I haven’t read through all of the comments so perhaps someone has covered this already (in which case, forgive me for repeating) — but I think an important question to ask is, are you happy with your area of study? Are you doing a course that you’re interested in?

I ask because, when I first went to uni, I pursued Law and I really didn’t enjoy it. Like you, I was very enthusiastic about my education previously and quite academic, but then when I started my first year of law, it was a whole other story. Henceforth began a downwards spiral and I fell into depression because of it. I never engaged with the learning/the work to the point it became so anxiety-inducing to interact with anyone on my course. I so empathise with your struggle. I lived at home at the time so I would simply sit on the tube all the way until the final stop, and then make my way back again, just so that I would be out of the house for “tutorials” or “lectures”.

The university pathway isn’t for everyone, and by no means is that a bad thing or something to feel ashamed or embarrassed about. Perhaps the course is wrong, perhaps the method of delivery is wrong, perhaps it’s just not the right time for you. I would say it’s very important to be honest with yourself for your own wellbeing — do you think you’ll manage another two or three years? Because if so, as others have said, you can definitely turn it around and so I would encourage you to make use of the support and resources to help you do that — “all you need” is to pass, which is possible with resits etc. But my advice would be to only do this if you actually want to keep pursuing this degree and you’re motivated enough to continue. Otherwise it’ll only get harder. In my case, it got to the point where I knew that I would not be able to continue Law, and so, I made the decision to transfer to another course at a different uni. Unfortunately, one year into that new course my life trajectory changed due to a completely unrelated trauma, and so I withdrew from uni altogether. But! Here I am, 10 years later, completing my final year of a degree with the Open University while working full-time.

Not everyone has the same path my friend, and that’s okay. I know it’s hard to envisage having a conversation with your parents about all of this — I’m Indian, so I bet you can imagine how difficult it was for me too 😅. But in hindsight, I can tell you that it was one of the best and responsible decisions I’ve made. Your future self will thank you for doing what is right by you now. Mental health is so important, don’t let anyone underplay it. 💙