Was told to drop out, need advice?

pokkie

Hey guys, I'm currently a 2nd year student in UCD but I'm originally from cork I applied to UCD because UCC does not have my course, going to UCD was really hard financially but I pulled through with a great GPA! This summer unfortunately my dad became really sick and had to quit his job. My family income is now less than 22k per year. Because of this I have to travel from Cork-Dublin everyday. I went to UCD to ask for advice they told me to drop out. I don't know what to do I'd like to work but it'd be hard because my course consumes all of my time, I don't want to drop it would be heartbreaking for me. If anyone has any advice on what I can do I'd be very grateful thanks!

jr22

pokkie wrote: »

Hey guys, I'm currently a 2nd year student in UCD but I'm originally from cork I applied to UCD because UCC does not have my course, going to UCD was really hard financially but I pulled through with a great GPA! This summer unfortunately my dad became really sick and had to quit his job. My family income is now less than 22k per year. Because of this I have to travel from Cork-Dublin everyday. I went to UCD to ask for advice they told me to drop out. I don't know what to do I'd like to work but it'd be hard because my course consumes all of my time, I don't want to drop it would be heartbreaking for me. If anyone has any advice on what I can do I'd be very grateful thanks!

Have you looked at this http://www.ucd.ie/student_welfare.htm

Surely someone there could help you out, even if only for the price of train tickets until you get something better sorted.

If I was you I'd target the chaplain. They've probably got more time on their hands than admin people who are up to their eyeballs this time of the year. The chaplains are generally sympathetic to people in a tough spot and usually have decent access to hardship funds.

Good luck, and don't drop out, you'll figure something out. Even if it means taking your bike on the train for a while or sleeping on someone's couch for a while.

pokkie

jr22 wrote: »

Have you looked at this http://www.ucd.ie/student_welfare.htm

Surely someone there could help you out, even if only for the price of train tickets until you get something better sorted.

If I was you I'd target the chaplain. They've probably got more time on their hands than admin people who are up to their eyeballs this time of the year. The chaplains are generally sympathetic to people in a tough spot and usually have decent access to hardship funds.

Good luck, and don't drop out, you'll figure something out. Even if it means taking your bike on the train for a while or sleeping on someone's couch for a while.

Thank you the chaplains were actually the ones that told me to drop out and the welfare rushed me out with a list of houses that were 130+ p.w. With an income that low there's no way I can afford that!

lilymc

Contact St Vincent de Paul society, they give out education grants. Someone I know got one when their father was let go. Won't say how much they gave her but I can promise you they can help you continue going to UCD if you explain your situation.

my teapot is orange

I agree with the suggestions given. Is there anything you can do to boost your income? Evening/weekend work? I know that of course committing fully to a college course is like a full-time job and there are limits too how much you can work, but if you have two cities at your disposal, Dublin all the time and Cork at weekends, check your options in both. Do you have any skill that you could offer on a freelance basis to fit around your studies. Some students get very creative e.g. translation, website design etc.

I do understand how someone like you might not want to hurt a GPA they've worked hard for, but if the other option is dropping out, it might be the better option, especially in 2nd year which doesn't generally count for as much. (I'm not too familiar with UCD)

Get on Daft regarding accommodation. There are loads of houseshares way less than what you've quoted, but be careful when choosing a landlord and do consider transport costs if you need a bus to UCD.

pokkie

Thank you all so much for the advice my apologies for the delay