been in uni for two years, I didnt make any friends at all, plus im autistic so its very hard for me to interact with others. Been socially isolated for two years, struggling in my course work and even got academic warnings. I hate it here, I feel so lonely and miserable. Since I don’t have any friends , I always get stuck as the last choice for groupwork with other members who are unreliable and I literally had to do one project by myself since no one would let me in to their group. (I got some other person added to it, but he MIA). Im so done with this, I dont even feel like attending class anymore, most of the time when I go to class all I can think of is just ending it all.
Thank you for writing in. I hear how isolated you have been and that university has been a struggle. Furthermore you have been feeling excluded in group work. Understandably all these has been painful and frankly it would be extremely painful for anyone else in your situation too. It therefore makes sense that you feel exhausted and miserable. I’m glad you reached out to share and seek help.
When you say that in class you sometimes think about dropping out of university, I think that’s a lot to carry alone. You deserve immediate support with this. If those thoughts feel strong, please consider reaching out to someone right away. You can either reach out to your university counselling services or call the national mindline at 1771 which operates 24/7. Both will give you the much needed relief of speaking to caring, supportive and experienced counsellors.
Do also consider reaching out to learning support services in your university soon. I have observed the staff there are equipped to guide you in areas such as help with group work arrangements, academic accommodations and support plans for coursework.
I find another avenue to consider is to speak to your academic advisors or lecturers to explain your specific learning challenges and uncooperative classmates encountered in group work that affected you. I believe they could help work out a plan so that you can catch up. For example you could take a lesser load.
Help is available and all is not lost, so keep your chin up! Right now, try not to think about fixing everything at once. I can sense the frustration has been building for a long time and feels overwhelming. However do take a breather and centre first before making any decisions. Slowly and steadily you will gain clarity on what to do next.
hii, im really sorry you are going through this. being isolated for years, struggling in coursework, and then getting stuck doing group projects alone would make anyone feel super exhausted and hopeless.
also, you briefly mentioned the end that a lot of the time, u just want to end it all. if the thoughts get too bad, please call either of these numbers, they could help you.
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SOS: 1-767
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IMH: 6389 2222
alternatively, if the situation is not that dire, you could consider calling 1771 for the national mindline, or using their web chat and whatsapp counselling functions.
in general, it might help to focus on support that does not depend on classmates. things like a university counsellor, or any trusted adult at all can be of great help, for example, to call back your MIA teammate, or allocate you to another group