what should i do?

LegacyUser

so trying to keep it simple, started college last week, it wasnt my first choice of location and ive realised its not the course for me either.

Im also about 4 hours from home and dont know anyone here either which is making it worse, im really worried about everything, i cant eat anything and when i do im sick....

im not a typical college student i dont drink or party wildly so the fact that thats all people seem to be doing is wreaking my head as im staying near my college sharing with other students.

i basically have 3 choices.
1 stay here and do the course that i might or might not learn to love, and hope that things get better (but i kind of have a feeling they wont,
2. try change into a different course offered (not sure if i can at this stage)
3. leave

leaving is what i really want to do but im scared id be making a big mistake at the same time. i was thinking if i left i could apply again to the CAO next year and hope i get my 1st choice or at least somewhere a bit closer to home.

im really confused and i need to make up my mind pretty fast before i start buying books and things....

i hope i havent left out anything!

carlybabe1

Take a deep breath and relax. First of all yes you can defer for the year and try get your first chioce next year but you would need to find out why you didnt get it this year and rectify that (if you dont know already)
the general consensus is that you're better off staying in college (you'll have to check out Hghr ed grants etc) but if you have an academic advisor then go see them pronto, or a tutor, and dont be fobbed off by them. Sit in on some lectures from a course you think you might like, and of course ask the lecturer first. These are all things you can tackle tomorro so hopefully you might feel better...keep us posted an lets know how you get on

LegacyUser

My advice to you is to socialise. I know you dont drink or arent party mad but you should get to know your housemates and go out with them maybe once every week or 2 weeks. you will met loads of people. and although you dislike your course I would say to stick with it for the time being and to get to know your classmates. I honestly believe that meeting new people and making friends is the key to happiness for you in college

delos

poprocks wrote: »

2. try change into a different course offered (not sure if i can at this stage

I'd be really surprised if you are locked into a course this early on.

As carlybabe1says go and see an advisor and don't get fobbed off - its there job to help you out in situations like this. You won't be the first person that they meet in this situation and you won't be the last. Find a course you enjoy and you'll be fine

LegacyUser

thanks everyone. there was another course i was looking at but i think its full on places im not sure ill have to have a look tomorrow.

oh and i didnt get my 1st place cuz i missed it by 10 points. it was up 20 on the year before

chickenhawk

Don't be worried about not knowing anyone. I was 17 when I went to college and I didn't know anyone. I lived on campus and met lots of people im my first few weeks. 99.9% I don't know now but I have a great group of friends from college and I see them every week.

Just go out and introduce yourself to everyone. You'll hang around with lots of different people until you find the people you are most comfortable with.

As for the course just go talk to a lecturer or admin.....(they are not that scary;))

sam34

you're only there a week- give it time. you're far away from home and on your own. which makes things difficult. imo, its too early to decide this course isnt for you. everything is overwhelming for you at the moment, but you will settle into college life.

Drift

Hey poprocks,

I don't drink either, I knew no-one at all in my class in college when I started and I'd never been to a nightclub either but I had the time of my life in college. Didn't drink a drop the whole way through but I had great craic on nights out and was still able to drive home. I also made a few friends that I'll keep for life.

My advice would be to say hello to whoever you're sitting beside at whatever lecture is on tomorrow and take it from there. Just introduce yourself to various people in the class and you'll find at least one and probably more that you get on with. Don't be afraid to go out and socialise with them - you won't have to drink and to be truthful most first year college students don't party "that hard." They usually just drink until their drunk and provided you can have a laugh and enjoy yourself they won't care if you're drunk or not.

With regards to not liking the course I think it might be a bit early to make that decision yet. If I was you I'd try and stick with the course for a year - there's nothing stopping you from applying to the CAO again next year. A few weeks is nowhere near enough to know if you like a course or not. In fact a few months isn't always enough either but it's a start. (Beware of one thing though, if you take this option you will have to pay one year of fee's - approx 6,000 in NUIG.)

Good luck whatever you decide.

LegacyUser

thanks everyone for the helpful replies

nobodythere

poprocks wrote: »

leaving is what i really want to do

I had a really bad time when I started college, lasted two months but should have dropped out sooner. I think if you leave in the first two weeks you won't have to pay fees next time. If you'd rather be doing something else then do it

Overheal

If you really want to leave talk to someone now. You might be able to get your fees back hopefully, so when you go back to college somewhere else you wont have to pay full first year tuition fees - theyre damned expensive.

NextSteps

Can I suggest you stick it out till Christmas? Give the course and the college a fair chance. If you still don't like it then, go and talk to one of the careers or guidance people in college.
This is a really common problem for first years, so I doubt you're the only one! Talk to a few people in your class, they'll be delighted to be making friends.

Sniipe

fook, this sounds exactly like me. I'm not kidding you.

I was in Galway and missed my course by a few points. I got Dundalk. Dundalk is about 4 hours from Galway!! God I hated the place when I got there. I got digs which was the nearest house to the college. I shared a room at the time with Sputnik (a former boards member, jeez I must look him up). Both of us were pretty quiet. He was from Cork.

God I hated Dundalk IT when I started. I knew no one. I wasn’t into the whole drinking scene at the time. In fact I didn’t even drink until 2 years later. The course I did was Software Development with French. I liked computers, I didn’t like French, and in first year in fact I didn’t like the software side of computers.

I persisted. First year I made friends thru my class, I made friends to the guys who didn’t know anyone else there either. This didn’t really happen for a while tho. I made some of the best friends in College.

Anyway I digress… I thought I wouldn’t like the course at first and I wanted to quit and come home, perhaps repeat in some private college or hope for the best. Long story short now, I prevailed and I’m now a software developer 2 years working. I love my job, I’m glad I stuck out the course.

Chin up, give the course some more time. What’s the difference between the course you got and the course you wanted? Why did you put it on your CAO list? There must have been a reason you picked that course out…

[edit] drinking wasn't my vice in the first few years in College, it was LAN gaming There is a group of people that are into anything and everything in college... have you signed up to any sports/social clubs? Hey now that u are in college and u really really really want to change course, go into the lectures of the course (or similar) where you are now, see what that course is like...[/edit]