I was on personal development forums the other day and loads of the threads in this particular forum were on dropping out of education or not pursuing it to uni. It almost warranted its own sub-forum. It reminded me of how somewhere between one half and two thirds of university students drop out. It stands to reason that an even larger number of people consider doing so (and I was one of them).
A little background
In addition to being really homesick in my first couple of weeks at uni I was pretty disenchanted with my prospective degree. I’m at university doing English and Japanese (with an emphasis on Anthropology) and neither is quite what I expected it to be. English Literature is actually pretty boring for me in takes the study of literature pretty much beyond the scope of reality. Japanese in the classroom is very dull (I’m used to teaching myself) and social anthropology strikes me as a tad meaningless.
So in the first couple of weeks especially (though it was a consideration at other times in the year too) I was faced with the decision of packing it all in and going home. Now in my second year I can happily talk about the process and what I’d guess it’s like for most.
Your parents
When considering quitting uni most people will talk to their parents. Be wary of seeking advice from them as it can be bad either way. If you take their advice and it doesn’t work out, you could feel resentful of them for supplying it and/or of yourself for having followed it. If you don’t take their advice and it doesn’t work out you’re just begging for an injection of the ‘I told you so’s and plenty of friction between you and they. If you ask them for advice and they tell you to make your up own mind you might get frustrated with them for giving you what seems like a cop-out answer.
In the end you don’t answer to your parents just as how, in the end, you don’t answer to anyone. You may still be financially dependent on them (and that dependence does mean you have to answer to them to some extent) but your continued financial dependence on them is still largely your choice. In other words, in that situation you’re still only choosing to answer to them.
This means you have got to ignore what you think your parents want that isn’t strictly in your best interests. Sheltered and fed is strictly in your best interests, but completing law school is not. If you think they’ll be of help, ask them for advice - but just bare the above in mind. They’ll probably give good advice - but you’re an adult now and under pretty much every law your country leaves destiny up to you (and it always has been up to you anyway).
What is Plan B?
Do you have an alternative plan for life outside university which is just as detailed and structured? If so, does that plan seem realistically more enjoyable? How does it compare in the long run to staying at uni?
I’m not suggesting you come up with an air-tight plan, because plans never quite work out anyway - it’s just an exercise in how clearly you can think of life outside university. Would quitting uni be an escape or the start of a different course in life? It shouldn’t feel like the former. Don’t look for an escape: only a better path. In the midst of homesickness I couldn’t distinguish between the two but once the first fortnight was over I could. I realised that even though being at uni wasn’t ideal it was still easily a better option than going home and getting a job.
I explain why this is below.
The most compelling reason to stay
The most compelling reason to stay in university is that it’s safe and comfortable and actually affords you a lot of freedom for you to find what your values and passion are for sure. People talk about finding themselves at university, and I believe that’s very much because students have enough time and experiences on offer to get clarity. Eight hour a day jobs don’t really offer the opportunity to same extent. We can always find ourselves, irrespective of circumstances, but uni is the only place which seems accidentally built that way.
Where else are you going to be able to rise at whatever time you want to each day? There’s no better way to teach you how you should be sleeping. Where else are you going to learn self-discipline? You might say ‘the army’ but they’ll only teach you imposed discipline and how far your potential is. The latter is great, but if you want to learn truly autonomous self-management then spending plenty of time on your own is the better way to do it. Being accountable only to you for your own mistakes is the better way. Otherwise you’ll just be controlled through discipline by someone else pulling the strings - such as your boss, your parents, your drill sergeant or your colleagues. And you’ve had a lifetime of that already, right?
I’m still here at uni because the study is pretty easy and it still offers me a lot of freedom - more than a job would. I have plenty of time to find myself and to learn more about my passions and what my values are in life - and especially to grow under my own steam and not that of a supervisor. When I start to slip and have to work on myself I’m the one making myself feel the consequences. It’s the blog and Japanese, my choices, which press on me more than any other authority.
At 20 I’m aware there’s still plenty of experimentation and growth left to do, especially given the very stable and consistent suburban childhood I had. I’m not filled with passion over what I’m studying, but if I’m still here at the end of the degree then, hey, I’ll have a really good qualification to work with from there out.
Students complain how they’re not enjoying it, how it doesn’t seem worthwhile and how especially how much it costs. My take on it is that money is irrelevant when it comes to my life. I endeavor to be responsible with money but cash isn’t going to stop me doing the thing which makes the most sense for my future. Student debt - who cares when you’re talking about how to cultivate your life?
Concluding remarks
It sounds like I’m pushing a very mediocre timid approach to life, but hopefully by now I’ve convinced you that there’s plenty of depth to my take on whether or not people should quit uni.
If I could sum it all up in a nutshell, it might be this: next year I may have found my calling, and it may be quite different to what I always thought it was. Maybe I’ll be earning money as a webcomic artist. Maybe I’ll be writing novels. Maybe I’ll be writing screenplays. Maybe I’ll be making music or acting or teaching English in Japan. Your early twenties is all about the possibility for change - maybe the one big change before everything else starts sliding into place - and university is likely to be the best place for that for you, whether or not you love your degree or your flatmates.
Now given all that, do you still really want to quit?
If you liked this article and would like to make a donation to Reaching A Better Place please click below.
Related Articles:
Leave a Comment