Can Anyone Help? Student advice needed!

moomin-mama_2

I'm a full time student (single parent) and was diagnosed with depression this year. I have to retake my second year cos I missed so much work. I'm feeling better but am worried about how I'll cope with the pressure again. Anyway, have been to the student advisor who wasn't much help and wondered if anyone else has been through this?

Is it possible to be registered with the University as a 'disabled' student. I know it seems a bit drastic but if I could do that then help would be available immediately if I ran into problems. Just trying to anticipate future problems that could derail me again. The student advisor couldn't offer anything except a loan to alleviate my financial problems.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

missk_ensington

Being registered as a disabled student is neither use nor ornament, I'm registered as a disabled student and I discovered at the end of my first year that my tutors didn't even know I had additional needs! I'd never been offered an extention, never been given extra leeway, they even quibbled about giving me a parking space (despite commuting 70 miles with a baby and a chronic heart condition!) and when I finally got a parking space it was in the 'Outer Zone' meaning a kilmometre walk in the p1ssing it down rain, with baby and half a dozen 700 page English Literature anthologies!

When they found me collapsed in the road then they started being a bit more helpful, but it took a year!

How old is your child(ren)? If you're problems are financial the ALF is very good. What are you studying? Can you get in touch with other single parents on your course if there are any?

Being organised is the key. I have a hard backed A4 notbook for every 'module' and every page is numbered. At the back I have 1-40 down the margin, and every lecture/seminar I write the topic, the date, the Lecturer and then my notes.This may be on page 3, 4, and 5. So then at the back fir pages 3,4,5 I write the topic in my topic column, date in date column.... so it looks something like...

1 Week 1 (01/01/06) (Lecture) Byron-Shelley Circle Prof K. Wells
2 Week 1 (03/01/06) (Lecture) Wordsworth Prof H. Smith
3 Week 1 (05/01/06) (Seminar) Discussion of...
4 Week 2.......... etc etc

If there are any handouts they are numbered and filed, then on the above Index I write the Handout numbers in a circle at the end of the line.

By this method you can tidy your millions of sheets away and be able to locate them easily. This is great when you have an essay to write as you can go to your Index and pinpoint in 5 seconds where all your material is for that topic.

Hope this helps some people, I find this method impossible to manage without!

Miss_3

Hi, I can't help you but you may be able to help me. I'm a single parent and would like to go back to Uni full time next year to finish my degree (have done two years with OU part time while working), how do you manage to live and support your child financially while studying? Hope you don't mind me interupting your thread to ask you.

Thanks

charts

missk_ensington wrote:

Being registered as a disabled student is neither use nor ornament, I'm registered as a disabled student and I discovered at the end of my first year that my tutors didn't even know I had additional needs! I'd never been offered an extention, never been given extra leeway, they even quibbled about giving me a parking space (despite commuting 70 miles with a baby and a chronic heart condition!) and when I finally got a parking space it was in the 'Outer Zone' meaning a kilmometre walk in the p1ssing it down rain, with baby and half a dozen 700 page English Literature anthologies!

That's terrible. Universities should definately make teaching staff aware of students with special needs/disabilities. They do this reasonably efficiently where I am, but I guess that even when staff are made aware they may not always act appropriately. In your situation I think you would have had recourse to write a letter to the dean of the faculty or equivalent. At the very least I would say that if they weren't that understanding the threat of any legal action should have prompted more positive action.

missk_ensington wrote:

Being organised is the key. I have a hard backed A4 notbook for every 'module' and every page is numbered. At the back I have 1-40 down the margin, and every lecture/seminar I write the topic, the date, the Lecturer and then my notes.This may be on page 3, 4, and 5. So then at the back fir pages 3,4,5 I write the topic in my topic column, date in date column.... so it looks something like...

1 Week 1 (01/01/06) (Lecture) Byron-Shelley Circle Prof K. Wells
2 Week 1 (03/01/06) (Lecture) Wordsworth Prof H. Smith
3 Week 1 (05/01/06) (Seminar) Discussion of...
4 Week 2.......... etc etc

If there are any handouts they are numbered and filed, then on the above Index I write the Handout numbers in a circle at the end of the line.

By this method you can tidy your millions of sheets away and be able to locate them easily. This is great when you have an essay to write as you can go to your Index and pinpoint in 5 seconds where all your material is for that topic.

Hope this helps some people, I find this method impossible to manage without!

Sounds like excellent advice for all to me.

Snow_Angel

When you say 'student advisor', do you mean the uni counselling service? Our uni has a counselling service - I have used them myself and they were excellent. They helped me enormously with my problems related to assessment anxiety. they also offered to contact my tutors to discuss it with them if I wanted them to, in order to have extenuating circumstances taken into consideration before assesssment periods.

eclipse

Okay I'll forewarn you, this might turn into a ramble!

I was registered with my uni (Southampton uni) as a "disabled" student right from the outset (I declared it on my ucas form) because of my history of depression. This meant that i was registered with their disability services, and could see an advisor who would help me access the support i needed. Luckily, southampton is fantastic when it comes to disability support. Perhaps even if your uni don't have any of the following, you could suggest they implement something similar?...

Southampton has special "assistive technology" rooms in every library on every campus. Only people registered with the disability services can log in to and therefore use these computers. The difference is that as opposed to being 20cm from the next computer in a huge room, each computer has its own workspace, headphones, scanner etc, so that there's plenty of room to work.

I don't know if you're claiming disabled students allowances (information here, but southampton make it easier to claim back your printing/photocopying costs by providing a "high value" copy card (£10 at a time if i remember rightly) and then bill you termly for however many you've had. You then pay the bill, and get your LEA to refund you - a lot simpler than any other method of claiming back the odd £1 here and there.

there was a mentoring service for people with MH problems - they could allocate someone to see you weekly (or more often if necessary) who could help with course related stuff e.g. study skills, and also negotiate with yoru department if you wanted them to re. extensions, extra time in exams.

i not only had 25% extra time in my exams (due to problems with concentration), but I also was allowed to sit my exams "in school" - ie. in my department, in a room on my own, which made the whole process way less stressful than sitting in a gym with several hundred people.

Can't think of anything else right now, but if i think of anything i'll come back and add to this slightly incoherent post!

Oh, have just re-read your post. Re surviving uni, i can't be so positive. I managed to complete my 1st year, attempted my 2nd year twice, but have sadly had to withdraw because i just couldn't cope with it. I hope you manage it though, good luck!

moomin-mama_2

Miss wrote:

Hi, I can't help you but you may be able to help me. I'm a single parent and would like to go back to Uni full time next year to finish my degree (have done two years with OU part time while working), how do you manage to live and support your child financially while studying? Hope you don't mind me interupting your thread to ask you.

Thanks

Not at all! I don't find the finances that much of a problem mainly because I work during the summer. Only this year, because I was ill I couldnt take up my temp contract. This means I'm starting the year with an overdraft. Also, my eldest 2 have left home this year so I only have one 'cheaper' child at home. Anyone with teens will know what I mean!! The only problem is childcare - once kids get to 11 or 12 there doesn't seem to be much help available during the long holidays. Still, I'm sure we'll manage.

Thanks to everyone for their help and suggestions so far. It sounds as though the help available depends on the Uni.

Yes I am seeing the University counsellor who is fantastic but there's a limit to the number of sessions per year so I know there's going to be a big gap soon. Apart from that, the welfare advisor didnt seem to know about anything else. I'll have to do some digging around - what would we do without internet eh??

ILoveHenryJames

HI,

I will send you a PM later today when I have more time.

For now, I agree with missk that the ALF (acces to learning fund) is definitely worth pursuing. Mature students and those who have been/will be unable to earn money (through illness, for example) are high priority candidates to receive these funds.

chugalug

At my Uni, the welfare advisers aren't brilliant. I found the help I needed through the website. There was a page about the disability services so I rang direct and got through to someone who knows what they're talking about. Worth a try.

kittiwoz

It seems to vary between unis. I know Salford is very positive about disability including mental problems. I think it should be possible for you to register as a disabled student and you should try to do so. I think you should speak to your tutors personally if possible. Particularly if you are finding the university itself not to be particularly supportive I think you should seek support through the union. They should be able to guide you through the system, tell you how to get help and may even be in a postion to lobby on your behalf.

dancingfairy

O.k my uni is fantastic

Health centre
counselling service
mentor scheme
Aditional Learning Support
Finance support office
Department -ie tutor/ head of undergraduate studies etc

These places have all been really helpful - perhaps you could try some of these at your uni. I found classing myself as disabled (mental health problems) really helps.

I see Aditional Learning Support once a week, counselling as much as I need, Learning support also arranged for me to be assesed which meant I got computer equipment and also a helper who could help with washing/cooking/cleaning/shopping basically whatever help I needed but I don't need this at the moment. I also get 25% extra time in exams in case I panic and can sit them in a smaller room with other special needs people. I am also allowed extra time on assignments/class tests if I need it.

Hope this helps. You should be able to be assessed for a disabled student allowance for photocopying/a helper/help towards computer equipment etc depending on your needs. You should also be able to claim extra time in exams - the university must have a policy on this (surely?)

Getting organised is the key and organising things in case you need to take advantage of them if things go wrong. Print off as much info as you can about your course- what topics you have to do etc. I have a A4 folder with dividers in -1 section for each module. I have a big fat folder organised in the same way which I transfer my work into when my little one gets too fat. Try and do a week planner and split your time into small chunks for each module/ time to relax/eat etc. Colour coding helps so you can see what you need to do when (and don't forget to include you lectures on it).

A small table showing how esch module is assessed helps me
for example:
maths1 25% coursework - 1 test and 1 piece coursework
75% exam - May

.. etc

I hope some of this helps you. Perhaps a study skills guide would give you some hints on organisation as this really is the key - and doing things in small chunks - even if you only can manage to read 1/2 side of A4 and make notes at a time.

Good Luck

The Study Skills handbook I have found quite useful. Remember everyone feels they are not good enough etc, etc. You need to try and break this pattern of thinking and focus on what you can do and break it down into manageable chunks. Stick with it.