Hi Lovelies
Today I've had my first lectures of the year and guess what? Work has started already and if I don't start my projects next week, I will probably be writing a similar post to the one I'm writing out now next year.
So I've been observant, I for one have spoken to older kids in my degree and there's one common theme I've picked up about things I've heard about university. Nobody ever told me how scamish it is. Ma'am, I agree, I love my degree (even considering doing Honors in it next year all prayers appreciated), I recognize the privilege I have to be able to go to this institution and I am grateful for these opportunities. However, y'all lied, 2nd year was THE hardest year I've ever experienced in my academic career ever. This is coming from someone who found grade/year one hard 😭.
Let me explain. The workload??? That thing is so ghetto. It hit me like a moving lorry on the M4 Ruth First Highway. Not cute.
This 2nd year was probably the hardest year of my life in terms of my holistic experience to date. It was like a bad day that lasted the whole year. There was one catalyst and everything just went downhill like a landslide.
The Workload
Heavy things.
You need to be prepared for the combined intensity and speed that these degrees move at. The amount is one thing but those spicy assignments, the AMOUNT of them you have to do combined with the speed at which you have to do them in order to be done on time was the absolute literal ghetto. 0/10 would not recommend.
The Change
I am not very good at dealing with change when it comes to academia because my success is usually a result of routine. When that changes I feel unstable and that makes me frustrated which then gives me an attitude and I don't want to participate in anymore. From small to large disruptions, I really am being honest here, I hate when my routines are disrupted. That said, last year was the reset and literally EVERY routine I tried to set was disrupted ma'am, I was so mad, but I had to adapt to change fast and because it happened so often, I kinda got used to it. Don't get it twisted though, I still don't like it.
Okay now, maybe I was being dramatic. There are some things I liked about 2nd year If I deep it. I loved the content, as spicy as it was, it made me realize how much closer to my goal I was getting. Learning content that is interesting is one thing, but learning content that is interesting and that you can use to experiment and build something for yourself is another. I built studios with content I learnt from both first and second year. Its crazy to see how many refreshes I had to do to get here but its all progress, and progress is nicer when it is tangible.
Overall, dramatism aside, 2nd year was truly the hardest thing I have ever had to overcome academically in a personal sense. It may not be the same for you because we all have different pain points in our lifestyle. I think that it was a character-building experience but I am so grateful for the people I met that year that helped me cope a little easier.
2nd year is hard, but it's not impossible. Now go and collect your bag.
I hope this serves you
Much Love,
T