To give up a degree in my final year because I think I am too stupid?

[FeministStar]

Just that really. AIBU?

They say the darkest hour is just before the dawn.

It's not unreasonable to have a crisis of confidence. If you were at risk of failing you would be likely to be told. A C grade is enough to get you through I expect but your tutor knows you are capable of A's and may be trying to help you raise your grade. You are not stupid. You made it to your final year comfortably. If your struggling now it's because the work goes up a few more notches and so do expectations. I've known people who had average ability do well in 3rd level because they worked solidly. Ability had less to do with it. I can see why you would be disheartened now but please don't give up, you have the back broken on your course and are very near your goal.

Wishing you all the best.

You will regret giving it up.
You will not regret not giving it up.

Don't give up. Lots of stupid people have degrees. (I'm not saying that you are stupid, just that if stupid people can do it, it should be a doddle for clever peeps like you ).

don't give up. if you got on to the course, you are smart enough to complete it.

talk to your tutor about the topics you don't understand. read more about them. write notes. draw pictures.

study how to structure a paragraph and how to structure an essay (this is a useful resource I give my students lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/para.html )

and do keep going - you can do it!

My tutor doesn't agree, but she constantly says my essays aren't up to standard, though I don't seem to be able to fix what she doesn't like as all the feedback is that my essays are either with too long paragraphs, too short and that they read more like a series of notes rather than essays.

Can you get into the habit of reviewing what you write and restructuring it so that it makes more sense and is more readable? When you read textbooks, think about how the writers express themselves and try to copy that style (but obviously not the words!). If you are told that your essay writing skills are at fault due to sentences being too long or too short and reading like notes, then fix it!

"My tutor doesn't agree that I'm stupid, but she does constantly point out that my essays aren't up to standard. However, I seem unable to fix the parts she dislikes, and the feedback is mainly to the effect that my essays contain either too long or too short paragraphs, and that they read more like a series of notes rather than essays".

Don't give up just because you're getting C grades. If you've got As before you're capable of getting them again. Go to your uni's academic support and get help. And you are definitely not stupid, it sounds like you lack a lot of confidence though.

I do understand how you feel, the third year is a hard slog and so, so tiring. I'm in my third year of my degree and am considering leaving but I'm doing a half vocational course and I've just failed a placement. I don't think I'm good enough to pass the course and I don't particularly enjoy it any more either. The only reason I haven't left already is because I've only got 7 months left to go. If you were a failing student like me and weren't enjoying it then it would be different but you're not failing at all. You're perfectly capable you just need a bit of extra help. You can easily turn it around.

Echo others here: please don't give up; seek help. The student services dept at the uni where I work offers really quite indepth help with study skills (which I think is your issue). The library may also be able to help: they will almost certainly have books on essay writing, and might be aware of other publications, in house ones, for example.

Don't give up now! You're at the final fence and you can do it. A bit of positive thinking might help. I very nearly gave up just before Xmas in my final year but I realised I'd never forgive myself if I did. I'm generally a quitter when the going gets tough but I kept visualising myself actually getting my degree and how proud both me and my family would be and that kept me going through some very dark and stressful weeks.

YY to seeing if student services can give you some support. I know at my uni you could submit up to 800 words of an essay and they would critique it and suggest ways to make it better. It definitely doesn't sound like you can't do it, rather that you need a bit of help in finding the right way to do it. As others have said, academic writing is a skill and once you have nailed it, it gets a whole lot easier. I recommend the Palgrave How to Write Better Essays if you haven't already got it.

As someone who quit uni, don't do it. Even if you get a 2:2 that's better than no degree and instantly opens up more employment opportunities to you.

Please don't give up OP. You have done so much hard work to get this far.

My DD has just had a YARP result of 20 points less than expected and received no feedback. To say she was gutted is an understatement.
It would be three (or two) years down the drain to give up. So, really it has to be a deep breath and knuckle down.

It seems that one of the greatest skills is finding one's tutor for help or even getting them to answer emails!

Good luck OP.

Don't give up in your third year just because you're not getting A's, how silly would that be. The third year is supposed to be a step up in expectations of academic writing so getting a C shows you're giving it a fair crack but need to make some improvements. I'm studying Psychology (third year), theres a particular 'style' in writing for my subject and there are books out there to show me how to write in this style. Have a look to see if there are similar books for your subject area, and books which show you how to write critically. Make sure your referencing is absolutely spot on.

Don't give up - I nearly did at your stage so understand a little of what you are feeling. In the end I did graduate and have benefitted from having done so.

Another one saying don't give up OP. I'm a second year English student going into third year and I know next year will be hard work, but it will be worth it.

I've got the previous version of this book and it's really helpful, especially for introductions and conclusions which were my weak point.
www.amazon.co.uk/Write-Winning-Essays-Dissertations-Yourself/dp/1444105086/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Good luck!

In the words of Jillian Michaels:

"Why are you going to choose failure when success is an option?"

I have an MSc but I don't feel clever at all!

Is your work second marked at all? As LaQueen says above maybe it could just be this particular tutor that doesn't like your writing style. The feedback I got for my dissertation from two different markers were polar opposites. The first praised my writing style and structure and gave me a first. The second was very disparaging and told me that it was pretentious and poncy (his actual words!) although he didn't disagree with the mark. He was well known for being a knob though.

I also found that my marks did get slightly worse in my final year because the expectations were set a bit higher and this knocked my confidence a bit. Get anyone you can to proof-read your work; fellow students, study skills staff, other lecturers if you can and see if they pick up the same stuff as this particular tutor. Good luck - I'm sure you'll be ok.

I would think if you're getting Cs and were getting As, it is not just writing style. I'm not saying that to depress you - it's just not very plausible. What is plausible is that this tutor is perhaps not very good at explaining what's wrong with what you're writing.

I didn't see what subject you're doing (sorry if I've missed it!), but just having overly long paragrahs is a very different issue from handing in an essay that's effectively notes. I don't know, but might it be that your argument doesn't come across? magrat's point, about being careful to critique the scholars you engage with, and not just state their views, is the sort of thing I mean.

I find this really easy to do myself. My argument can be really clear in my own head, but when I start to write it down, I find I'm leaving things unspoken that seem obvious to me. But actually, when they're not there, I don't have an argument.

I'd do all the things people suggest about seeking essay writing help. But don't give up! And don't tell yourself either that you're stupid (I'm sure you're not), or that it's an inexplicable issue this tutor has with your writing style. It will be something you can properly solve.

Thank you all, I've ordered some of the books suggested from the library and will have a look. Meanwhile I've had my latest essay read by another student on a different course to me and she reckons it's OK.
Onwards and upwards, thanks for getting me past the wanting to give it all up foolishness.

I'm not sure what subject you're studying, but I used to mark essays for university courses. My background is psychology / sociology / criminology - and I'd happily look at your essays and give some feedback if you think it would help.

Send me a PM if you want me to see if I can add anything.

They must have told you what sort of degree you can expect from this? A 2:1, a 3rd? I know my daughter was told what level she was working to with each project and at the end of each year.

Don't give up! Is a C grade equivalent to a 2.2? If so, a 2.2 is still a respectable degree, and you shouldn't give up, especially as you will be able to improve throughout the year. Do you have any assignments that aren't essay based - e.g. presentations, posters, etc. These also might help raise your final grade. If your second year also counts, this will also bring your grade up. It's definitely not a good idea to give up on a degree just because you don't think you will get a first!

WRT your essays, could the problem be that you aren't linking together your points enough? This might be why your tutor feels they are more like notes. Try and synthesize and analyze your points more, and plan your essays in advance (if you don't already). This might help you come up with an overall theme or argument for your essay, which may help you get higher marks.

Also, is your writing style formal/appropriate? If your writing isn't formal enough, then this could be causing you problems.

If you are doing exactly what you did last year, but your grades have drastically gone down, then I think that's more of an issue with the marking than with you. Maybe take a few examples of your previous work to your tutor, and ask why those pieces got an A, whereas your current work is only getting a C.

Don't drop out though- it would be such a waste of all your hard work up to this stage.

OP I had a similar experience during my PhD, of being told by my supervisor that my writing just wasn't good enough. It was really frustrating as I just couldn't seem to fix it, even though I did all they suggested. Eventually though, I seemed to hit the right note and never heard that criticism again, so I think just keep on trying and don't become disheartened. Certainly don't give up (sounds like you've changed your mind anyway), it can be very all consuming when you're studying, but once you've got that degree you can just breath a sigh of relief and reap the benefits of being better qualified than you were before. Now I'm on the other side it all seems like a bad dream, but I wouldn't be doing my current job if I hadn't done it, which I love.

Echoing what others have said, but don't give up! The final year is the hardest, it all seems to come at once and I found it relentless. I graduated a year ago, but still remember those last few days with a shudder.

Student services will be used to stressed students looking to pack it in and run away. They should have lots of advice/workshops/counselling sessions.

Please don't waste all of your hard work now. You can do it!

I work in a university library and our department offers study skills 1-1's for help with assignment writing (planning, structure, critical analysis etc...). It might be worth asking if there is anything available like that in your uni.

Talk to student services about getting some support with structure