Choosing your university degree can quite often feel like the biggest decision of your life, but what if you choose wrong?
Almost everybody feels, at some point during their first year of university, that they’re doing it wrong. Whether that be their assignments, lectures, assessments, or just adult life in general. It’s a normal feeling of self-doubt that makes us human. But there’s a difference between splashes of self-doubt and persistent waves of uncertainty.
Oftentimes you’ll settle into your course after a couple of weeks, find a groove with your classes that feels natural, and all will be well. However if it doesn’t work out this way, and even after semester one something still feels wrong, you have options.
Fortunately, you won’t be the first person to decide that a course change is needed, so there are systems in place which help to make this process easy. Also, Student Finance England (SFE) have something called a 'grace year' in terms of funding, meaning you can still receive loans for your new undergraduate degree if you switch after only one year.
You can choose to finish your year and then apply for a change of course, which means you can still receive the remaining amount of your student loan and continue living at uni. Alternatively, you can take a leave of absence before starting your change of course. There's no right or wrong way to do this, it's your decision whilst weighing up your financial and academic needs. However, if you take a leave of absence, SFE are made aware, and therefore if you wanted to remain in university accommodation, you would have to fund it yourself.
Changing your degree can feel like a step backwards, starting from fresh and adding an extra year onto your university experience. However the most important thing about university is that you are passionate about what you’re doing, otherwise you’re not going to give it your all. Sometimes redirection is what it takes to put yourself on the right track.
Edited by Ciara Lane