Need an urgent advice

Hello everyone!

I'm currently on my 2nd year of Medical Sciences degree and just got possessed by this idea that I need to change my course, as a few weeks from now - I wouldn't be able to do so anymore (due to SFE). The main reason why I've started thinking about this is that the degree I'm currently doing is just a massive grind fest, it doesn't require any logical thinking, you just need to memorize millions of weird names and know the weird ways in which they function. The word science in the name of this degree doesn't represent anything (imho) as there's no proper maths, physics or chemistry involved, there's NOTHING logical about it.

So yeah, during my first year I've realized a few things: I'll never do masters in a related subject; I've got no will to force myself into learning things that I don't find interesting; I've also realized that I hate the city which I'm currently studying in (it's more like a town in the middle of nowhere, housing is a massive disaster and it's really far away from everything else in the UK).

Currently I'm having ideas about changing into a different type of degree (thinking of Computer Science), but I'm afraid that I'll just start feeling the same way about this course once I'm on it, also (as I've got a history of not being able to make up my mind) I'd most likely get killed by my parents. So I wanted to ask - what should I do? It's obviously not a question which can be easily answered (and the only person who can give the right answer is me), but I am hoping that someone will be able to give some sort of advice on how to deal with a situation like this.


TL;DR
unhappy with my course, thinking to change. what do?

I'm afraid that even if you withdraw now then the first year of any other course you start wouldn't be funded by student finance. You would still be able to get a living costs loan but you'd have to fund your tuition fees yourself.

You only get 1 gift year for student finance to start again - any study at all in a second year would be removed from your future entitlement.

If you could find a way to switch to the second year of another course then that would be an option. Alternatively you might want to look at the Open University and their credit transfer system to see if you could get a degree in another subject that way.

Have you spoken to anyone at your current university about how you're feeling? Articulating your thoughts to another person (a careers adviser, a tutor/lecturer you like, someone from the student union advice service) might help you to unpick what is the root cause of your unhappiness. A sideways move onto a similar course Yr 2 (so something similar enough to what you're doing to allow you to skip first year) in a new city might be a better plan that just tearing everything up and starting again from scratch. Do you think you'd be able to get through this year if it would help with an escape plan? Often passing the second year will give you a qualification (a DipHE usually) so you have something to show for your time - and passing modules at that level will open up more options for transferring credits/skipping first year elsewhere.

Having been in a similar situation I STRONGLY recommend you speak to your parents to at least let them know you aren't happy. Nothing will make them more annoyed than you making a decision like this "out of the blue" from their perspective. If they know you're not happy and are looking into other options then they're more likely to be supportive than if you spring it on them (although I bet your parents will surprise you - they wont want you to be miserable).