Switching unis and courses

Im currently a first year at University of Bath studying international development with economics, and to be honest ive been kind of miserable here since ive started... the course is extremely boring and the lectures are pretty bad, it doesnt correlate with what i want to do in the future so ive decided i want to switch courses to something else. If my current uni doesnt allow me to switch then im going to start looking into transfering unis, ive already sent enquiries to RHUL and Lancaster. But i was wondering does Sfe cover a course switch since im in second semester of my first year? also how would this work since i havent really made a UCAS applpication.

Im currently a first year at University of Bath studying international development with economics, and to be honest ive been kind of miserable here since ive started... the course is extremely boring and the lectures are pretty bad, it doesnt correlate with what i want to do in the future so ive decided i want to switch courses to something else. If my current uni doesnt allow me to switch then im going to start looking into transfering unis, ive already sent enquiries to RHUL and Lancaster. But i was wondering does Sfe cover a course switch since im in second semester of my first year? also how would this work since i havent really made a UCAS applpication.

SFE should cover your new degree as long as you don't start the second year of your degree (if you do, they'll only cover two years of your new degree and will be left funding the third and final year by yourself).

We're about 3/4 of the way through the academic year so no one is going to let you switch now. What you can do is start a new degree from scratch (at your current university or elsewhere, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy with the place). You'll apply via UCAS, but since regrettably the equal considerations deadline has passed, you'll either need to see which universities will accept your late application, or attempt clearing, or take a year out and reapply in time for 2025 entry.

I'll probably go through clearing if i decide to transfer... im still kinda stuck though i dont know if im being dramatic and if i stick to this course at bath i might be better off bc their placement programme is rlly good and they have rlly good student satisfaction... But also if i switch unis i may be better off because appartently most employers dont care abt what uni you went to... and a degree more relevant to finance such as BSc economics may get me where i want to go more easily... i just dont know if all this is my anxiety taking over and causing me to make rash decsions or if its for the best..

Hi there,

I'm sorry to read that you're such with this decision. Can I ask what course you're thinking of transferring to/ what career you're leaning towards?

Experience is just as valuable as the degree itself so that is a consideration, however, if you're not enjoying the content, chances are that you won't enjoy the experience! Are there career advisors at your university that can help you make your decision with confidence?

All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep

I'll probably go through clearing if i decide to transfer... im still kinda stuck though i dont know if im being dramatic and if i stick to this course at bath i might be better off bc their placement programme is rlly good and they have rlly good student satisfaction... But also if i switch unis i may be better off because appartently most employers dont care abt what uni you went to... and a degree more relevant to finance such as BSc economics may get me where i want to go more easily... i just dont know if all this is my anxiety taking over and causing me to make rash decsions or if its for the best..

They have really good student satisfaction, yes, but you yourself seem unsatisfied with the course. That's very important and definitely something in favour of you wishing to switch universities or courses.

Most employers indeed don't care where you went to. What they care about really is your degree classification, and you're more likely to get a higher degree classification if you're someplace in where you're happy.

Re: coursemates thinking the degree will lead you to a dead end. I think that's just that many university students think of their own degree without it actually being true, or they say that as a joke. If you truly think doing it is a dead end, then indeed you'll end up in a dead end, but if you are looking for the opportunities offered to you by your degree, then you'll do something useful with your degree.

That's true.. I like covering the content on my own sometimes but i dont rlly like the lectures.. im not sure if that means i hate the course, also im wondering if going to a less repuatble uni to study economics may lead me to the same position cos them im gonna convince myself that the other uni doesnt have as many opportunites as bath and im not gonna be successful or whatever, like someone asked me if i actually dislike the course or is it just my anxiety thats making me feel like i have to switch or im gonna be unsuccessful, therefore making me unhappy. I think its something ill have to think more about before i make any rash decsions.

Im currently a first year at University of Bath studying international development with economics, and to be honest ive been kind of miserable here since ive started... the course is extremely boring and the lectures are pretty bad, it doesnt correlate with what i want to do in the future so ive decided i want to switch courses to something else. If my current uni doesnt allow me to switch then im going to start looking into transfering unis, ive already sent enquiries to RHUL and Lancaster. But i was wondering does Sfe cover a course switch since im in second semester of my first year? also how would this work since i havent really made a UCAS applpication.

I'll probably go through clearing if i decide to transfer... im still kinda stuck though i dont know if im being dramatic and if i stick to this course at bath i might be better off bc their placement programme is rlly good and they have rlly good student satisfaction... But also if i switch unis i may be better off because appartently most employers dont care abt what uni you went to... and a degree more relevant to finance such as BSc economics may get me where i want to go more easily... i just dont know if all this is my anxiety taking over and causing me to make rash decsions or if its for the best..

Hi there, I’m currently in Y13 and am waiting on a decision/offer for this specific course at bath. Would you be able to tell me what actually has made the course less enjoyable for you. Is it that it focuses more so on the international development side rather than economics? Which is something I was also concerned about. Would you also be able to tell me your predicted grades and what they offered you, as I’m at AAC and an A in an epq but meet the conditional which has brought their requirements down from AAB to ABB. If you could respond to this it would be extremely helpful. Thank you. I hope everything works out for you and you find the right path for you.

I wouldn't recommend waiting until Clearing to apply. You still need a full UCAS application to use Clearing and it's more difficult to get that sorted in the summer when staff might not be around to provide a reference.
Plus if you apply now as a late application you get 5 choices....and can still then opt to use Clearing later on.
Talk to someone about getting a reference for a UCAS application and start submitting your UCAS application ASAP (get it done over Easter). It won't take long to do and it doesn't commit you to leaving just because you're applying elsewhere - it keeps your options as open as possible.