Advice needed: dropping out of first year and reapplying elsewhere
Hello all,
I could really do with some honest and informative help. I have just finished my first year at university and have not enjoyed it at all. I initially applied to Cambridge but didn't get in after the interview stage and settled with a decent enough university even though I was encouraged to take a year out and just reapply (I didn't want to be left behind while my friends went off to university).
I am now considering dropping out/not returning for the next year and reapplying in a year or two to perhaps Oxford/Cambridge once I have taken up and completed some more a-levels (in order to increase my chances of getting in). I would just like to know if anyone has done something similar to that or if it is a ludicrous idea.
Would it be a better idea to finish up my current degree and then apply for postgraduate? I am just slightly concerned that I would not do well enough in my current degree as my heart is not in it and because of this I would not receive a 1st which would make my application for a postgraduate course much weaker.
Also, if I was to reapply, I would not go for my current degree (Law) because it was forced upon me by my parents and I have now realised that I should have applied to something which would have made me happy (and much more suited to me) than doing what I was told to do. I feel like I have made a huge mess of things and I'm really not sure where to go for advice about this. I intend on contacting Oxford to ask them for advice about increasing my chances etc. but I don't want to burden them with this big tale.
Please if you have any advice for me do comment below. I would really appreciate well informed and sound advice.
Thank you for reading.
Also, I apologise if this is a little confusing, I have been up since 5 in the morning and have been travelling all day so I am a little flustered. Thanks again.
I could really do with some honest and informative help. I have just finished my first year at university and have not enjoyed it at all. I initially applied to Cambridge but didn't get in after the interview stage and settled with a decent enough university even though I was encouraged to take a year out and just reapply (I didn't want to be left behind while my friends went off to university).
I am now considering dropping out/not returning for the next year and reapplying in a year or two to perhaps Oxford/Cambridge once I have taken up and completed some more a-levels (in order to increase my chances of getting in). I would just like to know if anyone has done something similar to that or if it is a ludicrous idea.
Would it be a better idea to finish up my current degree and then apply for postgraduate? I am just slightly concerned that I would not do well enough in my current degree as my heart is not in it and because of this I would not receive a 1st which would make my application for a postgraduate course much weaker.
Also, if I was to reapply, I would not go for my current degree (Law) because it was forced upon me by my parents and I have now realised that I should have applied to something which would have made me happy (and much more suited to me) than doing what I was told to do. I feel like I have made a huge mess of things and I'm really not sure where to go for advice about this. I intend on contacting Oxford to ask them for advice about increasing my chances etc. but I don't want to burden them with this big tale.
Please if you have any advice for me do comment below. I would really appreciate well informed and sound advice.
Thank you for reading.
Also, I apologise if this is a little confusing, I have been up since 5 in the morning and have been travelling all day so I am a little flustered. Thanks again.
The likelihood of you getting into oxbridge as a university drop-out is very slim. It wouldn't matter how many other A'levels you take, it shows a lack of commitment and direction and those universities are unbelievably competitive.
Surely the better option would be to convert to a different course within your current university? I swapped from medicine to biology at ucl, avoided the hike up to £3k and didn't regret it. I would contact your own university first and make sure it's not the examination period blues also.
Surely the better option would be to convert to a different course within your current university? I swapped from medicine to biology at ucl, avoided the hike up to £3k and didn't regret it. I would contact your own university first and make sure it's not the examination period blues also.
I know a close friend who didn't get into Oxbridge even though he had top grades in all his subjects. He decided to turn down all his other universities in an attempt to have another go; unfortuantely he was turned down again. In reality, the chance of getting a place on your second attempt is even smaller than your first attempt and you definitely should not give up your current university place .
It sounds like to me that what you actually need to change is your University degree - you are only in your first year so I am sure something can be arranged. If your heart is set on Oxbridge, then post-graduate work is your best bet. Don't do what your parents want you to do, you must make the decision. I hope this helped a little.
It sounds like to me that what you actually need to change is your University degree - you are only in your first year so I am sure something can be arranged. If your heart is set on Oxbridge, then post-graduate work is your best bet. Don't do what your parents want you to do, you must make the decision. I hope this helped a little.
Original post by Llamageddon
The likelihood of you getting into oxbridge as a university drop-out is very slim. It wouldn't matter how many other A'levels you take, it shows a lack of commitment and direction and those universities are unbelievably competitive.
Surely the better option would be to convert to a different course within your current university? I swapped from medicine to biology at ucl, avoided the hike up to £3k and didn't regret it. I would contact your own university first and make sure it's not the examination period blues also.
Surely the better option would be to convert to a different course within your current university? I swapped from medicine to biology at ucl, avoided the hike up to £3k and didn't regret it. I would contact your own university first and make sure it's not the examination period blues also.
Listen to the wise man, OP.
You say you didn't enjoy your first year, is this because:
You felt like you settled for "second best"?
You studied a different course from the one you have taken at Oxbridge?
You don't like the location of your current university?
You haven't made friends because you didn't want to be there?
Before taking the drastic, very high risk strategy of dropping out and retaking for Oxbridge. Consider this, first time round without your A level grades being known you were rejected at interview stages. Since you are considering retaking your A levels, that suggests you didn't get A* across the board. You are required to list all your exam results on your UCAS form, so you will have your first time A level grades, potentially your first year university grades and your predicted A level retake grades. You would need to have the most compelling personal statement to explain your educational career trajectory to date, to convince an Oxbridge admission tutor to give you a chance over and above other students applying for the first time. You might get lucky, but given the competition for places, as a home student, the odds are not in favour.
If it is the course that is the problem and you have passed sufficiently well 2:1 or better level. See if you can transfer to a course that you have more interest in. A qualifying Law degree is a subject which teaching style and prestige are the significant variables. It might be worth contacting the university careers service and taking some tests to see what you be best suited to do as a career. From that you can work out what degree might suit you better and see if you can transfer to a more engaging course. If you have identified an alternative degree, the get the course outline and reading list and see if suits you.
If mentally you felt you "settled", this may have affected how you feel about your current course and university.
If you are doing well on your course inspite of your other issues. Finish the degree as well as you can and apply to Oxbridge for a post graduate course. Make the most of your time at your current university to ensure that in your post graduate application you come across as an outstanding student.
Consider carefully if you can afford to drop out and retake. How will you feel if having dropped out, funded your retakes, you still don't get that Oxbridge place? Will you be applying elsewhere because you still want a degree and end up at another university similar to your current one in a years time, instead of starting your final year at your current university?
Dropping out to chase an under graduate Oxbridge dream (given the increasing cost if higher education) is not something to be done with a great deal of thought. Only you know what you will be able to live with long term if things don't work out for you.
You felt like you settled for "second best"?
You studied a different course from the one you have taken at Oxbridge?
You don't like the location of your current university?
You haven't made friends because you didn't want to be there?
Before taking the drastic, very high risk strategy of dropping out and retaking for Oxbridge. Consider this, first time round without your A level grades being known you were rejected at interview stages. Since you are considering retaking your A levels, that suggests you didn't get A* across the board. You are required to list all your exam results on your UCAS form, so you will have your first time A level grades, potentially your first year university grades and your predicted A level retake grades. You would need to have the most compelling personal statement to explain your educational career trajectory to date, to convince an Oxbridge admission tutor to give you a chance over and above other students applying for the first time. You might get lucky, but given the competition for places, as a home student, the odds are not in favour.
If it is the course that is the problem and you have passed sufficiently well 2:1 or better level. See if you can transfer to a course that you have more interest in. A qualifying Law degree is a subject which teaching style and prestige are the significant variables. It might be worth contacting the university careers service and taking some tests to see what you be best suited to do as a career. From that you can work out what degree might suit you better and see if you can transfer to a more engaging course. If you have identified an alternative degree, the get the course outline and reading list and see if suits you.
If mentally you felt you "settled", this may have affected how you feel about your current course and university.
If you are doing well on your course inspite of your other issues. Finish the degree as well as you can and apply to Oxbridge for a post graduate course. Make the most of your time at your current university to ensure that in your post graduate application you come across as an outstanding student.
Consider carefully if you can afford to drop out and retake. How will you feel if having dropped out, funded your retakes, you still don't get that Oxbridge place? Will you be applying elsewhere because you still want a degree and end up at another university similar to your current one in a years time, instead of starting your final year at your current university?
Dropping out to chase an under graduate Oxbridge dream (given the increasing cost if higher education) is not something to be done with a great deal of thought. Only you know what you will be able to live with long term if things don't work out for you.
(edited 11 years ago)
Hi everyone, thanks for taking the time to read and reply 
I know it is a gamble but for some reason I feel like I should just try and go for it. I have a friend who was rejected, decided he didn't want to settle for other universities and took a year out, took up additional a-levels, reapplied and got in and is going this year.
I don't want to retake my a-levels, just take up additional ones too to increase my chances (and because if I took a year out, I wouldn't want to waste the year doing nothing and additional a-levels would just help)
I think I will ask Oxford admissions about the dropping out of first year looking bad part, that way I'll know for sure. I also now understand why they most likely rejected me and I am pretty sure that it was because I had absolutely no clue what I was talking about in the interview or the Cambridge law test, largely because I had no pure interest in doing law and it clearly came across to them in both areas, and most likely in my personal statement too. I really think that I applied for the wrong degree and so I stood no chance beyond interview stage because it was an entirely false and awful application. I think that if I had applied to my preferred one, I would have had much better chances.
It would be a huge risk to take but I would also be much happier at another university, perhaps a London one or any other that has my degree of choice (History of Art) so it's not really just a 'I want to go to Oxbridge' thing, it's more of me not wanting to be where I am but while I take a year out or two to reapply to other places, I may as well take additional a-levels to increase my chances and apply to Oxbridge again just to see what would happen. If I didn't get in the second time after I had put all of my passion and energy into the application, then I would feel settled with the result but it's just that I don't feel that my initial application was what it should have been because it wasn't my best, it was my worst and while I was at my weakest point. I hope that makes some sense. #
Also, obviously I am scared about dropping out and if it would look bad, so I will have to ask other universities what their take on that is. I'm also really scared of living with people who are being educated and enjoying it while I take a year or two out and essentially do nothing other than take up additional a-levels. I would also need to find a full time job somewhere to support myself as I don't have parental support. I really wish I wasn't in this position.
To answer some questions, there is just something about the way in which courses are taught at my university that I (and a few others) have noticed - I can't really explain it on here for it to make enough sense. Another thing, I don't like that there is very little one to one time with tutors and lecturers and I don't feel that they really care about educating us or that they're passionate about what they do. I feel like I'm still at sixth form being told what I need to know and that in order to be great I just need to do what the marking criteria tells us to do and to just do as we're told. This may be because I'm doing an LLB but others have also noticed that the university is only concerned about how employable we all are at the end and how much we comply. I just really don't like it at all. This may be controversial but my priority is not to become employable and I don't want to be an employer favourite. I just want to read and be educated and to continue learning for as long as I can from the best minds and the best libraries and so on.
None of this probably makes any sense and I'm sorry about that, it's just difficult for me to explain.
I know it is a gamble but for some reason I feel like I should just try and go for it. I have a friend who was rejected, decided he didn't want to settle for other universities and took a year out, took up additional a-levels, reapplied and got in and is going this year.
I don't want to retake my a-levels, just take up additional ones too to increase my chances (and because if I took a year out, I wouldn't want to waste the year doing nothing and additional a-levels would just help)
I think I will ask Oxford admissions about the dropping out of first year looking bad part, that way I'll know for sure. I also now understand why they most likely rejected me and I am pretty sure that it was because I had absolutely no clue what I was talking about in the interview or the Cambridge law test, largely because I had no pure interest in doing law and it clearly came across to them in both areas, and most likely in my personal statement too. I really think that I applied for the wrong degree and so I stood no chance beyond interview stage because it was an entirely false and awful application. I think that if I had applied to my preferred one, I would have had much better chances.
It would be a huge risk to take but I would also be much happier at another university, perhaps a London one or any other that has my degree of choice (History of Art) so it's not really just a 'I want to go to Oxbridge' thing, it's more of me not wanting to be where I am but while I take a year out or two to reapply to other places, I may as well take additional a-levels to increase my chances and apply to Oxbridge again just to see what would happen. If I didn't get in the second time after I had put all of my passion and energy into the application, then I would feel settled with the result but it's just that I don't feel that my initial application was what it should have been because it wasn't my best, it was my worst and while I was at my weakest point. I hope that makes some sense. #
Also, obviously I am scared about dropping out and if it would look bad, so I will have to ask other universities what their take on that is. I'm also really scared of living with people who are being educated and enjoying it while I take a year or two out and essentially do nothing other than take up additional a-levels. I would also need to find a full time job somewhere to support myself as I don't have parental support. I really wish I wasn't in this position.
To answer some questions, there is just something about the way in which courses are taught at my university that I (and a few others) have noticed - I can't really explain it on here for it to make enough sense. Another thing, I don't like that there is very little one to one time with tutors and lecturers and I don't feel that they really care about educating us or that they're passionate about what they do. I feel like I'm still at sixth form being told what I need to know and that in order to be great I just need to do what the marking criteria tells us to do and to just do as we're told. This may be because I'm doing an LLB but others have also noticed that the university is only concerned about how employable we all are at the end and how much we comply. I just really don't like it at all. This may be controversial but my priority is not to become employable and I don't want to be an employer favourite. I just want to read and be educated and to continue learning for as long as I can from the best minds and the best libraries and so on.
None of this probably makes any sense and I'm sorry about that, it's just difficult for me to explain.
One basic question, can you afford the extra £6000 per year ? If you don't need to be employable, how are you going to repay the loan ?
Most of the uni. these day will offer 6 hours lecture + tutuoring time. Oxbridge are research uni, you learn in your own accord.
Ultimately, if you can afford to re-try and be happy to accept the consequences, no one can stop you. Sounds like you have already made up your mind regardless.
Most of the uni. these day will offer 6 hours lecture + tutuoring time. Oxbridge are research uni, you learn in your own accord.
Ultimately, if you can afford to re-try and be happy to accept the consequences, no one can stop you. Sounds like you have already made up your mind regardless.
One of casualties of higher education spending cuts is one to one contact time. So check carefully if you will actually get what you are looking for.
The days of reading for the sake learning in higher education is something that has in many cases been consigned to history. Universities are ranked by factors including post employment rates. Hence the emphasis on making you employable. You will also be encouraged as a graduate to become a financial donor. So it is in the interest of the university to make you employable.
Lecturers are under a lot if pressure to publish their research, because that enhances the reputation of the university. Unfortunately, this doesn't necessarily translate to good undergraduate teaching skills.
Do your research carefully, otherwise you will be further disappointed.
The days of reading for the sake learning in higher education is something that has in many cases been consigned to history. Universities are ranked by factors including post employment rates. Hence the emphasis on making you employable. You will also be encouraged as a graduate to become a financial donor. So it is in the interest of the university to make you employable.
Lecturers are under a lot if pressure to publish their research, because that enhances the reputation of the university. Unfortunately, this doesn't necessarily translate to good undergraduate teaching skills.
Do your research carefully, otherwise you will be further disappointed.
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