spending much of your time there.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Spoo said:
My best advice is to get out of the dorm environment if you don't like it. Where you live is very important, since you'll be spending much of your time there.

See now, I'd disagree there. You don't have to do anything more at a dorm besides sleep and store your clothes there. You can study in a library, work in the laboratory, exercise in a sports facility, meet people you like to talk to. Plenty of people work, or run home every free moment to be with family or significant other.

I was really worried about the dorm environment, so I lived off campus at first. I saved some money, but I missed out on a good source of information on what was going on. The burnouts hanging around the dorm may well turn out to be not a bad bunch of guys -- in small doses.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

Well, I never lived in a dorm during university. I lived at home and took the bus for an hour in the morning and an hour back each day. I remember feeling somewhat envious of the guys who lived in residence because they could just get out of bed half an hour before class and then walk to the classroom. They can go home and get things in between classes.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

American/Canadian Temperature Conversion
(lifted from a Slashdot post, apparently based on some other list)

All temps in Fahrenheit

50 above-New Yorkers turn on the heat. Canadians plant gardens.

40 above-Californians shiver uncontrollably. Canadians sunbathe.

35 above-Italian cars won't start. Canadians drive with the window down.

32 above-Distilled water freezes. Canadian water gets thicker.

20 above-Floridians wear coats, gloves and wool hats. Canadians throw on a t-shirt.

15 above- Californians begin to evacuate the state. Canadians go swimming.

Zero- New York landlords finally turn up the heat. Canadians have the last cook out before it gets cold.

10 below- People in Miami cease to exist. Canadians lick flagpoles.

20 below- Californians fly away to Mexico. Canadians throw on a light jacket.

40 below- Hollywood disintegrates. Canadians rent videos.

60 below- Mt. St. Helens freezes. Canadian Girl Guides begin selling cookies door to door.

80 below- Polar bears begin to evacuate the Arctic. Canadian Boy Scouts postpone "Winter Survival" classes until it gets cold enough.

100 below- Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Canadians pull down their earflaps.

173 below- Ethyl alcohol freezes. Canadians get frustrated when they can't thaw their kegs of beer.

297 below- Microbial life survives on dairy products. Canadian cows complain of farmers with cold hands.

460 below- ALL atomic motion stops. Canadians start saying "Cold 'nuff for ya?"

500 below- Hell freezes over. The Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup.

(This copy "borrowed" after a quick Google search from http://www16.brinkster.com/hoser/cold.asp because I couldn't remember the whole list.)

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

You will miss out on everything that is going on, lots of stuff gets around the dorms but is only put up on obscure noticeboards hidden in the uni. I would say stick with it, you'll not get the full experience spending the first year off campus.

It's only the loud guys who get noticed in a dorm or the ones with big personalities. It's the nature of the enviroment, they seem to be the only ones there but that's because everyone else gets drowned out.

Worst case, as Arkcon said, you only need to sleep and eat there. But there was only a couple of people I knew about who took it that far, and they were odd. As in ex-mental home on medication odd.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

El_Phil said:
You will miss out on everything that is going on, lots of stuff gets around the dorms but is only put up on obscure noticeboards hidden in the uni.

Precisely what happened to me. I shared a house with some guys who didn't go to college when I first went away. I didn't even know it was time to register for classes for the next semester, until it was too late. Fortuneately, the department was generous with my serious lack of awareness, and let me register late ... paying extra ... missing out on the prime courses, obviously. At least I didn't have to go home.

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

The good part about living in res is how late I can get up and still make it to classes http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: OT: Is this normal?
 

There were some people who did not live in residence but still lived on campus! One guy parked an old Volkswagen van in the parking lot and slept in there. I guess he used the washrooms and showers on campus. A couple of other guys had a home somewhere but stayed overnight a lot in the lab. They found an empty cubicle and kept food, clothes etc in the desk drawers, brought sleeping bags and slept on the floor. People could do this because we had 24 hour access to the lab.

I wouldn't want to do something like that except for the occasional all-nighter. I don't think I can get any real rest that way and I'll probably get sick after a week or two!