Falling Out of Love With My Major

Caroline McWilliams
Friday 20 January 2023

By Anonymous

I felt like a failure after I came to the University of St Andrews being very passionate about my subject at first, and then falling out of love with it. The fear of the situation happening again stopped me from changing my major. I thought I was not making the most of the student experience that I thought was limited to academia. To regain my passion for my subject, I spent most of my time at the library, trying to enjoy my major again. Lost interest in the subject took its toll on my grades, reinforcing the feeling of failure.

Focusing too much on academia, I did not know of other ways to express myself and enjoy my life at St Andrews. My friends suggested taking up extra-curricular activities, and after I joined a few societies corresponding with my interests I realised that academia was an important, but not the defining part of my experience at St Andrews. I worked my way from a fourth team in a sports club up to the first team within the four years of my time at St Andrews, and also I became a successful DJ on campus, working at the biggest St Andrews events. I am now well-known among my peers for my enthusiastic engagement in various extra-curricular activities.

I learnt from the mistake of defining my student experience by my academic performance only and became more open to other opportunities. I had the courage not to succumb to the frustration from academic failures and became resilient. Having escaped the pressure to always succeed in academia, I also improved my academic results, which brought back my motivation.

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