Second Term Blues – are you stuck between too much socialising or not enough work?

What are second term blues

This is quite common among students, going from your first term into your second term. This can be because your first term is usually full of fun and opportunity to socialise more than you usually would. So, you can imagine already the pitfalls of now going back to a more ‘normal’ routine, as university coursework and exams start to kick in again. Or for the first time if you are a first year. This is the time period when you see most people drop out of university.

It can be overwhelming when a lot of university work starts to come your way. And you might be experiencing thoughts like – Am I good enough? Do I want to be here? I am getting into a lot of debt, and many more reasons.

We are here to tell you that you are experiencing normal feelings!

Below we have addressed some of the common reason that might be causing the second term blues, but also how to can combat them going forward and get through your second term, even if you have been here before.

Coming Back To Reality

For first years this can be the hardest thing, due to your first term being fully about settling in, making friends and seeing the city.

Add structure to your day, your routine might be off due to staying up late and not having much of a focus from university and work.

Our tips would be to create your own routine in preparation and look at the academic year ahead, start planning your free time. Also, join a society that you can start to structure your time around, so you don’t find yourself drifting through university life. The biggest, get active and get some monostructural exercise in… in other words GET SWEATY. This helps re-balance your brains chemicals after loads of drinking and gets positive endorphins flowing.

Changes In Friends

Friendship groups change consistently at university and you will find yourself in a few circles but eventually lean towards one more than the other. Others around you will do this too, this is okay – find your groove, people that like you. Equally, you might find yourself having not made that many friends yet and in need of a group that you can relate to.  Sometimes it takes time and don’t be upset that you haven’t found it yet.

Our tip is to continue to be yourself, try new things that excite you and expose yourself to new activities with like minded people. Join a gym, join a group, join a book club, join the cricket team, whatever it may be – just make sure you put yourself out there and follow your path.

Academic Challenges

You might not be doing as well as you thought.

You might find the new way of learning challenging, as the independent approach isn’t taught prior to university. This is a big learning curve that takes time to understand, learning and working independently can be hard for everyone but a skill that must be acquired to achieve at your work and beyond the scope of University.

We have a solution, as you make friends with people on your course, you should offer to meet up and study together. This allows you to bounce ideas off each other and even find the answers together… like the old saying, two brains are better than one.

We already touched on this early but find a structure and find a plan that you can stick to and balance with your social life.

Finances

A struggle for many students as they start to weigh up how much things are going to start costing, as you might have spent most of your summers savings on going out and drinking.

Form a budget and stick to it but make it flexible so you can still have freedom.

Take on a part time job – the extra pennies could help support your nights out. It will also allow you to build your CV, which is very important come post university.

Its Dark and Cold

Seasonal blues impact many people as its dark and cold out. The lack of vitamin c your body is naturally getting during summer can cause you to feel down. Sunlight is a natural anti-depressant, so trying to expose yourself to it every day is important. While you are studying try and get outside for at least 20-30 minutes during day light.

Uncertainty Around Coronavirus

A common issue that has surrounded all of us over for the past two years and we can now start to see the worst of it is behind us. You might be entering your second term with new regulations and new standards of work again. The constant change can challenge your ability, but you should be proud of yourself for being flexible and adapting through the hard times as these lessons will a lifetime.

We’d like to mention our partners Student Minds, as they continue to support students cross the country.