So, you’ve come to university and for whatever reason you’re having doubts about your future.
Firstly, it is worth mentioning that the majority of students around you, however happy they may seem, will have had similar doubts at some point during their time in Higher Education and you are not alone in your suffering. Whether you are experiencing troubles concerning your studies, welfare or home life you will no doubt be in good company.
While no two cases are the same, feelings of discontent share a universal trait of hopelessness and can lead to students making big decisions regarding their university status. That is why it is important to know your options.
Changing Course or University
For those students who have decided that their current course of study is not for them and would like to change on to another programme, you should act as early in the academic year as possible because there is often a good chance that a move is feasible. Your first move should be to contact the department of the subject to which you would like to transfer to and passionately explain your desire to change. Providing that you have the relevant qualifications for entry and it is early enough in the year, the university should oblige you your wish. However, not all courses have identical tuition fees, so Student Finance need to be informed as soon as your change is confirmed.
Once you have a place at University, you can assure yourself that the University is on your side and does not want to lose you
If you discover that you have chosen the wrong university, it is also possible to change institution – if you make this decision early enough. Normally, your student loan for maintenance and tuition fees can be transferred to the new institution.
Leaving University
When it comes to being at University, uncertainty is not a pleasant feeling. Constantly re-evaluating your decision to come to university or endlessly fretting over whether you are on the right course are thought-patterns to be avoided at all costs. The best advice that I can give is to wait and see how your feelings develop. As I previously mentioned, it is not uncommon for students to feel unsure about what they are doing or for your mind to become domineered by perceived alternatives during the first term. Unless you are unassailably unhappy, I would recommend toughing it out for at least the first term so that you are concrete in your decision. In many cases, students do not find themselves enjoying their experience until well in to the second term. However, if you still feel as though you want to terminate your study, contact your department and they will advise you through the leaving process.
Changes of circumstances – Applicable to All students
If any of the following things occur, make sure that you are active in making the appropriate adjustments to your circumstances with Student Finance:
– Your home address changes.
– You change your student bank account (the account into which your student loan payments are made).
– You want to change other personal details or your password.
– You repeat a year
– You take a break from study
Depending on your situation, you may decide to change course or you may have a ‘change of circumstances‘ due to a course-unrelated issue – examples range from changing bank accounts to taking leave of study to becoming chronically ill. Whichever way, if you do need to change your circumstances at any point during your time at university, it is important that you inform Student Finance ASAP so that they are aware of these changes. The main reason for doing so is to ensure that your student loan payments are not affected.
If you keep Student Finance in the dark, you may find yourself having to pay back money that you never wanted to receive or were entitled to. Conversely, you may lose out on money that you should have been getting.
