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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hello there, everyone. I’ve had quite a few questions about the subject of how I’m getting on at university, so I thought I’d answer them here publicly. Many of you are asking the same question – how’s it going? Well, the answer is not good at all. So bad, infact, that I have now left the university.

    Allow me to explain. When I started uni on the 16th September, I was doing so with some serious issues hanging over my head. As Freshers Week went on, I was too busy making phone calls and sorting out paperwork to go to events. Besides which, because of severe money problems (no student bank account, and student loan cock-ups) I couldn’t spare any money to buy tickets for things. Anyway, as the week went on, it became clear that my position was untenable. Freshers Week was meant to be about getting drunk, meeting people, and enjoying oneself. I was doing none of that because of all these problems. This was the worst possible start to what's meant to be the best three years of my life, and I suspected it was not worth continuing the experience.

    For that reason, and many others which I cannot elaborate on here, I've decided not to study at UWE. Instead, I'm going to spend the next year doing some real work, and learning those life skills which I so badly need. I'm intending to re-apply for 2007 entry. I don't know where I will be in the end, but I suspect it will be closer to home than before. A side of me wishes I'd gone to Manchester now.

    I'm very saddened to have left today. I arrived home this afternoon. However, I'm now brimming with hope. Hopeful for what the future holds, and absolutely determined to succeed. I know that the university experience will be the best thing that has ever happened to me. I also know that I'm not mature enough yet to do this.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    nice one, give up before you've even started!

    we all have problems in life sg but you'll never get anywhere until you actually face them. so what if you missed freshers week? its only one week and it certainly doesn't define your time at university. nor will it stop you from making friends. i was faced with the shittest problem when i first moved to uni -i found out i had to share a bedroom and i was scared to death, especially because i had a boyfriend at home who woud neve rbe able to visit me because of it. but i stuck it out and got on with it. fuckin hell.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    sorry to hear that mate, is there any positives at all you can take out from the week you did spend at uni?

    one question, why did you give up just because you missed freshers week though?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote:
    i was faced with the shittest problem when i first moved to uni -i found out i had to share a bedroom and i was scared to death,
    Ooh, what's that like? I've always thought that'd be the worst thing ever.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ooh, what's that like? I've always thought that'd be the worst thing ever.
    it was. i was devastated but i got through it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote:
    nice one, give up before you've even started!
    we all have problems in life sg but you'll never get anywhere until you actually face them. so what if you missed freshers week? its only one week and it certainly doesn't define your time at university. nor will it stop you from making friends. i was faced with the shittest problem when i first moved to uni -i found out i had to share a bedroom and i was scared to death, especially because i had a boyfriend at home who woud neve rbe able to visit me because of it. but i stuck it out and got on with it. fuckin hell.
    I understand your reaction, but please bear in mind that the circumstances are much worse than I can go into detail on a public message board.
    olaola wrote:
    sorry to hear that mate, is there any positives at all you can take out from the week you did spend at uni?
    Plenty. I've learnt quite a lot more about myself than I thought I could in such a short time, and mainly practical stuff. It's made me recognise mainly that the university experience is something I could benefit massively from in the long-term. I suppose this was a case of being at the right university at the wrong time. As for your other question...
    olaola wrote:
    why did you give up just because you missed freshers week though?
    It definitely wasn't simply because of that. There are circumstances which I can't go into in public here as well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    I suppose this was a case of being at the right university at the wrong time.
    sounds like you didn't even give it a chance
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote:
    sounds like you didn't even give it a chance
    Much as I hate to say it, there may be some truth in that. Infact, let's be blunt. I fell at the first hurdle, and I feel an idiot for it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Can't you go back and try again?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    icey wrote:
    Can't you go back and try again?
    Unfortunately not. Transfer opportunities have dried up, and besides which, I no longer have a place to live there. It's a missed opportunity, and boy do I know it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    Much as I hate to say it, there may be some truth in that. Infact, let's be blunt. I fell at the first hurdle, and I feel an idiot for it.
    theres no shame in falling at the first hurdle. believe me, loads of people find it stressful when they first move to uni. however, you shouldn't have given up so soon. using the excuse that you missed freshers week to quit uni is ridiculous! you've quite possibly wasted a degree and a career.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote:
    theres no shame in falling at the first hurdle. believe me, loads of people find it stressful when they first move to uni. however, you shouldn't have given up so soon. using the excuse that you missed freshers week to quit uni is ridiculous! you've quite possibly wasted a degree and a career.
    I don't agree with that. I said that I will go off to uni. You may have reasonable grounds to doubt my words, but I will do it, that much is certain.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't think it sounds like he's 'given up' at all. Reading his post for a 2nd time, it looks like he's done the sensible thing. Get a few more life/work skills behind him. Get accounts/accomodation etc sorted out well beforehand for next year. Get some money in the bank to tide him over before his loan comes through. He's made a clear, rational and sensible decision about his future and i wish him all the best in the world and really hope he gets to make a go of it next year :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    I don't agree with that. I said that I will go off to uni. You may have reasonable grounds to doubt my words, but I will do it, that much is certain.
    if you say so. it just sounds like you expected it to be easy when you say "this was supposed to be the start of the best 3 years of my life". university was the best 4 years of my life but it doesn't mean it was a walk in the park and everything went my way. i found it really hard at first - like most people. vut like all problems in life you just have to overcome them or else things will never get better!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    RubberSkin wrote:
    I don't think it sounds like he's 'given up' at all. Reading his post for a 2nd time, it looks like he's done the sensible thing. Get a few more life/work skills behind him. Get accounts/accomodation etc sorted out well beforehand for next year. Get some money in the bank to tide him over before his loan comes through. He's made a clear, rational and sensible decision about his future and i wish him all the best in the world and really hope he gets to make a go of it next year :D
    See, he gets it. That's exactly what I'm doing.
    lipsy wrote:
    if you say so. it just sounds like you expected it to be easy when you say "this was supposed to be the start of the best 3 years of my life". university was the best 4 years of my life but it doesn't mean it was a walk in the park and everything went my way. i found it really hard at first - like most people. vut like all problems in life you just have to overcome them or else things will never get better!
    No. Let's make this clear. I wasn't going to university with delusions. I didn't think of it as a three-year party where I could sleep all day, do the occasional bit of work or anything like it. I knew that it was going to be a lot of hard work. In the end, however, I was working against several problems.

    I wasn't happy with where I was living. I thought it was too far from the campus, and it wasn't entirely appropriate for a fresher student. I looked everywhere for another place, I tried just about every option I had. I wanted to move, but I couldn't afford to do so. I was utterly miserable at my accommodation, and I don't think it was in my best interests to stay there. But I didn't have the £1500 or so that I needed to move into a new place in halls immediately. So, in a sense, my hand was forced.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    See, he gets it. That's exactly what I'm doing.

    I like being right :D I'm sure you're doing the right thing SG. Take a year out, get your head/finances/difficulties together over the next year and you'll do good :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I get the feeling that it's half and half. Yes you had problems that were hanging over your head but you also ran at the first sign of trouble.
    Perhaps you need those life skills in order to get though uni instead of learning them there.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    Tweety wrote:
    I get the feeling that it's half and half. Yes you had problems that were hanging over your head but you also ran at the first sign of trouble.
    Perhaps you need those life skills in order to get though uni instead of learning them there.

    :yes: I'm inclined to agree. Sorry to hear it didn't work out SG.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi SG sorry it didn't work out. I know some people might think you have given up too easily but I think you may have done the right thing. Imagine if you had stayed and dropped out later in the year, that would have been a waste of time and money. (That's what I did some years ago). If it's not for you, it is better to leave straight away and you can use the year to do all sorts of things.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    Freshers Week was meant to be about getting drunk, meeting people, and enjoying oneself. I was doing none of that because of all these problems. This was the worst possible start to what's meant to be the best three years of my life, and I suspected it was not worth continuing the experience.


    what?!!! my freshers week in my first year was piss poor (not through my own fault, through the university) and i'm in my 3rd year now. just because you had a poor freshers week doesn't mean you have to leave.
    stargalaxy wrote:
    Instead, I'm going to spend the next year doing some real work.

    bollocks.

    'cause i don't do any real work at uni, do i?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    what?!!! my freshers week in my first year was piss poor (not through my own fault, through the university) and i'm in my 3rd year now. just because you had a poor freshers week doesn't mean you have to leave.

    bollocks. 'cause i don't do any real work at uni, do i?
    Oh Lucy, how I wish I understood thee. I'm leaving for reasons other than a crap Freshers week. Believe me, this wasn't a decision I took lightly. It was a decision that took days of agonising to get to, and I had to take the decision alone. It was far from easy - it was the second hardest decision I have ever made.

    And that "real work" thing wasn't a dig at university students. Far from it. I was living with quite a few second and third-year students. When I talked to them, all but one were very hard-working people who were really doing serious work to earn their degree, and I mean work in more than the conventional sense.

    Though since you're so keen to find out what my perception of students is, let's have it for the record. I believe most students are hard-working and make considerable sacrifices to make it through uni and earn their degree. However, the overall negative perception of students that society holds isn't exactly helped by students themselves. I find it nauseating when I hear students moan "oh, I haven't got any money" before finding out they'll be in the boozer later for the third time that week. And I'm prepared to stake that most people will agree with that.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Why is it that some peeps seem to be getting on his (SG) back and saying he's a quitter because he had a bad freshers week ? He said in his post that there were 'other issues' that he doesn't want to go into on a public forum, and we should all understand and respect that.

    It isn't constructive or helpful to be criticising the guy when he's in a bit of a low period. I'm not saying that we should be running round his place with tea and sympathy, but come on, give the guy a break. He's had a crap time of late, and had the bollocks to admit defeat on here.

    Why not give him a bit more support for the future and resolving the issues that forced him to leave university in the first place.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    And that "real work" thing wasn't a dig at university students.

    I didn't think that either. To me it just implies paid work as opposed to academic.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    RubberSkin wrote:
    Why not give him a bit more support for the future and resolving the issues that forced him to leave university in the first place.
    I might as well reveal what the circumstances in question were. When I arrived, I wasn't happy with my accommodation. I felt it was too far away from the university. I contacted UWE several times asking them about what places were available in halls, I was in daily contact with them, checking regularly. I told Unite about my intentions to leave, and they were okay with it. I would receive most of my money back, though I'm not revealing the exact amount involved here.

    However, to move into halls, I would have to pay upfront. Bearing in mind that (a) NatWest had cruelly closed my student account due to inactivity and all the banks were refusing to open a new one; and (b) that I would therefore have to pay in cash, I was left in a tight corner. I happen not to have over £1000 lying around to pay for that. My tenancy at the Unite house comes to an end this weekend, and since I would have nowhere to live, this forced me into my final decision. Believe me, it was the most agonising decision I've made in a very long time, and anyone who accuses me of being a "coward" is simply being insulting.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh dear. Well, it's a shame but there's no point dwelling on it. On to the next challenge! :thumb:

    I hope you get straight back on the horse re: next year's application; I honestly think University will be the making of you when you eventually get there.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    briggi wrote:
    Oh dear. Well, it's a shame but there's no point dwelling on it. On to the next challenge! :thumb:

    I hope you get straight back on the horse re: next year's application; I honestly think University will be the making of you when you eventually get there.
    The next challenge is finding a job, which I've already started trying to do earlier today. As for the next uni application, that'll be on its way about November time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    RubberSkin wrote:
    Why is it that some peeps seem to be getting on his (SG) back and saying he's a quitter because he had a bad freshers week ? He said in his post that there were 'other issues' that he doesn't want to go into on a public forum, and we should all understand and respect that.

    Have to agree.

    If it was just for freshers week then yeah, but if he's got other issues or he doesn't feel ready then it's hard to argue really.

    I had a fucking brilliant freshers week (first year was a drunken blur tbh), but course wise it was all wrong and I'm still paying off all the overdrafts and credit cards I took out because I was 18 and naive.

    It all depends on what you wanna do really.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    SG how old are you? If you went to uni straight after A-levels or whatever ie. aged 18 then I can understand that. I just had a year out working and i'm at uni now, obviously it was hard at first but I think the last year totally prepared me for it.

    A year out working will do you a world of good, especially if you work in a team or a close-knit group.

    Good luck an all that ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    SG how old are you? If you went to uni straight after A-levels or whatever ie. aged 18 then I can understand that. I just had a year out working and i'm at uni now, obviously it was hard at first but I think the last year totally prepared me for it.
    I'm 21, my birthday's in December. Most of the boards know this already, but I took a few years away from education to sort out my head. I was a total mess. Obviously, that mess hasn't been completely cleared.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    RubberSkin wrote:
    blah
    .
    because i think hes pathetic! he's admitted what his real reason was -he didnt like his accomodation. i bet if you asked all students they would all have had some sort of problem or stress that they've had to deal with.
    oh and yes he has such balls to tell people on the internet that he quit.. yeah if he had balls he wouldn't have given up so soon. he just cant seem to face any of lifes challenges. i think a lot of people had hopes that university would be really good for sg because he has a lot of growing up to do and a lot to learn about life. he gets his chance and then off he slinks back to the comfort of home.
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