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‘Mental health isn't addressed properly’: students on the pressures of university ‘Mental health isn't addressed properly’: students on the pressures of university
(4 days later)
‘There’s an assumption that everyone can carry on as normal’‘There’s an assumption that everyone can carry on as normal’
Elle, 20, was studying politics but dropped out in her first term mainly due to mental health issues.Elle, 20, was studying politics but dropped out in her first term mainly due to mental health issues.
I sought counselling at university but didn’t find the advice to be of good quality – I explained my body image issues to a counsellor, and was told ‘there’s always going to be someone prettier. Part of me thinks that I would’ve been able to see through at least the first year of politics if I had better help with my mental health. “I sought counselling at university but didn’t find the advice to be of good quality – I explained my body image issues to a counsellor, and was told ‘there’s always going to be someone prettier. Part of me thinks that I would’ve been able to see through at least the first year of politics if I had better help with my mental health.
As an introverted person there seemed to be a lot of pressure to go out and talk to everyone you see. By my second day, everyone already seemed to have established groups of friends. I felt like I was doing something wrong. Often my anxiety would get the better of me and I’d end up not going out. I think there’s this whole idea surrounding university that is that you are going to meet your friends for life, your soulmate, etc. I already had a serious boyfriend and a group of close friends that I wasn’t really keen on the idea of dropping everyone in favour of people I’d only spoken to once because … it’s university. “As an introverted person there seemed to be a lot of pressure to go out and talk to everyone you see. By my second day, everyone already seemed to have established groups of friends. I felt like I was doing something wrong. Often my anxiety would get the better of me and I’d end up not going out. I think there’s this whole idea surrounding university that is that you are going to meet your friends for life, your soulmate, etc. I already had a serious boyfriend and a group of close friends that I wasn’t really keen on the idea of dropping everyone in favour of people I’d only spoken to once because … it’s university.
While a lot of students seek counselling, I don’t think mental illness in university students is addressed properly; there’s an assumption that everyone can carry on as normal, when it’s really not that easy when your mind’s telling you to just stay in bed.” “While a lot of students seek counselling, I don’t think mental illness in university students is addressed properly; there’s an assumption that everyone can carry on as normal, when it’s really not that easy when your mind’s telling you to just stay in bed.”
Elle is now studying for a qualification in primary education. She says: “The biggest pressure this time around is not to drop out again!”Elle is now studying for a qualification in primary education. She says: “The biggest pressure this time around is not to drop out again!”
‘The taxpayer is subsidising my presence here … how can I let people down?’‘The taxpayer is subsidising my presence here … how can I let people down?’
Allan, 21, comes from an former coalmining community in south Wales and is the only one of his siblings to go to university. He is in his third year at the London School of Economics and for him the final degree classification is what being a student is all about.Allan, 21, comes from an former coalmining community in south Wales and is the only one of his siblings to go to university. He is in his third year at the London School of Economics and for him the final degree classification is what being a student is all about.
For this modern student, there’s no room for self-exploration or indulgence; excellence has to come first. I’m not wasting public resources and my own money to have a good time or ‘discover myself’, as so many student guides encourage one to do. It’s about the degree classification. I don’t feel like there’s room for debate. I wish there was. “For this modern student, there’s no room for self-exploration or indulgence; excellence has to come first. I’m not wasting public resources and my own money to have a good time or ‘discover myself’, as so many student guides encourage one to do. It’s about the degree classification. I don’t feel like there’s room for debate. I wish there was.
Student debt is a huge worry for me. I am probably not going to pursue a master’s degree or a PGCE, despite being fairly likely to achieve a first, because of the thought of going further into debt. I’m a Welsh student, which means I’m, overall, paying £18k less than my English neighbours, but that thought heightens my anxiety. The taxpayer is subsidising my presence in this university; how can I let the people of the country down by getting anything but the best? “Student debt is a huge worry for me. I am probably not going to pursue a master’s degree or a PGCE, despite being fairly likely to achieve a first, because of the thought of going further into debt. I’m a Welsh student, which means I’m, overall, paying £18k less than my English neighbours, but that thought heightens my anxiety. The taxpayer is subsidising my presence in this university; how can I let the people of the country down by getting anything but the best?
I feel driven to excel. Every essay I get that isn’t a first is a dagger in my heart. I can handle the workload (it’s what I’m here for), but it’s hard to pretend I don’t feel the pressure to punch at the highest weight I can. I don’t want to think about how awful I will feel if my degree is anything but a first. I can’t wait to be done.” “I feel driven to excel. Every essay I get that isn’t a first is a dagger in my heart. I can handle the workload (it’s what I’m here for), but it’s hard to pretend I don’t feel the pressure to punch at the highest weight I can. I don’t want to think about how awful I will feel if my degree is anything but a first. I can’t wait to be done.”
‘It’s hard being a modern student, everything relies on money’‘It’s hard being a modern student, everything relies on money’
Megan Tidbury, a 19-year-old media student, is starting her second year at the University of Chester with less funding than last year and is worried about her finances.Megan Tidbury, a 19-year-old media student, is starting her second year at the University of Chester with less funding than last year and is worried about her finances.
When I have to spend money on software like [Adobe] Photoshop for my course it doesn’t leave me with much else. It’s hard being a modern student: everything relies on money these days, which is something the majority of us don’t have. Accommodation prices are only just covered by student loans, which doesn’t leave much money left for essentials like food and supplies for the actual degree. “When I have to spend money on software like [Adobe] Photoshop for my course it doesn’t leave me with much else. It’s hard being a modern student: everything relies on money these days, which is something the majority of us don’t have. Accommodation prices are only just covered by student loans, which doesn’t leave much money left for essentials like food and supplies for the actual degree.
I don’t feel like student debt was really explained to me when I first started university so the more I get given by student finance, the more I worry about paying it back in the future. I feel as though I need to get a high degree so that my money isn’t wasted on going to university. “I don’t feel like student debt was really explained to me when I first started university so the more I get given by student finance, the more I worry about paying it back in the future. I feel as though I need to get a high degree so that my money isn’t wasted on going to university.”
‘As a mature student I felt a huge amount of pressure to be successful’‘As a mature student I felt a huge amount of pressure to be successful’
Marie Humphrey, 26, wasn’t ready for university at the age of 18 so after working as a human resources specialist she went to the University of Bath as a PGCE student at the age of 23.Marie Humphrey, 26, wasn’t ready for university at the age of 18 so after working as a human resources specialist she went to the University of Bath as a PGCE student at the age of 23.
It meant giving up a well-paid secure job and choosing a life that would be very different to my friends. Leaving my career and entering into the unknown resulted in tremendous pressure to prove that I had made the right decision. My family disagreed with me abandoning my career to study so I felt a huge amount of pressure to be successful. As a result, I took my degree very seriously. So while classmates were out drinking … my home was the library. Although my university experience suffered I achieved a first-class degree from a top 10 university. “It meant giving up a well-paid secure job and choosing a life that would be very different to my friends. Leaving my career and entering into the unknown resulted in tremendous pressure to prove that I had made the right decision. My family disagreed with me abandoning my career to study so I felt a huge amount of pressure to be successful. As a result, I took my degree very seriously. So while classmates were out drinking … my home was the library. Although my university experience suffered I achieved a first-class degree from a top 10 university.
When I think about being in roughly £50,000 worth of debt, I think about how far I would have gotten in my previous career, and where I’d be financially if I hadn’t chosen to go to university as a mature student. “When I think about being in roughly £50,000 worth of debt, I think about how far I would have gotten in my previous career, and where I’d be financially if I hadn’t chosen to go to university as a mature student.”
‘There’s a pressure to go out and drink but more students seem to be choosing not to’‘There’s a pressure to go out and drink but more students seem to be choosing not to’
Lena Holder, 19, is a German student in her second year at University College London. She says there is pressure to aim for a first or a 2:1, which comes not just from the university but other students too.Lena Holder, 19, is a German student in her second year at University College London. She says there is pressure to aim for a first or a 2:1, which comes not just from the university but other students too.
It has a knock-on effect on your own goals if everyone else around you says one result for them is not good enough, but the same result is good for you. There’s also a pressure to go out and drink but being in London makes this very expensive. Also more and more students seem to be choosing not to drink due to finances or health concerns. “It has a knock-on effect on your own goals if everyone else around you says one result for them is not good enough, but the same result is good for you. There’s also a pressure to go out and drink but being in London makes this very expensive. Also more and more students seem to be choosing not to drink due to finances or health concerns.
Another [pressure] is to be independent, ie parents shouldn’t get involved in financing you but you should get a part-time job. From my experience, some people can often be biased towards students who depend on their parents financially or emotionally. “Another [pressure] is to be independent, ie parents shouldn’t get involved in financing you but you should get a part-time job. From my experience, some people can often be biased towards students who depend on their parents financially or emotionally.”
‘I think the lad culture, especially in sport, is problematic’‘I think the lad culture, especially in sport, is problematic’
Anonymous, 22, student studying French at Exeter University has concerns about social pressures.Anonymous, 22, student studying French at Exeter University has concerns about social pressures.
I think that some of the pressures include the social pressures, as the academic pressures are often discussed and evident. I would argue that the lad culture, especially in sport, is problematic as it is especially damaging to LGBTAQ males/transmen. “I think that some of the pressures include the social pressures, as the academic pressures are often discussed and evident. I would argue that the lad culture, especially in sport, is problematic as it is especially damaging to LGBTAQ males/transmen.
I was fortunate enough to take part in a sport that was populated by females with decent LGBTAQ representation amongst the males which meant that for me, a hetero/cis male, I didn’t have to experience the need to constantly have sex and dominate the females in my social circle. It also leads to a hierarchy amongst students as sexed-up, jock males can, in some unis, be seen as the ideal, though, fortunately, unlike in school, academia/ intelligence is now prized which provides an outlet. “I was fortunate enough to take part in a sport that was populated by females with decent LGBTAQ representation amongst the males which meant that for me, a hetero/cis male, I didn’t have to experience the need to constantly have sex and dominate the females in my social circle. It also leads to a hierarchy amongst students as sexed-up, jock males can, in some unis, be seen as the ideal, though, fortunately, unlike in school, academia/ intelligence is now prized which provides an outlet.”
‘Not everyone gets a 2:1 or above, it’s just that no-one wants to admit to getting any lower.’‘Not everyone gets a 2:1 or above, it’s just that no-one wants to admit to getting any lower.’
Elizabeth, 21, graduated this year from the University of Birmingham with a degree in English after almost dropping out of her studies in her final year.Elizabeth, 21, graduated this year from the University of Birmingham with a degree in English after almost dropping out of her studies in her final year.
Weirdly, I found there was enormous pressure to be having the ‘best time of my life’ at uni, and when I hit a slump in second year and stopped enjoying myself, it became something very shameful. I was not passionate about my course at all, and that felt like failing in itself. It felt like I was doomed to never be successful like my peers and like I was lacking the drive and employability that I thought I witnessed in everyone around me, when in actual fact I just wasn’t doing a course that best suited my skills. I ended up having a horrible breakdown and very nearly dropped out in my final year. “Weirdly, I found there was enormous pressure to be having the ‘best time of my life’ at uni, and when I hit a slump in second year and stopped enjoying myself, it became something very shameful. I was not passionate about my course at all, and that felt like failing in itself. It felt like I was doomed to never be successful like my peers and like I was lacking the drive and employability that I thought I witnessed in everyone around me, when in actual fact I just wasn’t doing a course that best suited my skills. I ended up having a horrible breakdown and very nearly dropped out in my final year.
After my final-year exams I had reached a very dark mindset that convinced me I would have to end my life if I was not on track for a 2:1. I had gone as far as making plans and drafting letters to loved ones. It is so commonly said at university that everybody gets a 2:1, that it’s easy and you don’t have to work very hard for it. I got laughed at for worrying I wouldn’t get a 2:1, because ‘everyone stresses but they all get a 2:1 in the end’. “After my final-year exams I had reached a very dark mindset that convinced me I would have to end my life if I was not on track for a 2:1. I had gone as far as making plans and drafting letters to loved ones. It is so commonly said at university that everybody gets a 2:1, that it’s easy and you don’t have to work very hard for it. I got laughed at for worrying I wouldn’t get a 2:1, because ‘everyone stresses but they all get a 2:1 in the end’.
On results day Facebook is full of posts celebrating firsts and 2:1s, but I have never seen a post celebrating or even just admitting a 2:2. I know two people who did get a 2:2, but I only know because they asked, and you could see the shame in their face to tell me. Not everyone gets a 2:1 or above, it’s just that no-one wants to admit to getting any lower. “On results day Facebook is full of posts celebrating firsts and 2:1s, but I have never seen a post celebrating or even just admitting a 2:2. I know two people who did get a 2:2, but I only know because they asked, and you could see the shame in their face to tell me. Not everyone gets a 2:1 or above, it’s just that no-one wants to admit to getting any lower.
I became a volunteer for Nightline [a charity which offers listening support to students] while at university, which made it clear to me that not everyone enjoys university. I’m happier now I’m back at home and working, and that I know the next chapter of my life will be better than the last. “I became a volunteer for Nightline [a charity which offers listening support to students] while at university, which made it clear to me that not everyone enjoys university. I’m happier now I’m back at home and working, and that I know the next chapter of my life will be better than the last.”