Dropping out of Oxford

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:

Reply 1

Oh my Ms. Coffey

Should of applied to Cambridge.

Reply 2

Wasps12

Get out while you still can, what with the tuition fee rise next year.

Also who cares if you get kicked out the house, you're a grown up now :smile:

Reply 3

Fuzzed_Out

14

--

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 4

warrior-1

2

Yer, you should drop out if you don't like the course.

May be you could re- apply for a different course at Oxford for next year.

Good luck! :biggrin:

Become a stripper.

My suggestion was completely valid, you went to the Oxford open days, interviews and possibly filled out questionnaires.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 7

cifes

OP

Wasn't really a suggestion :P But I only sent off the application form the day before the UCAS entries closed, didn't go to any open days...

Am worried about finding work etc too...would rather be there stressing than sitting around here doing nothing. And employers noticing the drop-out bit of the CV...

Reply 8

kratos90

15

Why do you care about being labelled a drop-out? I'm one and don't care what anyone thinks about it, although I'm back at uni now. However, Oxford is a different story. If you're really really unhappy I suppose you should drop out.

Reply 9

kratos90

15

Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey

Should of applied to Cambridge.

'Should have applied to Cambridge'

Reply 10

xarcul

11

Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey

Should of applied to Cambridge.

Should have applied to Cambridge.

I see I was beaten to this. Ah well, it deserves being highlighted again anyway...

Reply 11

cpchem

14

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:

If you've no enthusiasm for the subject, get out now. First year chemistry at Oxford is a breeze compared to the later years.

The teaching is in no way "pretty bad" - Grout makes mistakes, yes, but that's hardly a hanging offence. Labs may be based on things you've not been formally taught yet, but that's just the way the system works - you're not going to get everything handed to you on a plate. Again, if you don't like that, staying put is a bad idea; you're expected to work reasonably independently and with a certain amount of initiative.

Out of interest (and PM me if you'd rather not post openly) but what college are you at that is making you work that hard in first year? Who have you spoken to about transferring courses? Your tutors, the senior tutor? No-one is going to be especially receptive to 'I don't want to do chemistry anymore - can I switch to something else'. You need to know what you want to be doing instead and make a good case of why they should let you switch. If they were to let you, they might make you finish the year and pass prelims first, and they may want to reinterview you for the new subject.

Reply 12

ddrrzzeerr

17

You should try your best because it is only a few years and the difference between being an oxford graduate and a uni drop out is huge. If I was you I would keep fighting with it untill I was kicked out.

Reply 13

xoxAngel_Kxox

21

Original post by kratos90

'Should have applied to Cambridge'

I was going to put this, but you got there first. +rep :smile:

OP: You have to do what's best for YOU, without worrying about what other people think.. it's your life, not theirs!

Reply 14

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

Original post by Dude Where's My Username

Are you actually at Oxford Brookes or Oxford? I find it hard to believe somebody who didn't really want to go to Oxford got in, considering how competitive it is :colonhash:

You'd be surprised...

OP: Since cpchem has posted lots of sensible and subject-relevant stuff, little for me to add other than to say if this is your first year, would you really need to put the fact you dropped out on your CVs? I know little about the working world but I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to not mention it at all and pass it off as a gap year :yes:

Original post by Sternumator

You should try your best because it is only a few years and the difference between being an oxford graduate and a uni drop out is huge. If I was you I would keep fighting with it untill I was kicked out.

Def not a good idea :no:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 15

danhirons

15

Original post by Wasps12

Get out while you still can, what with the tuition fee rise next year.

Also who cares if you get kicked out the house, you're a grown up now :smile:

The tuition fee rise won't affect current students.....

Original post by cpchem

If you've no enthusiasm for the subject, get out now. First year chemistry at Oxford is a breeze compared to the later years.

The teaching is in no way "pretty bad" - Grout makes mistakes, yes, but that's hardly a hanging offence. Labs may be based on things you've not been formally taught yet, but that's just the way the system works - you're not going to get everything handed to you on a plate. Again, if you don't like that, staying put is a bad idea; you're expected to work reasonably independently and with a certain amount of initiative.

Out of interest (and PM me if you'd rather not post openly) but what college are you at that is making you work that hard in first year? Who have you spoken to about transferring courses? Your tutors, the senior tutor? No-one is going to be especially receptive to 'I don't want to do chemistry anymore - can I switch to something else'. You need to know what you want to be doing instead and make a good case of why they should let you switch. If they were to let you, they might make you finish the year and pass prelims first, and they may want to reinterview you for the new subject.

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 :frown:

St John's has worked us pretty hard tbf even in this first term - I think we have 4 tutes a week whereas most colleges only have 2/3.....

Reply 16

cifes

OP

I'm at Queen's, they're not making me work that hard (8-10hrs of tutes a week) - I am actually using initiative and working independently. Am just not as intelligent/good at working as most people here, so it takes at least twice as long for me to understand and complete a piece of work - others in my year can sit at a desk in the library and finish the problems in a couple of hours, I have to use several books, rewrite out notes more clearly, look things up on the internet, ask others for help...to complete the same piece of work in several days.

Worked flat out during A levels to get good marks but it seems here that isn't enough :frown:

I approached the moral tutor who said the general idea through many departments in college was to no longer allow deferred places as it made the number of places candidates were competing for vary greatly from year to year which was unfair...there were 8 places last year but only 4 this year, no idea how I got in :s