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It’s been three years since I graduated from university and I’m still having dreams about missing exams and courseworks

Ivanovic

Ivanovic

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,362
Last night was the worst one yet. Usually these dreams/nightmares involve me missing an exam at some no name college which even though is disturbing it's not real enough to cause me much distress, but last night's version involved my actual university, the course I took and the actual people I went to university with.

In this one, for some reason I hadn't been attending lectures and I had already missed two deadlines for a coursework which is needed to pass so I was looking at dropping out of my final year and not graduating. They were also practicing for a coursework presentation that was happening that very afternoon and somehow I missed this. This dream was so vivid and so scary I literally had to shake my head violently just to wake up and the relief was amazing but why do I keep having these dreams based on this theme? Do people here have dreams like this?
 
Tri

Tri

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27
It's been 11 years since I graduated from college, and every so often I still have dreams about missing important lectures or deadlines. It's with you for liiiiiife.
 

Deleted member 4614

Oct 25, 2017
6,345
Your ancient caveperson self used dreams as simulators for how to deal with stressful situations like Jaguar attacks

Stressful events used to be random, and our brains haven't adapted to how they're scheduled for us now.
 
Leveean

Leveean

Member
Nov 9, 2017
1,093
students.png
 
UglySofaGaming

UglySofaGaming

Member
Nov 2, 2018
1,952
Ivanovic said:
Last night was the worst one yet. Usually these dreams/nightmares involve me missing an exam at some no name college which even though is disturbing it's not real enough to cause me much distress, but last night's version involved my actual university, the course I took and the actual people I went to university with.

In this one, for some reason I hadn't been attending lectures and I had already missed two deadlines for a coursework which is needed to pass so I was looking at dropping out of my final year and not graduating. They were also practicing for a coursework presentation that was happening that very afternoon and somehow I missed this. This dream was so vivid and so scary I literally had to shake my head violently just to wake up and the relief was amazing but why do I keep having these dreams based on this theme? Do people here have dreams like this?
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Yes Dude I've been out for 7 years and I had one as early as a year ago. In the dream I've gone back to study for another course but I've been neglecting my work. I know deadline are coming, know they've probably already passed but how am I supposed to remember my login details for the online system when I went to Uni 7 years ago...
 
Kuribo’s Shoe

Kuribo’s Shoe

Member
Jul 16, 2020
1,103
18 years for me. I've been a college professor for 13 years, but my dreams are still about missing the first day of a class I'm taking.
 
Skoje

Skoje

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,540
yuuuuuuup

been out for almost 20 years and still have those dreams on occasion. though my dreams are that my backpack is way too heavy and i can't make it to class
 

Deleted member 2317

User-requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,072
As many have said, sorry, that shit is for life. 😆 A decade since I took college courses and I'm still having the occassional "oh fuck there's a test today I haven't even studied for this shit, what is it on, how did I forget I have a test today? Who does that? I can't believe I'm cheesing in this dumbass course-"
 
JohnHornbuckle

JohnHornbuckle

Member
Jun 10, 2020
412
Texas
I still have nightmares about my last job that I left 4 years ago. I'm always dreaming that I have to work there on the weekends for extra money.
 
Waffles

Waffles

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
1,791
Yep, almost 10 years out and I get them. Mine are mostly where I'm finishing up my last class before graduation, but I'm told that I'm missing a credit or two, so I can't graduate.
 
Piggus

Piggus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,700
Oregon
I don't have dreams about the actual classes or work, but I do sometimes have dreams about moving into the dorms or just being on campus, even if it's not the school I went to. I visited UCLA once with a friend and then years later had a dream about moving into the UCLA dorms at like age 30 lol.

Edit: I did have a dream recently though where I realized that I had unknowingly been skipping like 5 of my 7 classes, and they were basically a lost cause.
 
Bedlam

Bedlam

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
4,536
Graduated highschool 18 years ago and still have a dream occasionally. I also dream about university, about forgetting to take some course, handing in papers (missing credits basically) I would need for my degree.

Clearly, those high-stress situations left scars.

It's good when you wake up with that "phew, at least that stuff is not a real problem anymore"-feeling.
 
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Goldenroad

Goldenroad

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Nov 2, 2017
9,475
15 years for me since I finished my bachelors degree, and I'm still having HIGH SCHOOL dreams. I keep getting to high school and not remembering the combination for my locker.
 
viciouskillersquirrel

viciouskillersquirrel

Cheering your loss
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,874
Shining Star said:
I totally have the high school dreams sometimes lol, it happens.
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It messes with my head when a high school dream merges with dreams about my current life. I'll be on a date stressing out about juggling full time work with assignments when my family shows up and I have to explain to my wife who this teenage girl is and why I'm at the movies with her.
 

Deleted member 60582

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 12, 2019
2,152
22 years since I graduated high school and I still have them. A common theme is having to go back and re-do my senior year despite my trying to tell everyone I already graduated.
 
Seirith

Seirith

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,311
I have dreams about college and I am 7 years post grad school now. I have dreams about bad group projects, not getting work done on time, failing a class or major exam and having a huge paper due that I didn't even know about.
 
shinobi602

shinobi602

Verified
Oct 24, 2017
8,357
I don't know about the rest of the replies in here but I graduated 4 years ago and never think twice about it now. I don't even remember what it's like to study for a test, I was so over that shit lol.
 
Marin-Lune

Marin-Lune

Member
Oct 27, 2017
609
15 years, still happens. Less so these days, but I still wake up in a very confused state for a good 10 minutes when it happens.
 
Lexxism

Lexxism

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,806
Toronto
Yeah, I always having a nightmare about an exam during my highschool days. I always get a cold sweat because I didnt even study about.
 
Much

Much

The Gif That Keeps on Giffing
Member
Feb 24, 2018
6,067
Says a lot about education really when people have nightmares/dreams about them and feel absolute dread about it lol
 
Dalek

Dalek

Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,962
I'm 43 and I still have dreams like this. Also I have dreams where I realize I'm late for my shift at my part time job that I had in college. In my dream I find out that I never formally quit that job so I'm still on the schedule.
 
KarmaCow

KarmaCow

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,161
I want to say it's because your brain is trying to rationalize why you're not going to lectures and taking exams after spending so much mental effort on that for years but I have no idea. It is terrifying, especially since I wasn't particularly anxious about missed deadlines while in school.
 
rpm

rpm

Into the Woods
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
12,356
Parts Unknown
I have these. I remember I had a nightmare related to not being able to find my classes the night before every year of high school. This is despite the fact that my high school is incredibly easy to navigate; its numbering system for classrooms and layout is very straightforward and I could probably still find my way to any given classroom based on room number alone.

The high school in those dreams was never my actual high school, it was some crazy shit. I remember the one in my nightmare before senior year was like, a botanical garden meets a 1970s basement? There was a central skylight. All the walls were wood paneled. I have no idea why my brain showed me this. That's not even close to what my high school was like

Also, all my school related dreams are still about high school, despite having attended college and that being a much, much, much more stressful and difficult experience for me
 
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Zippedpinhead

Zippedpinhead

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,739
12 years graduated from college and 17 from high school.

Those dreams do not go away. Recently I had one for a class from high school.



No clue where they come from
 
Rats

Rats

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,112
Yeah I get these and I've been out for years. I also get ones where I'm driving and I can't reach my brake pedal, or my brakes just don't work.
 
Tomo815

Tomo815

Banned
Jul 19, 2019
1,534
I actually experienced the situation in real life, last minute submissions, delays, panic, thinking about quitting...

What changed for me is that when I went back to uni to do an MA, I decided that I would never go through that panic again in my life again. From them on, I would write my essays months before the deadlines.
 
Damaniel

Damaniel

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
6,536
Portland, OR
I have these - not so much in the last few months, but I've had many over the years. They inevitably fall into two categories:

- I have a comprehensive math exam that requires I've read the entire book, but I haven't read any of it
- I have a book report due today for a book I don't even own, let alone have read

In both cases, they're high school classes, even though I graduated from high school 23 years ago and have gone on to get both a BS and MS in that time. I haven't been in a classroom of any kind in over 6 years, but I know I'll have these dreams forever. The brain is really weird sometimes.

Rats said:
Yeah I get these and I've been out for years. I also get ones where I'm driving and I can't reach my brake pedal, or my brakes just don't work.
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My driving dreams often involve driving on highly elevated freeways with no guard rails over bodies of water. Inevitably I lose control somewhere and go for a dive.
 
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