Dropping out of Oxford
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Original post by liaf
I would stick with it. Your degree will take up three years of your life.
Four years.
But, whatever the outcome, you'll end up with a degree from one of the greatest institutions in the world and, with that, the key to do pretty much what you damn well like!
Original post by The_question
You might not be intrested in Chemistry per se, but graduating from Oxford in such a strong subject wont hurt. Even if you don't enjoy it, you can go into other areas afte you've graduated. I say you should keep going.
I would have thought it's the prospect of not graduating that is more of a concern.
Original post by danhirons
Grouts an awful lecturer tbf, or at least I find him pretty poor. He only ever teaches us half the stuff and sets ridiculously stupid questions 
Blasphemy!
Original post by BJack
Four years.
Pedantic fool.
Original post by BJack
Blasphemy!
Do you study Chemistry at Oxford?
I wouldn't keep fighting through it if you're not enjoying it and you're struggling. I know someone who did that (different course and different uni though) and they ended up failing their second year and getting kicked out anyway. If you're unhappy with the course, see if you can switch (I don't know how Oxford works but at Cambridge, you can switch at the end of the year subject to certain requirements - i imagine Oxford people will be more use here than me). If you like chemistry but don't like how the course at Oxford works, maybe switch uni?
Original post by Summerdays
Do you study Chemistry at Oxford?
Indeed I do.
Original post by BJack
Indeed I do.
Ah, I always thought you did maths at Oxford
How do you find Chemistry at Oxford? How has the term been for you, and how are tutorials, lectures and classes and labs? Are you in your first or second year?(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by liaf
Pedantic fool.
Original post by Summerdays
Ah, I always thought you did maths at Oxford How do you find Chemistry at Oxford? How has the term been for you, and how are tutorials, lectures and classes and labs? Are you in your first or second year?
How do you find Chemistry at Oxford? How has the term been for you, and how are tutorials, lectures and classes and labs? Are you in your first or second year?I did apply for maths at one point but, to cut a short story shorter, I'm doing chemistry. Just finished my first term and it's taken some getting used to. Over all, I guess it's been a positive experience.
As far as teaching is concerned; well, tutorials are very good.OP, try speaking to more people about switching course; do you have a Personal Tutor? I'm sure that if you push the subject hard enough, eventually you will be listened to. However, bear in mind that you'd need decent plans about what you were going to switch to.
In response to those saying 'just stick with it and finish the degree' - don't. First year can be tough. Second year is conceptually much trickier, and without a decent understanding of first year material, it's got the potential to be nigh-on impossible. Third year is, in many ways, easier - once you've completed the second year hurdle, it's more about learning more than dealing with trickier concepts. There's just an awful lot of material - volume of info is what makes third year tough.
Fourth year is hard work even if you're doing a project you enjoy. If you've no enthusiasm for chemistry, you won't enjoy a single second of Part II, and you probably won't do well.
I'm not saying any of this to put you off, I just want you to know that if you're unhappy with the level and volume of work now, it'll probably only get worse. That said, first year is a bit of an odd hurdle. Some people just get on with it fine, but plenty of others just need to 'break the back' of it - you'll get to a certain point and things will start to make sense, and you just find you can get away with doing less and understanding more. If that's not happened by prelims, you'd be right to worry, and if you've not got a hold of it by mid-Hilary, I'd definitely chat with your tutors (I imagine your inorganic tutor would be pretty good to talk to?) and explain the situation more fully.
Fourth year is hard work even if you're doing a project you enjoy. If you've no enthusiasm for chemistry, you won't enjoy a single second of Part II, and you probably won't do well.
I'm not saying any of this to put you off, I just want you to know that if you're unhappy with the level and volume of work now, it'll probably only get worse. That said, first year is a bit of an odd hurdle. Some people just get on with it fine, but plenty of others just need to 'break the back' of it - you'll get to a certain point and things will start to make sense, and you just find you can get away with doing less and understanding more. If that's not happened by prelims, you'd be right to worry, and if you've not got a hold of it by mid-Hilary, I'd definitely chat with your tutors (I imagine your inorganic tutor would be pretty good to talk to?) and explain the situation more fully.
Original post by cifes
I've just finished the first term of Chemistry.
Really really dislike the subject, (forced to apply under threat of being kicked out of the house) and am not very good at it...I work at least 80 hours a week solid and am still behind. I have no enthusiasm for it at all, and don't want to work in the field after graduating.
You really have to have an enthusiasm for the subject here as the teaching is pretty bad, the maths lecturer gets all the letters in the wrong places and makes it a million times more confusing, labs are based on topics not covered yet and you're expected to know it all already :s
I have no problem with finding friends and stuff there (although had very little free time to go out...) The only reason I'm thinking of staying is I met a guy there, and obviously it's better not to be labelled as a uni drop out :/
Enquiries about transferring course or deferring for a year were met with a definite NO.
Any advice would be welcome
Really really dislike the subject, (forced to apply under threat of being kicked out of the house
) and am not very good at it...I work at least 80 hours a week solid and am still behind. I have no enthusiasm for it at all, and don't want to work in the field after graduating.You really have to have an enthusiasm for the subject here as the teaching is pretty bad, the maths lecturer gets all the letters in the wrong places and makes it a million times more confusing, labs are based on topics not covered yet and you're expected to know it all already :s
I have no problem with finding friends and stuff there (although had very little free time to go out...) The only reason I'm thinking of staying is I met a guy there, and obviously it's better not to be labelled as a uni drop out :/
Enquiries about transferring course or deferring for a year were met with a definite NO.
Any advice would be welcome
Don't get why this post has been negged so much... :/
I would strongly advise that you do not stick with this course, seeing as how you never wanted to do it in the first place. You're facing so much struggle in your first year, and it will only get worse.
My recommendation is that you look into a course you might actually like doing, and see if you can transfer to that at Oxford. Saying "I don't like Chemistry, I want to move to something different" won't get you anything, if you say "I am interested and want to move to THIS course", they will be far more receptive.
A similar option is to look into transferring to a different course at a different uni. An Oxford degree is useful in the job market, but do not listen to what the people on this website will have you believe- an Oxbridge degree is NOT some kind of passport to any graduate job.University reputation is useful on a job application (and very important for some elite jobs), but degree grades and work experience/ECs are far more important. I've heard of quite a few people who were unhappy at Oxbridge but have gone on to do well at other universities.
(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by cifes
I've just finished the first term of Chemistry.
Really really dislike the subject, (forced to apply under threat of being kicked out of the house) and am not very good at it...I work at least 80 hours a week solid and am still behind. I have no enthusiasm for it at all, and don't want to work in the field after graduating.
You really have to have an enthusiasm for the subject here as the teaching is pretty bad, the maths lecturer gets all the letters in the wrong places and makes it a million times more confusing, labs are based on topics not covered yet and you're expected to know it all already :s
I have no problem with finding friends and stuff there (although had very little free time to go out...) The only reason I'm thinking of staying is I met a guy there, and obviously it's better not to be labelled as a uni drop out :/
Enquiries about transferring course or deferring for a year were met with a definite NO.
Any advice would be welcome
Really really dislike the subject, (forced to apply under threat of being kicked out of the house
) and am not very good at it...I work at least 80 hours a week solid and am still behind. I have no enthusiasm for it at all, and don't want to work in the field after graduating.You really have to have an enthusiasm for the subject here as the teaching is pretty bad, the maths lecturer gets all the letters in the wrong places and makes it a million times more confusing, labs are based on topics not covered yet and you're expected to know it all already :s
I have no problem with finding friends and stuff there (although had very little free time to go out...) The only reason I'm thinking of staying is I met a guy there, and obviously it's better not to be labelled as a uni drop out :/
Enquiries about transferring course or deferring for a year were met with a definite NO.
Any advice would be welcome
You need to be more firm with your parents.
I don't know your specific circumstances, but for me at least it has been pretty hard. However it is your life, and if you make bad choices then you are the one who has to live with them. Any parent who doesn't understand that is a aweful parent and, quite honestly, an awful human being.
Change course if you can, otherwise it is only sensible to 'drop-out' as you put it. You either voluntarily leave now or will probably fail in a few years time anyway - it will only get harder.
Being a 'drop-out' isn't a big problem. A lot of people drop out around this time, reapply for next year, and it is just like they took a gap year. The problems only start arising if you drop out 3 or 4 years into your degree.
Original post by BJack
Four years.
I would have thought it's the prospect of not graduating that is more of a concern.
Blasphemy!
I would have thought it's the prospect of not graduating that is more of a concern.
Blasphemy!
Please tell me you don't like Grout!!!!
Original post by innerhollow
Don't get why this post has been negged so much... :/
With everyone waiting anxiously for word of whether they've got in to Oxford, I think it's fairly obvious why it's been negged so much
My sister is always lamenting that she finished her degree; she knew in her first term that she should have left her course, and she says staying on to complete her degree is her biggest regret. She didn't enjoy it, and underachieved as a result.
Having said that, she wasn't at Oxford..
Dont rush into anything OP, and think carefully about all your options. I hope it works out for you.
Original post by gtfo
With everyone waiting anxiously for word of whether they've got in to Oxford, I think it's fairly obvious why it's been negged so much
My sister is always lamenting that she finished her degree; she knew in her first term that she should have left her course, and she says staying on to complete her degree is her biggest regret. She didn't enjoy it, and underachieved as a result.
Having said that, she wasn't at Oxford..
Dont rush into anything OP, and think carefully about all your options. I hope it works out for you.
My sister is always lamenting that she finished her degree; she knew in her first term that she should have left her course, and she says staying on to complete her degree is her biggest regret. She didn't enjoy it, and underachieved as a result.
Having said that, she wasn't at Oxford..
Dont rush into anything OP, and think carefully about all your options. I hope it works out for you.
Yeah I thought it would be that, I wish people would be more understanding though. On all these troubles at Oxbridge threads, you get what must be Oxbridge applicants/rejects who seem to worship the very soil these two universities are built on, and want to make anyone who isn't delighted to be at one of these universites feel absolutely terrible, as if the person isn't dealing with enough at the moment.
(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by gtfo
With everyone waiting anxiously for word of whether they've got in to Oxford, I think it's fairly obvious why it's been negged so much
My sister is always lamenting that she finished her degree; she knew in her first term that she should have left her course, and she says staying on to complete her degree is her biggest regret. She didn't enjoy it, and underachieved as a result.
Having said that, she wasn't at Oxford..
Dont rush into anything OP, and think carefully about all your options. I hope it works out for you.
My sister is always lamenting that she finished her degree; she knew in her first term that she should have left her course, and she says staying on to complete her degree is her biggest regret. She didn't enjoy it, and underachieved as a result.
Having said that, she wasn't at Oxford..
Dont rush into anything OP, and think carefully about all your options. I hope it works out for you.
I really hope it's not nervous applicants negging the post. That logic is pretty shallow and moronic, really
Being at Oxford might make it harder for some people to feel they can/should leave, but equally it can make staying rather horrendous due to the high-pressure nature of the place. In my third year I was asked whether I wanted to leave (a question they were obliged to ask, rather than them actively wanting me to go). I declined and for me, sticking it out was the right decision. For many others, it's not the case and the whole "stick it out coz it's Oxford" thing really really just doesn't cut it
If Chemistry at Oxford really isn't for you, then you shouldn't try to stick it out - at best you'll be miserable and do ok, at worst be miserable and underachieve, during which time you could have been somewhere doing something you actually enjoy.
Your college's stance may be simply thinking you haven't given things enough of a chance - presumably they do think you are good enough. What did you actually want to do, before you were pushed into this decision by your parents? Would you consider doing that subject at Oxford or are you anxious to get out? If you'd like to study another subject at Oxford, get researching it and show positive as well as negative reasons for a change of subject.
If you want to get out of Oxford, get researching where you'd like to be instead, and doing what. Again, your college may well be more helpful if you show there's something you'd rather be doing elsewhere. Ultimately, it's in no-one's interest to keep you at Oxford if you're unhappy and wouldn't rather be there. My own college was pretty helpful to people who wanted out\were doing badly academically in easing transition elsewhere.
People who are being snooty about someone being unhappy at Oxford having taken up "someone else's place": grow up. People make all sorts of decisions at all sorts of stages of their lives that might close a door for someone else - that's life, and those people get on with something else in turn. The OP can't change the situation in which she's found herself and there is no choice to make which leads to someone else getting into Oxford, so this pseudo-sympathy for a hypothetical person is an obnoxious guilt-trip.
You also need to talk to your parents about how sticking with their wishes has put you in a very unhappy situation. All parents want their kids to do well, and it may be that they can't see past Oxford as the be-all and end-all, but they aren't going to want you miserable for 4 years and certainly are likely to seeing changing courses\universities as a better option than dropping out.
Your college's stance may be simply thinking you haven't given things enough of a chance - presumably they do think you are good enough. What did you actually want to do, before you were pushed into this decision by your parents? Would you consider doing that subject at Oxford or are you anxious to get out? If you'd like to study another subject at Oxford, get researching it and show positive as well as negative reasons for a change of subject.
If you want to get out of Oxford, get researching where you'd like to be instead, and doing what. Again, your college may well be more helpful if you show there's something you'd rather be doing elsewhere. Ultimately, it's in no-one's interest to keep you at Oxford if you're unhappy and wouldn't rather be there. My own college was pretty helpful to people who wanted out\were doing badly academically in easing transition elsewhere.
People who are being snooty about someone being unhappy at Oxford having taken up "someone else's place": grow up. People make all sorts of decisions at all sorts of stages of their lives that might close a door for someone else - that's life, and those people get on with something else in turn. The OP can't change the situation in which she's found herself and there is no choice to make which leads to someone else getting into Oxford, so this pseudo-sympathy for a hypothetical person is an obnoxious guilt-trip.
You also need to talk to your parents about how sticking with their wishes has put you in a very unhappy situation. All parents want their kids to do well, and it may be that they can't see past Oxford as the be-all and end-all, but they aren't going to want you miserable for 4 years and certainly are likely to seeing changing courses\universities as a better option than dropping out.
Original post by NGC773
I cant help but feel for the person that didnt get an in who would have relished the opportunity to study at Oxford
Why all the neg rep?
Why all the neg rep?
milkytea, on Dropping out of Oxford a while ago
Fair enough: if you are unhappy, then leave. But I cannot help but sympathise with the student who was rejected and would have relished the experience.
Great minds use the same tedious cliche?
Original post by Huw Davies
You also need to talk to your parents about how sticking with their wishes has put you in a very unhappy situation. All parents want their kids to do well, and it may be that they can't see past Oxford as the be-all and end-all, but they aren't going to want you miserable for 4 years and certainly are likely to seeing changing courses\universities as a better option than dropping out.
Hopefully you can see what good advice this is for yourself, OP, but as someone who refused to tell her parents anything until it was too late and they found out the hard way: do try talking to your parents. They might surprise you. I was always too terrified to tell mine but they were so wonderful when I eventually did. Even if they don't react that well, it's important they know what's going on
Original post by innerhollow
Yeah I thought it would be that, I wish people would be more understanding though. On all these troubles at Oxbridge threads, you get what must be Oxbridge applicants/rejects who seem to worship the very soil these two universities are built on, and want to make anyone who isn't delighted to be at one of these universites feel absolutely terrible, as if the person isn't dealing with enough at the moment.
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
I really hope it's not nervous applicants negging the post. That logic is pretty shallow and moronic, really
It's not what I'd call reasonable, but I think it's unfair to call it shallow/moronic. I think if you've spent the last 3/6/12+ months striving towards a goal, and somebody is discrediting that goal, resentment is a pretty natural response. It's a case of I really want cake; you have cake, but you don't like it and you're not going to eat it.
Obviously that's not in any way the fault of the OP
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