The good old WBF.
Some of my favourite words:
The first word is:
W I T H D R A W
And now the second word is:
B E F O R E
and now for the best F word in the world:
F A I L
I honestly do not think there is a better F word out there, maybe a more used F word especially in my vocabulary but surely there is not a more emotive word out there. I think it is just beyond that one word can have such an effect on a person. It goes from scaring us into doing the things we need to do to holding us back from doing the things that we should do. But enough on the f word fail and back to the intended direction of this blog post.
It is the last week before the withdraw without failure date rolls around and this week has really got me thinking. I intend to take this blog where I take all of my blog posts and I really want to share some of my wisdom that I have learnt over my degree and a half so if you want to skip forward to my advice that is fine, just scroll on down. If you want to here all about what is running through my mind then follow along.
Welcome to the first path:
I guess this is where I better welcome you to my past and where this understood fear of failure really lurks in every corner of my brain. The only difference with this idea of failure in comparison to other ideas of failure is I understand this one, I have been down this path and I know what this feels like. I also know when there is too much going on so in order to succeed with one subject another has got to give.
I want to give you guys a little bit of my back story in regards to University. It’s my first degree I only failed one unit out of the entire 3 years there. I breezed through easily and really had no problems with assignments, exams or due dates. I didn’t have to do much group work and when I did it was easy. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a census date or a withdraw with failure date my first two years studying because never once did I come up against a problem studying.
The second time around I tell ya right now it is a completely different story. Heading into my second degree I was ready, I wanted to learn and knowing that deep down in my soul this is exactly what I want to be doing with my life made it so much easier to return to university. So you think that with this passions and drive my study would have come just as easy as well.
That was not the case.
I enrolled at the start of 2017 and then I had a really bad year. I was falling back into a routine with working all the time. I was travelling between my parents house and my work which was a good 50 min drive and that was without traffic. If there was any sort of traffic, which let’s be real it’s the Gold Coast, so there was traffic all the time. My drive normally took 75 mins if not even longer in the afternoon.
I then had a lot of personal shit hit me really hard that year. That as an ‘adult’ it was the first time that I have ever had to deal with and honestly it shook me. It shook me good and for a really long time. But that’s another story for another blog post. However that first year it was incredibly hard to get back into study even though I had really only taken one year off it.
But I tell ya, it is hard to put yourself back into that mindset and for me become that student. Then to get hit with all the personal drama I was pretty much done with my year and with that my study as well.
I entered into 2018 and I came bright and bubbly and shiny. I was ready to go and I had ‘thought’ that I had pulled my shit together and was ready for a brand new year and ready to get stuck into my study. I had even organised to take certain days of work so that I could be a campus student instead of an online student. But then (and I am really not trying to make excuses for myself people go through way worse things and still manage to finish degrees, it just wasn’t me at the time)
THEN
The most random thing that has ever happened, happens to me.
I end up in hospital for a week with a kidney infection.
My parents where half way across Australia. My brother and his family were a 2hr drive away and had recently had a baby so there hands were full. All i can say is that I was the luckiest girl in the world to have my best friend/roommate because that week in hospital was a wild one and you can read all about in my up and coming blog post.
The main point however is that that set back in ways unimaginable. It also set me on journey to turn my whole life around so I will forever be grateful for that.
I said goodbye to session 1 2018 and was looking forward to session two 2018 and within a matter of moment session two rolled around and it was here and waiting for me to grasp it by the horns.
I only ended up doing two subjects and then doing a third over the summer period in 2018 so that is really where this whole back story ahs come from. if you are trying to study and work full time and live. It is hard and you will never catch me saying anything different besides the fact that it is so damn hard to do you are crazy if you are trying to attempt to do four units as well.
The main point I am trying to make here is that if you feel that four units is too much or their is a really important unit that you are trying to get completed then don't hesitate to unenroll from a unit if that work load is becoming to much. DO NOT be disheartened by that feeling. We are all trying to make our way through our journeys so do not stress on the amount of time that your journey is taking you.
It is your journey.
PATH TWO
Welcome to the second path:
If you are new here welcome, if you read all about history first of all I am sorry and second of all I am even more apologetic if you have been through something similar because damn I understand. However if you have not been through something similar but are going through it now and need some advice then you have come to the right place because here is your advice.
We Are On Our Own Journeys.
If you read my history I am sorry because I am about to repeat myself because I think that everybody needs to hear this. You are on your own journey separate to what my journey is, what your friends journey is and what your study partners journey is. Everybody lives different lifestyle and we all have different things that we know need to be achieved within our own lives. With that thought though we all go at different paces to achieve those things. Please do not be disheartened by the fact that maybe 4 units may to be much and you would feel more comfortable with three. Certainly do not compare yourselves to others who make studying four units look like a breeze so you know you should be like them. You are not them, you are you and to tell you the truth there are alot of us out here studying only two or three units. They did not come up with part time for a reason.
Weigh Up the Pros and Cons
Before you rage hit that button and withdraw from a unit, give yourself a minute to think. It is this one assignment that is driving you to this point? Is is stress from overall undertaking a degree? Did you just have a bad day? Sit down and weigh up all the pros and cons that will be achieved from withdrawing or staying in a unit and then use that to help make your decision a little bit easier but also to make sure you don't just jump the gate here with this decision.
Check Your Study Guide
I am not in the business of lying to you and that is how I know that what I mentioned above does work because there have been a couple of times were I have not done that and solely regretted my decision to enrol because it came from a moment of stress instead of a rational thought. However if you are not going to write a list at least take a moment to check your study guide. Find out if the subject is compulsory of if you can change it for something else. Investigate when you would be next studying that subject. Make sure that you still have access to study it in a time frame that suits your degree. Then make your decision.
Take A Moment
Just breathe. Take a moment and breathe. Understand exactly what it is you are doing and make sure you know what consequences this will bring you. So I will say it one more time. Before you hit that unenrol button take a moment and breathe.
That will be all for me today though, I hope you have enjoyed reading a little bit about my back story in regards to studying and if you skipped through that I hope you found my moments of advice helpful, but not only helpful maybe mind easing. Yeah lets go with mind easing, I hope it took a little weight of your mind and with the decision that you yourself could potentially be facing.
Like always though I am going to leave you with quote and happy studying.
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