Why I Quit University

This time last year I'd just got my A-Level results and was preparing myself for my first year at Liverpool John Moores University. Now, I'm gonna be honest - I was never really the smartest student in my classes, neither was I the dumbest. I just got by.

I attended most revision classes and I did the whole sticking posters and diagrams up on my walls and posting pictures of them on Facebook to prove to everyone how hard I was working. Well, how hard I thought I was working.

I soon learnt that sticking up posters everywhere was in no way helping the information stick in my brain. If I stuck a diagram up of 'Freud's pschyosexual stages of development' on my kitchen cupboard, I was more bothered about the Curly Wurly I was going to get out of the cupboard than actually standing there and reading the information on the diagram. It just didn't work for me.

However, following what the rest of my mates did and the majority of my year group, I applied for university to study BA Honours degree in Drama. Looking back, I'm not really sure why I chose it. I suppose, I'd done it at GCSE and at A-Level and got the best possible grades I could get. Therefore, I figured if I'm good at something, I might aswell just carry on doing it. I made the fatal mistake of not looking around at my options. I had one single idea, and that's what I was going to stick to. Well, because it was the easiest.

So, around this time last year I moved into my uni halls around two weeks before my course was due to start. I was really lucky because I had SUCH lovely flatmates and palled off with a scouser who had pretty much the same outlook on everything as I did. She was study Events Management which, surprisingly, I'd never heard of before. I did the whole freshers thing - going out, getting absolutely cherry bakewelled, and spending the majority of my student loan in two weeks. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't complaining at that stage and was probably my fondest memory of my uni experience.

My Scouse Friend Elyse, Tom Pearce (TOWIE), & I

                                                    

My lovely flatmates!

Then my lectures started. I made friends and got chatting to quite a lot of my classmates as everyone was in the same boat. But, as time went on, I found myself not wanting to go to lectures anymore, as I felt really disinterested and felt as though I didn't fit in. I noticed that my classmates would get really excited when a new unit was discussed or when we arranged rehearsal time whereas, I couldn't wait to just go back to my flat to hear about how my flatmates' classes were going - especially from my scouser mate studying Events Management.

It was when my flatmates and I were getting ready for yet another night out, that it dawned on me - 'I don't belong here'. I realised that I'd kept my feelings bottled up for so long that I couldn't hold it in any longer and ended sobbing my heart out to a group of girls that I'd only known around a month, ruining my big black smokey eyes and causing my eyelashes to completely fall off. I sat there on my bed just letting everything pour out. The girls attempted to make me feel better by blaming it on the alcohol (which is usually the case), and that I'd wake up tomorrow morning and feel completely different. But no. I knew something wasn't right and that I had to do something about it before it was too late. 

The next morning, I went down to the Student Union, hungover and still in last night's re-done make up and asked to talk to someone about leaving university. I'd not even thought about calling my parents at this stage. I wasn't ready to face the dread and disappointment in their voices. I was advised to go and talk to my personal tutor which is exactly what I did. He'd already given us his number in case of emergencies so I sent him a quick text. Something like 'I really need to talk to somebody, I think I've made a mistake coming to university. Hannah.' He rang me straight back and told me to come down to his office at 2pm that afternoon. I explained exactly how I felt and pretty much repeated what I'd said to the girls the night before - minus the glass of vodka and triple coke in my hand. To my surprise, he understood straight away and explained how he'd had the exact same mishap when he went to university. He straight away put me at ease and felt as though he completely supported me in my decision. Looking back now though - maybe he just thought I was crap! 

Next mission was to head down to student services and officially drop out of university. Final mission, was to call Mum & Dad. That's a whole other blog post in itself. Let's just say they supported me through everything - what are parents for?

Those few months were the hardest months of my life so far. I ended up working in a hotel for a while after that whilst trying to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go with my life. All I knew at that stage was that I DEFINITELY did not want to be working 6:30am-4pm shifts for the rest of my life! I always found myself thinking about how Elyse's course was going and what units she was covering. I found myself thinking about Events Management more and more. I eventually decided that events was something I would look into as a career. 

To cut a (very) long story short, a month after working in the hotel, I managed to secure an apprenticeship in Business working for my local council. I absolutely LOVE it! I get to organise regular events from networking to business support. I get to help with our marketing and public relations and even manage our social media sites. I've been working there since January so I am well and truly in the swing of things now. I have an amazing team of people to work with and even get one-to-ones with an ex PR and Events Management lecturer every week! I have honestly never looked back and am completely loving learning new things every day whilst earning a decent wage packet! ;)

I have to admit though - I don't think I would have ever discovered Events Management without going to university so since then I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason! Without going to university, I never would have met Elyse, never would have heard about the course, never would have applied for the apprenticeship and I would never be where I am now! I've even been told that there's a chance I'll get to sign a long-term contract in January. Now that really would be the icing on the cake!

The past year has taught me to not just follow the crowd and that university isn't for everybody. I can honestly say, hand on heart, I have never been happier than I am now. 

2014 here I come!