Perseverance 101: What To Do When You Feel Like Giving Up

For a first timer coming to university, nerves don’t discriminate.

No matter where you study, it’s always a nerve-wracking experience when you’re moving to a new area. I’ve been there before, with online university. I had no idea what to click or what to do! That’s where the teachers and staff come in. There are always options for help at the university, and it’s easy to forget that. Uni staff are there to help you settle in and answer your questions – the best advice I can give you is to be yourself and ask the questions you want to ask, because you’re never alone – other people are probably asking exactly the same questions!

Stress is a huge strain on the student experience, and it can feel like a constant state of being when you’re in the middle of studying. But if you find your own personal ways to relax, you’ll find that getting passed those first assignments and exams are much less daunting than you first imagined. My advice? Don’t give up. It’s easy to throw in the towel and decide that it’s just too hard to continue, but it’s not – you’ve worked so hard to get to this point, throwing it away when you’ve just gotten started is something you could regret. Always allow yourself the time to ease into a degree. Jumping to a conclusion too quickly could hurt you more than help you. The great thing about sticking with a degree is that there are a lot of areas to branch off into. Electives and subject majors are an exciting part of the university experience, because you get to specialise in areas of interest. For me, I had a university mentor who have me the encouragement to keep pressing on by telling me to “give it your all”. That is what uni is all about: it’s about new skills, pushing yourself to your limits to see what career path you want to take. You should be proud for taking such huge steps to work towards a goal.

Prove it to yourself

You can gain a lot from this experience, and it’s not just about the piece of paper you get at the end. Support from your friends, family, pets (if you’re a pet whisperer ;)) is what can carry you through to the end of your degree, and it shouldn’t be underestimated.

Far better is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs. even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a grey twilight that knows no victory or defeat.

Positive thinking is what it’s all about. It’s easy to give up, and to decide you don’t want to continue, but if you set your mind to the end-goal, and you can keep it in your sights, you’ll be a graduate before you know it 

This blog was written by blog contributor Mark Howden. Mark is a 1st year Bachelor of Arts student at Southern Cross University online.