Dropping out of uni now I have a job offer

Background: I'm in my 4th year doing an MSci. I have already done (but haven't graduated) my BA and got a 2.1.

I have been applying to consulting jobs and recently got a job offer from a boutique firm. I haven't accepted it yet as I want to hear from one other place first. I haven't got the contract yet.

I haven't done much work in the first term and so didn't do well in my exams at all and will be lucky to pass. I'm not enjoying my subject anymore and would like to drop out but have a few questions/issues.

1) Would it affect my job, would I even need to tell them? It's a small company of 20-30 people so there isn't much anonymity there. I'm also worried I would be starting with a poor reputation and I'm unsure what to tell them. The truth? I would prefer to spend the time seeing family and friends before I move away to London (300 miles) and also do some traveling.

2) If I drop out how do student loans etc work? Will I have to pay for this year etc?

3) Would it be better to just stay at uni and fail, then I get cheap accommodation and bursaries to live on? (This a bit wrong but thought I'd list it as an option)

Cheers

Reply 1

ttoby

15

Certainly check whether your course allows you to switch back to the 3-year equivalent at this stage. It might be that they don't allow changes after a certain point.

With regards to what to tell the company then yes, if you have previously told them you were on the four year course then you would need to check with them that they still accept you if you switched to 3 years. They could find out eventually once they start asking for certificates etc.

It's probably worth speaking to your personal tutor at uni - they can give advice specific to your situation on how to proceed.

Reply 2

shinninglikeme

I think Dropouts are not good, I like what ttboy suggests here.

Reply 3

Observatory

20

Unless you think you will not get a 2.1 or above in the masters this can only make you look worse. Are you really that lazy?

Reply 4

WorrisPermphace

OP

Original post by Observatory

Unless you think you will not get a 2.1 or above in the masters this can only make you look worse. Are you really that lazy?

Yeah there's no way I will be getting a 2.1 or above this year. I have already done 1/3 of my exams and they went horribly.

I'm going to go an see my tutor and see what my options are tonight.

Cheers for the replies :smile:

Reply 5

Observatory

20

Original post by WorrisPermphace

Yeah there's no way I will be getting a 2.1 or above this year. I have already done 1/3 of my exams and they went horribly.

I'm going to go an see my tutor and see what my options are tonight.

Cheers for the replies :smile:

But will you get a 2.1 in the whole degree? You say you don't have a contract yet but when you do read it carefully; it will likely be contingent on you getting a 2.1 or above, possibly in the MSci specifically.

Reply 6

WorrisPermphace

OP

Original post by Observatory

But will you get a 2.1 in the whole degree? You say you don't have a contract yet but when you do read it carefully; it will likely be contingent on you getting a 2.1 or above, possibly in the MSci specifically.

Yeah I will still have a 2.1 overall but for a BA. Because each of our years are graded individually people generally just take their final year result to be the result of the whole degree.

I haven't read the contract but, and correct me if this is naive thinking, the jobs I am applying for have nothing to do with Physics and people can get them with a 3 years BA in History or any other subject, so it would be strange to specifically require an MSci.

Reply 7

Observatory

20

Original post by WorrisPermphace

Yeah I will still have a 2.1 overall but for a BA. Because each of our years are graded individually people generally just take their final year result to be the result of the whole degree.

I haven't read the contract but, and correct me if this is naive thinking, the jobs I am applying for have nothing to do with Physics and people can get them with a 3 years BA in History or any other subject, so it would be strange to specifically require an MSci.

Usually they just require a 2.1 in whatever degree you are doing. In your case that would be an MSci; usually BSc (BA? Oxbridge?) are not awarded in addition to MSci, so there's no confusion.

If your institution awards both an MSci and a BA with separate grades then there are three possibilities:

- The requirement is for a 2.1 in the BA, or there is no degree class requirement. Great, you meet that requirement whatever happens in the MSci year.

- The requirement is for a 2.1 in the MSci. You may be in trouble but dropping out doesn't help.

- The requirement is ambiguous. Then you need to talk to them, but it will be one of the above.

In none of these situations does dropping out help you. Dropping out is also likely to weaken your position if you have to negotiate with them to retain your contract despite not meeting a grade requirement.

Reply 8

ttoby

15

Original post by Observatory

Usually they just require a 2.1 in whatever degree you are doing. In your case that would be an MSci; usually BSc (BA? Oxbridge?) are not awarded in addition to MSci, so there's no confusion.

If your institution awards both an MSci and a BA with separate grades then there are three possibilities:

- The requirement is for a 2.1 in the BA, or there is no degree class requirement. Great, you meet that requirement whatever happens in the MSci year.

- The requirement is for a 2.1 in the MSci. You may be in trouble but dropping out doesn't help.

- The requirement is ambiguous. Then you need to talk to them, but it will be one of the above.

In none of these situations does dropping out help you. Dropping out is also likely to weaken your position if you have to negotiate with them to retain your contract despite not meeting a grade requirement.

One possibility is that the MSci grade could completely replace the BSc/BA grade so there is the possibility that if you do badly in the 4th year and bring your overall grade down to, say, a 2.2 then you would no longer have a 2.1. Also the overall grade might be a weighted average of the final year and other years.

It really depends on the exact policies with the course and on what is in the contract.

Reply 9

boo7788

So I take it from what you've described you're doing Part III Physics at Cambridge... (I'm a NatSci myself). Whatever happens, you will have a II.i on your transcript for your Part II result, which is the most important thing - employers don't tend to care about the Master's grade so much so long as you got the II.i in your undergraduate result i.e. Part II of your BA. I recently clarified the terms of a job offer as I hope to be doing Part III (not Physics), and they specified a II.i in Part II and NOT Part III. You had better check with your potential employer though.

You'd be getting the BA either way, so if you really hate 4th year and have no hope in hell of grinding out a II.i, I guess dropping out, so long as your employer would't mind, is worth consideration. After all, a II.i BA in Physics from Cambridge is nothing to be sniffed at either way. Have a thorough discussion with your tutor about it and see where that gets you?

Dropping out of uni now I have a job offer

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you