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I don't like my degree

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
I received my module choices for next year yesterday, and I was reading through them and I don't want to do any of them. None of them grab my attention, none of them interest me. I haven't enjoyed my first two terms of my degree (English Language and Linguistics) very much and I don't feel motivated to do the work.

Learning languages doesn't come naturally to me, and for what I thought was an English course there is a lot of emphasis on other languages. I'm doing six modules this year, and only two of them are about English.

I chose this degree over Psychology because I did a lot better in the exam at A level and thought that an English degree might be more useful than a Psychology degree. In hindsight I think I have made the wrong choice. I can't think of anything I would use this degree for after uni, I have no ambition or idea of what I want to do with my life. At the moment all I want to do is go canoeing (!), but there aren't many jobs in canoeing, it's mainly volunteer based. I don't want to change courses because that would mean spending an extra year at uni, and I feel like I would've wasted a lot of money paying for this year and then changing. It all just seems like a waste of time. I was thinking about continuing this degree and then doing what I want afterwards - like doing coaching courses and maybe being a full time coach at a canoe club or activities centre.

Do people always feel like they have made the wrong choice around this time, or is it just me and I really HAVE made the wrong choice? I really don't know what to do about this, I feel like I don't have any options.
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Do you have a personal tutor who you could talk to about your options for taking different modules that might interest you more?

    It's a shame that you aren't feeling motivated but you're a smart cookie and it would be a shame to leave uni without your degree if you have no solid plans for the future.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have a supervisor but I'm not sure how much use he would be for something like this. I suppose the person to go and talk to would be the department administrator.

    I'm really disappointed with the degree, it definitely isn't what I thought. The work we're set is odd as well, I prefer to do research and write essays but we have booklet things and short questions for once fortnightly seminars that never seem worth doing! That sounds so bad but I like deadlines for essays, I like learning and remembering facts and things but stupid little exercises that make me feel like a year 7 really don't help me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Maybe that'll change in year 2?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I hope so. I still have to get to year two though, which brings me back to the problem of not wanting to choose any of the modules :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lucky dip. :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    :p

    Want to see what I have to choose from?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    :p

    Want to see what I have to choose from?
    Go on then, ask a completely non artsy person and cultural neanderthal to choose your English modules.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Non artsy maybe but you have more common sense than I do.

    I've PMd you the link because I'm not sure how happy York uni would be if I posted it on a message board!
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    Is there any way that you could turn your degree into a joint honours or major/minor degree with a new subject? So keep the modules you have done this year for english lang/linguistics and then choose a different subject that you'd like better - say english lit (don't know if you like it but it's definitely more essay based) or psychology.

    Just thinking that tutors/admin might be more open to this as it wouldn't be scrapping your current subject altogether but just doing less of it.

    Btw - are there any creative writing options on your english lang syllabus?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well maybe just the titles of the modules don't grab you?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There aren't any creative writing modules on it which is a shame. I think we're limited to things within the department, there are restrictions on how many things you can take from certain routes.

    Lucifer devil - if I was choosing based on titles it would be ok, but the summary of each module is what is putting me off!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    do they do english and pyschology together?
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    There aren't any creative writing modules on it which is a shame. I think we're limited to things within the department, there are restrictions on how many things you can take from certain routes.

    Aw that's a shame :(

    Don't know how helpful I'll be but I don't mind taking a look at the list if you like.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Clicky York uni probably don't read thesite anyway ;)

    I'm avoiding Semantics like the plague, and trying to do as little syntax as possible.

    Thanks :)
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    I am looking at level 2 right? -any compulsory modules?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't even know that :(
    It will be my second year, course Q302 and that's about all I can make out from reading this!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    KHSS. Inbox. Thanks.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i changed to a totally new course after my first year. i think it's a sort of make-or-break time, cause you've come so far, but you still have so far left to go.

    maybe you could transfer onto a different course in a similar area, and go straight into year 2 on the new course? i don't know how possible that is for you, but quite a few people from my course did that, and it meant that they stayed in a similar kind of degree, but just one that was more suited to them, and it meant they didn't have to resit a year the way muggins over here did.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    I see what you mean - there's some real tough ones on there.
    I'm not sure if you can take them, but the one's which I'd take if I could would be:

    Introduction to language variation and change
    Methods in linguistic variation and
    Forensic phonetics.

    The first two look relatively interesting and as if they might have information which would be useful to take with you into the 'real world' (less abstract). Forensic phonetics wouldn't necessarily be useful later on if you're not interested in that field, but looks fascinating and it's always good to try and get something into a degree which you wouldn't know about otherwise :).

    Sorry if this doesn't help at all - Kentish may well have better insight ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't really know what kinds of things are available in terms of similar courses - mine seems to be the only English course in the Languages department. I didn't do English Literature at A level so that be a problem. I'm on holiday for another two weeks so I can't do anything until I go back up there but it's good to have some options to think about. Thanks :)

    ETA - forensic phonetics looks good, I do like phonetics more than the rest of them. I'm thinking of that one, TEFL and a sociolinguistics one as well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    **Helen** wrote:
    The first two look relatively interesting and as if they might have information which would be useful to take with you into the 'real world' (less abstract). Forensic phonetics wouldn't necessarily be useful later on if you're not interested in that field, but looks fascinating and it's always good to try and get something into a degree which you wouldn't know about otherwise :).
    That's what I said. ;)
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    Hi KHSS - Here's an article about the wrong course which you may find helpful if you definitely decide English language isn't right for you ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kaffrin wrote:
    i changed to a totally new course after my first year

    me too, and to start with i felt i couldnt because i didnt want to think that id wasted a year and all the money that went with it but in the end i realised that, in the long run, it would be better to do something that made me happy then spend 3 years doing something i really didnt want to do.

    like kaffrin said though it may be possible to change courses and go straight into the 2nd year, either at the uni you're at now or a different one. i could have easily done that if id wanted to do a similar course to the one i was already one but i didnt, i wanted to do a completely different course, so i had to start again. and move to the other end of the country actually! but in the end, you really should do whatever is going to make you happiest.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I wasn't happy with my course choice either originally. I knew from literally day 1 that it wasn't right for me but i decided to stick it out....it just got worse and worse and by christmas i decided to leave. I then looked into other courses and found one which i thought, i'll give it a whirl......best decision i ever made!!

    I know uni is expensive and it may seem like you have wasted money but beleive me if you aren't happy its worth the expense. Fair enough too that you may think it was a waste of a year, i thought it was for me, but now i'm even taking a year out to do a placement i love it that much!

    Obviously only you can decide what is right but from my personel experience, changes courses may be awkward and inconvenient but in the long run it was definatly the best decision i have ever made!

    (hope that helps)
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