Having doubts about your course?

Settling in to university can be challenging; there are loads of new things, people and places to get to know, as well as learning a new subject and dealing with assignments and for some, it’s the first time away from home. Before you make any final decisions, there are a few things that you can do.

Talk to someone Whether it’s a friend or someone in your family, a problem shared is a problem halved.

Think about the best actions for the problem Maybe you’re struggling with a looming deadline and it’s getting a bit too much, you might be eligible for mitigating circumstances. Find out more here.

What is it that you’re not enjoying about university? Thinking about why you aren’t enjoying your time at uni can make finding a solution easier. Maybe you don’t like your course or don’t like where you live. Don’t fret; these are things that you can change. You can talk to one of our student advisors; they’re located across our five campuses so you’re never too far from one. They’re here to listen and help you with your problems. See our full list of student support and guidance tutors (SSGTs) here.

Final year student Ben found that studying Biology wasn’t his cup of tea, so he changed his course.

“I was studying Biology in Brighton but after a couple of months, realised that it was not for me. At first I thought changing course wasn’t an option because it felt like I would be taking a step backwards.

“I began skipping lectures because I just wasn’t enjoying it. After speaking to my tutor, I went and spoke to someone in Student Services because I wasn’t sure what my options were.

“We talked about what I didn’t enjoy about the course and what I’d rather do instead; work or study. I decided that I did still want to study but not that course. I ended up changing to Sport and Exercise Science, which I chose because it’s still scientific but it’s more related to what I enjoy, which is sport. I’m now living in Eastbourne and I’ve not regretted my decision once. I think often when you come out of school and go straight to uni, just like I did, it’s rare to know exactly what you want to do, so sometimes you need to take a step back to take two steps forward.”