I can't do this anymore, the pressure is too much, I don't know enough, I can't do it

[fireflyfairy2]

I think I'm going to have a break down.

I have had a headache for about 3 weeks now.

I have so much work to do & for some reason I have no brain capacity left.

I go to university 3 days a week.. I have all day Tue & Fri at home to study, but for some reason I haven't been able to. I sit down with my books & then ds wants something (he's 3) He doesn't like TV & doesn't much like playing with his toys either... he just wants to sit on my knee or get me to read him stories, or just "Look at me mammy" type stuff. I feel awful for him. It's not fair on him.

He is 3 & I am in my final year... meaning I have been at uni for every year of his life. He was 5 months when I started & I feel so guilty. Dd is 6 & she has been threw about from pillar to post so I could pursue the one thing I wanted... 'to prove to my father I'm not stupid'.

I passed the first 2 years OK. I won't get a first, but a degree is a degree. I wanted a first when I started out.. and if it was purely based on journalism I would get it too.. but I have 2 modules of psychology to do as well & I am slightly losing the bap where they are concerned.

Not the clinical & abnormal, it's not too bad, but the educational psyc is driving my nuts.

We had a presentation the other day & it went tits up. Now I have an essay to hand in for Friday & my heart isn't in it. I have most of the literature I need in front of me..so why am I on here?

Also, I have my sister's kids this weekend so I've not really had time to get it started, but I feel like calling my studies advisor & telling her I can't do it anymore. I can't cope with the pressure of assignments & exams.. I can't cope with the headaches every day & constantly feel like crying.

What the hell am I going to do?????

What's your degree in Indith?

I think after our chat yesterday I have been convinced to apply for a place on the MA course.. wondering if it would be too much, but at least it would be all journalism & no psychology involved...

You must be mad

I do Spanish, Russian and Linguistics under the cover of Combined Honours in Arts. Fab degree really though I wish I had done more of th elinguistics side of things.

Can't wait to finish though and get out of education for a bit, in my fifth year now!

I kwym, I'm in my 7th year & still going strong!!

Have you any idea of what job you will do when you graduate?

I know, must be mad, but I will apply if we can afford it, if not then no worries, i'll do something else

Hiya

Coming to this a bit late, but just wanted to say, please do ask for an extension if you need it. You won't be penalised as long as the extension is agreed in advance (and the max. 40% thing sounds a bit harsh... IME, it's usually a case of losing x% per day if you hand the work in late - at our place it's 5% per day - and a max. of 40% if you fail and have to resit the whole assessment).

Also (this is easier said than done, I know, but what the hell, I'll say it anyway) try not to feel guilty about leaving your kids in childcare. You are a full-time student. If you had a full-time job you'd need full-time childcare. I know it's easy to think that studying, especially when you can do it at home, isn't 'real work', but it so is. I sometimes work from home (especially during the vacation) and I still get really upset when people ask me if I've got 'the day off' and feel the need to explain at great length how much work I need to do from home so that they don't think I'm a cruel and heartless mother for sending my dds to childcare when I am at home all day. It sounds to me as if you could do with having some time to study on one of your lecture-free days (even if it's just Friday morning till your dd comes out of school or something).

Good luck. I'm glad your advisor is helpful. Please don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. It's to help people like you for whom the timetable of studying full-time is genuinely challenging that extensions and suchlike exist. Of course, it's always the people who need it most who don't ask for help, whereas I find those who need ("need"!) to swan off to the Caribbean for 2 weeks in the middle of term-time are far from backward at coming forward to ask for extensions!

Good luck.

Hi Ellbell

Job firefly? Whats that then?

Actually teaching has always been the long term goal but I refuse point blank to do a PGCE and NQT year with a very young family so that is being put on the back burner. It is just far too demanding in terms of time, I've seen childless friends crumple under it. As for other jobs, I've done the sums and unless I land something very well paying then in terms of childcare, loan repayments and loss of tax credits then I'm better off not working I'm lucky though as we do ok on Dp's salary though keep having to remind myself that we won't have my student loan to pay the bills with next year!

Can you apply for funding for an MA?

Hi girls,

Indith, I'm not sure if I can get funded but I am going to call my LEA & ask them before I even apply for it.

There's no guarantee I will get on it of course, but I think I would regret it if I didn't at least try to get a place, kwim?

I just looked at your profile & your son is very young, so are you, so at least you have plenty of time to take a break & get back to studying.. I will be 30 in January & I want to get a foothold on the employment ladder fairly soon

Def worth asking and trying.

I do understand wanting to get into employment. I am incredibly lucky to have the freedom to wait, have more children etc and then think about it. (Not that that was what I thought when I found out I was pg coming up to the end of what should have been my penultimate year at uni!)