While growing up I loved learning just about anything. I’d read whatever I could get my hands on and often designed my own projects/curricula for myself that I’d work on after school and on the weekends. I feel like that’s where most of my learning happened.
Before starting college I was ecstatic about being able to take classes in subjects that really interested me and being able to set my own schedule. I thought it would feel like my classes were my own projects that I would dedicate myself to with my professors serving as kind of coaches/resources. However, I find myself dreading the academic terms. They are intense and stressful and I feel like I can’t really focus on thoroughly learning something because there is always some deadline to meet. Even when I start an assignment as soon as I get it there is still a ton of pressure.
When I’m doing my class work/studying I think about the finish line and how I can then work on my own projects/learning when I’m done. However, I never feel like I’m done so I never have time to invest in my own independent learning like I used to, and when I do finally find some time to work on my own project I feel guilty because I know I should be studying for an exam coming up or writing a paper. I look forward to school breaks so that I can have my evenings and weekends back to learn on my own, but I really wish I had more time to do these things and that I didn’t hate college classes so much.
Have any of you had experience with this and/or have advice to offer on how I can enjoy college classes more and create more time for my own independent learning?
You could look into transferring or taking less credits next semester.
I have found that I have lost my love for learning in college as well. I have accepted that this is the way it will be because universities have different goals and views on education than I do.
Please do not lose your love of learning! It is still a great quality to have after you graduate.
Take a semester off from college and do something that interests you.
See if you can transfer to a school with a different philosophy about learning. If you’re in a public school, there are campuses in some states that vary widely from others. In FL for example, New College is a school where you pursue your interests similar to Hampshire college.
Spend a semester only taking classes that truly interest you at your current college.
Spend you summer doing something completely different–talk to your advisor or the career office to see if there’s something you haven’t yet considered.
see if your malaise is caused by stress. Maybe take fewer classes, or find a therapist on campus, or do more social activities.
Thank you both for the great ideas! I’ve been considering transferring but there are a lot of factors holding me back including finances, fear of change and losing friends, connections I’ve made here, etc.
I may consider taking less credits next semester; I came in with enough AP credits to do so but I guess I’m just afraid of employers/grad schools/internship programs looking down on it.
I think stress is definitely contributing to this, but I also feel a bit smothered at this school and part of me regrets not having gone to a larger school where I would perhaps be more independent and in control of my time. This may also just be the whole “grass is greener” phenomenon, however.
You may want to consider setting up an independent study project with a professor in your major. I did that as a junior and loved being able to get academic credit to work on a research project I designed. I enjoyed the freedom and flexibility of being able to work on a project where I got to set the deadlines and decide what to do. I would never have had the time to do the project if I had been taking a full load of classes in addition to the research project.
Use the break to come up with an idea for a project (e.g., a scientific experiment, a review of the literature in an area you are interested in, a fine arts project, a philosophy or humanities research paper, a math paper, etc.) then approach a faculty member with a few ideas and see if they can help you create a project that will work in a semester (but be open to their suggestions if they think a different topic would work better).
Thanks to the mentoring I received from my independent study professor, I spent a trimester researching a topic and writing a research proposal in psychology. Then I applied for summer funding, having a well-developed proposal ready to submit thanks to my independent study. I ended up getting paid in the summer to carry out my project (mentored by the same professor) and then was ready to present it at national conferences during my senior year. It was one of my favorite academic experiences during college.
Most employers and internships don’t care about the number of credits you took while in college. For most it is about quality not quantity. I agree with the suggestions of taking less credits and perhaps pursuing an independent or mentored research project. Or perhaps you can join a club or organization that helps you do just that, whether it be a business incubator organization, a research oriented organization, a non-profit, a creative/artistic space, a social justice or community action organization, etc.
It may be possible that you are in the wrong major and you may want to find classes that invigorate you. Or perhaps you want to take a semester off to figure that out for yourself. Or maybe it is the environment you mentioned. I go to the college I have always wanted to go to and and in my desired major, but even I don’t feel invigorated by my classes 100% of the time and have found lots of meaning outside of my classes. Partially because I think classwork can be theoretical and/or heavy and I desire ways to apply what I have learned to the real world. Or have time for things like creative writing or my own endeavors. But you are in control of what you take and what you get out of college, so don’t forget that, or perhaps try something outside of your comfort zone. You may be thankful later
My school is on a trimester/quarter system, so the standard courseload is 3 courses. Each semester I take 3 courses plus two smaller courses.
The independent study idea seems great. I may pursue that, I’m just unsure of how I would find a professor who would be willing to mentor the project or what their role would be.
Take 1 “fun” class each term. When I was in college, my university was on the quarter system, so fall quarter, winter quarter, and spring quarter. ~ 10 weeks long plus finals week.
A “fun” class, in my personal definition, is basically any class that you think sounds interesting based on the course description. It could be a class that counts toward your general ed requirements. Or a class that counts toward your major. Or a 1-2 unit class that doesn’t count toward either. Here are a couple of examples from my own experience to demonstrate what I’m talking about:
To fulfill the graduation requirement of taking at least 1 class in the general area of diverse cultures, I took a 3-unit class called "History of Jazz" out of the African-American Studies department. I loved jazz music and got class credit for going to jazz concerts and got to learn all about the history of jazz music in the US. It was awesome. Had to write papers & stuff for that class, but didn't feel like work.
Took a class out of the Physical Activities department once - 2 unit lecture course - which was all about drug abuse. That was fascinating.
To satisfy an upper division writing requirement, I took a Shakespeare class in a large lecture hall because I love reading Shakespeare plays. Had to go to a couple of Shakespeare performances on campus & write a couple of papers. It was a lot of fun.
Didn't want to have to take the traditional History of Western Civilization series, so I took its equivalent out of the Religious Studies department instead. It was awesome.
I second the suggestion of pursuing an independent study project. Usually at a university for an independent study project, you need to have a faculty advisor. Purpose of the faculty advisor is for he/she to oversee your work, you meet with the professor regularly where you give him/her status updates on your progress, ask questions about areas where you feel that you need guidance, etc. What sorts of things are you interested in studying on an independent study project? That will give you a bit of an idea as to which department(s) on campus to contact first. You should also make an effort to start going to your professors’ office hours so they can get to know you. Tell them about the sort of project you are interested in and ask them if they have any recommendations of faculty on campus who are doing research in those areas.
…THEN you find out when THOSE professors’ office hours are and you go to their office hours. You introduce yourself and pitch your idea. But first you need to kind of have an idea of what you’d want to do.