Five things to do if you have a change of heart about your university/degree.

Regardless of whether you’re a few weeks into your course or a few terms, it’s not uncommon for students to have doubts about whether they’ve chosen the ‘right’ degree. Here’s a quick list of five things to do if you feel like you might be experiencing a change of heart over your current degree/university/career choice. :smile:

1. Talk to your friends and family.
The first thing to do if you feel your degree isn’t right for you is to discuss it with the people you’re closest with, whether that be your flatmates, your siblings or even your parents. They might have had similar feelings whilst studying themselves, and can talk you through what you’re currently experiencing: is it just a passing worry because of a bad mark or a difficult assignment, or is it a genuine change of heart?

2. Consider the financial implications.
If you leave your course, you’ll lose access to any student funding – so if you’re solely relying on your maintenance loan for income and are considering dropping out of university, it’s best to find another source before you commit to anything. You’ll also still have to pay tuition fees for any years of your degree that you’ve already completed, as well as a percentage of this year’s fees based on how far into the year you currently are.

3. Decide what you want to do next.
Some changes of heart are more ‘extreme’ than others – some students might realise university just isn’t right for them and decide to enter the world of work, whilst others might only slightly change their course of study (e.g. LLB Law to LLB Law and Sociology). Once you have a rough idea of what you want, you can start researching how to make that happen – do you need to take new A-Levels or do a foundation year, or can you transfer module credits from your current degree to the one you want to switch to?

4. Speak to the Careers Team at your uni.
Most universities will have a careers and employability team available to talk to students about their career options. Even if you think you know what you want to do, it’s worth dropping in for a chat as they might be able to present you with options you haven’t thought of before, such as taking a year out or ‘pausing’ your studies. Taking a year out can be particularly helpful if you’re struggling financially – you can spend some time saving money and gaining work experience, and then return to university when you’re more financially stable.

5. Speak to your personal tutor and course leader.
After you’ve voiced your concerns to your friends and thought through your next course of action, it’s time to finally bring it to your personal tutor and course leader. If you plan to drop put entirely, they’ll be able to walk you through that process – alternatively, if you want to switch degree, they can triage you to the right department within the uni to get that started if possible.

Eve (Kingston Rep).