University blues

University starts tomorrow and words cannot begin to describe how absolutely awful I feel.

My parents stuck me in a degree that was made up of all my least favourite topics in school + is so overstimulating and involves a lot of interacting with people. My course was one of the few that couldn't go online during the pandemic because of how much face to face interaction is needed. It's also too fast paced for me and I 1000% hate it. I wasn't allowed to pursue my special interests at a university level. I would've loved computer science.

I've told my parents for years that my degree absolutely destroys my mental health to the point I was having daily horrible and physically dangerous meltdowns before class, was actively thinking of leaving this planet, and I became so depressed that my physical appearance changed - I looked like a zombie and I never smiled again for years. Academics used to be my safe place from everything else, but in university I no longer had a safe place because I didn't like my academics - I didn't like my degree. I was still lonely, bullied in uni even and I wasn't bullied in high school just alone. The lecturers were also very cold.

I became physically ill and had to take a year out from uni which was healing. I suspect all the stress and trauma got to me and started to manifest as physical symptoms.

I told my parents all of this many times throughout uni, they even pointed out that I looked near death and they just did not care. They didn't care at all. They wouldn't allow me to change degrees. They were so horrible to me whenever my grades dropped because I don't like this course a single bit. They were 0% empathetic towards me about any of this. My dad's out of the picture now because he was arrested for domestic violence but he still makes fun of me with my grandmother.

I feel trapped because if I dropped out or switched degrees I would be punished then kicked out of the house and I currently don't have anywhere to go. Now that I'm well enough I have to go back and do final year all over again. I don't want to go back to uni tomorrow. I don't. I looked at my time-table and felt physically sick and so scared I started crying. This sensation was all too familiar. I'm not looking forward to going back to crying everyday and feeling so miserable and anxious that my body hurts.

I never really expected my family to be supportive because they've been this way my whole life. They've never cared about me, my safety, or my health or emotional well-being. It would actually have been way more surprising if they listened to my begging and pleading for help or mercy. It's actually completely unsurprising that after a lifetime of abuse and control they've stuck me in a career that's destroying me and an environment I find terrifying and laughing at me for it. I'm alone in this. Still, I find it kind of scary that they can look at me suffering and just not care at all.

I don't know what to do.

I'm going to work part time so that I can save up to live far away from my family. Then I would be able to switch to a degree I actually like instead of one I find traumatic. But it'll take a little while. I really wish I didn't have to go in tomorrow.

Parents
  • I can totally relate.  Not so much with the family situation but the Uni experience.  It was so off the scale overwhelming.  Are you still living with family ? What course are you doing and why were your fam so insistent on you not following your dream ? Aside from the obvious horror of crowds, noise, bad lighting and the strange Uni smell, if you are anything like me, learning something you have no real (and I mean REAL) interest in is not going to end well. My head exploded after two terms, roughly about the same time as my friend was burning all his belongings in the park! Anyway enough about Sheffield ;)  Uni's these days are much better at helping struggling students.  I know because I went back (not to Sheffield, thank god) as a mature student doing the course I wanted to do and got a first... in computer science :) Would extra support have helped me the first time round ? No.  Because a course that's 'similar' to my special interest isn't interesting enough for me to succeed :)  Eek waffle

Reply
  • I can totally relate.  Not so much with the family situation but the Uni experience.  It was so off the scale overwhelming.  Are you still living with family ? What course are you doing and why were your fam so insistent on you not following your dream ? Aside from the obvious horror of crowds, noise, bad lighting and the strange Uni smell, if you are anything like me, learning something you have no real (and I mean REAL) interest in is not going to end well. My head exploded after two terms, roughly about the same time as my friend was burning all his belongings in the park! Anyway enough about Sheffield ;)  Uni's these days are much better at helping struggling students.  I know because I went back (not to Sheffield, thank god) as a mature student doing the course I wanted to do and got a first... in computer science :) Would extra support have helped me the first time round ? No.  Because a course that's 'similar' to my special interest isn't interesting enough for me to succeed :)  Eek waffle

Children
  • Thank that was so incredible to read. It was so nice to hear from someone that can relate and totally gets it. Yes, the uni environment is so overstimulating and when you don't have a passion for the course its so hard to concentrate and get anything done without feeling completely burnt out. It's amazing it was better the second time round and it was amazing you got a first in computer science. Those are such wise words that I needed to hear that nobody else seems to really understand, when it's our special interest we get to pursue it can basically be the love of our lives but when the course that's not our special interest we can never do as well as we're actually capable of doing. Honestly thanks so much I needed to read this today. I'm going to speak to my academic advisor about changing course and I'll speak to them as well about disability support