Half way through 2nd year ... want to leave?

[needanewhobby]

Hi, I am looking for advice because I really don't want to have to go through another 1 1/2 years of university.
I am at the University of Nottingham studying history. I have struggled from the beginning, and have hated it even more this year 'now it counts'...I have never received a mark higher than 60 and this has only been once, the rest of my marks have been around 55 - a 2:2 which I am led to believe is worthless to employers.
Do I need a degree to be a success? My family seem to think so. I don't know what to do. The support available at the uni is lacking - my personal tutor is too busy to be of any use. I know everyone there will tell me to stay. The problem is I don't know how to do any better.
I just received an essay back that I thought was quite good. I loved the topic and thought I might actually get higher than 59, but I didn't, I got 55 and now can't see the point of suffering through the rest of the degree to probably get the same job i'd get without a degree. (I already work at the weekends at a department store so sort of have a foot in the door there).
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Just read the full thread and yep, see you mentioned that your lecturer said you'd missed a leading name in the field.

By the way, a good way to start is to google reading lists of other universities and to look at Wikipedia entries on a subject and jump down to the footnotes and see who is listed. Apart from that, go to the undergraduate library and they are likely to have all the big names on a subject. Just wander (and wonder!) amongst the shelves, looking at the introductions to get a feel for what the different books are about.

Make sure you are using historians' perspectives and either agreeing, disagreeing or partially agreeing/disagreeing with them (ie revising their argument, refining it, or lighting upon a particular aspect of their work) using your own perspective and research to do so

Personally, I'd rather you made an argument -- whether you "agree/disgree" etc is less relevant.

Upthechimney... This is why I said drawing strong conclusions having threaded a clear argument throughout their essay.

It is easy to say make an argument, but for first and second year students, their arguments usually originate from reading other people's work and deciding how they position themselves against those views. for someone who is struggling, it is very hard to come up with an original argument. A simple framework of "read, then agree or disagree, or to a certain extent agree or disagree" may not produce a first, but can help someone push up from a 2:2 or third to a steady 2:1.

I currently live at home. I lived in halls for the first year and decided it wasn't for me, so this year I am back at home and much happier in that respect. I haven't made many friends - one or two at the most, which certainly doesn't help. I don't drink and feel like this is a major issue at university when socialising is centred around drinking...

I am going to look for help with essays. I have emailed the module tutor for the essay feedback from the one i've just done, and will find out when the next workshop is.

The reason I am so dismissive regarding my personal tutor is because when I have been to see her in 1st year to discuss the issues I was having, she told me that they were feeling stressed too, due to increased fees leading to increased contact hours (which I completely understand must be really difficult and time consuming, but there was no advice offered such as the websites people have linked me to on here).

Likewise, tutors from last year's modules have not seemed very approachable to me (or others on the course when speaking to them), it has only been this year that I have felt I can go and speak to module tutors for advice.

I do find discussing marks and feedback in person difficult, and I know I need to overcome this - the main reason is that I know i'm not doing very well and therefore have generally felt very deflated after weeks of work and stress to not feel rewarded by the mark.

I feel resentful towards those magical people who can go out every night, put little effort in and get a 2:1. It is one of the things that has led me to question if uni is right for me. But I don't know what else I would do with my life if I wasn't at uni!

Thanks for the advice, Ehhn :)

What a bizarre thing for a tutor to say. Increased fees leading to increased contact hours? Really?

I wonder if - forgive me - maybe you got the wrong end of the stick and she was trying to explain that you can only have so much contact time? It just seems a strange thing to say, and some universities do have quite strict rules about amounts of feedback.

Look, I don't know if this is helpful, but I find it difficult to process feedback too. I always found terms like 'a strong argument' difficult to understand. Do you have access to sample essays at all? If not, look at the way articles by academics are written. It feels as if you can't begin to write like that, but try to think about how they contrast other people's arguments.

And do ask for help. Even if people don't seem approachable.

Sorry, didn't read the entire thread previously. Your tutor doesn't seem very helpful; she shouldn't be concerning you with her workload.

Although my average isn't great, my coursework marks are usually 1st or 2.1 but it does take a lot of effort! As mentioned by others you have to make sure you put in as many references as possible to back up your statements, and use recent sources if possible to indicate the current state of research and ensure you are not using outdated ideas (this is true of my field anyway).

Do you use Web of Knowledge at all? Its available on the uni computers and can be accessed from home with your university login, as can many of the academic sites that require subscription.

Try not to let the marks get you down, my tutor told me last term that it isn't unusual to see people lift their grade in the third year.

I don't drink and feel like this is a major issue at university when socialising is centred around drinking

It really isn't you know. There's choir. there's orchestra, there are any number of dramatic societies you don't have to be a performer all of these societies love to have people to do the backstage work, or the publicity. There are sports groups, other kinds of special interests groups -- a board game society?

Loads of stuff.

I feel resentful towards those magical people who can go out every night, put little effort in and get a 2:1. It is one of the things that has led me to question if uni is right for me

You're resenting something that doesn't exist. People DO have to put in effort to get higher marks. They may just pretend they are not bothering.

I think you need to see the student counselling service to help you with your negative, all or nothing thinking.

A 2:2 is a perfectly respectable mark, and a perfectly respectable degree classification.

those magical people do not exist - they really have to put in the effort. Alot of the time we think they don't but they do. There's alot of research that says that people who have very packed schedules end up doing very well because they have to be focused and manage their time very well. So atheletes/swimmers etc wake up really early, put in a whole load of training, then they go to school/college/uni, spend the whole day there, go for more training, home, homework then sleep. And repeat.

same logic applies - these swimmers do not become magical swimmers and olympian champions just like that - lots of training is involved. ergo effort.

"There's a lot of research that says that people who have very packed schedules end up doing very well because they have to be focused and manage their time very well."

So why, when discussing Personal Statements, do Admissions folk always say that they discount extra-curricular activities and are only interested in "a passion for the subject"?

well surely if you have a 'passion' for the subject, you'd also have to spend time on it right? so if you are into 'history', you'd be spending time in some history club, writing a blog... if you are into singing, you'd be in choir, training for choir, achieving a grade A for some singing exam.... etc?

besides, I think that's not the point of this thread which is about how the OP needs to develop her 'passion' for the subject, or somehow do well enough so that she rediscovers her passion.

I am really NOT interested in statements about 'passion' for a subject. I want reasoned statements about the ways in which applicants have pursued/expanded/explored/developed their understanding of their chosen discipline.

Hi, thanks for all your replies,

In response to the musical/drama etc societies, I am part of the book society and baking society, but as I already feel pushed for time in a given week these meetings take up valuable time when I could be working! I do have friends outside Uni - I haves twin sister doing the same course as me so we keep each other company, and I work at the weekends so have friends there ( alto ugh, this does add to my stress level r.e. time, I enjoy my job and the financial benefit is obviously a positive!) I am not remotely sporty unfortunately, as the sports teams do look to give a great sense of community.

Perhaps it was only in first year that people seemed to be able to 'wing it' with their grades, I certainly overhear people talking about how little work they have done, but then again I know this has to be taken with a pinch of salt as they may not be telling the truth!

I do not feel I need to see a counselling service, and if I did I'm sure people who know me in real life would have mentioned it, especially as two of the people I've asked for advice are counsellors themselves! (My mum's friends)

My attitude was very negative in previous posts, but I was very upset and emotional yesterday and the day before, I have since regained composure!! I really loved the subject that caused these feelings, and felt I had little hope when I hadn't achieved what I had been hoping I would do for a topic I feel passionate about. Today I received marks for an essay I did relating to the medieval era and got 62, which I consider to be a miracle as I hated it, but has given me a little more hope!

I have also spoken to a module tutor who has made me feel much more comfortable with asking for help in the future.

Aw, congratulations!

Sorry you hated the module, but if you can do that when you hate it, maybe you're on an upward turn?

Best of luck.

Could you change your personal tutor to one you find more helpful?