Can't bring myself to attend college.....

Astrozombies

I'm a 1st year in NUI Maynooth, studying arts, but I have barely gone in at all this semester.
I just hate the college, I havent made 1 single genuine friend and now everyone has there 'cliques' ... I hate the 45 minute commute everyday and dont enjoy the course at all (apart from 1 module). My boyfriend convinced me to stay for 2nd semester, bad idea lol. I got a place for a PLC Course in BCFE in september for Art, Design and Mixed Media, and am gonna just not go back to NUIM in september, but BCFE instead!

Im still giving in my C.A, but missing my 3 tutorials each week, and all my lectures. Will there be any implications if I DONT go in for my summer exams? Ive fallen so far behind note wise and there are so many other things I need to do. Any advice??? It seems pointless to drop out with less than 3 weeks left?

NegativeCreep

If you're not going back for the second year, what would be the point in doing the exams?

Astrozombies

NegativeCreep wrote: »

If you're not going back for the second year, what would be the point in doing the exams?

Thats what I was saying, but I was just wondering if not doing exams and failing my 1st year would come back and bite me in the behind if I went to attend another 3rd level college after this:o but i guess if theres no implications then I'm good to go... apart from losing my free fees

NegativeCreep

I suppose it would look better if you officially drop out. But you'll never have to tell a future college you may attend or a future employer that you've dropped out of college

Novella

Astrozombies wrote: »

Thats what I was saying, but I was just wondering if not doing exams and failing my 1st year would come back and bite me in the behind if I went to attend another 3rd level college after this:o but i guess if theres no implications then I'm good to go... apart from losing my free fees

The only real issue is if you are in receipt of a grant, you will not receive it again for the first year of any subsequent course.

I would officially drop out if I were you. I did before. It's not a big deal, you're just asked some questions about why you're dropping out etc.

Best of luck with college in September, I hope you have a much better experience.

Honey-ec

I dropped out of Biotechnology in Maynooth. Like you, I just had no interest in the course whatsoever and the commute (from Dublin) was killing me.

Tell them you're dropping out. It won't affect any future courses you want to apply to (other than the fact that you won't get the fees paid) and, as others have said, prospective employers won't even know that you were ever on the course if you don't tell them.

Just make sure you definitely do go straight to Ballyfermot in September. I made the mistake of taking a year off "to decide what I wanted to do". Started working full-time and, of course, got far too used to having money in my pocket and never went back to college. Bought a house, etc., in the meantime, which made it impossible to give up work to go back full-time.

I started a distance degree with DCU last year - 14 years after dropping out :rolleyes:

MitchKoobski

OP I was in the exact same position as you, albeit I had continued as far as Semester 2 of Year 2.

Hated the course after Year 1, no enjoyment whatsoever by then and I had the offer of full-time hours from my part-time job. I had to put up with a lot of hassle from the folks and some friends, but at the end of the day I was miserable. I wasn't going to force myself to spend another 2 years earning a degree that I did not want or enjoy any more.

I dropped out and it was the best thing I ever did. I still list my time in the college on my CV, and freely explain it to anyone to asks. The full-time work eventually went away after a few months (business decision) but since then I managed to get an internship and part-time work elsewhere based on my hobbies and society work while in the college.

Just make sure to officially drop out.

judgefudge

I don't think you need to worry about what it might look like for future college/job applications. You won't have to mention it. And even if asked, all you have to say is that you stuck it out for a year and realise that you just weren't into the course so dropped out to do what you really want. That's admirable if anything! Recognising you made a mistake and correcting it rather than going on through 3 more years so as not to rock the boat.

There's no point in sitting exams unless you plan on continuing.

December2012

What you need to think about is your mental preparation for the new course and what you can bring.

You gave out about the commute, say that people are in cliques, say you've only made one friend yet you rarely went to college and it sounds like you didn't get involved at all.

College is very much what you make it.

Successful students get the most out of their college by being interested, and at the very least you weren't.

So look at the problems you had and start now on preventing them coming up gain.

Commuting? Are you going to be near your new place?
Friends? Are you willing to make friends and put in the energy?

It's ok to change your mind, lots do, but learn from it. Don't get too hung up on past bad decisions but work on your focus and confidence to minimise it happening again.