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

I was at lse in the early 2000s. It felt v hard! I loved it and it felt like an intellectual hinterland but god they expected a lot.

My DMIL believes this is why so many people go now, 30/40 years ago only the very brightest students were clever enough to go and finish a degree (because it was tough).

@garlictwist

I left uni in 2003 but I have to say I agree. I got a first with very little effort. It was just churning out essays. I did languages though so maybe if I had done science it might have been different.

Whereas I wouldn't have got a first so matter how hard I tried because it was based on ability rather than (or sometimes as well as) hard work. That was another reason why I didn't work too hard. Once I realised that with a little push I could go from a 2-2 to a 2-1 I worked a bit, but I also realised I didn't have a first in me so there was no point busting a gut!

"I think whether you're working alongside it makes a huge difference. I was working almost every day I was not at uni, and friends on my course were rushing out of lectures as soon as it finished to get to work, then working late into the night etc. Which made it a lot harder to find the time to do the work, couldn't attend extra help lectures, etc."

I did the OU as well as working. Doing it part time was still not very difficult in terms of managing workloads. I remember someone saying a friend didn't come to her hen night because she was doing an OU degree and being shocked at that. I did it for so many years, I couldn't have sacrificed my social life for all that time!

Having said that, I did once have two courses that overlapped and that showed clearly that I never could have done full time study and full time work like some people did.

I found the postgraduate courses too hard, but that was because I was a bit out of my depth rather than the workload.

"30/40 years ago only the very brightest students were clever enough to go and finish a degree (because it was tough)."

Because there weren't as many uni places.

Fairly easy when you don't have kids and a job to contend with as well. The amount of time can make it almost impossible for certain degrees.

And I'm talking about 25 years ago already, and my example of the classics student is from the 60s or 70s.

Depends on the course....media studies

My first degree in science was hard and exam based. Second and third, open and health and social care assessment really easy.....

I think this is a little like a 24 year old saying, “jeez, GCSEs are so easy. I don’t know why everyone else is making such a fuss.”

I found it easier than a levels

It’s very subject dependent. STEM ≠ arts & humanities. If you’re finding your sociology degree too easy, try theoretical physics.

It really depends on the course and the uni. Having done a degree at both Cali and Glasgow Uni, I most definitely noticed the difference. However that could be due to the subjects I studied as well; I did a life sciences degree first of all then nursing as my second degree. I would say I found the nursing degree harder however I was juggling a degree plus full time placement, so perhaps not a great comparison. Also first and second year tend to be a doddle. Its 3rd year where they really ramp things up and 4th year where they get you!

Medicine at Oxford was my first degree. I don’t think anyone on the course found it easy!

I have done various higher qualifications, which once combined with working and a family, mean despite the academic standard not necessarily getting harder, completing the course has got more difficult.

I think situations such as going to a university where you are significantly more able than most, not having competing interests on your time (like full time job, small kids) and not being horrendously sleep deprived (due to working nights, kids etc) puts you in a relatively easy position.

imagine if you had to do all your studying outside say 7am-8pm daily...and the course runs almost all year with no long vacations to recover!

Nope. I remember being in full 'rabbit in headlights' mode in my first term. It was a physics degree though and I was about the only person who'd done only Maths A level( with a D...)

Still I got a 2:2 and it is my career so I don't suck too much at maths it seems.

I teach at university.

If you are organised and self motivated, you are 75% of the way there. Most first year students are 18/19 and they are distracted (beer, sex, freedom).

Uni doesn't need to be difficult, but I hope it is interesting for you.

Makes me laugh when people automatically think “STEM” subjects are going to be innately harder than arts subjects. Most people (even very bright people) are good at some things and not at others. I know exceptional mathematicians who wouldn’t be able to find their way from one end of Kant to the another, and some philosophy grads who can’t do better than GCSE Maths. The mind is a subtle thing.

It is different things for different people and at different times in your life.

I went to uni after A levels and again as a mature student with 3 children.

First course i struggled far more with the academic side and the discipline to study and independent study skills. Second time want particularly academical challenging although it had its moments, it was more about critical thinking, analysis and synthesis of research etc. But it was hard to do the assignments because it involved clinical placements with full time hours plus the study on top. Attempting to write your dissertation after a 13 hour shift is somewhat hard.

Agree with PP. it all depends on university and course. The higher the university, the tougher the course. Also subject matters too. After I got my PhD in aerospace engineering, I went back and got an MBA to learn management and business skills. The MBA was far easier than my BSc had been, even though one would think that a masters degree should be harder than a bachelors degree.
I agree too that the circumstances make a difference. Whether you are working and/or a parent affects how easy or difficult you will view the degree course.

Too, the need to remember and apply what you are learning post graduation makes a difference. If I had done bare minimum to just answer essay questions, I’d be incompetent and fail in my profession. So would anyone in a medical field for example. Social science is one of those subjects where you remembering or not remembering everything about Marxism or radical feminism gender theory isn’t going to affect your ability to be competent in your profession. For you the degree course is really about teaching you to be able to independently research and apply critical thinking skills. There’s not a lot of technical proficiency that needs to be learned and that makes it less stressful. No lives depend on you remembering exact facts.

"Makes me laugh when people automatically think “STEM” subjects are going to be innately harder than arts subjects. "

I don't think they are, but I think those courses usually have more lecture or tutorial hours and a similar amount of coursework.

Well I guess it largely depends on academic ability, the course, where an individuals strength is.....

I could take great offence to what you say but I’m past that stage now! I went to an English university. I wish the assignments were 1000-2000 words! I think the first one was....maybe a couple more but they required a huge portfolio of stuff alongside the written assignment. Most of my essays were around 3000-4000. Dissertation 10,000. I struggled with academic writing - so I was one of those people who got in the forties sometimes. Got mostly 50s, several 60s and my only Firsts were presentations (no not just group ones either!)

I did my best. I worked my butt off but I’ve never been a natural academic. I went to support classes. Yes, I had plenty of friends and acquaintances like you who could put in apparently minimal effort and get great grades.

I was no party animal! I had a great time but I wasn’t wild and skipped plenty of nights out because I had work to do - and most of the time the assignments seemed to be at the same time! I think one of the big shocks for many is that you don’t get chased - I remember my flat mate not quite “getting” that if you missed the deadline no excuse would cut it and you would only get 40% tops. She learnt that quick.

You’re obviously gifted and will do well. Good for you, I wish I was! I remember loosing marks the first few times by not quite understanding how to use the referencing system!

Depends on the course I think. I did a BSc in psychology when I was 18 - 21, which was piss easy and didn't take up much time. Spent most of my time sleeping, watching daytime TV, in the gym, drinking, working part time etc. And then had a mad last minute cram and all nighters in the last few weeks of each year. I easily could have worked full time if I wasn't so lazy.

I retrained as an adult nurse in my mid 20s and found the course much more time consuming.

I don't think they are, but I think those courses usually have more lecture or tutorial hours and a similar amount of coursework.

They do, but virtually no independent reading. I had a reading list the length of my arm every single week at uni. For me, that was doable. Others would have failed to complete it. I’m shit at maths, though.

Honestly, the older you are, the "easier" it does seem. I was educated in another country, but did o.k. in secondary school, really struggled with my first two years of uni, and then upped my game and took on a part-time job at the same time to finish my degree. I went back and took an advanced degree later on, and found it a complete doddle by comparison to the first time round. By then, I was an adult, married, home owner, etc and was able to 100% throw myself into my work with out the usual distractions of student life, had better time management skills and a sense of purpose--things I really did not possess at the age of 18.

Education really IS wasted on the young...

I don't think your question is "am I doing something wrong?"

I kind of think you're fishing for complements and your actual question is "Am I some kind of super genius because I find university easy?"

The answer is no. You're not.

How "difficult" anything is is on a sliding scale for everyone. Maybe if you're finding your course too easy/ unchallenging you should speak to your tutors or should have pushed yourself to apply for a better than "average" university?