Mid-November is one of the peak times for young people to drop out of university as they struggle with the demands of their course or living away from home.

Yet you may not expect an academic to advocate quitting - particularly one who dropped out of a degree before finding herself with a PhD and a job as a lecturer.

Dr Rebecca Sharpe was the first member of her family to win a place at university, but within two months had left and was working in a shopping centre.

She had been lonely, stressed and felt like an academic failure.

Now aged 41, Dr Sharpe is part of Sheffield Hallam University's geography, environment and planning department, and is a renowned expert on the water industry who is consulted by local authorities.

When she meets university applicants, she is honest about why her first attempt at undergraduate study did not work out.

"I grew up in Chesterfield and was a first generation student and I think I simply didn't know what university was about, I had nobody to talk to about what to expect.

"I chose psychology and economics as I thought it sounded interesting, but it actually wasn't aligning with my passions.

"I went to university in a big city and thinking about my personality, that probably wasn't the right place for me."

According to the National Union of Students (NUS), peak times for students dropping out are the middle of the autumn term and the period immediately after Christmas. Universities do offer support for students to remain, but sometimes advise that leaving is the best option.

For Dr Sharpe, hearing her friends talk about university made her feel like she had made the wrong decision.

"Hearing about their lives and how much enjoyment they were getting from university made me realise my experience wasn't the same.

"I remember walking round the city I was in and feeling incredibly lonely. I had been there a couple of months when I decided to drop out, I realised the subject and the city weren't right for me and I needed to make a change."

Dr Sharpe says although it was the right decision, it was difficult.

"It was the first time I felt I had academically failed, I had always achieved quite highly. I went back home and there was an initial sense of relief that I had made the decision but then came an incredibly hard time of thinking what I wanted to do. At that point I didn't think I would go back to university."

She took a job at Meadowhall in Sheffield, which gave her time to think what kind of career she really wanted.

"Looking back on my passions, I had always loved geography but I didn't necessarily link the subject to a particular job so I hadn't considered it the first time around.

"Thinking what would make me happy really helped me to choose geography the second time around.

"I went to look at different universities and found Loughborough had the kind of environment where I would thrive and not feel lost in."

She admits she felt pressure to make the most of her second chance.

"Having that extra year to grow up really enabled me to have more confidence. Doing geography meant there were field trips where I met people which made me feel happier.

"I worked in an office and on customer service in a department store and that also gave me more confidence to talk to people."

She believes people can start university at any time of life, when the time is right for them. After Loughborough she did a Masters and PhD at the University of Sheffield before working for Severn Trent Water and in housing research.

"I've worked in industry but I've worked in academia for the majority of my career. Just because that first place wasn't for you, it doesn't mean university life isn't for you."

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