In Year One Of Course - Want To Change

ElliotReid

Hiya,

I'm currently doing a FdA in Early Childhood Studies and I do like my course/tutors/people on it - I just... eh. It's not for me. The more I find out about my proposed profession and the paperwork/hours/etc it's not for me. I know people do get second thoughts but this has been going on for a quite a while and now - heading up to year 2 - is the time to act on it.

I'm doing pretty well essay work - damn well if I say so myself earning 2 2.1's on my first ever uni essays and high marks on my portfolio. However, my reports are not so good and the same goes for my reflective logs.

It's not that I dislike the people on my course, or my lecturers or anything like that - I do enjoy the course, I enjoyed writing the essays (not the reflective log or portfolio though...!) I just don't seem to feel like I'm getting anything out of it and I'm not enjoying it. The further I get, the more I find out about the papertrail and it's really taken away my enthusiasm for childcare - and with my bad health I can see myself getting to the end of the course and having nowhere to turn with it because I might get to the point where I can't get around after the kids.

I really want - need! - to change for my own sanity if nothing else. I've been looking at media degrees and community ones etc and basically looking for something that I could build on that's pretty much a 'general' degree that's easy to apply to more than one avenue of work.

So. Now comes the big question. I have a hell of a lot going on in my life at the moment including a council grant about to start, a very ill grandfather and my own health is seriously bad. Do I leave now and start again in September after taking the spring/summer to sort myself out, get better, get the grant done and come back calmer all round or do I ride it out, finish this year and throw it away and start again next year on a fresh course?

I'm constantly told that 'the first year means nothing' so should I stay through!?

I'm not asking for someone to give me the exact answer my lovelies, just someone who can look objectively at the stuff above and give an answer of more than I know I'm full time (well. All 11 hours of it) and have a placement to do yet STILL waiting on my CRB to come through so that wouldn't be a problem cos it's not even started yet! I just don't want to let them down when it DOES come through because I'm going to be leaving in a couple of months. I get all forms of grant/loans and stuff and so what would happen there?! Would I start to pay them back and then stop when I start again?!

Thanks!

melancholly

i don't know the details of what an FdA is (i'm sure someone who knows more will be along soon though!) - but maybe the first thing you should do is chat to someone in your uni. perhaps your tutor or the careers service or the student support centre. you may be able to transfer some credits to a new course so it's worth finding out the practicalities of how it would work as well as making the big decision on what new subject to pick!

ElliotReid

Thanks Aiming to speak to someone on Monday too.

I should point out I'm at a local Higher Ed college rather than Uni - and money is another issue that things are getting tight and even travel fare/dinner is getting tough to put together. Like I said in the first post I get all maintenance grant and stuff but it goes on keeping the house running/bills paid etc and we only - just - manage to keep heads above the water. I've been looking for work and applied for loads but get no's or not-qualified-enoughs! (Or largely - no reply at all). Mum is a carer for grandad and for me (not an 'official' one for me, she just supports me as my health is poor, I was signed off last year after a hospital stay and I 'signed myself back' to go to college in the first place) and I keep putting off visiting the doctor though I really shouldn't.

Oldernotwiser

I think you should get your health sorted out first, before anything else. It's hard to make good decisions if you're unwell.

One thing for you to consideris is that you're probably on a foundation degree because you don't have the qualifications to go straight on to a BA. It might be worth enquiring whether the other courses you're thinking about would accept your successful year one as an entry qualification so that you can avoid having to go down the foundation degree route again. Hopefully this would give you more options.

Your living arrangements sound complicated; are you getting the Adult Dependants Grant for your mother and is she getting all the benefits she should? You shouldn't expect to be able to support a household on just a Maintenance Loan and Grant!

ElliotReid

Hello

Thanks, it is a real concern - I'm getting stressed about the placement as everyone else has started and there's only me who still hasn't got her CRB back!

I'm on the Foundation Degree because - being naive about the whole 'uni type stuff', I didn't know what to look for, had no proper support and it was the course that sounded the best when I wanted to be a teacher - now thrust into the 'real world' I don't want to do that anymore and if I'm honest I want to move away from childcare type courses. But qualification wise - a whole lot of childcare experience in different ways, AS Levels and GCSE's aren't fantastic.

I applied for the adults dependants grant as I'd be helping support mum and they said it was just for spouses etc, mum has tried to get what she is entitled too and basically with a pension from my late fathers firm and carers allowance for grandad she's getting £25 a week over what the government says people need to live on! We've both tried our hardest to get jobs - barelyt a day goes by where I haven't applied for one 'in my field' (childcare or office work) yet I haven't been sucessful and tbh I'm in no fit state to look after a group of little kids at the minute.

MrsManda

*lots of hugs*
Sounds like you've got enough on your plate without worrying about a full time course at the moment. As others have suggested, speak to your course tutors about your situation and it may be best for you to drop out as a medical case. If you leave due to medical circumstances then this year won't count in terms of funding so when your health has improved and things have settled down a bit at home, you will be able to resume whatever studies you'd like to do without worrying about the funding.

(double check this but this is the information I got when I dropped out due to serious illness and I have just gone back to FT study 5 yrs later and I have been granted full entitlement - just required a letter from my doctor and previous uni saying I left due to illness).

You can always do some long distance study with the OU if want to see what kind of thing you'd be interested in. They do something called Open Learn where you can try a course for free to see if it's something you want to study.

Hope it works out.

ElliotReid

Thank you very much It's much appreciated. I don't want to drop out but I have just sent an email to my course leader to explain and it's just a case of waiting for her to reply.

I'm going to see the doctor in the morning so fingers crossed something can come of it.

Thank you all for your help

ElliotReid

And that's that then.... she's just replied and I've withdrawn. Feel strangely empty. Weird!

Oldernotwiser

ElliotReid wrote: »

And that's that then.... she's just replied and I've withdrawn. Feel strangely empty. Weird!

Sorry to hear that, if it wasn't what you wanted. Don't rush into making any major decisions about your future for a couple of days; you need some time to think about things before making a move.

Good luck.

ElliotReid

I'm not entirely sure, I think I wanted to stay because I was 'doing' something and not sitting around as frightened me last time I was signed off.

However, realistically it's the right thing to do as I couldn't physically manage it. I guess it's a real weight off my shoulders to be honest.

Thanks again

ElliotReid

Hello again!

Just had a very unhelpful call with the student loan people with a man who really didn't want to help me.

Apparently all I do is fill in a CO1 form for change of circumstances and send it to the LA who may decide they've overpaid me and want it back.


... So then what?! all I'm getting is more stressed out and he wasn't going to go into it any further! If they've overpaid me - how can they claim it back? would it be in one fell swoop? The IB people want a letter saying it's ended and i'm trying to get one but there's noone answering the phone at the council as yet.

Thanks guys.