Black Dog
When I started uni, I hated it. I didn't make friends easily, and would spend my lunch hour outside the school gates reading or curled up in a toilet cubicle, tears trickling down my face and wishing I could go home. When I got home at the end of the day, I would lie in bed, sobbing into my pillow because I was dreading the next morning when I would have to go back.
When I dropped out, my mum said "I just thought I brought you up to be the kind of person who would go to university." Which made me feel lovely.
I'm disappointed in myself for not being stronger. I'm disappointed for letting the Black Dog win. Again. I'm disappointed that I looked at the knives in my kitchen and thought of them as my Plan B, in case things didn't work out.
I go back again this year, after a year of working full time, actually looking forward to it. I think it'll be better this time around.
(reducedfatLOLcat, Fri 27 Jun 2008, 11:09, 10 replies)

Do this
and remember that everyone is as nervous as you in their first few weeks so they are completely open to talking to random strangers.
( chenobble rocking his explorer beard on, Fri 27 Jun 2008, 11:12, closed)

...
Yeah - best years of your life my arse.

I'm an old person now: I remember that one of the songs constantly on the radio when I went to uni was Sick, Tired and Sleepless by The Cardigans (I think). It summed up my mood perfectly.
(Gravity's Raincoat, Fri 27 Jun 2008, 11:17, closed)

Yay
Now I'm really looking forward to it.
(reducedfatLOLcat, Fri 27 Jun 2008, 11:19, closed)

@Nematode
I guess we started uni at about the same time, then - for some reason that song gives me the memory of eating supernoodles on a sunny evening in halls in September.

RFLOLcat - a couple of years makes all the difference. You'll probably have a completely different experience this time around.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 27 Jun 2008, 11:22, closed)

I was depressed in my first year
And gradually got further and further out of the depths as the years went on.

But theres no simple solution - actually it's hard work!

Making sure you eat healthily, do regular exercise and go outside as often as possible makes all the difference. I also found being nice and talking to random people although difficult (in fact I vowed to speak to someone new every day) reeeally helps with your confidence when you find out that EVERYONE has the same fears and hangups about acting socially.

Even people at first glance you think are super confident tend to be, when out of their comfort zone (like alone on public transport) super-sensitive.


AAAAAAAnyway I'm not sure if this method of self-improvement helps you but it helped me :D

ALSO STAY OFF THE BOOZE!
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Fri 27 Jun 2008, 11:26, closed)

This post reminds me of a friend of mine
Who went to University in Preston. It was back in the days when barely anybody had the t'interweb. And if you did, it was horiffically slow.

He would write to me every week without fail, and he was totally miserable. The people in the premises where he shared used to treat him like crap, and I was the only person to stick by him when everybody else was opposed to him.

The problem was, that they were all sheep and couldn't accept anybody with individuality (he loves his prog rock and looks like he belongs in the early 1970s). Strange really, as he's not a total twat. Just had the misfortune to live with a shower of total twats at the time.

It must have been difficult being out of town with no escape from it all. Personally, I got sick of being messed around in college and got a job pretty sharpish, and did a nightschool course or two after work hours.

Downside was a big pile of mates were scattered all four points of the compass and I had nobody to hang out with anymore. :-(

Things nowadays are far more improved, I know shitloads of decent mates now. :-D
(Panteneman Isn't entirely sure why he bothered on, Fri 27 Jun 2008, 12:51, closed)

The very best of luck to you
I've just mentioned this book in another thread:

"Taming The Black Dog" by Patrick Ellverton. I recently bought this from Amazon, and what I've read so far is sound, practical, grabbing-the-bull-by-the-horns advice.

*hugs*
( Tourette's ( . )( . ) has a monkey hair in her fried egg, Fri 27 Jun 2008, 14:22, closed)

I've just finished my second first year now
I was in the same situation, miserable, alone (despite having a girlfriend go figure), hating my course and life.
Now after my first year back i'm president of a society (I'm still not sure how that happened myself) with lots of people who care and i care about.

My advice would be to talk to a few randoms early as many people have suggested even if it's just to ask the simplist question it can lead onto more. Also join a society with a good social life to it, something you'll enjoy, and with luck there will be someone there you click with. Hell you might even be president however antisocial you think you're being.

Your dog will still be around, mine is, but you'll be able to give it a good kick in the peculiars.
(Malcav, Sat 28 Jun 2008, 0:07, closed)

Thanks everyone.
:)
(reducedfatLOLcat, Sat 28 Jun 2008, 13:26, closed)

as we're not there to give you a hug
it's all we can do.
pity, could do with a hug.
(Malcav, Sat 28 Jun 2008, 14:53, closed)