Dilemma with College.

cookie_raider

Hi all, I am in a bit of a dilemma here and hope to get some advice from all you wise people who know what's what.I'll make this as short as possible.

So I just finished my LC at 18 and I've started my first ever college course this september,which I really only started so as to not sit on my backside all day,everyday for the whole year and actually do something.I started it because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life and hoped to make up my mind over the course of this year.Well,now I regret starting this course, because it's very difficult and I'm unhappy here,I find that this course is not my piece of cake at all.My mom is very supportive and says I should drop out and start working if I find it THAT hard,and I do.But here's another problem - I got a grant for this course .There was an option for me 2 weeks ago that I didn't know about until it was too late,which was to ask the college to pull me out of their system so it would seem like I never even studied there and keep my grant.Of course, I was too late for that, and now I'll probably have to pay for the first semester of my next course which I don't think I'll be able to afford.So, now that you know my situation, the question is - Should I continue studying?Or should I drop out?

Typer Monkey

I think you should cut your losses and drop out if you are not happy and finding the subject matter difficult. I studied engineering and found the first year very difficult. I stuck my head in the sand and failed all of my summer exams and spent a miserable summer studying. I failed everything in second year again! I really should have cut my losses in first year and gone and studied something I was interested in and good at. It really is spirit sapping when you are out of your depth and feeling inadequate.

I ended up stubbornly spending four years studying something I had no interest in or apptiude for and ended up working in industry for 5 years until I copped on and went and started again doing something I was actually interested in and the last 9 years have been great. I only wish I'd done it sooner!

You can always look for work and spend the rest of next year deciding what it is you want to do/have an apptitude for and saving towards the cost of your first semester somewhere else. You have so much of your life ahead of you. Don't settle for unhappiness so early

MagicMarker

Really, what do you achieve by dropping out? Getting a job will be problematic, so the dole is what you'll be left with and you'll be forced to pay full whack for the next course.

I say make the best with what you've got, do your best to finish out the year at least and then next summer, when you're in a better position to judge, you can decide if you want to carry on or do something else. In the mean time if you need help with the course maybe try and organise a study group, where you can work off and get support from other people in areas you're not confident in.

Things get tough sometimes, you need to buckle down a work through them as best you can rather than give up, set the standard for yourself.

musegirl

Is there an option to transfer to a different course within the faculty? Or can you defer the year to give yourself time to decide rather than make a rash decision.
Speaking as someone who dropped out of College , id advise you to think very carefully.
I regret not finishing my course.
It is definitely tough doing a course you dont like but if you stick it out, you'll have your university degree and nobody can ever take that away from you, even if you never work in that field, its a huge asset.
If switching to another course is an option, definitely do it.
If the alternative is to go into the work force, I would say dont be hasty.
I was v happy for a couple of years but then really felt I hadnt reached my full potential.
Eventhough i got a decent job and worked my way up, i was pigeon holed as I had no qualification and couldnt easily move on. Became very unhappy in the job and am now planning to return nxt year to do a four yr full time degree. Im really excited to be going back and v v lucky to have the opportunity but at 30yrs of age and having just gotten engaged, i have to put both our lives on hold to do so and I really regret not sticking it out the first time round!!

So try everything u can to switch course, use every support and advice available in the college and dont be hasty!! Good luck

cookie_raider

Thank you very much guys,I appreciate all of your advice, though I don't think I'll be able to defer the year or switch when I'm 3 months into this course(?).But, who knows?I'll have to talk to someone in the college again and see what other solutions they come up with.Honestly, I'm afraid of making a mistake if I decide to drop out, but this course is wrecking my brain and is DEFINATELY not a field I want to work in in the future.Anyway,thanks again, I'll see what other options may open up to me.

Mycroft H

Don't forget that a degree is a degree; you've shown an aptitude to working to that level, does not matter if it's an Ats, Engineering or Science Degree. Most graduates don't ever end up working in the field they've studied in; ask yourself, how many do you know that do?

diograis

Here I think if you drop out before 31 January, you'll only have to pay half EU fees next year. If I did I could have saved like 3 odd grand! Something to think about, you've time yet

seanie_c

I think if you drop out on grounds of health, they don't charge you for the full year but that might be at the discretion of college.

Typer Monkey

Mycroft H wrote: »

Don't forget that a degree is a degree; you've shown an aptitude to working to that level, does not matter if it's an Ats, Engineering or Science Degree. Most graduates don't ever end up working in the field they've studied in; ask yourself, how many do you know that do?

You make a good point here Mycroft, I'm a prime example, but do you not think the OP would be better off getting a degree in a subject area he/she is interested in and wants to work in in the future? Surely that's the best case senario. As it stands he/she has only wasted one semester and has a chance to make that happen if he/she acts soon

maisiedaisy

I dropped out of my degree because I didn't like it. I had an unusual set of circumstances, and I didn't have a financial issue, but if you're studying something you don't like I'd advise you to leave. I found it completely soul destroying and didn't realise the full extent of this until I actually started studying some thing l liked.

Take the rest of this year to work out what you would like to do. Go meet lectures in various colleges involved in areas you might like to study, and talk to students already enrolled in the degree. They'll tell you more about it than any prospectus or open day will. Speak to your current college regarding fees, I think there could be something about half fees as diograis said. I know my first college claimed half a years fees on my behalf without me knowing, so it is worth talking your fees office, there's always ways around things!

And, lastly, it's completely understandable if you do drop out. It's far more common than I first thought it was when I dropped out, and there's often people starting again for various reasons, so don't let that hold you back either!

When I did my LC, I decided to take a year off to work instead - knew I wasn't ready for college and I needed the time off. Then I started a college course that I realized wasn't for me, so dropped out midway through my second year. Eventually went back to complete a Level 6 PLC to get me back into education, before going on to complete a 4 year course in something that I had a real interest in and wasn't available the first time I started college.

What I'm trying to say is there's nothing wrong with dropping out, if it is something you're not interested in. You'll find something you want eventually.