I'd really like to hear from people who dropped out of University.

[Herbsman.]

I actually quit not once but TWICE. Photography I did because I was foolish and thought that I could do it just because I love the practical side of photography. But I failed all the theory, the essays on film and media and photographers, and all that bollocks, you know, the stuff that you don't actually need to know to be able to take a good photo, but taking a good photo's not what it's all about is it, but me being young and naive I didn't know that. So anyway I dropped out of that after less than a year, and did environmental science the next september. It was going well and I was easily getting A's in all of my essays (well I say 'easily'... I did plenty of work on these essays and spent hours reading books and selecting references etc. but they didn't feel 'hard' to write because I enjoyed writing them) but the course was very shit at times, and consisted of colouring in maps with crayons, and 'lectures' which basically involved recieving a few pages which contained all of the slides which the lecturer was about to project on the whiteboard. The lecturer would then read each slide to us over the next 90 minutes or so. How is that a 'lecture'? They could have just given us the fucking pages and let us read them ourselves at home FFS! That was a contributing factor, as well as money, and other stuff, at the end of the day I think I just need to work. I need the routine man, the discipline and the almost immediate reward of cold hard cash at the end of the month

 

[wtfftw]

I actually quit not once but TWICE. Photography I did because I was foolish and thought that I could do it just because I love the practical side of photography. But I failed all the theory, the essays on film and media and photographers, and all that bollocks, you know, the stuff that you don't actually need to know to be able to take a good photo, but taking a good photo's not what it's all about is it, but me being young and naive I didn't know that. So anyway I dropped out of that after less than a year, and did environmental science the next september. It was going well and I was easily getting A's in all of my essays (well I say 'easily'... I did plenty of work on these essays and spent hours reading books and selecting references etc. but they didn't feel 'hard' to write because I enjoyed writing them) but the course was very shit at times, and consisted of colouring in maps with crayons, and 'lectures' which basically involved recieving a few pages which contained all of the slides which the lecturer was about to project on the whiteboard. The lecturer would then read each slide to us over the next 90 minutes or so. How is that a 'lecture'? They could have just given us the fucking pages and let us read them ourselves at home FFS! That was a contributing factor, as well as money, and other stuff, at the end of the day I think I just need to work. I need the routine man, the discipline and the almost immediate reward of cold hard cash at the end of the month

That did my nut in. Then my uni got to grips with the internet and started sticking powerpoints (ahah) up on webct so I could just download that rather than attend.

 

[Herbsman.]

Yeah man, sometimes I would stay at home because I would think "why waste my bus fare and my energy when I can just download and read the lecture notes in the comfort of my own home?". I think I got a bit too used to not going to uni and it all went downhill from there

 

[isitme]

I had some great lecturers who I always turned up for

Some of them were fucking shite as well

 

[Funky_monks]

On the inverse side of the coin, I went to uni, did a BSc, an MSc and now I'm a farm employee - I think you could probably do my job with a few a-levels, I think they do a diploma and all.

Indoor jobs aint for everyone, it'd drive me mental if I had to sit and write stuff all day now. Has your boyfreind considered a trade or owt?

 

[red rose]

Yeah actually, in July when the bar where I was working was short staffed he started working there as a glass collector and in January the manager is going to put him forward for the assistant manager position.

Unfortunately there are a number of reasons why going into management in that particular pub is a really bad idea, so he's going to go to the interview but he also wants to look elsewhere. But even though he clearly has buckets of ability and enjoys the work he still doesn't have the confidence to apply for similar jobs elsewhere. Its partly that reason that I started this thread.

I just wanted to thank everyone for replying to this thread, I really do think its helped him

 

[Treacle Toes]

I'd take the assistant manager's job, get some experience of doing the job then apply elsewhere. Stepping stones innit.

 

[Dowie]

I dropped out of a computer science course too - joined a small IT startup my mate had earlier dropped out in order to setup. I've since moved to London, currently working in a software firm down here and am doing an OU maths degree. I regret dropping out to some extent but am doing OK compared to mates who stayed on at uni - am actually hoping to go back to a brick uni in a few years and do a masters.

FWIW John F. Kennedy, Bill Gates and Einstein all dropped out of uni...

 

[mrs quoad]

Yeah man, sometimes I would stay at home because I would think "why waste my bus fare and my energy when I can just download and read the lecture notes in the comfort of my own home?". I think I got a bit too used to not going to uni and it all went downhill from there

tbf, I think this is one of the hallmarks of a bad course...

Having been through several good and less good courses, there's definitely a feedback loop. Poor lecturing -> high drop-out rates -> low rankings -> less pathologically involved / academic / workaholic students -> higher drop-out rates -> fewer decent lecturers applying for lectureships -> poor lecturing...

etc etc etc.

My last uni had something like a 2/3 dropout rate on some courses.

Oxbridge - I think - have an overall 2% dropout rate. Or thereabouts. That's largely - IMO - due to the intensity of supervision / monitoring / 'pastoral' overwatch of undergrads. In conjunction with a slightly odd / pathological / workaholic student body.

 

[Herbsman.]

There was a massive dropout rate on the photography course too. The course was oversubscribed, for example there weren't enough enlargers in the darkroom for each student, so some students had to do their printing in their own time rather than during 'practical session' time. How can you allow more people on the course than you have the equipment for? One of the lecturers actually told us that he expected (and insinuated that he generally relied on) nearly half of the students to drop out in the first year so that the class size was more manageable in the second year... Something tells me the majority of the uni (which is actually an ex-polytechnic) is just a big scam to make lots of money without having to offer a quality service to everyone

 

[ChrisFilter]

I had a job interview last week where they asked about my degree (I mention going there on my CV) and I explained about dropping out and why.

In follow up emails the interviewer said "And I like that you dropped out of uni, it'll mean you're more driven" shortly before offering me the job.

So there you go. I'm 4 or 5 years younger / less experienced than the other graduate applicants, but I got the job.

Essentially, degrees are so common now that they've lost all their value to a middle-class white kid. You have to get to the MA standard now before they mean much to an employer.

If you're not a middle-class white kid, degrees are still very, very valuable, mind. Proof that you're as 'good' as a middle-class white kid. Sad but true.

 

[Herbsman.]

I wish I was middle class and white

 

[Kanda]

If you're not a middle-class white kid, degrees are still very, very valuable, mind. Proof that you're as 'good' as a middle-class white kid. Sad but true.

I'm not a middle class white kid but have never had a problem not even having an O-level. Experience has always counted for me (IT). Being a bit of a Geek HAS helped though