Transferring Uni Dilema

I am currently in my first year studying Computing at University of Portsmouth however I am not really enjoying it very much for many personal reasons. I have applied to Uni of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church and have got offers for both. For Uni of Kent, I have got an unconditional but I have to restart my first year, whereas with Christ Church I have an unconditional and can continue my degree without restarting. (I live near both Uni of Kent and Christ Church and love the rural area and would help with the sense of belonging there).

I am stuck with what to do and keep changing my mind. Should I...
-Stick with Portsmouth as it is a relatively high ranking uni and would look good on my CV (only reason why I would want to stay) but I alternatively not be happy there,
-Go to Uni of Kent (relatively high rank) but restart my degree and waste the whole previous year,
-Or go to Christ Church (Uni doesn't feel grown up and quite low in ranking but the Computer Science course is alright).

Any previous experiences with transferring uni will be useful or any opinions will be helpful, thanks.

Reply 1

j3nnyf1sh

Heyyy, I'm also a first year in Portsmouth and I'm thinking of transferring too - also personal reasons. Got into city London uni. Wanna talk about it. I'm also in the same situation lmao

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Lmao for sure, what socials you got if you want to talk about it

Reply 3

j3nnyf1sh

Original post by Anonymous #1

Lmao for sure, what socials you got if you want to talk about it

Assuming you got discord, my username is j3nnyf1sh

Reply 4

mike23mike

Start fresh at Kent. Joining the second year is hard, friend groups have established already, joining societies can be awkward. If you go to Kent as a first year then its a fresh new start. Kent is a highly respected university.

Reply 5

Chester Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

I am currently in my first year studying Computing at University of Portsmouth however I am not really enjoying it very much for many personal reasons. I have applied to Uni of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church and have got offers for both. For Uni of Kent, I have got an unconditional but I have to restart my first year, whereas with Christ Church I have an unconditional and can continue my degree without restarting. (I live near both Uni of Kent and Christ Church and love the rural area and would help with the sense of belonging there).
I am stuck with what to do and keep changing my mind. Should I...
-Stick with Portsmouth as it is a relatively high ranking uni and would look good on my CV (only reason why I would want to stay) but I alternatively not be happy there,
-Go to Uni of Kent (relatively high rank) but restart my degree and waste the whole previous year,
-Or go to Christ Church (Uni doesn't feel grown up and quite low in ranking but the Computer Science course is alright).
Any previous experiences with transferring uni will be useful or any opinions will be helpful, thanks.

Hi there,

Congratulations on your unconditional offers! However it sounds like you have a lot to consider, and I'm sorry to hear that you are not enjoying your time at your current university.

I'd say do what makes you happy. If you are not enjoying your time at Portsmouth, have a look at your other options. It sounds like you'd enjoy the rural area both of them offer, and that it would help with sense of belonging, which is incredibly important for your time at university.

I wouldn't worry too much about having to repeat your first year if you go to Kent - just view it as having a little university experience! You already know how the general things work, so you can focus more on finding your footing in this new place. If it makes you happier, is a ranking you like and has multiple factors that you think would benefit you personally and academically, I wouldn't think it would be a waste of time to start over. Not everyone's university journey looks the same, so do what you feel is best for you.

While joining in second year can be difficult (already established friend groups, possibility of different material learnt that applies to this year, trying to find your place) it still is doable.

Maybe weighing up more aspects of each university could help you in your decision, such as accommodation, campus size and facilities, activities on-campus and in the city, and more.

I hope this helps and best of luck,

Isabella
Third-year Geography with a Year Abroad Student

Reply 6

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

I am currently in my first year studying Computing at University of Portsmouth however I am not really enjoying it very much for many personal reasons. I have applied to Uni of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church and have got offers for both. For Uni of Kent, I have got an unconditional but I have to restart my first year, whereas with Christ Church I have an unconditional and can continue my degree without restarting. (I live near both Uni of Kent and Christ Church and love the rural area and would help with the sense of belonging there).
I am stuck with what to do and keep changing my mind. Should I...
-Stick with Portsmouth as it is a relatively high ranking uni and would look good on my CV (only reason why I would want to stay) but I alternatively not be happy there,
-Go to Uni of Kent (relatively high rank) but restart my degree and waste the whole previous year,
-Or go to Christ Church (Uni doesn't feel grown up and quite low in ranking but the Computer Science course is alright).
Any previous experiences with transferring uni will be useful or any opinions will be helpful, thanks.

Hi there!

This sounds like a difficult decision and I'm sorry you haven't enjoyed your first year!

I would say that your happiness is a priority and you are also more likely to do as well as you can do in your studies if you are happy. It's also a lot of years to put yourself through living somewhere you are unhappy just because it ranks higher as your mental health should be the top priority!

If you did decide to start first year again, it would be okay! I lived with people in my first year who were in a foundation year so technically a year below me and it made no difference and we were still great friends! You would also most likely be living with people who are in first year too so you would all be in the same year. I also wouldn't look at it as a waste of the precious year, as you had to do that year to see that you were unhappy in Portsmouth and if you hadn't done that you may not have ended up at a Uni that's better for you!

Christ Church also sounds good, but I would say that going to Kent sounds like a good idea if the only thing you were worried about was being in first year again as I wouldn't say that this matters! However, if you did decide to go to Christ Church you would have a great time too I'm sure.

I hope some of this helps.

Lucy-SHU student ambassador.

Reply 7

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

I am currently in my first year studying Computing at University of Portsmouth however I am not really enjoying it very much for many personal reasons. I have applied to Uni of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church and have got offers for both. For Uni of Kent, I have got an unconditional but I have to restart my first year, whereas with Christ Church I have an unconditional and can continue my degree without restarting. (I live near both Uni of Kent and Christ Church and love the rural area and would help with the sense of belonging there).
I am stuck with what to do and keep changing my mind. Should I...
-Stick with Portsmouth as it is a relatively high ranking uni and would look good on my CV (only reason why I would want to stay) but I alternatively not be happy there,
-Go to Uni of Kent (relatively high rank) but restart my degree and waste the whole previous year,
-Or go to Christ Church (Uni doesn't feel grown up and quite low in ranking but the Computer Science course is alright).
Any previous experiences with transferring uni will be useful or any opinions will be helpful, thanks.

Hi there,

I'm so sorry to hear you are not currently enjoying your time at Portsmouth. It sounds like you are doing the right thing by weighing up your options on a fresh start.

Congratulations on your unconditional offer from Kent! Here's a little more on Kent that I hope will help you with your decision.

Firstly, here's some more course information: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/124/computer-science

Secondly, I totally understand your reservations with having to start from year 1 again, but I'd encourage you not to see your previous year as a waste!

•

You will still have all the knowledge you have learned which will come in handy as you study

•

You will have the knowledge of how university works so may have an easier time settling in

•

You may have a greater understanding of your module likes and dislikes which will help in future years

In addition, think of the year as a restart, it will give you some breathing space to reset and enjoy life at Kent, rather than having to hit the ground running in 2nd year when you are going through lots of changes.

I'm so glad to here you like the rural setting of Kent, it's one of my favourite things about the campus too!

I hope this has helped, if you have further questions don't hesitate to reach out.

Best of luck whatever you choose to do next,
Gabby