Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Dropping out of uni and reapplying

Hey guys, basically I'm not entirely happy with the way my course has gone this year at uni, and after giving it a lot of thought, I'm pretty sure I want to leave at the end of the year. I want to do a completely different course, but it's one that my current uni doesn't provide so I'd have to go to a different uni.

My plan is to leave at the end of this year, have a gap year and go full time at the part time job I currently have, and then applying for a different course at a different uni for the 2015/16 academic year.

How would I go about this? There's a few issues such as UCAS and Student Finance... I've had a text saying that I can apply for Student Finance for next year (which I won't need if I drop out, so I haven't done anything with regards to that yet) and I was also thinking about UCAS, because when I applied for the course I do now I did it through sixth form, but this time I'd be doing it on my own - how different is it when you apply by yourself? Do I still need references, and if so, would it be best to get them from my old sixth form?

I've already done a couple of things in recent months that give me something to write about in a new personal statement, so I've been thinking this through a lot! I just need a bit of help on what to do with regards to Student Finance and UCAS.

Thanks!