Help.

mandyc

I think things have changed this year. In previous years, students at the University where I work were always offered the opportunity to repeat the year if they had messed up even if they had not attended and not completed the final assessments.

Because of new rules in respect of government funding the University have to show that the student "has engaged with the course" to ensure that they receive funding for that student. One way of showing that a student has engaged with the course is to show that they have completed the necessary assessment . If they are deemed not to have engaged they will not be offered the opportunity to repeat.

As far as the depression issue is concerned, the staff who deal with the appeals tend to understand that part of the problem with depression affects the students ability to deal with things in a timely manner and, if this is backed up by medical evidence, they will allow late appeals.

It loolks as if the OIA is the only way to go now but be prepared that this can take years to get a decision and it is not worth putting your life on hold waiting. I would encourage you to go ahead with the appeal but spend this year getting well and researching a course to start in 2011.

I wish you all the best in the future.

puresiesta

The one module that was completed by the end of Janruary i recieved a 2:1. Other marks were between 50 and 65% (2:1 and 2:2) I wasnt affected by my symptons fully until the last term. I was only stating in my appeal that the illness affected my gardes etc severly durring the last term.

The issue is notin regarsd to being allowed to re-take the year. the issue is that before the appeal is considered they 1st assess wheather I can make an appeal. The university provides three opyions to make an appeal:

a) Based on information regarding special situations already considered by the Board of Examiners via the SSP and/or by an RH
b) The university failed materially to follow its procedures at an earlier stage within the application of the regulations for programmes of study appeals and representation
c) The student now has relevant new information which could not have been made available previously for consideration by the SSP, Board of Examiners or RH


I chose option C. I had not provide this info before, it is relevant and I could not present it at an earlier stage as I had not seen my GP, had spoken to councellers already however.

bestpud

puresiesta wrote: »

The one module that was completed by the end of Janruary i recieved a 2:1. Other marks were between 50 and 65% (2:1 and 2:2) I wasnt affected by my symptons fully until the last term. I was only stating in my appeal that the illness affected my gardes etc severly durring the last term.

The issue is notin regarsd to being allowed to re-take the year. the issue is that before the appeal is considered they 1st assess wheather I can make an appeal. The university provides three opyions to make an appeal:

a) Based on information regarding special situations already considered by the Board of Examiners via the SSP and/or by an RH
b) The university failed materially to follow its procedures at an earlier stage within the application of the regulations for programmes of study appeals and representation
c) The student now has relevant new information which could not have been made available previously for consideration by the SSP, Board of Examiners or RH


I chose option C. I had not provide this info before, it is relevant and I could not present it at an earlier stage as I had not seen my GP, had spoken to councellers already however.

I think the point is, they expect you to have a very good reason (and include valid evidence) of your reasons for not providing this evidence earlier. For example, you were in hospital so unable to access the paperwork and/or send it off - that kind of thing iyswim?

Just saying you didn't go to your GP is not good enough.

Now, if the counsellor would write a supporting letter, stating you were struggling at that time but were unable to see a GP...?

Is that an option?

If it was a student counsellor, they could probably have supported a claim and avoided a GP note altogether...

Did the counsellor suggest you see your GP?

stephyt23

puresiesta wrote: »

The one module that was completed by the end of Janruary i recieved a 2:1. Other marks were between 50 and 65% (2:1 and 2:2) I wasnt affected by my symptons fully until the last term. I was only stating in my appeal that the illness affected my gardes etc severly durring the last term.



c) The student now has relevant new information which could not have been made available previously for consideration by the SSP, Board of Examiners or RH


I chose option C. I had not provide this info before, it is relevant and I could not present it at an earlier stage as I had not seen my GP, had spoken to councellers already however.

I have to say I still think your on rocky ground with this. The fact is YOU knew you weren't well, so this is not really new info as far as the uni is concerned. They will just see it as something you didn't tell them about earlier and have only just gone to the GP since your results. No one would wait 9 months to go the GP if they were unwell. I still accept it can be difficult to admit you need help if you have depression but your uni will see it as you kept information from them.

I have a problem with my back which I made my uni aware of from day one on my application. It doesn't play up too often but I have missed about 9 days of uni last year because of it. As I told them up front from day one about the problem it hasn't caused any problems.

If you are able to start another course then make sure you are up front about having depression otherwise you could find yourself in a similar situation again

puresiesta

I never said it was 9 months before i went to see my GP. My GP only stated that I had these symptons since janruary because That's what I told them. I also told them that it only really affected my academic performance from april onwards. I went to see the GP at the end of July and was in contact with a student councellor at the start of July.

dmg24

When did the mig circs panel meet? Why did you not hand in evidence before this? This is the crux of the issue - if you were ill before the exams, you need to demonstrate why you could not submit mit circs at the right time.

puresiesta

Special situations is to be provided up 7 days after an examination.

Request for Reconsideration is to be provided up 10 days after a decison e.g. results day.

Exam timetable:

22nd May - June 8th

My state progressively got worse 2 weeks before up untill Given all I was at my Worst when I saw the GP. At that point I only saw the GP because the Student Councellers sympathised with me and that im not the only person who has had these problems. At the time it felt like I was the only person and that everything was against me suffering from stress, depression, anxiety and insomnia.

dmg24

puresiesta wrote: »

Special situations is to be provided up 7 days after an examination.

Request for Reconsideration is to be provided up 10 days after a decison e.g. results day.

Exam timetable:

22nd May - June 8th

My state progressively got worse 2 weeks before up untill Given all I was at my Worst when I saw the GP. At that point I only saw the GP because the Student Councellers sympathised with me and that im not the only person who has had these problems. At the time it felt like I was the only person and that everything was against me suffering from stress, depression, anxiety and insomnia.

That does not make much sense - are you now saying you were not that bad during term time?

bestpud

A student counsellor can provide evidence for mit circs but they may have felt they'd not known you long enough to comment as it was late by the time you saw them too.

Did you only go for a few sessions then?

Sorry to say I can see why they don't believe you - your story seems odd to say the least.

puresiesta

No I am saying I was at my worst a few days after the results were posted.


I think your missing the point guys. THEY dont belive me because they havnt been given the opportunity to do so. My academic appeal failed in its first stage as the person who contacted me stated that It did not adhere to the uni's policies, procedures and regulations as it did not contain any relevant, new info that could not have been previously presented.


However it did contain all of these things that Is why I chose that option out of the three I had, as I had not presnted this case.

The acaademic appeal board did not gather with each other to discuss my appeal in detail beacuse the appeal did not get passed on to them.