Should I drop out of UCL?
I am coming to Reddit because I want a purely unbiased opinion, which I am inevitably not going to be able to get from most of my family and friends.
Just finished my first year at UCL doing History. Got 3 A*s at A-level. Thinking about withdrawing now and reapplying for Law (Cambridge, UCL, Warwick, Durham, Bristol) for Oct 2027 entry. I averaged 68% across my modules for first year, which is 11% of my degree.
I don't like how subjective the marking is in History; there is a considerable disparity in the way in which different markers give grades; I noticed this particularly when receiving my results this Summer, and in particular when going over some past student answers on Moodle.
I actually want to study Law as a subject, not just chase the career; I do want to be a lawyer, and can do that with a History degree, but I am genuinely more interested in the law than history. I can't help but feel envious whenever I speak to my friends at UCL who study law about their course.
But I'm hesitant. Feels like I'd be abandoning a year of work and throwing away progress. It's a gamble; no guaranteed offers, would be reapplying as a former uni student rather than straight from school, and could end up worse off if it doesn't work out.
I'm very happy socially also, so would feel like I'm abandoning my social life.
I also have a flat in London secured for 2nd year with 3 others; so I can't let them down by pulling out; I'd need to keep the flat and find a job in London for a year.
I need advice here on whether or not I should pull out of UCL, and reapply to unis for law. Also, will my A-Levels have degraded if I apply for 2027 entry, given I took them in 2025.