I'm a 20-year-old dropout, though reapplying to do a different course (I can't see myself not going back to uni, though as a mature student this time). Honest answers would be helpful. :D
I started university early (at 17, I'm Scottish). I was doing Law with French at Leeds, but then dropped out before I was due to go on a year abroad last summer. I had resits but decided not to even turn up, as I wasn't happy at uni. I'm doing well now (started my own business in retail, which is what I want to do for a living anyway, and am earning quite a bit already), and am taking some more A-levels to make up for poor uni grades. I intend to apply to uni again (I got as far as being pooled at Cambridge the first time round!), but I won't start my second degree till I am 22 at the earliest, as I want to focus on my business for now. This means I won't graduate till I'm 25.
I'd been struggling with my degree since the first year; I did very well academically (A*AA) before uni despite having an abusive family, but my grades at uni were usually just scraping a 2:2 if I was lucky, usually in the 40s. It was hard at the start; I found it really hard to fit in due to my age (most of the people in my halls/course in first year wouldn't even talk to me once they found out I couldn't drink, and a lot of people were generally patronising and treated me like a kid), though ironically I did develop very good social skills and become "popular" after I turned 18. I was also depressed due to money issues (I didn't get much in student finance due to well-off but controlling parents who obviously wouldn't help, I got a part-time job but it only went so far), which meant I had to live in a cheap house in a really rough area in my second year. I also had to deal with my abusive family calling me constantly and stuff like covering the cost of staying at uni over t he holidays.
I also became pretty disillusioned with my choice of course and career; I started studying it mainly because I wanted to be a lawyer, but though I managed to get work experience despite my grades (through families of friends) I decided that it really wasn't for me. I still put the work in, of course, but I was finding it very hard to stay on top of things, which is why I chose to drop out and am going to reapply to do Business Studies which I have realised is my passion. I tried talking to my tutor etc. about transferring courses and so on, but the uni was really inflexible.
I feel better about dropping out, to be honest - I really didn't fit in at Leeds in a lot of ways - apart from the fact I am worried about what others will think. Only my old friends (at least the ones who are around my age) from uni know about it. I haven't told anyone else because I'm scared they'll judge me.
I'm also scared potential dating prospects (or even marriage ones, I'm Christian so am cool with getting married early and would rather settle down than sleep around :p) will be turned off, especially about the fact I was studying such a reputable subject at such a reputable uni, and chose to leave anyway. To be honest, part of the reason I hung around doing that for so long was because my degree felt like part of my identity. From my experience, Christian guys can be really judgemental anyway which worries me.
On paper, apart from my lack of a degree, I'm doing fine. My career is going very well (I'd rather not say how much I've made from my business but it's a lot, I am working on it with two friends from my old uni), I'm no longer in contact with my family, and my social life is actually going better now that I'm out of uni. I'm fairly physically attractive (and stereotypically feminine/girly/old-fashioned in the way I dress, talk etc.) and loads of guys do hit on me, but I'm always scared to open up to them as I'm worried they'll really judge me for dropping out of uni. I mean, pretty much everyone has a degree nowadays - I can just imagine going home to meet some guy's family and them all judging me because I dropped out.
Tl:dr - started doing Law at uni, dropped out as wasn't for me, am fine otherwise but will guys still date/marry me? (Am reapplying to do another degree, but will be a mature student then argh :K)
I feel like a grown-up without a degree :(
I started university early (at 17, I'm Scottish). I was doing Law with French at Leeds, but then dropped out before I was due to go on a year abroad last summer. I had resits but decided not to even turn up, as I wasn't happy at uni. I'm doing well now (started my own business in retail, which is what I want to do for a living anyway, and am earning quite a bit already), and am taking some more A-levels to make up for poor uni grades. I intend to apply to uni again (I got as far as being pooled at Cambridge the first time round!), but I won't start my second degree till I am 22 at the earliest, as I want to focus on my business for now. This means I won't graduate till I'm 25.
I'd been struggling with my degree since the first year; I did very well academically (A*AA) before uni despite having an abusive family, but my grades at uni were usually just scraping a 2:2 if I was lucky, usually in the 40s. It was hard at the start; I found it really hard to fit in due to my age (most of the people in my halls/course in first year wouldn't even talk to me once they found out I couldn't drink, and a lot of people were generally patronising and treated me like a kid), though ironically I did develop very good social skills and become "popular" after I turned 18. I was also depressed due to money issues (I didn't get much in student finance due to well-off but controlling parents who obviously wouldn't help, I got a part-time job but it only went so far), which meant I had to live in a cheap house in a really rough area in my second year. I also had to deal with my abusive family calling me constantly and stuff like covering the cost of staying at uni over t he holidays.
I also became pretty disillusioned with my choice of course and career; I started studying it mainly because I wanted to be a lawyer, but though I managed to get work experience despite my grades (through families of friends) I decided that it really wasn't for me. I still put the work in, of course, but I was finding it very hard to stay on top of things, which is why I chose to drop out and am going to reapply to do Business Studies which I have realised is my passion. I tried talking to my tutor etc. about transferring courses and so on, but the uni was really inflexible.
I feel better about dropping out, to be honest - I really didn't fit in at Leeds in a lot of ways - apart from the fact I am worried about what others will think. Only my old friends (at least the ones who are around my age) from uni know about it. I haven't told anyone else because I'm scared they'll judge me.
I'm also scared potential dating prospects (or even marriage ones, I'm Christian so am cool with getting married early and would rather settle down than sleep around :p) will be turned off, especially about the fact I was studying such a reputable subject at such a reputable uni, and chose to leave anyway. To be honest, part of the reason I hung around doing that for so long was because my degree felt like part of my identity. From my experience, Christian guys can be really judgemental anyway which worries me.
On paper, apart from my lack of a degree, I'm doing fine. My career is going very well (I'd rather not say how much I've made from my business but it's a lot, I am working on it with two friends from my old uni), I'm no longer in contact with my family, and my social life is actually going better now that I'm out of uni. I'm fairly physically attractive (and stereotypically feminine/girly/old-fashioned in the way I dress, talk etc.) and loads of guys do hit on me, but I'm always scared to open up to them as I'm worried they'll really judge me for dropping out of uni. I mean, pretty much everyone has a degree nowadays - I can just imagine going home to meet some guy's family and them all judging me because I dropped out.
Tl:dr - started doing Law at uni, dropped out as wasn't for me, am fine otherwise but will guys still date/marry me? (Am reapplying to do another degree, but will be a mature student then argh :K)
I feel like a grown-up without a degree :(
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment