Ok

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Joining without a degree is one thing, joining after dropping out of a degree course however won't look good. I do know of a uni dropout who commissioned however I'm pretty sure he passed RCB before dropping out of uni.

It's definitely possible to pass Westbury having dropped out of Uni.
 
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You know the chances of you dieing are much less than the chances of you surviving, it's not a death sentence to join the armed forces. Admittedly the RAF and RN (less marines) have even less chance of getting hurt.

That's a relief. :p

Your qualifications aren't even half the battle when trying to join as an officer. What extra curricular activities do you do? Be prepared to justify exactly why you have dropped out of uni half way through.

Again don't think about dropping out just yet as you may not get into the army.... then what? If you can sort out your failed second year (which would be much easier than getting through the officer recruitment process) and finish your degree you will be in a much better position to decide where you want to go.

Very true, I need to get some more extra curricular activities under my belt.

I'd suggest not writing it off too early, 6 weeks of hard work (and it will be hard if you've been messing about up to now) could see you actually passing the year and able to continue with the course if you chose. Even if you don't continue with it walking away with a second year that you've passed (or at least made a damn good attempt at) has to be better than just jacking it in and saying "bit hard, couldn't be bothered" - I don't know too much about the armed forces but I suspect they'd be more impressed that you'd made the effort.

It's possibly also worth pointing out that you're hardly unique in not doing much until it comes up to exam time but provided you've done the courseworks as necessary (even if you got relatively poor marks for them) then it's perfectly possible to pass the final exams for the year. I generally didn't start revising until a week or two before exams although I did go to the lectures (not that I necessarily did much but I was there) - not saying it's a good strategy but it's far from impossible.

If you do decide that the armed forces is for you then good luck but it's something you need to think carefully about as it's a pretty big commitment.

I haven't been to anything, got literally a years worth of learning to do which is going to be assessed over 15hrs of exams. :/

Don't even get me started on coursework, handed nothing in.



I'd be suprised if there wasn't a whole load of students in your situation (I was one of them), six weeks is plenty of time. Get your head down, celebrate when you pass your second year then think about what you will do.

True. I just need to motivate myself for the next six weeks.

If fitness gives you a buzz then become a Personal trainer or get a job in a gym.

erm? army and personal trainer isn't really comparable haha.

What makes you happy, what are you good at, what satisfies you?

Get these right and you're on your way.

Wise words. If I knew that I'd be a happy man.

You're still young - It seems like there are loads of people in your position and many of them just go "Screw it - I'll just go into the Army" - Why don't you try and just get a job...

I was offered a year dropout placement with KPMG with a £27k starting wage. I'm not interested, I'm looking for something fufilling.

I say go for it, whats the worst that can happen!

full-metal-jacket-pdvd_009011.jpg

:D

haha love it.
 
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Forgot to add on that I went to the AFCO today. They were not able to help me in the slightest, and they confessed that they don't usually have guys wanting to be officers approaching, they only knew about bog standard entry. Moderately annoying, especially as they didn't even have any literature etc.


I found out that if you enter in as a graduate then this translates into a higher pay in recognition of time spent in education!
 
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I'm just about to graduate as an aero engineer and am considering the forces.

Academia really didn't suit me as I have naff all motivation or discipline when it comes to doing something for myself. In a group I work my **** off though.

I'm finding it very hard to sell myself in applications and interviews, and also still really not feeling very inspired by engineering.
I wish I had joined straight from GCSE's, I have no doubt I'd be happier now (and healthier).

If I were you, I would.

Plus second what you said about AFCO and officers.
 
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I'm just about to graduate as an aero engineer and am considering the forces.

Academia really didn't suit me as I have naff all motivation or discipline when it comes to doing something for myself. In a group I work my **** off though.

I'm finding it very hard to sell myself in applications and interviews, and also still really not feeling very inspired by engineering.
I wish I had joined straight from GCSE's, I have no doubt I'd be happier now (and healthier).

If I were you, I would.

Plus second what you said about AFCO and officers.


Don't regret it dude, a degree will always be a degree, which is partially why I'm so frustrated with myself.

6 weeks? If I were you I'd be bloody studying my arse off and attempting to get the best mark I could before you do actually drop out (if I'm reading it wrong I apologise).

That's what I should be doing.
 
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I haven't been to anything, got literally a years worth of learning to do which is going to be assessed over 15hrs of exams. :/

Don't even get me started on coursework, handed nothing in.

Then you've been a bit of a silly boy and I've got to wonder what your university is doing if they're not making noises about booting you off the course already. The situation isn't necessarily irredeemable though - it's just going to require lots more work than if you'd done a little bit earlier. I'd suggest speaking to your lecturer(s) or guidance teacher and asking for their advice/help with what you need to do to pass the year as most universities I know of will allocate some marks at least to courseworks.
 
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Then you've been a bit of a silly boy and I've got to wonder what your university is doing if they're not making noises about booting you off the course already. The situation isn't necessarily irredeemable though - it's just going to require lots more work than if you'd done a little bit earlier. I'd suggest speaking to your lecturer(s) or guidance teacher and asking for their advice/help with what you need to do to pass the year as most universities I know of will allocate some marks at least to courseworks.

Haha, my university dosen't seem to care in the slightest whether or not I turn up. Probably not for the best it would seem...

Coursework probably accounts for around 40% of this year, so I've limited the amounts of marks available in these exams. Going to try and see if there is a way for me to scrape up some marks somewhere.

I wish Jennifer Lopez promised to give me a good night if I got a 2:1 this year. Would be interesting to see if I'd work harder :D
 
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That's what I should be doing.

I don't want to start talking all educational blah blah but the first stage in making progress is identifying where you are at currently - which you have.

The next step is identifying where you want to go, which you have already - pass second year.

The last step would be planning on how you are going to get there. I would advise you go see your mentors ASAP and ask them how to approach your work, they might (should) be able to help you set targets and make an action plan for you. Failing that find out when all your coursework has to be done by and when your exams are and set yourself a reachable target each day.
 
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I don't want to start talking all educational blah blah but the first stage in making progress is identifying where you are at currently - which you have.

The next step is identifying where you want to go, which you have already - pass second year.

The last step would be planning on how you are going to get there. I would advise you go see your mentors ASAP and ask them how to approach your work, they might (should) be able to help you set targets and make an action plan for you. Failing that find out when all your coursework has to be done by and when your exams are and set yourself a reachable target each day.

Very logical, I like it.


Emailed all my tutors etc, who all basically said "you're screwed, **** off".

Fair enough really.


Wonder if I could get me people to sponser me for charity.....hmmm :p
 
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Very logical, I like it.


Emailed all my tutors etc, who all basically said "you're screwed, **** off".

Fair enough really.


Wonder if I could get me people to sponser me for charity.....hmmm :p

If that's the case then you want to contact student services and seek advice. It's not fair enough, yes you have left it late but I'd put money on them seeing people leave work too late every year. Your tutors aren't there out of kindness to help you, you are paying them for your education so I wouldn't take them not giving you help as an acceptable answer.

e: Oh and don't email them, go into uni and see them face to face. Not so easy to fob you off then.
 
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You need to ask yourself some pretty serious questions about your motivation for joining the Army.

Joining any military service is long term commitment and not really something you should do simply because you think it may be the soft option when it come to make decisions about your future.

Go down to your local ACO and have a chat with the recruitment officer, they will be able to help you make the right choices.

I was in the military for 18 years and I never ever regretted it, but it is a serious commitment and is not for everyone, so be sure that it is what you want to do, and not what you think you need to do.

Ignore the naysayers, being a soldier can be an extremely rewarding and lucrative career, just be aware that it is a way of life and not simply a job that you can leave at anytime.

This day it seems to be pretty easy to get out!

In the RAF myself and I love it, as long as you have a strong liver and willing to put in loads of time devoted to crap you get slung your way. More so in the ARMY.

Best of luck, but you need to do it not try. Get fit, as fit as possible is my best tip. Get into the sports section, get ready to be training upwards of 2-3 times a day for weeks on end.
 
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If that's the case then you want to contact student services and seek advice. It's not fair enough, yes you have left it late but I'd put money on them seeing people leave work too late every year. Your tutors aren't there out of kindness to help you, you are paying them for your education so I wouldn't take them not giving you help as an acceptable answer.

e: Oh and don't email them, go into uni and see them face to face. Not so easy to fob you off then.

Thanks, will go in tomorrow and chase arse. Hopefully I can get a plan detailed.

This day it seems to be pretty easy to get out!

In the RAF myself and I love it, as long as you have a strong liver and willing to put in loads of time devoted to crap you get slung your way. More so in the ARMY.

Best of luck, but you need to do it not try. Get fit, as fit as possible is my best tip. Get into the sports section, get ready to be training upwards of 2-3 times a day for weeks on end.


Call me dense, but what do you mean when you say "loads of crap slung your way". Do you mean in terms of abuse/pointless tasks/unreasonable work etc


Good tip on the fitness by the way, regardless of the outcome it never hurts to be fit.

Currently running 1.5~ miles with hills, along with pullups and the occasional workout with 20kg dumbells.
 
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Out of curiosity, why am I LOSING weight after doing my weightlifting/running etc. Surely the idea is to get bigger?

:/
 
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Ah that may explain it.

So you reckon I need to eat more with the following stats?

6'2 80kg

breakfast: usually skipped, maybe a tea.

Lunch: some random snack maybe beans on toast

Dinner: some random meal, maybe pasta and sauce or rice and curry.

along with various snacks and beer.
 
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