Credit We Heart ItI had a sudden moment where I thought it would be a good idea to write a post like this. It's personal and a little in-sight into why I left University. If it helps just one of you guys I will be over the moon!
Going to university is a tough decision nowadays. It's hard when you are 17/18 to decide what you're going to do for the rest of your life and
SO many people end up in jobs not related to their degrees. I from about 15 was completely against going to university. I didn't see myself going I didn't know what I'd want to do. But actually going round the university campuses changed my mind. I don't know how I ended up in Birmingham or what made me pick there , but after getting great a-level results I ended up doing a fashion management course.
I had a bit of a rocky start but tried to remain as positive as possible. I had major surgery aswell in my first term of university which was really difficult! I then got a job in retail which I absolutely loved. It felt like my life was sorted. It was what I thought I wanted to do, go to uni, make news friends and get a retail job for a few years. After just a few weeks of working I ended up being in work more then I was at university and I just loved working! I was learning so much about retail (a side of fashion I hadn't really seen) and the people I worked with were lovely. Soon I was more used to working life then I was to student life and to be honest I preferred the working life. I enjoyed it a lot more and soon I realised I wasn't enjoying my course at all.
I stuck with it and worked hard because I thought it was the right thing to do. I started looking at my second choice for university and whether I could transfer but it was too late so I just carried on for the year as I didn't want to leave half way through. Speaking to other bloggers/people within the fashion industry about how I was feeling made me think about what to do. A lot of people just interned their way to the top, some dropped out of uni and started again so it was a lot to think about!
It was hard to think about my options if I did drop out. I spoke to PR companies about interning and started applying for retail jobs back home. One thing I knew for sure the last thing I wanted to do was go back to my current course and sit in that lecture theatre that following September. So I had to do something about it!
I spoke to my lecturer about taking a year out. I was finding it hard with my bad health, running my blog, the student life, working in a shop and my degree at the same time I was always so busy! I didn't know what exactly I was going to do but I knew something would sort out. After a couple of months interning I landed a job as a Marketing Assistant for a local High School and Sixth Form. I loved being able to use my social media and marketing skills in a different industry to what I'm used too! I thought if anything this would look great on my CV. I love my job and seeing my input change the school makes me feel all proud and like I've achieved something great!
Leaving university was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. But lets put it this way. I would rather graduate from a course I really loved, a course that really benefitted my career at a later date if needs be. I want a degree but I didn't want to carry on with the course I was on. With £9,000 university fees a year and accommodation costs pretty high too university isn't cheap and it's a lot of money to waste if it's not what you really want to. As much as I love my current job I knew about 6 months into it I wanted to go and study again. I researched courses and universities and re-applied. I've been accepted onto the second year of a course which I think is way more suited to me and my personality and I'll be starting that this September!
So there's an insight for you about why I dropped out of university and I hope that was helpful to some of you which may be in a similar position to what I was in last year. It's so common people 'hating' their university course yet so little people do something about it! So here's my tips if you're thinking about leaving your university and a little more to think about.
1 -
REALLY think about it. Leaving university is a massive decision and it's not something easy to do. Think about your options of what you'll do as soon as you leave. Do you have a job you can go to? Where are you going to live? and start applying for as many jobs as possible so hopefully you'll start earning money soon after you leave.
2 -
Take a break. As weird as it sounds our family holiday to france was a real eye opener to me last summer. I was with one of my cousins who's the same age as me and he wouldn't stop talking about how great his university was, how proud he was to go there and how much he loved his course. So onto my next point...
3 -
Are you proud of your degree? Do you want that degree written on your CV? Do you like your university? Well if you answered no to those questions you've pretty much made your mind up. In this day and age going to a 'Top' university is a big thing. You want your CV to stand out and you want to be proud of your degree and what you've achieved. I soon realised I wasn't proud of where I was and didn't want to write my degree on my CV!
4 -
Happiness is a massive thing when being at university. Are you happy? Does your course/lifestyle make you happy? Have you settled in like you thought you would? If there's anything I've learnt it's to go with your gut. If where you currently are doesn't make you happy only
YOU have the power to change that.
5 -
Not everyone has everything figured out. Each year thousands of people drop out of the university course they started on. Don't be afraid to start a new course, do modules of a course you are more interested in or just switch courses at the university you are at to something more suited to you. Everyone realises what they want to do at a different time. You've just got to wait till yours.
I hope this post has opened your eyes about why people drop out and given you an insight to why I dropped out. I think it was one of the hardest things I ever did. It's been a very difficult year but I'm glad I've done it and re-applied to a course more suited to me. I can't wait to start my next journey!
What are your thoughts about university? Did you drop out of university? I'd love to know what you all think!
Twitter//Instagram//Facebook
