“Do you like your course?”

“Not really…”

“Yeah, me neither.”

Have you noticed, how easy it is to make friends when you start complaining about how you don’t like your course? Complaining about our courses is the most common ground we can have with any student on campus, but do you really dislike your course? Or are you just trying to be ‘cool’ and fit in? I mean you must like your course to some extent if you’re willing to study at uni for a good 3-5 years and go into debt for it – now that’s a whole other conversation, but you get what I mean. Of course, you won’t necessarily enjoy everything you are taught but that doesn’t go to say that you don’t enjoy any of it.

So, why don’t we just admit that we like our courses? University life offers a lot more than just a degree, but it’s the degree that you’re here for. There’s a one-word answer for that: “embarrassment”. For some reason, it’s embarrassing to be the person who likes their course, as stereotypes and cultural norms have taught us that it’s ‘cool’ to act like you don’t care and that your academic life doesn’t matter to you, whilst the academically focused students are assumed to be introverts with a lack of social life.

Then again, why should we start admitting that we like our courses? There’s nothing wrong with relating to others who like to complain about their course, and there’s nothing wrong with trying to fit in. However, if you genuinely don’t like your course, then maybe you should consider changing, or even deferring a year if you feel that you’re not quite ready for uni life. At the end of the day, it’s up to you really, you don’t have to admit that you like your course, but you don’t have to pretend to be ‘cool’ either, just be real with yourself and others.

Iqra Arshad