Help.

puresiesta

I completed my second year in June and recieved my results in July. Upon recieving my results I consequently failed and was withdrawn from the course as I had failed my examinations and two assessments.

Below is a timescale of key occuring events.

15th July 2010 Results recieved and withdrawn from course
23rd July 2010 University recieves my letter and form in regards to request for reconsideration
2nd August GP appointment, Doctor persribes anti-depressants and acknowlegdes stress, anxiety and depression since Janruary.
3rd August 2010 University send email stating that my request has failed
25th August 2010 University recieves my letter and form in regards to academic appeal
13th September 2010 University contacts me , stating that my appeal has failed the first stage of the process as it does not fall within grounds of a permitted appeal.
14th September 2010 University says I can no longer appeal, I have to contact the office of independant adjudicator.

On the understanding that I had 10 days to make a request for reconsideration I was rushed into filling out this form. I understand why this was rejected, but It gave me the opportunity to establish relevant new information surrounding my depression (which was not mentioned in the R4R). This relevent, new information was then provided in an academic appeal.

Yesterday I was contacted by email stating that this appeal had failed at its first stage as it did not contain relevant, new informnation. According to the handbook, a illness (depression) and a doctors notes are relevant information to make an appeal with. This was also new infromation as it had not been previously mentioned.

I do not understand how this has been dismissed. At the same time the University has not offered a detailed explanation as to why this is not considered relevant, new information. I understand I can contact the OIA but given the timescale of events already occured I pressume that this would not be resolved for the academic year 2010/2011.


Please help me

MrsManda

I'm sorry I should have constructed my answer better.
By academic appeal do you mean that you are trying to get your failed exams/assessments to be reassessed?

My university will allow students to apply for consideration due to extenuating circumstances but in practice this means that there's a possibility that if your grades are borderline they may be pushed over the boundary from a fail to a pass. But they won't say you passed if you aren't a boundary case because you need that knowledge in order to progress into the next year.

Have you been given the option of repeating the year/the modules you failed?

It sounds like it'd be worth you speaking to the student support/disability support people at your university as they'll have experience both with dealing with ill students and with your particular university's regulations

puresiesta

My academic appeal is me appealing against the decision to fail and withdraw my studies. This appeal contained relevant new info in regards to my depression that was not raised in the request for reconsideration.

I am appealing to be given the opportunity to retake the year again. My examinations were not boderline, but my module fails were.

I have been in contact with the students union services and university and I can no longer appeal. I have to use the OIA office of independant adjudicator.

My appeal was rejected at it's first stage with the only reason being given that it did not contain relevant new information that could not be previously presented. It did contain these things though.

How can these people who ever they are comment that a letter from my doctor and a detailed explanation descripting events that effected my attendance and perfromance, not be RELEVANT?????

All these policies and procedures they have in place and I can not even make an appeal based on hard core evidented illness.

dmg24

If you had been unwell since January, why did you not contact your GP earlier?

MrsManda

puresiesta wrote: »

My academic appeal is me appealing against the decision to fail and withdraw my studies.

Before the appeal and everything else did your university state that you would be not allowed to repeat the year? Did they say why?
It's unusual for a university to not let someone repeat a year if it's the first time they've failed.
Usually failing a couple of modules means that you are given the option of repeating the year.

puresiesta

The hardest part about depression is admitting it. No the University had never stated that I would not be allowed to repeat the year. I was appealing agaisnt thier decision to fail and withdraw me initially.

dmg24

MrsManda wrote: »

Before the appeal and everything else did your university state that you would be not allowed to repeat the year? Did they say why?
It's unusual for a university to not let someone repeat a year if it's the first time they've failed.
Usually failing a couple of modules means that you are given the option of repeating the year.

I think this is odd too - I can't help but think there is more to it.

puresiesta wrote: »

The hardest part about depression is admitting it. No the University had never stated that I would not be allowed to repeat the year. I was appealing agaisnt thier decision to fail and withdraw me initially.

Your reluctance to admit it is not the problem of the university. If you were struggling during the year the time to admit it would have been then (at which point you could have submitted mitigating circs), not now you have failed. Even your GP can only state that you appear to have been depressed since January, they cannot give a definitive diagnosis based on your word alone.

puresiesta

No there is not any more. My assessment marks were effected up untill my exams because of my symptons but on my appeal i stated that it was my examinations only that were greatly affected. I had to state when the feelings and symptons began.

Depression is a mental illness. It is difficault to discuss things like this with others. I was not appraoched by my tutor about my dip in perfromance and attendance, of to wich the university does have a responability.

Yes If the same thing happened again I would see a GP and someone within the university right away.

I did not have a low attendance in the last two terms or fail my examinations because I am lazy, I was ill.


I assure you the University were reluctant to comment on what would happen if the appeal was found in favor of me.

so what your saying is.
If the university would automatically allow me a retake of the year then there would be no need for the appeal.

the whole point of the appeal is to proove I was ill.

dmg24

I understand all too well about MH issues, but you are an adult and it is not for the university to ask you why your performance has been affected, it is for you to speak up. You had the opportunity to submit mitigating circs prior to your results and you did not. I cannot see how you can demonstrate good reason for not doing so.

Oldernotwiser

Unless you consulted your GP about your problems in January then s/he cannot verify that you were ill then and was wrong to do so. I imagine that this is why your appeal has failed.

Oldernotwiser

puresiesta wrote: »

The hardest part about depression is admitting it. No the University had never stated that I would not be allowed to repeat the year. I was appealing agaisnt thier decision to fail and withdraw me initially.

So, what is the problem with your repeating the year?