Here’s how you know it’s time to drop your elective

Picture the scene: it’s halfway through week two, yet you’re somehow already three weeks behind on your humanities degree. You stare down at your laptop to see “Daily Notifications” has listed 13 new international law deadlines, and Stephano wants to meet ASAP to discuss your group project on Zambian legal disputes. It’s at this moment you start to wonder whether it’s time to DM your tutor and request a change.

We’ve all been there. You fancy a challenge and start eyeing up bigger fish than you have the rod for. Of course I can do international law! Sure, I have no legal experience, but I think binge watching the first four seasons of Suits  gives me enough background research to fly through the year.

But then reality hits you. The first lecture goes down like a large pill, and the second is just 15 minutes too long. You’re incredibly behind and lord knows you’re not touching the readings. At this point, it’s time to consider a switch.

Luckily for you, I have curated the top five reasons for why it’s time to switch yo’ ass from whatever it is that’s making you lose the will to live, to an easy level seven intro to French (or something of similar difficulty level).

If you can relate to any of the following, it’s time to kiss that elective goodbye:

1. You have absolutely no history of the course 

You are a low-life, bottom feeding, mocha drinking humanities student. Stay in your lane my guy. No, do not try and learn to code on a whim. Do you know how hard that is? Especially when you barely scraped by in GCSE Maths.

Let’s be real and pick a more suitable course for our unemployable selves.

2. You find any reason to not watch your lectures 

Yes, the fridge needs cleaning. Yes, the kitchen could be tidier. Yes, there is a sale on at ASOS. These are all things that need doing, but so is your elective.

Honestly, the lower the priority of the task, the more you should consider just scrapping it completely.

3. You tell your friends what elective you’re taking and they say, “you what mate?” 

Speaking from personal experience, when this happens take it as a huge warning sign. Perhaps this elective is going to spark a life-long interest in a previously uncharted subject, but more likely you’re going to regret picking a bio-med course and your friends will always be the first to say, “I told you so”.

4. It’s nothing like your other courses in terms of examination style

Okay this one’s slightly more serious, but if you’ve been taught to play chess, don’t try and play checkers. Essay styles are important and if your elective requires you to spend a significant amount of time perfecting a new style, then maybe it’s better to deepen your knowledge in your preferred subject instead.

Remember you’ll probably never use that writing style again, so let’s not be silly here folks.

5. You decide to become an Edi Tab writer and write an article on why you should change your elective, instead of actually doing your damn elective 

Yes, this one’s slightly more niche I won’t lie, but I’m sure it’s still relatable. Today, I decided to write a full 500 words on why I shouldn’t do my elective, instead of doing it.

The fact that I’ve put more time into hating on my course than actually doing it means it’s probably time to admit defeat and let go.

Sadly however, the deadline to switch courses has now passed so this advice might actually be too little too late. Sorry about that.

Perhaps if all this had been delivered to me by a drunk girl in the Hive queue or via Burning Bush weeks ago, I might’ve actually listened to it. But ho-hum, here we are.

Guess it’s time to go and find that resource list after all.

Recommended related articles by this writer:

• The bartender’s polemic: The invasion of the Edinburgh fresher

• An in depth study into the Edinburgh mullet

• If you did these 14 things in Freshers’ Week, you’re officially an Edi student