‘I need to be at a uni that wants me to be there’: Why one fresher dropped out of Edinburgh

Before university started there were the Facebook groups, like ‘Edinburgh Freshers 2016/17’ with their cringe worthy welcome messages and endless conversations about which halls to apply for, whether there were any Business Studies chats yet, or which grossly overpriced Freshers’ events to buy tickets for. It was in one of these groups, on some mind numbing ‘comment your course and like if you see anyone doing the same as you,’ thread, that I found Beth.

Russian students are a bit of a rarity in general. I messaged her and we ended up in some of the same lectures and in Russian Society together, but after a few weeks I started noticing that Beth was rarely around.

When I messaged her to find out what was going on, she told me she’d be leaving Edinburgh permanently that week, that there was nothing that could be done to dissuade her.

Beth’s reasons for leaving were mainly that she wasn’t ready for university yet. I was slightly surprised to find out that it wasn’t the social aspect, and being away from home that had led to her decision to leave, but in fact university study, and the course itself.

She said: “It was partly because they expected so much of us and having got such good grades at A-Level, it was almost as if I was thrown into it on my own, and I wasn’t used to that at all. At A-Level they give you a book, and it’s like ‘learn this whole book and you’ll get an A.'”

This in itself isn’t hugely shocking, and many people wouldn’t have sympathy with Beth leaving for these reasons.  Independent study isn’t for everyone, and some people are more prepared to adapt to it than others.

What really struck me is what Beth told me next, about the actual course of events once she’d decided to drop out. Having emailed her personal tutor, she said that her personal tutor “seemed not to really care, she didn’t ask to meet with me or anything.”

It’s surprising that Edinburgh would appear to be nonchalant about a straight-A student leaving them in early November without knowing why. When Beth contacted Student Support to withdraw from the university, the very same woman who had enrolled her just weeks before simply printed off a form and asked her to fill it in.

On their page it states that they are the “first point of contact for all administrative and pastoral matters”, yet it seems they failed to note the possible pastoral element of Beth’s decision to leave and instead handled it administratively.

I approached the Student Support team to ask them what the general procedure is when a student decides to withdraw from the university, giving them the specifics of the case: a first year student, early in semester one. They responded: “Following a request for withdrawal from the university, the Student Support Team or Personal Tutor would ask the student to complete the following form.”

A brief glance over the form and it is clear that this process is far more administrative than pastoral.

During our welcome talks, we were introduced to what felt like a broad network of support available, however Beth seems to be a real example of one that simply slipped through the net.

This has culminated in some bitter feelings on Beth’s part towards uni. She said: “I felt like this uni couldn’t give two shits if I was here or not.”

While this experience of Student Support and the personal tutor system is very different to my own, one can’t help but wonder that if Edinburgh had just once bothered to ask why Beth had decided to leave, and maybe offer her some support, a very clever, passionate student might still be part of our university today.

The support is there for some, however the sad reality is that universities will continue to lose students as the whole university experience gradually becomes less and less personable. Sadly MyED can’t throw you a life-jacket when you’re already drowning.