What do you do when you dislike your University?

So, I have a bit of a dilemma. I love my subject – but I really can’t stand the University and the town. I live in the UK, and I’ve been here for about 4 years. I really miss the States. I want to go home every day. It isn’t that I am homesick – I just don’t really like it here anymore. The weather is depressing, the people are annoying. I have a couple of good friends but the binge drinking culture and sleeping around culture is just sickening. Most of the students complain about being ‘poor’ but manage to go out every night. Then they complain about doing poorly in exams. A bunch of them haven’t even handed in work, or didn’t turn up to the exam. They don’t have any respect or appreciation for getting an education, or the subject. It is really frustrating. I am basically counting the days until my finals, studying every day and just wanting to do well so I can get out faster. The thing is, I have two years left. I know I am not going to be switching schools, but I am hoping maybe some of you could give me some suggestions for making the most of the time I have left being stuck here… other than studying 9 hours a day. I have a nice boyfriend but I am not even interested in him anymore, all I can think about is leaving. I want to be alone all of the time, and lately even having to talk to people just pisses me off. It is really awful. All I really do is study and sleep despite friends asking me to go out with them. I always end up declining. I am completely bored, and it isn’t for lack of interest in my subject. I am feeling constantly stressed about doing well though, I know the better I do the faster I can leave.

I haven’t felt this way very long. Just lately I want to go home. I miss my Mom and dog. It just feels terrible having to go through two more years of this place. I am not depressed, I know I do not need antidepressants or therapy – I just know I want to leave. All I want to do is get my work done, and I feel so different from most of the other students. I am sick of people trying to use me to get help on their work (I basically had a ‘friend’ trying to come meet me every day to try to get me to ‘refer’ her to the research and quotes I was using….) I was pretty aware of her agenda, but it is a little disconcerting when she did actually quit talking to me afterwards, although I didn’t give her my work (this was all very extensive research I spent weeks on… handing it over isn’t exactly something anyone would want to do). I am also sick of being the token ‘American girl’. After almost five years, of people asking me where I am from and why I came here I don’t really feel the energy to even want to respond. It use to be fun but now its just irritating. I don’t really relate because I am not interested in binge drinking every night and staying out until 4 AM on a Sunday.

I am not the only person who feels this way about this place, mostly these people are also international students. But in all honesty, I can’t see anywhere else being much better. Two years just feels like such a long time to go home. Apologies for this being so long… I am just hoping someone can suggest some positive things for getting through when you aren’t so keen on where you are.