Questions I ask myself

Are you able to deal with the emotional turmoil of the band splitting up? Yes.

Do you feel sad and alone even though you have at least one admirer and can do nothing about it? Yes, but I’ve been single for prolonged periods before, so can deal with loneliness.

Can you handle the stress of doing a degree? Yes.

Can you cope with failure. No, but I must. Failure is not an option, in future.

Are you suited to the subject matter at hand? No. I should have done music or literature, but I already know a great deal about that, so decided to do history, pre-history and classical studies instead.

Are you okay? No. Not really, yet this feeling of failure cannot linger much longer if I do not dwell upon it.

Ask yourself, “Is it truly worth studying towards a history degree when nearly half of history graduates went into jobs in retail such as shop assistants last year?” Then answer, “Yes, because I will have enriched my learning, thus ultimately benefitted from an excellent standard of education.”

How will learning classical history benefit you? I will be much better at writing plays, novels and operas after completing my degree.

In spite of the time and cost invested in acquiring a decent higher education, would you say that it is worth it? Yes. Of course.

(These are my coping mechanisms when I feel like breaking down and crying, like now).