When you’re surrounded by a sea of talented, intelligent and creative students, it’s hard not to feel like an imposter. In addition to that lack of confidence, imagine being a first-year at a University where you know only two people and have no idea what you’re interested in pursuing. Now, combine both of those feelings with failing a subject.
In my first year of university, I failed a subject. It was a breadth unit and it was completely out of my depth. Nonetheless, it was really difficult to overcome future career concerns and negative thoughts about my worth as a student. It was also challenging to accept that I literally had to pay the price for failing. Here are some thoughts that enabled me to bounce back and move on to more positive goals:
1. Seek support
I wasn’t sure what failing a subject meant for me as a student. Reaching out to University support services helped me to work through worse-case-scenario anxieties by getting answers. I was able to find out that I did not have to repeat the breadth subject, but it would be reflected in my weight average mark (WAM). This allowed me to strive towards improving my WAM by choosing subjects that I was passionate about. Life-related issues also sometimes hinder students from achieving academic progress. For example, if you’re consumed with work or struggling with personal issues, study can be hard to prioritise. Seeking support and talking to someone about what is going on will be beneficial to move forwards.
2. Failing is normal
More students fail than you think! Failing or not doing as well as you’d hoped is a normal learning curve when transitioning into a new university degree. University can be very challenging, and different subjects or faculties often have diverse expectations. As I moved into the third year of my undergraduate degree, I felt extremely happy and proud of how I was progressing. With time, experience and practice, you can grow.
3. Find your passion
What are you passionate about? Was choosing that subject the right move for you - or was there something stopping you from doing your best? After I failed my breadth subject, I realised that a science pathway was not for me. Failing a subject enabled me to realise what I was really passionate about and motivated me to work harder.
4. Create a network
When I failed my breadth subject, I knew no one in the class and had no ties to the faculty. This meant that I had no one to ask for help or to motivate me when things were hard. Moving forwards, finding classmates through university clubs and events really helped me to stay on track in my other classes. Surrounding yourself with students that are interested in what you’re learning is a great way to establish a peer network. Womendeavour is composed of wonderful women that are pursuing different degrees in exciting fields - you can always join our network or get involved.
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