To think university is fairly easy?

[watthaduck]

This is not a boast in any way, I am not trying to ruffle anybody's feathers but am genuinely curious if I'm missing something.

So I am at a fairly average university in Glasgow, I was a direct entrant into third year after completing my HND at another fairly average college in Glasgow. I am a mature student (28) and am studying social sciences with a main focus on politics, from there I'm hoping to do my masters in social work.

Anyways, leading up to university, I heard so many people, lecturers included telling me what a shock to the system university would be, how I would be studying constantly, how the workload would be so much more full on than college so I was fully prepared and slightly dreading it.

However, since starting beginning of October we have had 6 assessments for the term, 2 assessments per module which have mainly consisted of 1000 word to 2000 word essays, one assessment we had to complete four fairly basic questions and a presentation. Everyone on the course is freaking out, saying how difficult the workload is and how all the assessments are crammed together whilst me and another girl that have been on the same course from the start genuinely scratch our heads wondering if this is a joke.

I've only had one piece of coursework graded and this was the assessment with the four questions which I got 72 percent, not amazing but was happy with that being my first piece of work. Yet today I was speaking to other students who got 43 percent and said how difficult the work is this year.

At college we literally had about 12 pieces of coursework all within 6 weeks of each other including exams and I was very stressed but always passed with an A.

I guess my question is am I doing something wrong? I am putting in the bare minimum amount of effort to be honest as is my friend as struggling with motivation with it all being online. I've never felt less stress through education.

AIBU to think that people were just trying to scare me about uni? And that it's actually not that hard?

Obviously I understand and appreciate that some courses are harder than others and mine just might be a fairly easy one but I'm just waiting for someone to come out and shout JOKE

wanted to add that at university, our terms are so short, like 8-9 weeks, so we have little time to complete so many assignments per 6 modules.

You said you’re going to a pretty average uni - maybe one that is ranked higher might challenge you more?

Arf at this not being a stealth boast though come on op

Are you in 1st year? If so you've done a few months so not long to make a judgement. It will get harder. But I think being a bit older helps as you have better general knowledge and understanding of the world. You also probably have better time management and organisational skills if you've previously worked or lived in the world! I would definitely have approached uni work differently now with years of work experience behind me.

Are you also doing the reading for each module? To gain background knowledge of the subjects? If you're finding it easy if also recommended doing extra modules or clubs or volunteering. Perhaps slightly outside of your subject to expand your knowledge.

I do think subject makes a difference too. And natural aptitude for a subject makes a big difference. You might just have chosen a subject yiu really get!

@DM1209

Entirely dependent on what degree you study for and your personal circumstances.

My Law degree was very full on, work intensive and really stressful. Not because the work was hard (although some of it was) but because I was desperate to do well and the pressure of expectation on myself, deadlines and the none stop studying was HARD!
I alse became a lone parent right before my degree and was left to work part time, raise 3 kids (1, 3 and 7) and study.

I graduated with a first.

Yes, it was HARD work.

I too do law as a mature student and qualified accountant and I find the sheer amount of reading tough. The actual concepts are not too bad (and I can see real life applications or say trusts or land law which most students don't have) I have to work 6 days a week to keep up (though I don't work past 6/7 generally). I imagine if I did law at sone low ranked university it would be much easier. Less expected. But I chose to go to a respected one and do an accelerated course in 2 years.

If i were uou i would be concerned about the fact that you are only working to assessments and not understanding the topics.

That's the difference between school and college versus university. Thats the part that people say is a shock to the system. Its understanding, doing your own reading on a subject, taking your own time to fond sources etc as you are not going to be spoon fed.

Obviously you are still working towards a grade, but its about making yourself employable. Which is from either your knowlege on a subject, or transferable skills learned from independent study.

Whether you do that or not is up to you. The uni dont give a shit whether you have an expensive piece of paper and a load of debt, or a good job at the end of it.

@DM1209 hats off to you, that's amazing and I could not have achieved that in your circumstances

It depends on the university, the course, the person and life circumstances. I studied nursing at uni it was bloody hard work, academic blocks we were in uni most days all day for 6 weeks then went into placement block where we did full time hours on our assigned ward for 2-3 months while completing academic assignments. On top of that I worked a couple of shifts as a health care assistant through an agency so I could live. I have more recently done a masters level
course around children and a full time clinical job although academically I didn’t find the course subject difficult trying to juggle it around full time work and small humans was a challenge.

@watthaduck

Are you at Glasgow Caledonian?

I ask because I attended both Glasgow Uni and Strathclyde and there was an inbuilt snobbery towards Cale.

This was despite cale being the first choice for optometry and up there for environmental civil engineering.

I'm doing the same course and I'm the same age as you! I think our age makes a difference. I take it more seriously than I would have 10 years ago.

@ReeseWitherfork as I said, my aim wasn't to ruffle people's feathers or boast but genuinely have been worried that I'm doing something wrong.

Yes this

If i were uou i would be concerned about the fact that you are only working to assessments and not understanding the topics.

Uni is about a lot more than the grades.

I'm struggling with Uni this year, I'm working a lot. My role was previously done by 3 people, now it's just me so there is no let up. Plus Im a lone parent with two kids and I'm limited to on campus time which means unlimited access to things that I need. I am so tired I cant think straight and after work and childcare and chores I'm so exhausted I just crash and am constantly playing catch up. I also want to do well and put a stupid amount of pressure on myself.

Limited access not unlimited that would be fab!

University lecturer here. I'd say there are different types of understanding we could be measuring: some we do measure, some we don't.

Passing exams requires one type of skill, writing essays another. But arguing well in seminar, thinking on your feet and being able to modify an argument is an other type of skill that is probably relevant in a good many careers: it's just that we don't have a good way of measuring that.

So don't make too much of the differences between yourself and your classmates: you may all have a good understanding of the material, just in different ways.

Actually I wonder if we're on exactly the same course. Your assessments are the same as mine. I agree a lot of people seem to be struggling with them, especially this year.

It just completely depends doesn't it!

I'm studying with the OU, am a similar age to you (27) and I'm finding the workload hard to manage though I am doing the first module in my second year.

The first year was a piece of piss, partly because of content and partly knowing the grades don't count toward overall score. I don't know if traditional unis get more difficult as the years progress or if it is just different work?

I got my first assignment back recently too - 83% but not as good as it sounds as OU grading is different.

I think it just depends on lots of different things - people can be good at writing essays but not at exams and vice versa, some people manage work loads better than others, some people have more outside uni commitments than others, etc etc.

I have 3 DC 5 and under and also work 30 hours a week in a job I'm trying to progress in. If I didn't have that going on I imagine I'd find my degree easier, but also maybe not.

I hope the course goes well for you, I wouldn't rest on your laurels though.

Sorry, that should have said: "modifying an argument in the course of a discussion".

@wimto haha no honestly it's not, I understand why it would seem like that but I genuinely struggle to believe that my course is this easy and that by 2022 I will have an honours degree. I never thought I was capable and so maybe that mindset follows me.

@NeonIcedcoffee I'm in 3rd year.

It sounds like you
a) have a natural aptitude for your course
b) aren't too over invested in it or prone to tying yourself up in knots to be the best you possibly can
c) are good at the discipline of reading, note taking and writing.

While these things all come quite easily to you, they're all variables that others have in different quantities. Your particular combination is serving you well atm.

The only thing I would say is the work and level expected does (should) ramp up, and the marking becomes more critical. So it may not always be this easy. I'd use your time wisely and read as much as you can around the things that particularly interest you to develop your knowledge (as this is the thing you say you don't retain particularly). It will put you in a good position down the line.

A question to ask yourself might be What are you at university FOR? If it's to get a piece of paper, fine (worthwhile goal). If it's to come out with knowledge, interests and skills you hadn't discovered before you went in then you need to put the work in. Only you can decide if that's something you want to do.

And yes I would agree that working to assignments will hugely cut down the time you need to spend working at the time, but you will shoot yourself in the foot when future work or heavily weighted exams are built on that foundation of knowlegde that you don't have yet because you haven't been learning as comprehensively as you should be.

Speaking from personal experience there

@NeonIcedcoffee sorry, no, that's the issue, I'm doing the bare minimum, I don't do the reading unless necessary for the seminars and even then it is just to skim for the answers needed for the seminar. I am really not motivated at the moment as everything is online.

I can tell you my science course at Oxbridge was far from easy. We had 30 hours of contact time a week in the first couple of years and four pieces of work per week, which would generally be two 1500 word essays and two maths/physical science question sheets that would take hours to complete. Plus you’d then have to go through each one in four tutorials a week with you, one other student and a professor so you couldn’t hide.

I hate to say it, but every single person I know from Oxbridge who then went on to a masters or PhD at another university said how incredibly easy it was in comparison.

I think most things are easy to learn as an Adult learner OP yes...

@ScottishStottie I don't do any of that, I do the bare minimum, I do the assessments and nothing more. I think I would be employable as I worked since I was 16 before going into education, also I want to do my masters in social work which I am very interested in and there are always jobs. Social sciences is a very very broad degree and so most people are going on to do something educational afterwards. I don't ever see myself being questioned on Marxism in a job interview.