Does university make you feel like a slave?

[keltingmeith]

Like Stick said, Biomed just really needs you to learn the content as well as you can for your MSTs and exams, and there isn't gonna be a teacher around to tell you what to do and when to do it like in VCE.

This is DEFINITELY not specific to biomed.

[thushan]

I will say I kinda have it lucky!

We don't have many assignments - only about 4-ish for the entire year, but I guess the bulk of the workload is remembering the years' worth of content. But I may be telling a different story next semester...

[hobbitle]

Damn people.  Uni is an incredible lifestyle and you will never get anything like it ever again.  I work really hard at uni but still fit in work and social time, it's all about balance, and balance is way easier to achieve with the relative flexibility at uni than in the work force.  I worked for 7 years before going back to studies and whilst it has it's downsides, it's so so so much less depressing being at uni.

Just my opinion, everyones different, but I think we can all agree that whilst uni may feel like a grind, it's certainly not akin to slavery.... in fact the freedom is amazing.

[sjayne]

I must be doing things wrong because I don't seem to have any freedom tbh

For me, uni really is that bad

[happycat]

So most people are okay with the first week or two of uni...

Then you get an assignment, then you fall behind on class trying to focus on finish this assignment on time, then you force yourself to catch up because of a quiz, then you get another assignment, then you fall behind again, then you force yourself to catch up because of the mid semester test, then another assignment hits you, and the cycle repeats until you are in SWOTVAC and cram everything in at once and (hopefully) pass!

Still better than school though.

Yep I can relate to this, as soon as an assignment is finished I end up falling behind and needing to catch up on what I missed.

[Russ]

I must be doing things wrong because I don't seem to have any freedom tbh

For me, uni really is that bad

You are probably doing something wrong then, yes. It's understandable if you're in your first semester though, as you gain familiarity with the entire process, you'll start realising how to improve your performance and routine. A lot of people feel this way early and it usually gets better. At the end of the day, you get at least 20 weeks of holidays a year, so it can't be that bad

[Shenz0r]

If anything I think high school makes you feel more like a slave because you're forced to do things you sometimes just have no interest in, and you have to attend every class even if you think you might be better off studying on your own.

Of course, it's nowhere near as intensive as uni but I feel that at uni I genuinely want to learn, while still having the freedom to make my own decisions on lifestyle etc.

[~V]

So most people are okay with the first week or two of uni...

Then you get an assignment, then you fall behind on class trying to focus on finish this assignment on time, then you force yourself to catch up because of a quiz, then you get another assignment, then you fall behind again, then you force yourself to catch up because of the mid semester test, then another assignment hits you, and the cycle repeats until you are in SWOTVAC and cram everything in at once and (hopefully) pass!

Still better than school though.

This is uni in a nutshell, well for me at least. well written.

[hobbitle]

This is uni in a nutshell, well for me at least. well written.

Yeah it's pretty accurate for anyone with a semblance of a social life. It's possible to stay on top of everything all the time if you study/attend classes 12 hours a day every day... but srsly.

[Reus]

Yes, it does.

[happycat]

The strangest thing I've noticed is the way I am focusing more on getting stuff done by deadlines such as assignments and the like and less on the learning. This seems to leave me with very little time if any on learning so the way uni courses are run seems to totally take the enjoyment out of learning. I'm doing zoology and NOT biomed like people have assumed. It seems really bizarre how I should hate the very thing I enjoy most. Oh the irony of it all. This is largely a result of how my course is been run.

[hobbitle]

If all your girlfriend wants of your time is a coffee on Sunday you're doing... well? Pros and cons of that one haha.

[thushan]

If all your girlfriend wants of your time is a coffee on Sunday you're doing... well? Pros and cons of that one haha.

Depends I say. An alternative is a study sesh together instead of coffee on that Sunday morning.

[slothpomba]

Like Joseph i felt more like a slave during VCE. Part of the definition of slavery is being "unfree" and "forced" right? I feel like there is significantly more of that in VCE.

For starters you *had* to attend school every day. You don't need to go to uni at all (but if you miss enough labs/tutes you will fail). You don't have to do your homework, you just might fail. There is no uniform or mostly set times.

Uni comes in waves. At high-tide its pretty bad, around the time all your assignments are due but as long as you pace yourself, it isn't so bad and low-tide (so to speak) is even better. If you pace yourself and spread your work out over weeks, it is way more cushy than VCE i reckon.

First year for most disciplines is particularly bad. There is often a learning and adjustment curve and you know none of the "tricks". In first year science, its normal to have 3 lectures a week (3 hours for each subject) along with a 3 hour lab and sometimes a tutorial. In second year onwards, most subjects only have 2 lectures. An hour less doesn't sound like a lot but it makes a huge difference in terms of content to learn, exams and how often you need to go in (1/3rd less!).

If you feel like a slave or like you have no free time, you are either a first year or you are doing something very wrong in my opinion. Uni is glorious compared to school. I only need to go in 2-3 days a week, when i do go i work my arse off but still, i get a massive weekend. All my stuff still gets done to a reasonable quality because i start it a week before its due often.

[Reus]

Well that's reassuring Sloth! Thanks!