Do You Have a Recurring School Dream? Tell Me About It

I have a recurring school dream...always high school (I also went to college, but several years late.). Usually, I am lost in the halls, trying to find my locker or my class schedule. If I find my locker, I can't remember the combination to open it. If I get the locker open, I can't find the books I need. If I have my books & schedule, I can't find the classroom I'm supposed to be heading to. Or, I'm late getting there. There is always some aspect of being lost or looking for something. Sometimes, it's my actual high school, with my real friends from then, but sometimes it's completely different. I would rate the dreams a 4, for the most part. It is unsettling to be lost and not be prepared for school, but if my friends are there, that is comforting.

I've been out of high school for 30 years, and I still have this dream 2-3 times a year,that last time being maybe 2 months ago. (I went to college, too, but the dreams always take place in high school). In the dream, I haven't been to one or more of my classes for almost the entire semester, can't remember where the classrooms are or exactly when they meet, and I have final exams to take. I know I'll fail since I haven't been to class or done any of the work. As I wander around, panicked, looking for the correct classroom, I dread having the teacher lay into me about missing classes, but I never get to that part of the dream. I'd rank the dreams a 4-5. The elements are the same but they vary in the intensity of my panic.

I most often have very unpleasant dreams about being a teacher, but since you asked about being a student, yes, I've had such dreams, although the last one was probably a year or two ago. These dreams are always about college (UCLA); they are most commonly about high states of anxiety because I've either forgotten about a final exam or got the time wrong. Either the situational anxiety is the entire content of the dream, or else that's all I ever remember. Whether I make it to the final or not is never part of the dream, which is very unpleasant (5). I graduated from UCLA, never having actually missed a final, 55 years ago. There were a couple of dicey situations where I was at risk of failing a critical class (I didn't), and this may be where the anxiety comes from.

Yes, I have a recurring school dream. It's been 2 years since I graduated high school, and now I'm in my sophomore year of university. In my dream, I usually am a middle school/high school student. What happens in my dreams are vary, but usually it revolves around taking tests, chatting with friends, or just plain studying. One thing I notice from my school dreams that it always cloudy or raining in my school dream. If I have to rate m dreams, I think it's a 3. Last time I had this school dream is about 2 weeks ago. I don't really know the exact time.

It has been over ten years now since I've had a school dream (phew!) but for almost 20 years after leaving college I continued to have confusing and upsetting dreams about being in high school. The dream usually centered around a test I had to take, but to my horror, I'd forgotten to attend the entire class! I had no idea what the test was on or where it was. I couldn't go back and take the class (it had been months that I missed) and I felt hopeless and furious at myself for missing the whole thing. To make matters worse, I was usually missing some key piece of clothing like my pants or shirt! I felt like a lost, unprepared and unappealing mess! I give that old dream a 5. Whenever I awoke from it, I would feel astounding relief that I was "done" with formal school and I never had to be a student that way, again. The pressure of being an A student was not worth the "honors." It felt hollow in the end. I've grown and learned so much more by following my interests and searching for meaning and joy. I think as I regained my inner freedom and autonomy, the unpleasant dreams had to fall away!

I graduated from college 21 years ago, and have had the same type of recurring dream ever since--it happened during college too, but almost always after finals were over. It's always set in college, not high school, and usually it's the end of the semester and I've forgotten to do all the homework or attend the class. The subject matter varies--it's been history, biology, math, astronomy, and once I dreamed I was taking a Chinese final exam but had only studied Russian--but it's always an unpleasant, fearful dream in which I've failed or forgotten to do all the work for the class. Often I can't even find the classroom.

The last time I had it was a couple of months ago. The frequency has slowed down, but I get them at least a few times a year (my dad also still has them). In real life, I was a diligent student and never turned in anything late.

Though I have had dreams about school since graduating from college about 17 years ago, none have been reoccurring. I have had recurring dreams about being a teacher, though - arriving unprepared for class, unsure what the content is that I am supposed to teach, and either unable to find my classroom or unable to unlock my classroom to get in! I'd rank those dreams at a 4.

I've had 3 different school anxiety dreams, in one I've forgotten my pants or underwear and that's usually set in elementary school. I am ashamed and hope that no one notices my lapse. I haven't had that dream for several years, I'm 51, a college graduate at 23. And recently I've been taking a French class at the local community college. I loved school, the learning not the people and received good grades for the most part without effort. The next dream I'm in college, but with my high school friends, and they tell me I'm enrolled in a class with them that I've never heard of. They tell me the teacher is mad and wants to know why I'm not attending class. I am shocked and confused, I know I never signed up for that class. I feel guilty, even though it must be a computer error. I haven't had that dream in a year or so. The last dream is definitely a frustration dream and I know it's triggered when something is going on with me in the "real" world. I go to university and I have a final, but it's a class I never attended and didn't study for, I run around looking for the room, but never find it. I have that dream 1-2 times, or more a year depending on what's going on in my life. All those dreams I would classify as a 4-5 on the anxiety scale.

I have a recurring dream (as recently as last week) that I am at my high school but I cannot remember where my locker is or what classes I'm supposed to go to. I also can't remember if I had homework or if there is going to be a test in any subject. I have an overwhelming feeling that I am not going to graduate if I don't figure it all out soon. I am very anxious and verging on frantic until I realize that I'm an adult and I don't have to be there. I would rate the dream overall as a 4 (very unpleasant) until the end when it becomes a 2 (somewhat pleasant). I have been out of high school for 37 years. I was a very good student and had no problems while I was there, so I don't know where the anxiety about it comes from. Occasionally I have this same dream, but I'm in college and I fear that I won't get my degree if I don't get myself together. It always ends with me realizing that I have already graduated and don't have to worry about it anymore.

I have noticed 3 other people with the same dream I frequently have. Forgetting to attend all the classes, now being confronted with an exam, not being prepared, can't find the class room. Asking myself, how did I get myself into this mess.

Probably have 3-4 times a year, definitely a 5, probably 4 months since I last had out, happens in high school. I have been out of school for 30 years.

It's been many years since I've had school-related dreams, and it's been almost 35 years since I graduated college. I used to have recurring dreams -- they always centered around not knowing something, like being called on in class and not know what we were talking about, or taking an exam and not even know what the subject was.

I hadn't realized that these dreams stopped, and I find it fascinating that they did. I unschooled my daughter, now 17. So perhaps I unschooled myself during that process? Watch, now that the subject has been brought up I'll dream about school again!

I have the following recurring dream 2-4 times per year. The last time was probably 5-6 months ago. The dream usually takes place in college, but sometimes high school. It is the day of final exams, and it suddenly dawns on me that I have forgotten to attend a class all semester...only attending on the first day of the class. The feeling is extreme anxiety, embarrassment, and shame. I worry and worry about what to do. I don't recall ever having any resolution to the dream...good or bad. I wake up before that. Now that I think about it, when the dream takes place in college it is a science/engineering class. When it takes place in high school, it is an English class. I also have a recurring dream (5-6 times per year), that sometimes takes place in a school, but often not. In the dream, I am trying to get something important accomplished...make it to class on time for example, but something is stopping me. Usually, I am trying to run somewhere and my feet will barely skim the surface of the ground, and I can't push off the ground to run fast. Other times, I have an urgent need to make an important phone call and I can't dial the number correctly...over and over I keep trying and messing up one of the numbers. Both of these dreams are about a 4.5 (quite unpleasant). I have been out of high school for 19 years and out of college 15 years. I would say these 2 dreams account for about 80% of all dreams that I remember.

I have a recurring dream about being either in high school or college. I arrive to school and am not able to remember my class schedule and which class I am supposed to go to next. I finally find my classroom, but I have missed so many classes that I am behind on the subject matter and am afraid to enter the classroom.
I rank this dream 4.5 as the anxiety involved is quite unpleasant.
I last had this dream about 6 months ago.
I graduated from college 17 years ago.

My infrequent fuzzy dreams usually involve heading home from distant places; however, I have 2 vivid 73 yr. old school memories. I can't imagine what small, quiet, farm boy Wayne Hicks could've done, but turned to see tall, solid, silver haired Miss Vance, our 6th grade teacher, jerking Wayne out over the back of his seat, bending his legs in a way they weren't meant to bend, his being the last in the row of desks and seats bolted to the floor and listening to his head being slapped back and forth in the cloak room. Listened to Ray Peterson receive the same treatment and the image of his red, puffy tear stained face, as he was marched out of the cloak room.
After the night mares have run their course, would be interesting to read some real life good and bad school memories.

I have had a few reccuring school dreams in my life but I have had one that is pretty constant since I graduated high school, still working through college having a family has put that on hold more than once. Its a dream where I am either working in the library, my old model united nations teachers room or at a banquet hall. I am always working for my old MUN team doing something like research or putting together an event. I start to get a bit frazzled towards the end of the dream because something typically goes wrong such as I loose the research or someone tells me something isn't working or because I am running late. Occasionally I am worried that I will be late for class again because I lost track of time in the library. Dream starts out at a 2 and then moves to a 4. Last time I had this dream was probably around March. The dream always takes place in high school so it has been exactly 10 years.

I have a similar dream, about once every five years. In the dream, I'm already a doctor in practice (which I am in real life), but I suddenly realize that I never actually graduated from high school, and I have to go back and finish high school classes. It always happens in the middle of a semester too, so I know I'm going to be behind, and the teacher is going to wonder where I've been the whole semester. The dream is about a 4, part panic, but also a lot confusion. Even while dreaming, I know that I'm already working as a doctor, and it seems crazy that I have to go back and finish something at high school level. When I wake up, I always have the same feeling: "I knew that couldn't be right!" I graduated from high school 35 years ago.

I have a recurring dream that I will be sitting my finals the next day (French literature exam) and I still have to read several of the prescribed texts so I am not prepared. I wonder how it is possible that I am not prepared. The dream is so real that it takes a few minutes when I wake up to remember that I am not taking the exam that day and already took my finals 18 years ago (and I had read all the texts and was prepared for the French lit exam). It is 18 years since I left college, the last time I had the dream was about 6 months ago and I would rate it 4-5.

I have lots of school dreams but there's two particular ones that I've had a lot recently.

The first is that I've gone back to high school as an adult. As the dream progresses, I get more and more stressed about the exams and work that I need to do. Then I suddenly remember that I've already done those qualifications and I don't need to be there. I have this massive sense of relief and then I walk out. I guess that one's a 3 as it's both unpleasant and pleasant.

The second dream is centred around the last day of high school. I can't remember it all that clearly but I do remember not quite being able to belief that I won't have to go to school anymore and also realising that I might not see this boy I had a crush on during high school ever again (in real life I haven't see him in over 10 years but for some reason he still crops up in my dreams quite often). This one is probably a 3 as well.

In both these dreams there is a sense of being at school but not quite being part of it anymore. I think that comes partly from my time working as a classroom assistant which, after having a tough time as a student, was a very healing experience for me and partly because I've been doing a lot of research into homeschooling as I plan to do that with my children.

I left high school thirteen years ago and must have had at least one of these dreams within the last couple of months and many times over the last year.

I became a high school grad in 1986. My recurring nightmare: I have completed everything I need to graduate, except my final math credit. I show up to the classroom to take the final math test, flip over the exam paper, and am unable to decipher any of the problems. I scour the page looking for something I recognize, becoming more and more anxious and worrying in the dream that I will never be able to graduate from high school. I would rate the dream a 4 at the beginning and a 5 by the end!

I am in my 40's now and still have dreams about high school. I usually am in the hallway, between classes, stressed out, I can't remember my locker combination, I've going to be late, there is usually some kind of traumatic social event keeping me from getting there on time (that and not being able to get into my locker). This dream is always extremely unpleasant, so 5 on your scale.

I don't remember many of my dreams, but I have a very vivid memory of a dream associated with university. In the dream, I was back in first year university. I was in a large Biology 101 class. I was really panicked in this moment because I dropped all sciences in Grade 10 in high school. I would have had no way of being prepared for Biology 101. I recall waking up feeling the fresh pangs of anxiety associated with that dream.

My recurrent school dream is similar to many of the others. Mostly it it at college, sometimes at the college I attended bur not always.Occasionally it is high school. It always involves not being able to find a class or being late to class or sometimes going to the wrong class. I am often walking long distances across campus, then finding the building is at the other end. Sometimes not being able to find my dorm room is also part.I would rate it a 4 for unpleasantness. It always happens when I am embarking on something new. The last was about 2 years ago when there was a big change at work which increased my responsibility. The time before that was when I remarried. It is actually less frightening since I realized this association.

1.i am in college. It is exam day. i realize I must go take a final ut i have just discovered that I am in this class. I don't know exactly where it meets. But I am on campus looking for the room to take a final and I don't know what to expect. rate it a two uncomfortable.Waking me wonders why I don't just blow it off.
2.Now that I work in school as an accompanist for the choirs. Dream is about the shared space of the stage. It has music stands and chairs and piles of music and I must clear it for a dance rehearsal. I am irritated with my band colleagues for leaving it a mess. level three.

I have had two recurring dreams about a college class. They vary somewhat but end in similar ways each time. Differently than the actual occurrence at the time.

• If you have had such a recurring dream, please describe it. What happens in the dream?
Both are in an ITV class. One: We are in class and on a project together. She wants to answer the project questions with quotes straight from the text. I discuss with her my thoughts from the selected required reading and suggested reading. She tells me that she doesn't want to bs her way through the answer. She wants the answer from the book. This is what actually happens. This next part is different from real life. I tell her that it isn't really demonstrating what we learned if we just copy an answer from the book. There were two readings and the best answer is a combination of ideas. She tells me she wants to get the answer right. I write my own, we both turn ours in and I receive the higher score. In reality, we both rec'd the same score.
The other one involves the same gal. Our class fell on a Halloween evening. I told the teacher, over ITV, that I wouldn't be there, in class that eve. She asked who would be. The same gal said, "Well, I made arrangements for my kids so I don't have to miss class. I am a dedicated student." Reality, I said nothing. In the dream, I just say, " Cool, glad that works for your family. I am doing what works for mine."
Simple.

• How pleasant, or unpleasant is your dream? Please rate it on a scale of 1-5, where 1 = very pleasant; 2 = somewhat pleasant; 3 = neither pleasant nor unpleasant (or equally pleasant and unpleasant); 4 = somewhat unpleasant; 5 = very unpleasant.

• Approximately how long ago was the last time that you had some version of this dream?

• How long has it been since you were, in real life, a student in the kind of setting (e.g. elementary school, high school, or college) in which your dream takes place?

I am over 60 and am so surprised that so many others have the same dream as me. I am in the hall of my HS and cannot find my classroom. It is about a level 5 of stress. Then I doubt myself even further and am unsure of my class schedule. Then my memory fails me even more and I can't remember what days I have a class or if I am still in that class. The dream usually ends there but I sometimes become aware that I already graduated.

I have this recurrent school related dream: I am in high school, I am about to start classes when i look at my schedule and see that a history class is scheduled that day. I am close to panicking because I know that for some reasons, we did not have any history classes all that year and so I am very unprepared. And I also know that I will be tested. Sometimes I dream the lessons I am supposed to have learnt but did not. The last time i had this dream was abou 2 months ago. It is very unpleasant. I graduated high school ten years ago. I actually did have some issues with my history teacher in high school :)

I have various school dreams. The one that seems to occur most involves me having to return to high school because it turns out I needed one more class to graduate (often precalculus or Spanish). There is some obstacle to me finishing this class--either I'm so sleepy/confused I can't get to the class, or I'm arguing with administrators about some technicality related to graduation/my class schedule, or I don't understand the material.

I graduated a year early from high school by doubling up on classes, so I think this particular dream is associated with that. All my school dreams are unpleasant. I would rate them a 4--usually not so unpleasant that I wake up gasping or feel uneasy after a few minutes have passed.

I have recurring dreams where I am unprepared for a college exam, or I find it is nearing the end of the term and I have not attended a class nor submitted any of the required papers. Sometimes I am able to drop the class, but other times I can't.
They score a 5 as I feel extremely anxious and am nearly in tears during them.
The last one was several months ago.
I graduated from college 21 years ago.

This is a huge stretch, from the PTSD suffered by many who experience combat, to the negative school dreams expressed here. Where as our wars were fought in distant lands, by a few and usually for no good reason, we have all experienced years of forced schooling, whose huge negative impact few question. Cemeteries are being filled with dreams and potential that never had a chance, starting with day care at 6 weeks, pre-school, democratic-compulsory schooling and beyond.

Joshua J. Whitfield: Why political rallies should be held at national ...

I have a recurring setting I call Mythica, since it is a combination of my boarding school and Ithaca where I went to Cornell. Generally I am alone in this large setting.There is a nostalgic quality, and mild unease, but no overt fears.

I don't remember any recent dreams in which I would be a student. I have been out of school for two years and even during my studies I hardly ever dreamed about it.

When I was in grades 6-12, I was chronically ill, missing up to a third of the school year, and many of the days I attended I was tardy. My parents never pressured me -- in fact, they encouraged me NOT to work so hard to get good grades (little did they know it really wasn't hard work). But for as long as I can remember, I've had a recurring dream about missing the first period class (sometimes it's English, sometimes HIstory) throughout the whole school year and showing up at the end trying to pass the final exam, completely freaked out that I know nothing and am going to fail the class. The feeling of not knowing and of impending failure was so intensely gut wrenching. Last few times I've had the dream, instead of the gut wrenching fear, it's more like, 'Who the f*** cares...I'm outta here!"

It seems that unschooling is working ;)

I am in my 50s & earned my BA over 30 years ago. I still dream I am at my university, either walking in the campus or nearby city, and don't know where I am supposed to be. I have lost my class schedule. Perhaps I have an exam and have never attended class and cannot find the classroom. Occasionally I am in high school and not college. I have had this dream repeatedly for these three decades and the latest one was about a month ago.

I have all of the mentioned types of dreams, probably about 3-6 times a year. I graduated high school 37 years ago; went to college for a few years and dropped out but then returned when I was 29 and graduated in 1993 with a B.S. degree. I finished my Masters in 1997. Usually it's a level 4 or 5; sometimes I remember that I did graduate (both high school and college & a Masters) while still dreaming and that helps to ease the anxiety level to a 2 or 3. I can't remember the last tiem I dreamt any of these types, but as I said, it's fairly frequent, so probably a few months ago.

Dream Type 1: I'm in h.s and I can't find my locker, or remember the combination, or don't have my books, and /or can't find the classroom. Usually this is for a math class, but not always.

Type 2: I'm in h.s. and I somehow become aware that there is a final exam coming but I haven't been to the class all year and haven't studied anything. I make a feeble attempt to scan the books but it's hopeless and I'm in a total panic. Again, it is usually math, but sometimes history or another subject.

Type 3: Still h.s. and I am informed that I haven't taken a required subject, and won't be allowed to graduate. The subject is sometimes a minor one like P.E. This dream is slightly less anxiety-provoking and I often realize I'm dreaming and that I passed h.s. a long time ago. In some of the dreams I even say this to the principal ("you can't keep me from graduating because I already have my h.s. diploma").

Type 4: I'm in college, on the campus where I actually started my higher education (University of Iowa - Iowa City); I can't find the right building or I've ignored my class schedule until the first few weeks have gone by, or I didn't realize the classes had already started some weeks earlier and now I'm hopelessly behind and wondering if I should just drop the class, or try to catch up. In some of the dreams I attend the wrong class but realize it way too late.