'Hypothetical' university question

[Utter Shit]

If you've firmly accepted an offer at a Uni, to the point of even booking accommodation and having pre-course reading material recommended to you from the Uni itself, how easy is it to (or is it possible to) cancel the course and change to a different Uni (but taking the same course, if possible)? I'm all confirmed to go to Brighton on September 28th but I'm having serious second thoughts now.

Obviously if I cancel it, I cancel it - they can't ask me for any money or anything, there's no problem there. I'm just worried that cancelling the course might mean they won't allow me to sign up to a new one. I might have helped myself out a little by having these doubts now, before the results have come out, rather than in a few weeks time when most places are booked up...but I don't know.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, cheers.

[Cerys]

I suspect it's down to course availability.  I can't see a uni rejecting you because you'd turned down another uni in their favour.  Having said that, going by the experiences of people I've known it seems to be easier to transfer to a different uni once you've successfully completed your first year; so you may (just may) find that you have to grit your teeth and stick with Brighton for a year.

[Utter Shit]

That's a good point, I was looking at it from the point of view of pissing UCAS off by messing them about with one application, then wanting another one. This is a seriously late stage to decide to cancel an entry after all, particularly when I've been confirmed on the course for over a year (took a year out to work, originally was supposed to start last September).

Arrrrr it's all a big bollocks of a situation.

[mayer]

it seems to be easier to transfer to a different uni once you've successfully completed your first year

Note: This does not apply to Bristol University, who are a bunch of cunts.


EDIT: Utter it's not too late to go through Clearing now at all. Obviously you can't get a standard application, but you're allowed a Clearing application thingy, irrespective of accepting the previous offer. You have to knock back the place you have though.

EDIT 2: The above is wrong!

[greencalx]

As far as UCAS is concerned, if you've accepted an offer, you can't then take up a place at another University (e.g., through clearing).

However, if you deal with the Universities directly, they might be able to help you.  My feeling is that, hypothetically, one might contact the admissions tutor of the course at the uni one wishes to go to (who will be on holiday in anticipation of having a lot of work to do when the results come out next week) and ask if it would be possible to be let in 'through the back door' as it were.  You, I mean, your hypothetical friend may be told to fuck off, but otherwise they might be able to arrange a place for you via some complicated scam that they will know about, if it exists.    I'm not sure it does though...

EDIT: I note you already have your A levels.  Give it a whirl...  Certainly transfers are possible, even at Bristol.

[mayer]

As far as UCAS is concerned, if you've accepted an offer, you can't then take up a place at another University (e.g., through clearing).

Really?

Argh... You may be right. *withdraws previous post*

[Xander]

Before Uni was to start at Durham, and even up to 6 weeks into the term, they were very accomodating regarding dropping out, moving or even accepting people. I think it's largely uni to uni as to how they'll respond, but I'd give it a whirl. A few weeks on the phones to and fro is certainly better than a few years somewhere you hate.

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

Yeah, I think you should contact the unis involved and also use the UCAS helpline and see what your options are, that wouldn't hurt anyway.

[Utter Shit]

it seems to be easier to transfer to a different uni once you've successfully completed your first year

Note: This does not apply to Bristol University, who are a bunch of cunts.


EDIT: Utter it's not too late to go through Clearing now at all. Obviously you can't get a standard application, but you're allowed a Clearing application thingy, irrespective of accepting the previous offer. You have to knock back the place you have though.

I don't know much about Clearing, I'll have to have a look at it. What's messing this all up even more is that I'd need my parents in on any decision I make, and they fucked off on holidays for two weeks only yesterday morning.

Cheers everyone that's helped so far. I reckon I'm going to have to start looking at train timetables from Brighton to London over the next year, heh.

May as well bring you all into my murky world a little further, and get a little more information out of you while I'm at it...anyone ever gone away to Uni and managed to keep up a relationship with someone back home? I'm being a bit of a dram queen about all this because my course is only in Brighton and it can't be more than a couple of hours away by train - easily doable every couple of weekends, and every other weekend her coming down to the Uni -, but basically I've been with my lass for over a year now, she's the best thing in my life and it will be very hard or (in my mind, anyway!) impossible to be away from her.

I know we CAN do it, certainly if it's only for one year, considering how much time off you get in the first year and the amount of holiday as well - but I just don't WANT to do it. The idea of walking away from the best thing in my life just seems more and more ridiculous by the day, especially as my course is really nothing special and well below the standard of grades I got - I could likely get a course of the same standard through clearing. Added to that, obviously from her point of view it's going to be a struggle because, even though it would never be a problem, she's always going to have that worry about me being at Uni, not so much the possibility of a drunken fondle with another girl, more the possibility of me finding someone there that I really like, that sort of thing.

Anyway, far too much dulltails there, but yeah, anyone had any experience of this? I guess I could sum up how I'm feeling now by saying that the idea of going to Uni, which should be a hugely exciting and mildly scary thing, has now become a case of thinking more abuot what I'm walking away from than what I'm moving towards. It can't be a healthy situation to be thoroughly fed up with Uni life a good couple of months before I've started it.

[Mr Colossal]

I thought people have changed universities months into courses so doing it before the term has started should be easy- And fucking them about with the paperwork? hehe its all computers and whatnot these days, its not like its one person who's even going to care what you're doing- thats what they're paid for!

As for the changing courses for a girl, my usual advice would be never to let anybody, ever, get in the way of anything you want to do, as that leaves potential room for regret later. However, if she is the light of the your life and the course choice and location you spent ages whittling it down to really doesn't mean that much...

[Xander]

Anyone ever gone away to Uni and managed to keep up a relationship with someone back home?

I know many a few. My girlfriend and I kept together whilst she was in Essex and I was in Durham for about a year and a half. It was other, completely different things that meant we ended it, not the difference. I know a guy who went to uni in Glasgow in a relationship with someone from  Edinburgh and someone who went to London School of Economics marry someone who went to Newcastle. It can be done, don't worry.

I'd advise getting the net so you can speak to each other every day, and having two sets of understanding and lovely parents. Hers used to give me a lift once a term to see her when they went down, and mine (being closer to me) used to pay for her rail fare up once a term. That was essentially once a month to see each other, then we saw each other non-stop during the very
long and liberal Uni holidays.

EDIT: Mr Collossal's advice above is good. Don't change for a girl. If you're worried about her thinking stuff, reassure her you love her or whatever. As bad as it sounds, uni is a massive melting pot, and you very well may find someone you like more. But if you like them MORE, then what's the worry? She wasn't the one for you. She may find someone she likes more on the clubbing scene, but that's life...

[mayer]

I went to University and dropped out at the end of my first year, totally unable to do the course I'd foolishly picked, with no motivation, flair, balls or hard work to get myself through it.

I wanted to stay at the same University I was studying at, and change course. I told them this in February of my first year. I was told to stick the year out and do the exams (for the course I had no intention of staying with), and then ask them again about changing course.

June came around, I passed three of my exams, failed two (the maths ones), and went with my begging cap to my tutors regarding changing course again, and they point blank said no.

From there I was left in a position where I wanted to go straight back to University, but it was already June, and a standard UCAS application was out of the question.

Bristol University had caught my eye for various reasons, but they are a bunch of wannabe Oxbridge twats these days, so they don't accept any non-UCAS applications, or even any UCAS Clearing applictations.


I thought "fuck it", and decided to give it a year and reapply to Bristol, plus my original University (but a different college) for the new course, as well as some other places. Bristol who I'd rejected in 2000 got their own back by knocking me back without an interview, despite my A-Level grades massively outweighing their requirements.


I decided on my second choice, Manchester, and graduated June just gone, a  full five years after I started off. I loved the place, and, looking back, everything worked out okay.


And it will for you, I'm sure. Good luck!


EDIT: I was in a happy relationship when at my first University, she was most definitely not up for a distance thing, having had a bad experience of that before, so when I left I was heartbroken and un-sexed, as well as pissed off.

[Utter Shit]

I thought people have changed universities months into courses so doing it before the term has started should be easy- And fucking them about with the paperwork? hehe its all computers and whatnot these days, its not like its one person who's even going to care what you're doing- thats what they're paid for!

As for the changing courses for a girl, my usual advice would be never to let anybody, ever, get in the way of anything you want to do, as that leaves potential room for regret later. However, if she is the light of the your life and the course choice and location you spent ages whittling it down to really doesn't mean that much...

I would never kick the course on the head altogether, I totally agree that I don't think you can make a life-changing decision for the good of anyone but yourself - I still want to go to University, and still definitely will go...I just want one in London so that I don't have to have that issue there.

True about the paperwork as well, I just somehow had this idea of the UCAS people labelling me a bad egg who shouldn't be taken on, or some such crap. My brain isn't the best, I'm afraid.

[Gazeuse]

anyone ever gone away to Uni and managed to keep up a relationship with someone back home?

Yes...I've been with Mrs. Gaz since we were 14 and we're still together at 44. I'd agree with the people who said don't change your university plans over a relationship...If you're really meant to be together, then you'll stay together.

[Borboski]

Me and Mrs B went to different uni's, me Sheffield Hallam and her uni of Liverpool.  Which aren't too far apart - and we saw each other, well, at least once a fortnight.

I'm definately glad we didn't go to the same uni.  It meant that we got two circles of friends, and didn't have to go through that dilemna a lot of couples at uni have (so it appears) of when one goes out the other feels they have to come too.

That might just be my experience - in a circle of male friends one fellows girlfriend was very protective and for two years came out into town every single time we went out bar one appeared - which shouldn't have been a problem but she would always pull a strop and drag him off early.

Anyway...

I'm sure you want to be together every waking second - but like me and Gaz, if it's going to be a successful relationship you may be together THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, and so three years of a bit of relative freedom you will probably look back on as a bit of fun.

What course are you doing?  Because if it's a humanities one you can spend so much time over there - each semester just bunk off a fortnight - you can get all the reading to take with you - and work in her library.

[Timmay]

Me and Mrs B went to different uni's, me Sheffield Hallam and her uni of Liverpool.

Wheee! I went to Hallam too, and maintained a successful long-distance relationship. Well, it was successful up until the point where we broke up because of the distance.

My advice, Utter Shit? Heck, I don't know you or your girl so don't take offence - I'm not trying to patronise you - but you're young, you're going to Uni. Have some fun (some single fun), when at Uni. When you eventually break up with her, either because of the distance or because you or her meet someone else and/or get bored, you'll be kicking yourself over all those wasted Uni years where you could have been out with your mates, enjoying a singleton's life. Instead you'll be out with them, having just a few drinks (you can't get too drunk because you've got to speak to your missus at midnight), constantly checking your phone for texts (she'll get upset if she sends you one and you don't respond within 3 minutes), watching (with increasing jealousy as the weeks and months go on) your mates having "fun" with lovely young student lasses.

Yes, I wasted a good proportion of my Uni life on a long-distance relationship which I thought would last forever and it didn't, and kinda regret it now.

[Borboski]

Aw don't take Timmay too seriously - just because he wishes he'd spent three years philanderin', drinkin', and whorin', doesn't mean you will - like me you might end up together.

Although as I say, I'd suggest going to different uni's - its a good way of seeing if you really like each other that much.

[Evil Knevil]

I remember my long distance girlfriend at Uni ended up paying to get my phone reconnected... buying me several calendars... even a fucking filofax (these were the days before high technology). I didn't get the message(s)*
*ahhh, student nostalgia*

Rather than start another thread, I was wondering if anybody knows anything about Exeter? The town and the Uni. I'm thinking about doing a Masters, (leading to a Phd) there in Middle Eastern History & Arabic.

[Hoogstraten'sSmilingUlcer]

mayer wrote:

Bristol University had caught my eye for various reasons, but they are a bunch of wannabe Oxbridge twats these days, so they don't accept any non-UCAS applications, or even any UCAS Clearing applictations.

*splutters with indignation*

That's absolutely outrageous! Bristol's much better than Oxbridge for reasons I can't go into right now. UCAS was sent by the Devil to stop more people applying to university. And they can't stop sending me fucking little letters telling me about bollocking forms I filled in ages ago.

(Of course, if, by Thursday, not everything has quite gone to plan, I'll agree with you fullheartedly).

[neveragain]

Thursday Thursday Thursday. Dear God in Hell.