The Student Room Group

Dropping out of Oxford

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Original post by gtfo
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 :frown:


I do get it, I am a Cambridge applicant myself, and I've spent far more than 12 months working towards getting into a top uni.

Even though resentment is a natural feeling, if people are not able to control themselves and not take out their fears/disappointment about not getting into Oxbridge on other people, they should not post.
(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by gtfo
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 :frown:


I fail to see how the OP or anyone on here is discrediting the goal and thus stand by my comments :yes:
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 :s-smilie:) 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 :smile:


Hey there,

Really sympathised with your post because I pretty much went through an exact parallel last year: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=26215448

and

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1369873

pm me if you'd prefer - I will be more than happy to advise you on this :smile: and trust me you have lots of great options! don't panic!

xxx
Reply 63
If you finish the first year (even if you fail it!), it is often possible to transfer straight into the second year of a good university, such as Manchester


Really? Other top universities are willing to take on Oxbridge students who have failed their first year into the second year of the same course? I very much doubt someone who failed to scrape a Third would be able to do much better at another leading uni.

On a slightly different (but related) note, I had a friend who was at Cambridge who insisted that a 2.2 from Cambridge was equivalent to a First from other good universities. I laughed in her face, considering these days the entry standards of people at Warwick, UCL etc. are identical to those of Oxbridge students in many cases, and Oxbridge hand out higher degree results than those places. I thought it was an odd attitude, but one that a lot of people (many of them Oxbridge students I imagine) have.
Reply 64
Original post by cifes
Diaz89 - ? That's 11/12 hours a day, including lectures, tutorials and work in own time not including eating/sleeping/other necessary things yeah? :/

... which is a fairly unrealistic estimate, unless you're working with a very loose definition of what constitutes 'work', no?:erm:
Don't get me wrong, I don't want to belittle your effort: I'm sure you're working hard and I'm sure it feels as though you spend every waking moment working because it's constantly on your mind, but there's simply no way anyone can remain focused and efficient for so long, let alone every single day, for eight weeks. Nobody has that kind of attention span.
Reply 65
Why would you be forced to study chemistry? Your parents are chemists? lol.

I know of people who get pressured into applying for med/law, but chemistry?
Original post by ma2k5
Why would you be forced to study chemistry? Your parents are chemists? lol.

I know of people who get pressured into applying for med/law, but chemistry?



Just read the whole the thread and you'll find out :tongue:

She get forced pretty much into going to Uni (not studying chemistry in particular) but chose it because it was her best subject at A level.....well that's how I've understood it!
Original post by cifes
obviously it's better not to be labelled as a uni drop out :/


Revolutionise social networking and you'll be in good company.
Original post by Athena

I know people who have failed/been kicked out/dropped out, and gone straight into the second year of physics or chemistry at places like Manchester, Newcastle, Brum, Soton etc and have gone on to get 2.1s and firsts. It's often the case with the Oxford and Cambridge medics who don't get to stay for clinical school - they find that a different examination style suits them better, and their Oxbridge grounding allows them to float to the top. Longer terms, as a less intensive workload and different assessment styles can make a very great difference. As can the shock of being kicked out.


I keep hearing about the horrors of clinical school apps ever since I've started the course. I'm now really terrified of not getting a merit - how many people do you know that "didn't get to stay" for clinical school?

EDIT: oxford, not cam...
Original post by AnonymousPenguin
I keep hearing about the horrors of clinical school apps ever since I've started the course. I'm now really terrified of not getting a merit - how many people do you know that "didn't get to stay" for clinical school?

EDIT: oxford, not cam...


In my year I'd guess we lost about 50 people, half wanting to go and half not. But that's a very crude estimate.

Foundation Programme applications: vastly more scary. If that's any consolation.
Can't you like drop down to natural sciences or some ****.

Alternitivley just keep working at the rate u are now but focus on haveing a good time.

Get a 2:2 but it's still from Oxford so you may still get some good job opperunities.
Original post by TheRevolution
Can't you like drop down to natural sciences or some ****.

Alternitivley just keep working at the rate u are now but focus on haveing a good time.

Get a 2:2 but it's still from Oxford so you may still get some good job opperunities.


Wrong uni :yes:
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
Wrong uni :yes:


Cambridge?
Original post by Fuzzed_Out
Have you considered a course transfer? Someone on my course did a year of CompSci and then transferred to year 1 MechEng, they lost a year but at least she likes it now.

Who the negged me? What did I say that's wrong? So confused =(

Seriously guys can you at least tell me why I am being negged? Even anonymously?


Mwahahahaha!





Just kidding.
(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by TheRevolution
Cambridge?


:yes:
Reply 75
How did you get in!? i thought that was the main thing in the interview to see if you had passion for the subject
you're in pretty much the same position my aunt was except this was like 20-25 years. she's intelligent, but not exceptional and had to work very hard to come out with almost a 1st in BA chemistry at balliol. apparently she was contemplating dropping out after year 1 because it demotivated her to see geniuses do virtually no work, party a lot and still secure top grades.

apparently she enjoyed her 2nd and 3rd years a lot more though.

this isn't concrete advice, but i hope it helps. good luck :smile:
Original post by Fuzzed_Out
Have you considered a course transfer? Someone on my course did a year of CompSci and then transferred to year 1 MechEng, they lost a year but at least she likes it now.

Who the negged me? What did I say that's wrong? So confused =(

Seriously guys can you at least tell me why I am being negged? Even anonymously?


Lol why did this comment get negged raped?
STICK WITH IT

If you drop out:

What will you do? You're smart and hard-working enough to re-apply somewhere else, but then that's a year of your life gone *snaps fingers*.... As you say, gap in the CV, etc. = not good. Also, consider the rise in tuition fees, you'll be a new student so you'll get hit horribly by them (presuming that you get a decently paid job, which by the sounds of it you are easily capable of).

If you persevere:

The times where you really show your mettle are when you are tested like this. Yes, the work sucks. Yes, it's boring. BUT, how many people in the world would give ANYTHING to be a Chemistry graduate from Oxford. One billion people in the world live on less than a dollar a day. Many billions more have no hope of a "western" income. Cherish the opportunity you have been gifted. You might regret it years later that you didn't finish the degree, but if you just hold out for a bit longer then no-one can take that degree away from you!
:facepalm:

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