Unsure About Your Course
In all areas of life we often find ourselves asking the same kind of question: Do I want to be in this job / in this relationship / living in this situation / on this course? Obviously we hope that you enjoy your course and feel confident in your choice. However, it is important to acknowledge any doubts and take appropriate action.
What you do and where you go depends on your individual circumstances. If your doubts spring from emotional wobbles such as being home sick or having relationship issues the first thing to do is book a counselling appointment. If you are concerned about your written work or managing your work load then you need to get in touch with the Study Skills Adviser. Full contact details for the range of specialist student support services are listed in the PDP web pages.
An important part of any consideration about leaving your course is to be clear what the issues are - this requires reflection and honesty. If you are unclear about this it will be easy to find yourself in a similar situation further down the line. For tools to help you reflect and evaluate your current situation go to the University Personal Development Planning (PDP) website: www.chi.ac.uk/pdp.
It is important to involve your personal tutor or subject leader. They will have experienced a wide range of student concerns and can often offer support, advice and find solutions to certain specific problems. Their support is vital if you wish to change subjects or transfer to another university.
As you're reading this in the Careers site we should pitch our case on this. We can help you evaluate your current situation in broad terms and will be able to advise you on issues around subject changes and applications. Obviously we can help you with the career implications of your current course or alternative ideas. For general information on see our Options with Your Degree Subject page. If you decide to leave your course early or take a break in your study we will offer continued support after you have left.
When it comes to making a clear decision one way or the other you can utilise specific thinking tools. One to recommend is Edward De Bono's Six Hats technique. It's easy to use and can help untangle all the different threads in your thinking.
Further information and some useful links (we also have a useful booklet based around the contents of these pages): www.prospects.ac.uk/p/articles/leaving_your_course.jsp.