When is it too late to back out of University?

Original post by similarBlank

I'm enthusiastic about the course, that's why I chose it. It's American Studies. This, of course, doesn't have an obvious career to go into, really. Im slightly concerned, though, because I'm interested into going into a career such as game design, and am concerned I'd be unable to spending 4 years doing American Studies. At the same time, I highly doubt I'd successfully get into another university if I applied after taking a gap year because I suspect my A-levels will be very bad. (Not all my fault, tbf, my speciality is IT which I got As in at GCSE but my High School/Sixth Form had a terrible IT department that kept degrading each year; by the time I started its Sixth Form it wasn't even a subject, thus I ended up with subjects I wasn't enthusiastic about or good at, apparently.) I have had some experience with game design in the past, so I'm not just choosing that career at random.

Oh right! I was gonna drop out of my first year and study American Studies! It is an interesting degree to do! I love American history.

Oh honey, if you want a career in game design, you definitely will not get the job with a degree in American Studies. It's quite obvious if someone had Game Design or Computer Science BSc and the other had a BA in American Studies, you and I both know which graduate would get the job.

If you haven't got your grades already then you need to get that idea out of your mind, until you get your grades. Your grades will be there whether you like it or not. And it's not gonna change a universities mind regardless of what year you got it at.

Some unis taken into consideration bad teaching or bad schools in general, so you could, in theory apply for that kind of thing. But I think it works if the school or college is bad in pretty much everything.

I think you definitely need to study something if not Game Design something like Computer Science or IT or at least something to do with computers if you want to get into Gaming Industry!

Reply 23

OP

I guess I better drop out of University then. :P

Any ideas how I should go about doing that, right?

Reply 24

Original post by similarBlank

I guess I better drop out of University then. :P

Any ideas how I should go about doing that, right?

Call up the university (Admissions I think) and let them know. I can't remember if you can cancel/reject all offers directly on UCAS as it's been a few years, but log on and check and if you can do that. If unsure ring all parties up and enquire (uni, student finance, ucas etc)

After that cancel you student finance application and be absolutely sure it is all cancelled and dead in the ground (both uni and SF). A few people I know didn't do this properly in past and SF ended up paying the first instalment of the tuition fees as the uni thought they had enrolled, so they still had to pay back/ lost a year in funding despite them never attending. And it's a pain in the ass to get yourself out of that mess.

Use a little initiative, it's not all that difficult to figure this stuff out for yourself. You seem like a headless chicken on this site most the time.

Reply 25

Also make sure you can get out of any accomodation or similar contracts you have signed up for.

Reply 26

OP

Original post by SophieSmall

Call up the university (Admissions I think) and let them know. I can't remember if you can cancel/reject all offers directly on UCAS

Use a little initiative, it's not all that difficult to figure this stuff out for yourself. You seem like a headless chicken on this site most the time.

If you think this is bad you should see the stuff I post anonymously. :tongue:

It was an unconditional offer, so all the other offers have already been cancelled/rejected.

Do I have to phone them up or will a quick email suffice?

Original post by jneill

Also make sure you can get out of any accomodation or similar contracts you have signed up for.

Don't worry, part of the reason I don't want to go is that they haven't given me accomodation. :tongue:

As far as I know, the only things I need to get out of are the University, Student Finance and the Student Bank Account I opened a few days ago....

Reply 27

Original post by similarBlank

If you think this is bad you should see the stuff I post anonymously. :tongue:

It was an unconditional offer, so all the other offers have already been cancelled/rejected.

Do I have to phone them up or will a quick email suffice?

For god sake, use some common sense. A phone call is obviously the better option. Half the emails they get don't even get replied to, if not more.

Reply 28

dirtmother

8

How about waiting until you do have the information you need to make a better quality decision ie your A level results? Because it could just be pessimism about those that's talking. You sound a bit down generally (no money... but no sign of looking for a job etc etc)

It seems slightly odd if you've not been offered university accommodation if you are an unconditional offer holder... most universities are falling over themselves to guarantee accommodation to firm offer holders who apply by the deadline. (Although sometimes this might be in privately owned places the university has a contract with... which I'd suggest in your uncertain position are to be avoided especially) Perhaps it is worth checking back with them to see if they've just not allocated all their available rooms yet (they often get released in waves)... your experience would suggest that this university doesn't have anything left for conditional firm offer holders!

Again, oddly early start given your course subject unless you are coming from overseas.

Reply 29

OP

Original post by dirtmother

How about waiting until you do have the information you need to make a better quality decision ie your A level results? Because it could just be pessimism about those that's talking. You sound a bit down generally (no money... but no sign of looking for a job etc etc)

It seems slightly odd if you've not been offered university accommodation if you are an unconditional offer holder... most universities are falling over themselves to guarantee accommodation to firm offer holders who apply by the deadline. (Although sometimes this might be in privately owned places the university has a contract with... which I'd suggest in your uncertain position are to be avoided especially) Perhaps it is worth checking back with them to see if they've just not allocated all their available rooms yet (they often get released in waves)... your experience would suggest that this university doesn't have anything left for conditional firm offer holders!

Again, oddly early start given your course subject unless you are coming from overseas.

You're probably right, I'm a very down person but that seems to be how I am generally.

I did apply and they offered me accomodation but I couldn't afford the deposit at the time, so they said try again when you can. Now I can, I tried again and they said it's full and put me on the waiting list.

Reply 30

Original post by similarBlank

You're probably right, I'm a very down person but that seems to be how I am generally.

I did apply and they offered me accomodation but I couldn't afford the deposit at the time, so they said try again when you can. Now I can, I tried again and they said it's full and put me on the waiting list.

Is this for university halls? Deposit shouldnt be that much, and if you need the maintenance loan to pay it they should understand.

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Reply 31

mizzsnazzter

18

Original post by similarBlank

You're probably right, I'm a very down person but that seems to be how I am generally.

I did apply and they offered me accomodation but I couldn't afford the deposit at the time, so they said try again when you can. Now I can, I tried again and they said it's full and put me on the waiting list.

I would wait until results day so you know what results you have. Then look at clearing places and see if you can get into any unis for computer science / game design... Last year there were loads of places at universities with lower grade requirements than usual as they're trying to fill their courses up, so deffo worth waiting and taking a look!

Good luck :smile:

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Reply 32

Original post by jneill

Is this for university halls? Deposit shouldnt be that much, and if you need the maintenance loan to pay it they should understand.

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There are a lot of students out there who struggle to get the money together for a deposit in time. And a lot of accommodations are much less than understanding.

Reply 33

Original post by SophieSmall

There are a lot of students out there who struggle to get the money together for a deposit in time. And a lot of accommodations are much less than understanding.

I can understand that for private accommodation but I would have thought halls would be more flexible. Perhaps not...

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Reply 34

Original post by jneill

I can understand that for private accommodation but I would have thought halls would be more flexible. Perhaps not...

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They weren't for me, nor a lot of people I know. It puts students in low income brackets at a real disadvantage. The deposit I had to pay was £250 (same as the OP said in another post iirc) that's not much less than my family would live on a month so we obviously couldn't come up with it. And to get a spot in halls you have to apply and pay long before you cna get a student bank account most of the time.

If my elder brother hadn't bailed me out I wouldn't have been able to move out. The halls didn't care, nor did the uni. Not everyone has elder siblings or family who can help out. I was very lucky.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 35

OP

Original post by jneill

Is this for university halls? Deposit shouldnt be that much, and if you need the maintenance loan to pay it they should understand.

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This university has been very unhelpful and not understanding when it comes to this....

Reply 36

Original post by similarBlank

This university has been very unhelpful and not understanding when it comes to this....

So look at Clearing. Research courses and universities properly ahead of time. Some universities do provide accommodation for clearing applicants.

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Reply 37

dirtmother

8

*And to get a spot in halls you have to apply and pay long before you can get a student bank account most of the time*

I agree that student finance arrangements are not inclusive of low income families or otherwise unsupported students and that it isn't flagged up well enough that prospective entrants will need money ahead of arrival ie you need to earn over the Summer if your family isn't going to be funding/loaning the deposit and other up front expenses.

However, the OP is perhaps in a happier situation than most because he has an unconditional offer so he *could* get a student bank account now.

Time to name the establishment I'd say, it sounds a bit of an odd one all round.

Reply 38

Original post by dirtmother

*And to get a spot in halls you have to apply and pay long before you can get a student bank account most of the time*

I agree that student finance arrangements are not inclusive of low income families or otherwise unsupported students and that it isn't flagged up well enough that prospective entrants will need money ahead of arrival ie you need to earn over the Summer if your family isn't going to be funding/loaning the deposit and other up front expenses.

However, the OP is perhaps in a happier situation than most because he has an unconditional offer so he *could* get a student bank account now.

Time to name the establishment I'd say, it sounds a bit of an odd one all round.

I also had an unconditional offer in May, problem was however that was also when you had to start applying for accommodation and within 2 weeks give a deposit. Student bank accounts however were't available until June or July, can't remember which. Had my brother not bailed me out I would have either had to not move out or I would have ended up in one of the expensive accommodations that had rooms left over, which obviously I couldn't reasonably afford.

Reply 39

OP