Gifted Children

[Deleted User]

daytona0 wrote: »

That's my point!

A seemingly bright kid who was probably involved with shoplifting (though if he was smart he'd just be a middle man). If the lad had been clocked then he might not have been able to do that PhD....

heh, yes it was more a 'middle-man' position, he knew the right people.. and it was more pirate computer games than anything else

Jagraf

FBaby wrote: »

Surely it is ridiculous to make assumptions as to whether dropping at this stage is a good idea or not for that particular person as only being to read the future would anyone able to decide whether it was right or not for them?

Everyone will have different reasons for dropping. Some will be well thought through, others not. As a parent, my priority would be to understand the reason for it and then look possible solutions. For instance, it could be that they started a part-time job for a prestigious company that they loved, and were offered to go full-time which would mean dropping off. In this case, if the company was to then offered an opportunity for funding a degree in a different subject relating to the job, I might think taking the job was a sensible option at this stage.

If however the issue was that were not doing well on the course, they didn't see themselves achieving because they didn't have enough time to study due to them having to work many hours to pay for their living expenses, then I would want to discuss whether giving up the job would help and maybe seeing if I could help financially until the end of the course.

I can't see how this is a black or white situation.

I think this is an excellent post.

Jagraf

Lily-Rose wrote: »

Each to their own, but I would be very disappointed and upset with my daughter if she dropped out of university now. She is just starting her third year, and as some people have said, it would be crazy to drop out now. I can't see the sense in it. I would be shocked at anyone supporting their young in doing this.

As daytona said earlier in the thread, (post 183,) people go through 11 years of compulsory education and get their GCSEs and then they spend 2 years at college getting good A levels. So to start university - which you do by CHOICE, in a subject YOU CHOSE, and then do 2 full years, and then drop out, is ridiculous.

I thank God my daughter has not made such a terrible life choice. I - and her father - would struggle with this. I can't fathom how can anyone can be OK with their young adult child dropping out of university, so far into their degree.

And I agree that it does make them seem like someone who can't commit, and yes as Daytona said; it will be a reflection on them for years to come.

I mean, if you have 2 people going for the same job, and they have the same sort of personality and A level results and the same skillset etc,... and one has completed their degree and got a first, and then got a masters and all that, and the other one dropped out of university after 2 years; who do you think the employer is going to pick?

From experience in my last job, I can tell you it will NOT be the one who dropped out.

Sure, people can still do OK, even after dropping out of university, but anyone saying it's not a bad thing to drop out is deluding themselves. It will follow you around for ages.


.......

It's probably likely that they wouldn't go for the same job.

But if they were going for the same job (where you didn't need the academic degree as one would have it and one wouldn't), and one had left to volunteer in a field related to the job for two years and the others had a degree and masters related to the job, I don't think it would be cut and dried that the one with the degree would get the job.

Experience, in equal circumstances, can be more valuable than a degree. Put a reason for leaving down on your CV and I personally think you are just as likely, if not more so, to get the job.

I understand that its a disappointment to any parent for their children to drop out of uni, but some just don't like it at uni and are very unhappy.

TopQuark

I have two friends who dropped out of their PhDs at the end, which to this day I cannot fathom. Both of them had finished their 3/4 years and collected decent data but just couldn't be bothered to write their theses. One was in computer science and the other in physics. Writing my thesis in the evenings whilst working full time as a post-doc was the hardest thing I've ever done, but there was absolutely no way I'd not have done it after the blood, sweat and tears I spent in the lab. Most PhDs (at least in the hard sciences) are fully funded by the government (including living costs), so quitting at the end does seem like such a waste.


For undergraduates this situation is different - anyone can start something and find out it's not for them. Although finding this out sooner rather than later is probably better. And of course, life circumstances can take matters out of people's own control, which they cannot be blamed for. I think there is far more wastage of public money subsidising virtually useless courses that are zero benefit to both individuals and society.

[Deleted User]

It's not public money though, anymore.. Quit in your second year and you've got £18k of debt with nothing to show for it.

TopQuark

ringo_24601 wrote: »

It's not public money though, anymore.. Quit in your second year and you've got £18k of debt with nothing to show for it.

Yes indeed this is now the case for undergrad degrees. But PhDs are expensive and almost nobody self-funds. The UK research councils pay PhD students around 14,000 GBP per year (tax free I believe) in stipend, for each of 4 years. They also pay your tuition fees etc. If you quit, you don't have to reimburse this as I understand it. So it's a massive waste if you quit at the end. I appreciate that there are probably not lots of cases like this though. And the 4-year hole in your CV never looks good.

[Deleted User]

TopQuark wrote: »

Yes indeed this is now the case for undergrad degrees. But PhDs are expensive and almost nobody self-funds. The UK research councils pay PhD students around 14,000 GBP per year (tax free I believe) in stipend, for each of 4 years. They also pay your tuition fees etc. If you quit, you don't have to reimburse this as I understand it. So it's a massive waste if you quit at the end. I appreciate that there are probably not lots of cases like this though. And the 4-year hole in your CV never looks good.

I use to help shortlist PhD students when I worked as a Research Fellow Cancer Research UK always paid decent stipends.

My wife's best friend quit month before the end of her nursing degree.. so that's 3 years wasted; my wife doesn't know why.