Your One Stop Shop Full Of Wicked Problems

This site is a place to share the wicked problems that students face as they pursue post-secondary education. These stories are real, they are ill-structured, and they are…

The Screen Disorder

A story about the increased workload for students during the COVID online learning pivot.

The Slow Poke

A story about feeling like you’re slower than everyone else at completing academic-related tasks (reading, writing, and note-taking).

My Dog Ate My Focus. . .

A story about a first-year student’s concerns going into university and the issues they faced regarding time management and organization.

Motivation on Vacation

A story about a student feeling unmotivated in university because they created their long-term goals based on society’s expectations.

The Procrastination Cycle

A story about struggling to finish assignments on time due to the procrastination cycle.

Crayola Markers Got Me Through the First Year of University

A story about a first-year student feeling confident about achieving high grades in university, but later realizing that their high school study habits won’t cut it in university.

The Pro Procrastinator

A story about always completing assignments last minute due to procrastination and poor time management.

To be Average is the New Failure

A story about dealing with imposter syndrome in university and feeling overwhelmed by capitalism’s definition of success.

No, You Can’t Say the N-Word

A story about a Black student’s experience with institutional racism and how they fought against it.

Just Zoom on Loop

A story about struggling to separate university life from home life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Come Out of Your Shell

A story about an international student having a difficult time making friends at university due to their social anxiety.

Trashed Motivation

A story about performing poorly in school after losing a loved one and finding ways to cope with the loss.

Note-Master

A story about figuring out how to take effective notes during lectures in university.

At school 24-7

A story about struggling to keep up with schoolwork due to getting involved in too many extracurricular activities during the first year of post-secondary school.

Search “Group Work Memes” on Google Images… I Rest My Case

A story about the different types of students encountered in group projects and how to work as a team successfully.

Pain in the Butt

A story about the experience of a student living with fibromyalgia and the struggles they face in school because of their chronic pain.

A Stressed Mess

A story about struggling to manage stress levels as a student.

Tug-O-War

A story about an international student dealing with many obstacles, such as technological distractions, perfectionism, group projects, and learning to code in their online post-graduate program.

Leading Teams in Pandemic Times

A story about learning how to take on a leadership role in a group project during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Living Dead

A story about a student feeling too tired to carry out daily activities but later discovering they have an underlying medical condition.

Newbie

A story about a first-generation student who is unsure of what courses to enrol in for their first year of university.

Notetaking Nuisances

A story about a student with a chronic disability struggling to take notes during lectures due to a lack of adequate supports.

Drowning in a Sea of Text

A story about figuring out how to study smarter, not harder.

Extracurricular Extremist

A story about feeling burnt out due to taking on too many extracurricular and social activities.

The Social Caterpillar

A story about an international student struggling to form social relationships due to feeling burnt out from schoolwork.

University and Work and a Social Life, Oh My!

A story about learning how to balance a full-time job, online university courses, self-care, and a social life.

My Vector Resultant of Problems

A story about struggling to succeed on exams and dealing with toxic people in cultural societies during the first year of college.

Family Business

A story about dealing with the stress of familial financial dependency throughout university, and learning how to become financially literate.

Lost at Sea

A story about feeling lost and overwhelmed throughout university due to a lack of guidance on navigating life.

Captain Depresso

A story about the struggles of being on your own.

Pressure Cooker

A story about dealing with the excessive pressure and isolation of being a pre-med student in undergrad.

Lone Walker

A story about struggling to participate in group projects in school due to being an overt introvert.

Mighty Multi-Tasker

A story about trying to juggle a full-time job, part-time job, and school but realizing it isn’t feasible.

Anti-Social Sociology Major

A story about the social and academic consequences of relying on partying to make new friends during the first year of university.

Silly Missed Syllabus

A story about a student starting university with poor organizational skills, leading them to miss tests and assignment deadlines.

Fear Of Living In The Dark

A story about struggling to keep organized and current with school events and assignment/test dates, especially after school transitioned online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online Decline

A story about the difficulties of online learning before the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the online learning model has changed for the better (i.e., online lectures and seminars).

TA Terrors

A story about struggling to learn when your TA is… less than perfect at their job.

Queen of Taking Tension

A story about an international student struggling to transition to a new school and cultural norms, and dealing with academic misconduct due to unintentional plagiarism.

Live/Offline Dilemma

A story about an introverted international student starting online school during the COVID-19 pandemic, and struggling to manage their classes and health due to the time difference between their home country and Canada.

Multi-Tasker? More Like “Multi-Failer”

A story about an international student trying to participate in all extracurricular activities, but ends up struggling with time management and dedicating enough time to finishing tasks.

Bandaids on Bullet Holes

A story about the toxic, competitive environment in biomedical science programs and never feeling like you’re doing enough to get into medical school.

Roommate Debate

A story about having a difficult time making new friends due to feeling held back by friends from high school.

The Imposter

A story about being an introvert and feeling like an outsider as a younger, international student.

Second Year Struggles

A story about dealing with depression and anxiety during the second year of university.

Sleep Struggles

A story about struggling to keep up with in-person/synchronous university classes due to an inconsistent sleep schedule caused by medication.

Baby Mama’s Struggles

A story about being a parent while in school and dealing with professors that are not accommodating to your situation.

Fake It ’till You Make It

A story about getting away with minimal work in high school, but realizing it won’t fly in university.

Shoebox Shuffle

A story about a parent struggling to be at a university that doesn’t cater to their situation, but manages to find creative ways to balance their academic and family responsibilities.

The “University Experience,” Huh?

A story about adjusting to university life while also spearheading a social justice movement against sexual violence on university campuses.

Redlight to Greenlight

A story about a working professional who decides to pursue post-graduate education, but is faced with the challenge of adapting to the technological landscape of modern education.

Solitary Confinement

A story about struggling to adapt to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lack of human interaction, motivation and time management.

Fishing for 60’s

A story about the difficulty of transitioning from high school to university academics, and how to achieve the grades you desire.

Studying in Unusual Places

A story about a mother of 4 struggling to balance her responsibilities at home and school.

Being a Neurodiverse Student

A story about a neurodiverse student managing their post-secondary schooling and living away from home.

Technology and Affordability for Impoverished Students

A story about students who lack accessibility to computers due to financial barriers.

Learning to Teach Myself

A story about managing asynchronous classes and connecting to a community of learners.

Le Mouton Noir

A story about accepting that being unique and different may not always be appreciated in your group work, but that doesn’t make it any less great (French submission).

Procrastinating Perfectionist

If you’re interested in help trying to solve a wicked problem like this (and others) head on over to the Liberated Learner site here: https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/learner/ Photo by Brett…

Life-long Learner While Being Tech Stupid

A story about a mature student returning to university and struggling to adapt to new technology.

I’m Not Alone

A story about a shy, international student who started to get out of their comfort zone, but was forced back into their shell due COVID-19 pandemic.

Worthy or Not!

A story about a graduate student feeling out of place due to their lack of professional experience compared to their classmates.

Writing My Wrongs

A story about a student struggling to keep up with their academics due to ineffective note-taking methods.

Hi-5? More like hi-shy

A story about breaking out of your shy bubble in order to take advantage of networking opportunities in university.

From Cramming to Planning

A story about a student who learns how to manage their ADHD years after graduation.

Getting Around

A story about the hardships faced by an international student, as they didn’t know how to find housing or work in Canada.

Panic! (Not at the Disco)

A story about a student’s ongoing struggle with their anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.

Stress Hurts For Real

A story about an engineering student’s difficulty coping with the stress associated with their workload.

Mental Health Meltdown

A story about overcoming the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues (i.e., stress).

Biting Off More Than I Can “Do”

A story about comparing yourself to your peers in school.

Teaching Incon(ass)istant

A story about dealing with a TA who is inconsistent and unfair when grading assignments.

Beware: Quicksand Ahead!

A story about a first-year student struggling to keep up with their school work.

My Motivation got COVID

A story about dealing with anxiety and lack of motivation brought on by online school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professors Can’t Read Your Mind

A story about struggling to transition to university after moving from a small town and being too afraid to ask questions to professors.

Go Time or Slow Time?

A story about finding ways to separate online school from relaxation time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

0 to 100

A story about finding a balance between academics and social experiences in university.

The Internet is my Frenemy

A story about the negative impacts of the internet and social media on mental health and motivation in school.

In Their Shoes

A story about the importance of students in the healthcare field to learn to think critically and consciously about social justice and health equity work, especially among Indigenous and other marginalized communities.

Straight-A Nightmare

A story about a student putting unreasonable pressure on themselves to get nothing less than A’s, but realizing that it’s not worth compromising their mental health.

KEEP MOVING

A story about a student struggling to study in one place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Syncing with Online

A story about an international student struggling to keep focused on online school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wonderland Watches

A story about the socioeconomic privileges and hurdles prevalent in various student-life experiences.

Laziness 101

A story about being lazy and the importance of understanding the repercussions of your actions.

A Cooker with Stressor

A story about a student not achieving the grades they desire because they were using the same study skills they learned in high school.

Screen is a Self-Killer

A story about an international student struggling with school during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the time difference between Canada and Dubai.

Trading TikTok for a Tomato

A story about a student struggling to stay on task and refraining from addictive technological distractions.

Group Projects Online…Enough Said

A story about the difficulties of working on online group projects with students who don’t want to collaborate.

Life Outside a (very small) Box

A story about feeling excluded and stigmatized as a neuroatypical person.

I Need to Buy Time!

A story about an engineering student juggling a demanding workload and part time jobs, making them feel like there wasn’t enough time to complete their work.

I’m Not Good Enough

A story about comparing yourself to your peers in school.

Navigating & Advocating: Finding My Voice

A story about the difficulties of navigating the first year of a new university program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re All in This Together

A story about overcoming the issues students face during group projects in university.

Mental Health and the Myth of the Four Year Degree

A story about dealing with severe mental health issues and deviating from the societal standard of completing a degree in 4 years.

Prof Pursuit

A story about lack of social interaction with peers and poor communication from professors during remote learning.

Lost & Found

A story about the struggles faced by a Métis student who started to learn about their heritage after coming to Trent. 

International Relations Crisis

A story about lack of inclusion and equality for international students.

Doctor Distract: Diagnosing Unhealthy Study Habits

A story about being unable to focus on school due to distractions.

Sloppy Studier

A story about starting university without effective study skills. 

The zzZZzzzzZoom University

A story about a student who has always enjoyed keeping a busy schedule, but felt exhausted while attending zoom lectures.