In my school days I was one of those kids who got great grades without putting in any effort. I just had a natural ability for mathematics and science. Always very sharp and had a good ability to memorise information. The only class I remember struggling with was English. Mainly because English required writing essays and I would always leave it the last minute. But yeh when my high school exams came I got straight As. Yeh I stressed a bit about them but no way near as much my class mates. My school teachers and parents all pushed me to go to university bc I was one of smartest kids in school. I got accepted to 4/5 universities I applied to with unconditional offers. Most my class mates only got conditional offers to university. So I spent my whole last year of skipping a lot of classes bc I was going to university regardless of how I performed. Even then I still managed to get an A and two Bs with a few weeks of studying before exam season. Then I went to a top 20 university to study maths and economics. I attended all my classes and took notes. But regardless of how much I studied I struggled to pass my exams. I even had to resit some courses in my first and second year because I got less than 50%. Feelings of depression and anxiety took over my life. Then in my 3rd year of university I felt like a hit wall. I just couldn’t get a good grade to save my life. Which caused a lot of anxiety. I even had a panic attack in one of my final exams that spent weeks studying for. My average grade was like 53% at this point whereas all my course mates were in the 65+%. I started getting chronic Migraines as result of my stress and feelings of not being smart enough. This was a humbling experience. My ego took a massive hit that’s for sure at university. I ended up graduating university with a BA without honours in Economics (this is very rare as majority graduate with a 2:1 with hons). Basically just a certificate saying I showed up to class for 4 years. University is not for everyone. School I thrived and learning was effortless. University I was survive mode and struggled. People learn best when the environment works for them. At university I was surrounded by wokeness everywhere. You couldn’t escape it. I remember in Environmental Economics Class I took I was one of the only students out of 200 people who put my hand up when the professor asked who thinks carbon taxes are bad idea lol. Anyways, I am now in good place now mentally, physically and spiritually. I work in bitcoin space. I no longer have migraines. I am in best shape in my life after eating Keto for 2 years and now carnivore. Also, read the bible a few times and feel much closer to God. There is always hope. I see so many people still pushing 16-18 years to do higher education. I never really wanted to go to university tbh. I just went because many of friends and family went. Now, you can learn everything you wish to learn for free on YouTube or Udemy nowadays by much better teachers as well. Most universities upload their lectures online for free as well. The higher education education system needs an update. Especially in the world of AI and digital world we are entering. I also saw an article that 4/10 students at university are lonely just this week. Which is heart breaking to hear, this is not a sign of healthy higher education system.

Breitbart

Poll: Nearly 4 in 10 College Students Report Feelings of Loneliness

Nearly four in ten college students had feelings of loneliness and sadness the previous day during the spring 2023 semester, polling found.

Maybe #nostr can fix the higher education system so it’s not so much exam pressure, cause of so much loneliness and anxiety inducing?