Considering dropping out of 1st year and starting nursing instead

So I am a first year geography student and I am not really satisfied with the course. I don't feel like I have enough work to do and am just bumming around until near a deadline (which are spaced really far apart). I find I am not enjoying it as much as I did at A level. I thought I'd go into environmental work afterwards but am not 'excited' to do so.
I find most people on the course quite boring and just not the people I'd be friends with.
I am however good friends with flatmates and am happy with who I'm living with next year.

I have always like the idea of me being in a medical profession. I like helping people and have always seen myself as being able to work in a hospital or general practice. Medical stuff interests me and the nursing profession seems as if it will be different every day and won't get boring which is appealing. I am not very squeamish either.


I would have to change unis and reapply as my current uni (which I'm not that satisfied with) doesn't offer nursing.
I realise you need work experience. My dad works in a hospital so I should be able to get some.

I am worried to say this to my parents as I feel they will be annoyed and discourage me.

I have seen that some places like Nottingham offer a masters course for 2 years for those who already have a degree in something else to start nursing.
Would I be better finishing the Geography degree then starting one of those courses, or dropping out and starting a new?
Also, my A levels were ACD I would prefer to go to better unis than my current one as I am not satisfied with it's standard. I realise a lot of better unis want BBB or ABC. As I am pretty much 1 grade off this do you think they'd still accept me? (I realise an interview is needed too)

Generally I would say that is a good idea because their is a direct need for nurses right now in this country, not so much so for geography graduates.

Well if you drop out now and get the work experience you could apply for Sep 2016 or Feb/March 2016 and still get the bursary.
If you wait to do a pgdip then you will have more debt and will have to take out a loan for the 2 years.
If i was you just do nursing unless you are going to wait till 2017 entry for undergrad nursing i would continue with the geography degree.

As you already have the A levels grades and nursing is really competitive I dont think that they would accept lower grades to be honest unless they are willing to consider the fact you would have completed a year of university study already (It might not be too late to do resits so maybe look into that?). Did you complete an AS level alongside that as some nursing universities would take that into account?

I would say that as from august 2017 nursing wont have a bursary and so you'll need loans like you've had for your geography degree that dropping out would probably be the much better option rather than doing an MSc and ending up with debt that you'll never completely repay (assuming you would be studying in england, currently scotland will still offer a bursary and possibly wales too) .

I would say don't continue with your degree if you're unhappy with it. One of the pgdips I've applied for is 2 years but the other is 3 years, so that could be 6 years in total studying!

I also agree about the bursary. Your grades might not be what they say they're after but you could use the rest of your year to get experience which should then go in your favour.

But I say well done for admitting you don't like the course you're on, personally I think that takes guts x

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I think having geography as a degree just opens up higher paid jobs for the fact that you have a degree. It doesn't really specialise unless you go on for a masters. But yes a job is pretty much guaranteed for nursing.



I would want to go for Sep 2016. I realise if I wait for the pgdip I'd have to have a loan which I'd rather not.
I will have to see what my parents say :/



I could email unis individually and ask if they'd take me. I know someone who did that for biomed and some said they'd have her with the slightly lower grades.
I have an A in General Studies at AS. My A is Geography, the C is English and the D is Biology. I wish I did Sociology or Psychology as I know I'd have done better in them than in Bio and English.

I'd want to get in the 2016 entry. I wouldn't want to wait a year unless it was to go to college and do an AS and A2 in something at the same time to ensure a good place.

I think having geography as a degree just opens up higher paid jobs for the fact that you have a degree. It doesn't really specialise unless you go on for a masters. But yes a job is pretty much guaranteed for nursing.



I would want to go for Sep 2016. I realise if I wait for the pgdip I'd have to have a loan which I'd rather not.
I will have to see what my parents say :/



I could email unis individually and ask if they'd take me. I know someone who did that for biomed and some said they'd have her with the slightly lower grades.
I have an A in General Studies at AS. My A is Geography, the C is English and the D is Biology. I wish I did Sociology or Psychology as I know I'd have done better in them than in Bio and English.

I'd want to get in the 2016 entry. I wouldn't want to wait a year unless it was to go to college and do an AS and A2 in something at the same time to ensure a good place.

To reply to your statement, just having a degree in reality does not open up higher paying jobs automatically. This is the biggest lie sold by universities to prospective students. Degree in whatever= High Paid Jobs. It's a total fabrication designed to draw the dumb masses to study the easiest degree(i.e media studies) and expect to be on a high paid job out of the end of it. It's a wholesale lie. You'll stand a vastly better chance in the nursing field in actually getting a job than taking a throw of the dice and hoping the geography degree pays off. Experience trumps everything because these days, too many people can study a degree. We have a redundant education system that is not fit for purpose.

The deadline has passed for 2016 entry now, you could look into whether anyone is offering places in ucas extra for september but that is rare. I would say try for march 2017, it gives you time to do research and get experience and if its works out you'd still be able to get nhs bursary. Ah I see, general studies isnt accepted by that many unis.

I would email the universities individually, however for a start i know, cumbria, anglia ruskin,bedfordshire, canterbury christ church, central lancs, hertfordshire, keele, kingston, northampton, staffordshire, queen margret, teeside and ulster all accept 280 ucas points or less. Don't know if any of those universities take your fancy?

I would want to go for Sep 2016. I realise if I wait for the pgdip I'd have to have a loan which I'd rather not.
I will have to see what my parents say :/

I could email unis individually and ask if they'd take me. I know someone who did that for biomed and some said they'd have her with the slightly lower grades.
I have an A in General Studies at AS. My A is Geography, the C is English and the D is Biology. I wish I did Sociology or Psychology as I know I'd have done better in them than in Bio and English.

I'd want to get in the 2016 entry. I wouldn't want to wait a year unless it was to go to college and do an AS and A2 in something at the same time to ensure a good place.

I realise that but can you get in through clearing? I will look into this ucas extra.
My uni accepted General Studies. I believe with it accepted I have 320 ucas points.
If I was going to go for the 2017 entry (which doesn't seem bad if I still get the bursary) I'd do another A level I actually like in 1 year and get a better grade than current one. I know I'd be fine with something like sociology.

I am open to any uni that is north of Birmingham except Staffordshire lol.

I realise that but can you get in through clearing? I will look into this ucas extra.
My uni accepted General Studies. I believe with it accepted I have 320 ucas points.
If I was going to go for the 2017 entry (which doesn't seem bad if I still get the bursary) I'd do another A level I actually like in 1 year and get a better grade than current one. I know I'd be fine with something like sociology.

I am open to any uni that is north of Birmingham except Staffordshire lol.

I think last year, i saw 10 universities offering any of the 4 branches of nursing in clearing and they went very quickly, many universities have reserve lists so don't end up using clearing if they do have spaces. Doing another a level would open up a lot more universities to choose from but then you'd lose out on the bursary.The bursary stops in august 2017 so you can apply for march/april 2017 but that is the last time they will have it.

Ok so if I have to go for March/April 2017 when do applications start and end for it? I presume it's through ucas. I know nothing about applying for that starting date lol. I'd rather have a bursary than another A level. Looking at whatuni now and quite a few accept general studies as in AS for ucas points so I can get into more uni options.
Also how do you get into accommodation for the date? halls or have to find a house? And is it harder to make friends outside of the course?

I think last year, i saw 10 universities offering any of the 4 branches of nursing in clearing and they went very quickly, many universities have reserve lists so don't end up using clearing if they do have spaces. Doing another a level would open up a lot more universities to choose from but then you'd lose out on the bursary.The bursary stops in august 2017 so you can apply for march/april 2017 but that is the last time they will have it.

What are university reserve lists?