Yeah me too, almost followed through a few times too. I'll never understand how folks can say "College years are the best years of your life" like what fucking planet did you grow up on!?
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The reoccurring dream where you are back in University and failing your courses
- Thread starter Deleted member 56266
- Start date
This used to happen to me a lot, with both HS and college. I did not do well when I went to college and barely passed. There was lots of anxiety around passing my classes. Funny thing is, once I went back to school in my mid 30s, got my act together and graduated with really high grades (aced Calc as opposed to failing it for example), the dreams went away. :)
If you think that's wild, there are people who say that about high school. That utterly terrifies me.
I never went to college, so this dream manifests as me plum forgetting that I never graduated High School (even though I did) and going back to finish my last few credits. I feel super weird being in my 30's going to school with teenagers so I hide around the halls trying to avoid being seen, then get to my class and from there it gets kind of mushed together - I keep forgetting what classes I need to attend and realize I'm failing most of them, then I head to administration office to beg to just let me graduate so this whole embarrassing affair will end and then I wake up.
I've had dreams where I've put out the trash on trash day so I forget to put out the trash because I 'did' it already.
I actually did better through most of college than I did in high school (not that I had horrible grades in high school, I just found the "structure" of college better for me), but I know for a fact there were at least two semesters in undergrad where I had to drop courses after "testing" them out the first week to see if I felt I could work them in with my required course load. One time it was kind of an "elective" math course, the other time I registered for two courses that satisfied the same requirement in my curriculum but I wasn't sure which I'd prefer so wanted to go to the first class of each and decide then.
I think I get this dream because I distinctly remember the anxiety of having to make the decision of whether to stay in those courses or not and make it to the registrars office if I wanted to drop before the withdrawal deadline (which was only like two weeks after the semester starts) so that the course didn't show up at all on my transcript instead of showing up as a "withdraw."
I think I get this dream because I distinctly remember the anxiety of having to make the decision of whether to stay in those courses or not and make it to the registrars office if I wanted to drop before the withdrawal deadline (which was only like two weeks after the semester starts) so that the course didn't show up at all on my transcript instead of showing up as a "withdraw."
This is so funny. I have this exact same dream regularly. It's so stressful lmao.
Funnily enough I don't have university dreams like that anymore, but for some reason in my dreams I'm back in high school starting over as a freshman in my current age (and in my dreams I acknowledge I already finish college) so I'm confused why I'm stressed out about finding classes I didn't know I was in at the end of the semester.
I never had any post-secondary education, but I do remember having dreams about being back in high school for at least 6 years after I graduated. If it wasn't dreams about being back in high school, it was at least dreams that involved people I went to high school with, usually people who I never bothered keeping in touch with (if I bothered talking to them at all).
I'm in my late 30s, and I have multiple graduate degrees, but I don't have dreams about going back to college, my nightmares are that I have to go back to high school to take a prerequisite class I didn't know about.
Truly a bullshit dream in the pantheon of bullshit dreams.
My version feels particularly cruel. My school had trimesters. It's week ~7-8 out of 10, when I waltz into the class after having skipped like 6 weeks. It's not exam day yet. In theory I have enough time to "fix it" if I completely bust my ass, but realistically it's just out of reach. The false glimmer of hope just gives me extra anxiety trying to "figure it out".
I never had issues in school either. Never dropped or failed a class or even got anything below a B. The school experience somehow traumatized us all.
My version feels particularly cruel. My school had trimesters. It's week ~7-8 out of 10, when I waltz into the class after having skipped like 6 weeks. It's not exam day yet. In theory I have enough time to "fix it" if I completely bust my ass, but realistically it's just out of reach. The false glimmer of hope just gives me extra anxiety trying to "figure it out".
I never had issues in school either. Never dropped or failed a class or even got anything below a B. The school experience somehow traumatized us all.
Yep, me too. Usual song and dance- Final exams are coming up.. For some reason I I didn't go to any classes, don't know the material at all, know I'm going to bomb, and have to come back another semester.
Keep in mind, I'm 44 and graduated back in 2001 and the dream still happens. Funny thing is I still wake up with this feeling of existential dread that persists to my awoken self. I then lay in bed awhile, absolutely NOT wanting to get out of bed and face things. After a while, my mind starts thinking.... "Wait.... you graduated." And then the sweetest feeling of relief comes over me.
The funny thing is, there is some basis in reality for this. While I did decent most of my college career- the senior year- last semester in particular- I was just DONE. Deathly tired of academia, didn't want to go to class, definitely didn't want to study/do-homework. Just came off the peak of the PS1/N64 generation. The PS2 just launched and was having a blast playing Dreamcast and that's pretty much all I cared about. (For my money, this remains the best time in gaming)
I did skip attending lot of classes- there was a Philosophy elective I know I attended sparsely-went to maybe half of the main lectures, and all but none of the small group sessions. Whatever I put on my papers which the grade was based on was utter bullshitting, and I somehow eked by. And I had that one high level economics course I had to take three times until I got finished with a C, which was the real problem and the source of a lot of this trauma I still dredge up.
Keep in mind, I'm 44 and graduated back in 2001 and the dream still happens. Funny thing is I still wake up with this feeling of existential dread that persists to my awoken self. I then lay in bed awhile, absolutely NOT wanting to get out of bed and face things. After a while, my mind starts thinking.... "Wait.... you graduated." And then the sweetest feeling of relief comes over me.
The funny thing is, there is some basis in reality for this. While I did decent most of my college career- the senior year- last semester in particular- I was just DONE. Deathly tired of academia, didn't want to go to class, definitely didn't want to study/do-homework. Just came off the peak of the PS1/N64 generation. The PS2 just launched and was having a blast playing Dreamcast and that's pretty much all I cared about. (For my money, this remains the best time in gaming)
I did skip attending lot of classes- there was a Philosophy elective I know I attended sparsely-went to maybe half of the main lectures, and all but none of the small group sessions. Whatever I put on my papers which the grade was based on was utter bullshitting, and I somehow eked by. And I had that one high level economics course I had to take three times until I got finished with a C, which was the real problem and the source of a lot of this trauma I still dredge up.
Holy shit I get this specific dream ALL THE TIME.
As you say, the two parts that are constant:
1. I can't find my schedule and so can't find my classes.
2. I arrive at a class and realize I've never attended the class all semester, and now there's an exam.
The weird thing is that I was really diligent in school, and did rather well. None of this ever happened.
Don't have these often, but I did have one of these just a few months ago. It was incredibly vivid. I was absolutely convinced that I had avoided going to these classes and that the consequences of that were about to bite me in the ass hard. It was awful lol, so glad to wake up with a master's degree.
Been out of school for 15 years, and now its 20 years since High school and I still get this dream.
I'm back in one of three classrooms (either one of two rooms from high school or one specific class from university), I haven't studied I am not prepared and It is exam day.
I get the high school one far more often than the university one. But the "wait, what?!?!?" when you wake up is incredible.
I'm back in one of three classrooms (either one of two rooms from high school or one specific class from university), I haven't studied I am not prepared and It is exam day.
I get the high school one far more often than the university one. But the "wait, what?!?!?" when you wake up is incredible.
It's a common occurrence for me, even two decades after university. A frequent variation has me realizing that I was in some art course where I failed to finish numerous huge paintings. I wonder if that has something to do with the regret I have from pretty much dropping recreational art from my life for many years.
Oooooh yeah, this dream I still can wake up from and feel both fearful and pleasant at the same time.
The lessons often don't matter all that much, and yet the idea of missing a class or the feeling of attending the wrong one for who knows how long, and oh shit you left your schedule at home but maybe you can access it on your phone oh shit what's your password this isn't even real wtf, is just the right amount of surreal for this totally innocent dream to sit on the cusp of a goddamned nightmare.
The human brain is bonking bonkers
The lessons often don't matter all that much, and yet the idea of missing a class or the feeling of attending the wrong one for who knows how long, and oh shit you left your schedule at home but maybe you can access it on your phone oh shit what's your password this isn't even real wtf, is just the right amount of surreal for this totally innocent dream to sit on the cusp of a goddamned nightmare.
The human brain is bonking bonkers
Wow, crazy, I get this exact nightmare all the time.
I thought it was because I actually did not show up to high school. These things actually happened: What's my schedule again? Where's my locker and what's the combo? What's my lunch number again? And the constant fear of going back to class and not understanding the material. The administration probably broke some rules with me as it was a slam dunk truancy case. But I kept getting C's somehow and they knew I wasn't doing drugs or anything... Just at home playing video games.
I thought it was because I actually did not show up to high school. These things actually happened: What's my schedule again? Where's my locker and what's the combo? What's my lunch number again? And the constant fear of going back to class and not understanding the material. The administration probably broke some rules with me as it was a slam dunk truancy case. But I kept getting C's somehow and they knew I wasn't doing drugs or anything... Just at home playing video games.
I get this every once in a while. It's always finals day and I'm going to a final for a class i only went to a few times. Usually just stress out until i realize it's a dream and wake myself up.
There's a real sense of relief waking up from that dream so i don't mind it so much. Like whatever bullshit I've got going on in real life is not as stressful as that dream at least.
There's a real sense of relief waking up from that dream so i don't mind it so much. Like whatever bullshit I've got going on in real life is not as stressful as that dream at least.
I've had this dream about Math Methods in Economics several times since graduating.
My most recurring nightmare
My most recurring nightmare
AHHHHHHH
I still have these dreams (although it's become more rare) from law school but graduated 6 years ago. It's always about the final exam of some class and I literally can't put pen to paper. And with law school the final is usually your entire grade for the class and it's on a strict curve against your fellow students.
In short, fuck law school lol it's designed to be a stress box.
In short, fuck law school lol it's designed to be a stress box.
I'm just about to turn 41 and I still have these nightmares regularly. Usually due to forgetting I've had a class all semester until time to take the final.
The top three anxiety dreams I have are this, my teeth falling out, and a more nebulous one where I'm trying to get somewhere through various means of transportation but I can never get there for reasons.
Pretty sure I had, like, all three last night.
Pretty sure I had, like, all three last night.
I never went to college so I get these dreams about high school. I did poorly in HS and skipped A LOT because of anxiety and depression so I often dream about how shitty that time period was and that I'm really behind compared to my peers. At some point in the dream I remember I'm not a teenager and that I have a career so who cares lol.
I usually dream about attending 3 out of my 4 classes and realizing I completely forgot about the 4th one. It's then followed by me obsessively checking online to see what I can to do to get my grade to a passing level.
Now that I teach I sometimes have the dream where I've forgotten everything I'm meant to lecture in a day.
Although this has subsided ever since the day I lectured on cold meds and forgot how subtraction works.
Although this has subsided ever since the day I lectured on cold meds and forgot how subtraction works.
I'm in my 30s and I get them maybe once a month still.
I'm also always trying to remember my locker combination.
Weirdly the school building is always a complete fusion of almost every school I went to
I'm also always trying to remember my locker combination.
Weirdly the school building is always a complete fusion of almost every school I went to
Less than 10yrs since graduation, I still regularly see these where I have to do some missed courses again for some bs reason or that I never handled the graduation properly etc.
Second variant is that I'm in the army again, losing the track of my equipment & being constantly late from everything.
Second variant is that I'm in the army again, losing the track of my equipment & being constantly late from everything.
I thought I was the only one! I'm 39 and once a year have a dream where I show up to a surprise midterm for an actual class I took on mathematical models of kinship. it was so dry and so boring, and i was already over extended that quarter, so I didn't show up to class a lot, and when I did nothing made sense. I passed by the skin of my teeth
Honestly.
How did I forget to attend this course all semester??!? HOW?????
Man I shit you not - it's not even failing a test or something, I have a recurring nightmare that I'm about to graduate but completely forgot about attending a specific course and taking exams or doing any work for that course. I typically wake up drenched in sweat.