What to do if you hate your course?
After the first week you should have switched, but you didn’t. You were young and it’s likely that your university choices weren’t as well considered, as they should have been.
As you’re halfway or even more through your course and understanding that you’re going to be classified by the subject of you degree for the rest of your life turns fills you with despair and dread.
Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to say for sure whether or not you’ll enjoy a course until you’ve started it.
So as soon as you’re starting to realize that you absolutely don’t like what you’re doing, try not to keep it to yourself.
Having completed a one-year university course that was very unspecific, I started a degree in public policy at Cambridge City University that wasn’t university course it covers bits I like, the focus is on bits I don’t.
But with limited options available, it seemed childish and picky to not do a course just because it wasn’t perfect.
However, as time has passed, I’ve found it hard to motivate myself when the modules are things I don’t have an interest in.
In a way, I’m lucky – because at least I like some parts of my course. There are many students who hate everything about theirs.
A possible explanation is the pressure on students to go to university straight after they finish school, even if they don’t know what they want to do yet. Sarah Micklewright, a former student in fine art at Messiah College, Pennsylvania, experienced the trouble this can cause: “The common refrain in my house was, ‘If you don’t go now, you never will’.
“I went to college clueless about what to study, why I was there, and what opportunities I should be looking for.”
Micklewright realised the degree wasn’t going to get her a job and that she didn’t want to work in that field, but she carried on.
“When you’re done, you have a degree. Many continuing education programs only require a bachelors to enter, a specific type is not required,” says Micklewright.
“At this point, you could re-evaluate what your options are and see if you want to continue schooling in a different direction.”
Lesley Taylor, careers consultant at Birmingham City University, says: “Speak to a range of professionals within the university. When talking to your tutors, try to consider all the elements of the course that you dislike and the reasoning behind this.”
Remember that just because you don’t like it now, it doesn’t mean you’ll always feel this way. Find out about future modules to see if it’s worth enduring the classes you don’t like.
Fraser Keir, deputy academic registrar at City University London, says academic achievement at university is key. But this is also likely to be the only time you’ll have countless different groups and activities within easy reach.
Taking advantage of these will enhance your university experience and help you to feel better. It doesn’t hurt that it looks good to employers either. If you really don’t want to continue with a course then there are other options besides dropping out.
Elizabeth Tudhope, senior academic adviser at Edinburgh University Student’s Association, says: “We’ve heard of students who have applied for an authorised interruption of studies – where the clock effectively stops on their time at the university – when they are resolved not to continue studying their current course”.
This allows students to pause their studies for the remainder of the year while applying for a course transfer for the next academic year.
Not everyone who applies for an interruption is granted one, however, and this course of action can affect your student loan eligibility.
But even if you even up with a degree in an area you don’t like and further study is not an option, it doesn’t mean you’re stuck.
Karen Barnard, director of UCL’s careers service, says: “Don’t worry that doing a course you don’t enjoy will mean your career prospects will be limited to areas that don’t interest you.
“About 70% of graduate roles do not ask for a specific degree subject.”