Your wish is my command!


In true support group style....

My name is Fiona, and I'm a final year undergraduate student.

My (nick)name is Lilly, and I'm a second year undergraduate student studying physics. Or math. Or physics. Or math... (Except in particularly desperate moments, when I decide to change to philosophy ) The only thing I'm sure if is that either way, I need to pass complex analysis, so I'm going to go back to that now...

My name is Lottie and I'm a University addict!! (I have two Masters degrees and am contemplating an Advanced Diploma in illustration.... or possibly even a PhD (although I can't really afford the PhD ))


Lilly - second year is tough because the work really kicks in after a gentle first year (usually). Then you have to choose your specialities. But you're also an 'experienced' student now and the first years will think you're really sophisticated!!!

Floss!!!! Final year is so exciting because you're the 'grown-up' student and there are all those exciting possibilities for what you're going to do next... and yet plenty time still to choose. And your thesis/final project is the opportunity to do some original work!

I hope that doesn't sound patronising - just my experience and although there are tough bits being a student it really is a wonderful experience. I just wish I'd also played in my first Uni orchestra (although my second Uni didn't have one )


I also love student discounts!!!

My name is pianoeater and I got my acceptance letter today so I now feel justified in joing this thread.

This sounds like an AA meeting
But I wouldn't really know....

Starting my undergrad in March. I'm looking foward to the student discounts ^^^^ and you can all look foward to my woes next year.

Congratulations Pianoeater!

I'm starting in February at the University of Sheffield to do a CertHE in Music and hopefully then move onto the second and third years of the B.Mus.

Both excited and nervous ... I've tried uni study before (Motorsport Engineering) but hated studying science / engineering at that level.

Sheffield seem to be very well regarded for music (if the league tables are anything to go on.) So anyone with any experience of Sheffield Uni would be most welcome to comment!

Me too! Though I don't always use one, given that I work full time and especially for places e.g. like museums where I could in theory get concession rate for special exhibitions. But for big retailers I feel less guilt

I'm only a pretend student because it's OU and not a 'life stage' but a permanent part of my being, but technically I am an undergraduate, studying towards what is likely to become my, ahem, third bachelors...

Umm... my name is Babybird2 and I work at a university...

What in? And what are your other degrees in?



Me too, well sort of! I work part time at Derby Uni doing academic support for disabled students. My study skills are good so really I ought to apply them and get some decent marks on my course

What do you do at uni? I know you did your PhD in some sort of sciencey subject.

My first, and full-time, degree is an MA in biological sciences Which is always fun to explain to people ("Yes, it's an undergraduate degree, although it starts with an M. And yes, it's an A, not an Sc, honestly!").
My next one was with the OU, BA (Hons) Humanities with classical studies.
The current one, I am doing a maths course with a view to further physics/astro courses - I took two astro courses in a "break" from the humanties and would love to do the higher level astro courses but need to get some maths first. This will, with any luck, result in an open BSc (depending on how the transitional funding arrangements work out, and also what life throws in my way, this may have (Hons) or it might not!)

I have a long-term goal for letters in front of my name, as opposed to just a billion after my name, but that may well be a post-retirement plan (an OU course colleague has just started her PhD at the age of 69, so I consider there to be plenty of time left for me to work out what I might like to do [even which subject...])

Maizie - all such different subjects Do you think you'll go onto postgrad?

My university experience first time round was horrible I realised loving cars did not equate to loving Motorsport Engineering - some of it was more about computers than cars Fact is, I wanted a degree and didn't know what to pick. Well, infact I sort of did - I wanted to do music but doubted I'd be good enough for a good uni to do classical music (not interested in popular music Motorsport as I love cars.

Now, because of that I only have 2 years undergrad funding left and the tuition fees are now too high for me to self fund so, if they (Sheffield) decide I can't transfer onto the 2nd year I'm going to have to try to get onto Nottingham's part-time programme and self fund (Can't really move from Derbyshire)

Researching more sciencey stuff Only for 6 months though, sadly

Hello everyone.

My name is....Tortellini and I am a "mature" student i.e. old!

I have a BA in Languages, an MA in Applied Linguistics and am currently studying for a PhD in Linguistics. I am in my third year but have been doing it for ages as I took a year off to have twins - not really recommended study-wise but great fun! I work from home as I am about 1000 miles away from campus so my biggest problems are procrastination and isolation.....

An article someone recently showed me that I think every student should read...

I want to join, because I am contemplating going back to Uni - again! Maybe this will stop the procrastinating. I could start in January, but I think I'll give that a miss - deadline too soon to get the funding in place, which will only be roughly a third anyway, so cost is a huge factor in whether to go for it or not.

I thought about the Postgraduate Certificate in Humanities at the OU, with an outlook to make this the MA in Music further down the line, but I'm not sure yet if it's the right thing for me. I already have very similar qualifications, it's more about keeping my braincells working. Therefore, considering the cost is all the more important.

I acquired my "important" qualifications in Germany: a postgraduate one, quite similar to a Masters, in Musicology, Theatre Studies and Geography, and a parallel postgraduate Diploma in Classical Voice. Later on, a PDA style qualification in Musical Theatre Performance.

Since I moved to the UK, a bit of professional development in Drama and Teaching (Diploma and PDA). And now I'm getting restless again

Hello, I'm Allegretto and I'm an eternal student and work at a University (doing admin stuff).

I got an HND in music quite a few years ago after school, and since then have done an assortment of OU courses and one 2nd year at a real life Uni - mixture of Philosophy, English, and a bit of Psychology. I'm currently on my final Level 3 course with the OU (E301) and should, fingers crossed, be able to tie it all together into a BA Humanities with Philosophy next year. I'm looking at doing a Masters after that - probably won't have the option to give up work so it's likely to be with the OU as well although I am looking into some other options for part-time/ distance learning. I do miss the 'proper' Uni experience a bit though.

This was the best OU course I did by miles - absolutely fantastic tutor too

I'm really enjoying it so far, and seem to have a great tutor too. Got my best ever OU mark for my first essay which was a nice start! (just need to get on with the second one now...)

Hello, my name's Freda_bloogs and I'm an alcoh- student.

My first degree is a BA in French Studies which I followed up with an MSc in Linguistics and Neuroscience. I'm currently on my gap yah in an attempt to get motivated again and decide what it is that I want to do with my life. I have been away from academic work for a good 6 months now, if we don't count the dissertation, and I'm already itching to get back. The thought of working in wine for the rest of my life does genuinely scare me. I think it would kill me.

Those who have looked in the PhD thread will know that I'm just putting the finishing touches to the 2nd draft of my research proposal. I'm hoping to look at L1 language attrition in late bilinguals. But I hold out little hope for getting funding is about as likely as the 2nd coming. (I'm a 6.9 on the Dawkins scale! ) When I'm not selling drugs to rich people, I work part time at the Ecole Normale Sup?rieure in their cognitive science department as a research assistant. I just can't let go.

Sigh.

I don't think depressive illness is the prerogative of students - anyone can suffer from it. The bit about finding someone to talk to if/when you feel like this is good advice though.

Yes I agree. And it's not just in the high-flying institutions like Harvard or Oxbridge where this can happen, it can be anywhere.

No, obviously not. But at least in my acquaintance, an extremely disproportionate number people started having mental health issues after starting university. Living away from family and long-term friends from school, getting used to a new environment/culture, having to take care of oneself, having a much less "structured" schedule, and greater workload and expectations are all issues that can be difficult to adjust to when starting college. The community is larger than what most people have experienced before and it is often correspondingly easier to feel lost and lonely. Furthermore, there's a certain pressure that time at university is supposed to be "the best years of one's life", with more independence than childhood and less responsibility than adulthood, so people tend to feel guilty about not being happy and try to ignore the problem. There's also a culture which makes everyone feel as though in order to use their time to the fullest, they have to be constantly stressed and tired, and that the "ideal" student should be taking 12 classes/managing 17 different student associations/sleeping once every 3 weeks, which nobody can really live up to. Not to mention that basic statistics dictates that not every student who was among the highest performers in their hometown can continue to be so when gathered with loads of others also used to being high performers...

Universities like Harvard and Oxbridge also can attract certain personality types - driven, perfectionistic etc that can be prone to depression. I don't know of any studies that "prove" this but I'd be interested to read them.

I also would love to go back to university - thought about getting another Masters but can't really justify it. I miss the academic environment a lot. Also thought about a PhD in this programme or similar, but really could not justify spending five years in it even if I did get in.

I'm Robbie, and I'm a final year undergraduate in Music and Drama BA(Hons).

Oh how time flies ... No idea what to do after my uni life ... provided I pass this year :/

Hello everyone! I'm currently doing a PhD - still have a few years left of being a student before entering the real world...

(And student discounts are great! )

Probably fill supermarket shelves or pull pints like so many graduates.

Are you being comforted by this thread, btw? because I don't think I would be! It's full of people with more degrees than you could shake a stick at, and the message seems to be "stress?! Wait 'til you're on your 3rd PhD!"

How lovely

I don't think you're quite correct there, to be honest.

When I was in my second year, I nearly packed it all in and swapped subject. When in my third year I couldn't wait to go on placement and get out of uni. When in my fourth year, on placement, I loved my job, but hated my housemates, so couldn't wait to get back to uni and move back in with boyfriend+friends. When in my fifth and final year I contemplated doing a PhD, but found I actually couldn't make myself fill out the forms. Or talk to academics. Or face the thought of spending MORE time at uni.

So I got a job on a shiny graduate scheme, as I figured it couldn't hurt.

Now, I still work on a uni campus. Which is odd. While getting bombarded with corporate brainwashing. It sometimes feels like the worst of both worlds. But the job is fun, the people are nice, and the money is good.

The PhD still gets considered now and then.

I haven't been out of uni for so long that I can't remember my first job... I think of it now as "learning how not to get fired" I think it was also good to find out what I didn't want to do, which was work in a big company. I've always thought that knowing what you don't want to do is as important as knowing what you want to do

I'm Pianotastic, and I'm trying to kid myself into thinking I'm still a student

Hi, I'm Hayley and I'm a first year undergrad measuring the salinity of water and making pretty A1 posters on why Ben nevis is higher than Snowdon...
Absolutely DREADING the 3,500 (makes me regret this uni malarky already!) report after Xmas
but getting very excited about the prospect of a house and not halls next year!

... and you were born the year I started Uni, which makes me feel very old.

I also did the posters, maps and measuring. Was happy though to see the back of it, I guess I only picked Geography as one of my subjects because I was interested in music ethnology and thought it was a good idea at the time (don't know what I was thinking).
Then again, it maybe was: I always got work with my local council when I was an unemployed musician, especially in noise control, which most people, including myself, found hilarious. Thankfully didn't last too long, and music worked out

I realised this October that it was 40 years since I matriculated!

You're-as-old-as-you-feel (ancient!) BM

I've never felt older than I am now.

That's interesting, hope you succeed. For purely selfish reasons - I'm sure my German really sucks meanwhile (mind you, so does my English syntax every now and again), and I've only been away for 6 years. I had to host an event in German a couple of months ago, and I really struggled. It was quite embarrassing actually...

And typing on an iPad occasionally sucks as well, typos everywhere, hope I found them all now...

Coming from Germany, however, I don't know if you'd qualify as a late bilingual given what wonderful language teaching you get over there. I heard horror stories about my German teacher's Abitur!

We're the group that gets overlooked in my opinion. Everyone always looks at bilingual children. Forget the kids, look at the adults. We have to go through more to get good! We all know that the kids can do it without effort and be better than us. Pssssh. Where's the science in that?!

Ok, rant over.

What horror stories?

She would tell us how she would be examined in front of the rest of the class at a very young age. That sounded horrific to me!

Edit: The way that I phrased that also makes it sound horrific. Not the effect I was after.

I think that's sort of unusual though, we had written and oral exams, the latter only in front of two examiners though.

I started learning English at the age of 10 though, that's true (they start even younger these days), but when do you start calling someone bilingual? I certainly had a good grasp of the language before I moved, but I was far from bilingual I guess...

I only started French two years later, but oh.my.goodness, it's horrendous these days. I understand virtually everything, but speaking? Bleurgh!

There's another fascinating question! Who is bilingual and who isn't? We're in danger of hijacking this thread but it's something I will happily discuss until the cows come home

Ach, they can tell us to stop, until then, I don't care
I'll try to keep typos to a minimum, but my sausage fingers don't always hit the right keys on this

I would say, as a pure layman, that one is only bilingual, or multilingual for that matter, if one speaks the languages in question with roughly equal fluency. And although I speak far more than two languages to a certain extent, I would never call myself multilingual. The only ones that are roughly even at the moment are German and English. With German at danger to become less fluent actually, although it's L1. I think in English, but I still count in German - someone once told me this was an almost surefire way to find out L1, but I wonder if this is still true after decades. I can keep you posted

So in order to be bilingual you have to attain a level of language that is equal to that of your native tongue? Does that mean then that as my English gets worse, I don't have to be quite as good at French to be deemed bilingual? Surely that defeats the object! In many respects, I wouldn't say that I'm perfectly fluent in either language. I don't know if this is due to me learning to think and therefore not being quite so hasty in my speech or because I have twice as many words in there to deal with. I'm working on an experiment at the moment that's looking at inhibition as a predictor for language ability. I wonder if I'm not a very good lexical inhibitor, meaning that my English slows as I select the right word. I don't know. Unfortunately I can't be tested as I'm not a naive subject (and the materials are for AmEn/Fr speakers).

Some say that only true bilinguals are those who've learned from birth, pre-critical period (which Lenneberg says is about 12). I want to disagree with that. I'm throwing in with a model developed by David Green. He posits that it's only to do with time. If you spend as much time on an L2 as you have with your L1 then you can become equally as proficient. The thing is that it is difficult to catch up as you get older - if you start learning, say, German at age 18, then English will always have an 18-year head start on you. However, if you start at 4, there's only a 4-year gap. Adults will find it harder to stop using their L1 altogether, meaning overall less practice time even when they attempt to try to close the gap, whereas children have less reason to keep hold of a language.

Basically, I'm not giving up hope just yet!

Granted, but also at the same time I have uncontrolled seizures and can't sleep a lot because my form of epilepsy along with the medication.

I have plans for the work I want to do, I want to work in the music industry in Europe, being an avid lover of speaking foreign languages and already being able to conversationally speak in French, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese and a high level of Spanish will be of very much use to what I want to do.

My OH always says my English is better than that of many native speakers, so we might have a point here Just joking of course. Since I am not a linguist, I can't really word it precisely anyway...
And we have another question: When is the command of a language deemed fluent? And don't children who grow up as true bilinguals sometimes have major fluency problems in both languages, and they are sometimes even deemed being "slower" than their peers - which they aren't of course, because they virtually learn double the words, or sometimes mix and match them in a wrong way, also depending on their emotional connection, or simply another one that makes sense.

I noticed that my English syntax is sometimes German, but my German syntax is anglicised now. You would think if I am aware of it, I could change it, but it's hardly possible to process it that quickly, at least that's what it feels like. So the languages are in a weird continuum, neither one works perfectly. I sometimes think this might actually be a problem of being bilingual.

The hosting nightmare was essentially down to the fact that I sometimes couldn't think of the German word quick enough, probably because I had mainly talked about the subject in English recently. To avoid awkward silence, I tend to keep on talking and paraphrase, which doesn't always get results apart from really complicated sentences and weird Denglish. It's worse though in stressful situations like that, which makes me think that psyche definitely plays some part in this as well. You would think though you might resort to L1 under stress, but for me, that's strangely not the case anymore.

I'm James. No cookies for guessing. I'm a first year physics student and I'm loving it, apart from the amount of homework, which a lot more than A levels, and GCSEs (or for the 'mature' members: O-Levels )

Oh well, music saves me

I strongly dislike that statement, I think it's got a lot to answer for! Everyone has a different experience - I hope I have better times in my life than the last 2 years!

You get this all the way through eduction - "GSCEs?! Nothing compared to A levels, get over yourself!" "A levels?! Wait til you're doing a degree! *Then* you'll know what stress is!" "Undergraduate? Just you wait...." The best way I find is just to take it with a pinch of salt and hope that people with more experience, instead of telling you to just grin and bear it might actually give you some advice on how to cope.


Things like this are also another reason why I wanted to start a support thread - I find that in 'real life' it's hard to find anyone who isn't just a 'normal' student! Whereas here the chances are that someone will also have encountered serious health issues while at university.

I have a meeting with my elusive dissertation supervisor in the morning - over halfway through term and I've only just managed to pin her down. Trying not to stress over it though... still got plenty of time in the grand scheme of things! She only gave me a few days notice to write a research proposal though, so here's hoping my couple of pages of non-sensical (to anyone but me!) notes will suffice for now!

It's a good idea yes Floss - to help each other as much as we all can!

I've got a day off from classes tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get some work on my research on epilepsy and music done - yeah ... thought I might as well use my medical illness for my creative sound module

Basically, i'm going to research into epilepsy and music and to use mathematical equations to create music through a computer programme that hopefully results in releasing a sound that is relaxing to patients who suffer epilepsy and can be used to lower their numbers in seizures.


I've also got to research into music from around the world for my music into performance module, as for that I have to prepare a 30 minute seminar to my classmates - which i'm kind of looking forward to

I hope you didn't think I was being cynical; I think a university 'support' thread is an excellent idea, I was just a bit cross that it was turning into a boast-fest for all those who have umpteen letters after their name (or even before their name).
I mention the shelf-filling and pint-pulling because that is what my own graduate children are doing; also have very close-to-hand experience of a family member with epileptic seizures. Not easy for you.
Hope the thread helps all the stressed-out students out there.

I've not read anyone's post as boasting - I think it's useful to hear about people's experiences at different stages of the student journey, whether it's 'just started' or 'been doing it for years'.

Heslop, your project sounds really interesting.

Much as I'm loving my course, I'm feeling hugely lacking in energy at the moment - made a start on my next assignment last night and felt that I had very little to show at the end of two and a half hours Trying to keep the end of degree in sight - it's been a long time coming!