[rich001]

Hi all,

I'll get straight to the point. I studied chemistry at the university of manchester from 2006-2008. It was a disaster, but in spite of this I passed the first year.

I dug myself into a very deep hole and had to withdraw from the course. During my time there I didn't attend a single tutorial and I attended maybe 40% of lectures. I had no friends, which made lab sessions very hard (no one to share questions with). I didn't tell anyone about my personal problems, which I regret.

I've been contacting a few places with the option to resume my studies in the 2nd year of a Bsc, but I don't know if i'm setting myself up for difficulty. I haven't studied chemisty for some time, will I have to do a lot of studying to bridge the gap or will 2nd year be lots of fresh content?

The good news is i'm more focused. I've just completed an A level in maths which I self studied (hoping for an A), it's given me some belief that I can study to a good level on my own.

Any thoughts on this? I guess i'm questioning what the difficulty of the course will be like. I'd like to think that if I study well and have a good support network, then I should be ok. Can I do it?

[DendritesAreCool]

I had a very similar experience at uni, I had no friends, had some personal problems (I was suffering from depression and anxiety), I probably only went to 1/2 of the lectures, probably less.

But I managed to muddle through the degree, and ended up with a 2:1.

I transferred course after my 1st year so I was with completely new people, and always sat alone too afraid to talk to anyone.

If you feel you can make the effort to get involved with your fellow class mates then I suggest you go for it and apply for 2nd year entry.

If you want a bit of an easier time of fitting in I'd suggest you start again from 1st year, as everyone will be in the same boat, and you'll be able to make friends at the same time as everyone else.

If you join in the 2nd year there will probably be groups of friends already formed, at least that's what I found, but if you have the confidence and put in the effort you should be able to make friends.

I hope that helps, but as I had no friends really on my course, I'm not sure if my advice is any good! ha ha.

[rich001]

Hey,

Many thanks for the reply, i'm sorry to hear you had a similar experience to me.

I'm not *too* worried about making friends. I've done voluntary and paid work in the years since I last studied and I have a stronger character. I'm still shy, but I feel more grown up and i'm serious about my future.

What i'm concerned about is starting in the 2nd year, since I left my course in January 2008 which is some time ago. Do you think I can manage it? Is the second year a huge jump?

Thanks for the reply again.

[rich001]

Thank you to the people who have replied to me.

'Podcaster' I received your pm but I don't seem to be able to contact you? Thank you for your message though

I've decided not to follow through with chemistry any more. I contacted lots of good universities and they have told me I wouldn't be able to start second year entry. To be honest I lost interest in the course a long time ago and I was mainly looking at second year entry for financial reasons and I feel time is ticking.

I'm currently looking through clearing at completely different options which I think may be good for me.

Thanks again