Changing Course But No Finance

TheLostProphet

Hi guys,

I have a bit of a long story, but I'll do my best to keep it short.

I started university in 2008 at a college in London and spent 2 miserable years there. For many, many reasons it wasn't for me, academically or socially. Don't get me wrong, I tried my best to make it work, but the teaching was atrocious and impossible to do well.

At the end of my 1st year, I decided to give it one more shot and try again since apparently it's a very prestiguous place and I knew I hadn't tried everything yet to make things work. But at the end of my 2nd year, there wasn't very much different in my academics (despite the enormous difference I put into my studying) and I knew I had had enough.

Moreover, I had spoken to many friends doing the same course at different unis, and none of them had any problems like what I was experiencing. And similarly, I had friends who had transferred away after their 1st year who went from failing to achieving Firsts.

By the skin of my teeth, I managed to secure a place at a different university by Clearing this year, which will also be in London. I will be starting from 1st year, but at least I can reach my potential and hopefully get a First, as well as free time for the first time in 2 years, so it's not that bad.

I tried to apply for finance online using the same system I had been using for the past few years. For some reason, my application was deleted 3 times. I called Student Finance and they said the reason was due to the system changing from LEA to a centralised database. They told me to submit a paper form.

Finally, today at my university, I was told I will not be eligible for finance in my first year :eek:

The formula is as thus:

Number of years in your new course + 1 - numbers of years you have done = 3 + 1 - 2 = 2 years. So I will get funding for Year 2 and 3, but not Year 1.

This is disastrous. Not only will I not get the tuition fee loan (£3,920) but I will also be missing out on the maintainance grant of £2,900 or so. My household income is fairly low, around £15,000pa, so I really can't afford to lose both of them in one go.

A lady at my university said I may be able to get funding for Year 1 if I have experienced illness or a death in the family. While I don't have anything as terrible as this, thank God, I still feel I had to leave due to circumstances beyond my control. How exactly can I convince Student Finance I'm a deserving case?

Alternatively, if I do have to pay for it myself... Well, it will be really tough. Thankfully I have always been very frugal and have money left over in the bank from my previous loans and grants. I could also take out my overdraft and get a part-time job during my studies and a full-time job during the holidays. The last thing I'd do would be to ask my parents for money as I know they need it themselves.

Finally, are there any alternative sources of finance available to me, such as grants, bursaries or scholarships?

Wow, long post... Hope I've been as concise as possible. If you've read all the way to the bottom, thanks so much!

Loanranger

Sorry, but those are the rules and have been for many years. You have already had two years funding.
Is there any way in which you could return to your university and complete the degree? That really would be the best way forward.
Sorry if this is not what you want to hear.
You could ask the OU if they will give you credit exemptions for the two years you have completed.

Taiko

Based on what you've said, I don't feel you have a case for compelling personal reasons, which is where the +1 year of funding comes from.

olibrofiz

Talk to your Uni, some have student hardship grants or bursaries

MrsManda

You do not have compelling reasons for the repeats therefore won't get the funding for another first year. Did you fail the two years or is it simply that you don't think your grades were good enough?

Blaming failing two years in a row on the same course on the teaching standards may mean that you are not currently ready to study at that level as I presume the rest of the year did not fail and you did the same modules two years in a row.

Your options seem to be:

See if you can use the credits from the modules you passed in the years you've already done in order to get into the second year of a new course

See if you can transfer your completed credits to the OU and complete your degree through them

Use your savings to pay your fees

Take a year out to work and go back to university in 2011.

Given the details you've given I'd be tempted to recommend you deferred your new course until 2011 regardless of funding just so you can be certain in. yourself that university is really for you and the new course is truly the one you want to do.

Apologies if any of my assumptions are incorrect.
Good luck in whatever you decide.

TheLostProphet

Thanks for your replies.

I didn't fail, but after working my !!!! off I was still only averaging 50% despite knowing the course material better than the lecturers.

Support at my old uni was virtually non-existant... I was told to f*** off by my personal tutor when I asked for printed notes because I couldn't write as fast as the lecturer and listen at the same time (and I'd seen dyslexic friends with the notes before).

It really is hard for me to describe how bad my old uni was without you actually being there, but I can honestly say there was nothing more I could have done to improve.

Anyway... I just spoke to a welfare advisor at my new uni about my situation, she reminded me of something that might come under CPR.

During my studies, in the run up to exams, I had insomnia for the first time in my life. It was really bad, I couldn't switch off and sleep until about 8am, then obviously I couldn't study during the day. It was a real mess.

I tried calling my GP's office to book an appointment but they were completely full until well after my exams were over. I didn't bother telling my personal tutor since she was a right old cow and wouldn't have been of any assistance in the slightest. I just got on with things and did my best. Eventually I told my senior tutor, and he blamed me for not calling NHS Direct even though there is nothing they can do

In second year, the same thing started to happen again, so I quickly made an appointment with my GP. She said quite a lot of students from my uni get the same problems and I was prescribed some fairly strong sleeping pills.

My advisor said if I can get evidence of the prescription it could support my statement that the university was too stressful, I had difficulties learning there, etc.

In the mean time I'm looking for part-time work to pay for my living expenses since I won't really have any income anymore. Beans on toast for me!

melancholly

i honestly think you're building up for a fight that you're destined to lose.... you can't claim extenuating circumstances 2 years late. the university will have none of it!

seriously, i'm going to be harsh (sorry!) - in my degree if you repeated the lecture notes word for word you might have got a mid 2:1. getting a good grade was about individual study and going off on your own and reading. this is what uni should be about. saying it was all the fault of the teaching just won't wash. there are plenty of things you can do to improve things like that (from forming study groups with other students for peer support, to asking for extra reading, to finding lecture notes on the internet from other places). showing initiative rather than requiring spoon feeding is what separates the top students and more independence is required at the better universities.

'it's not my fault, they didn't give me handouts' is not extenuating circumstances. insomnia, reported this late, is not extenuating circumstances. i cannot see student finance buying it. start planning another solution.

TheLostProphet

Fair enough, but I did all that. Went through everything, made my own lecture notes, used extra textbooks and did additional reading. We all still got marked down. My teachers for another course told us the central admin made them do negative marking to make things arbitrarily harder.

I agree that you need to look inwards first, but once you've exhausted everything else there's not much more you can do. It's like if I put weights across your shoulders, I can keep adding the weight and eventually you are going to collapse, no matter what you do.

I think you misunderstand me though... I'm not claiming extenuating circumstances against the uni to increase my marks, I'm explaining to the SLC why it's fair to give me an extra year's loan (which I'll pay back anyway).

Anyway, like I said I reported my insomnia at the time but my senior tutor dismissed it. My advisor and GP thinks it's got legs. We'll see.

Indie_Kid

TheLostProphet wrote: »

My advisor said if I can get evidence of the prescription it could support my statement that the university was too stressful, I had difficulties learning there, etc.

I disagree - a prescription means nothing. All it proves is that you have a medical condition that requires medication. It doesn't prove what problems you had / have.

Taiko

My stance as an assessor though wouldn't change, I honestly cannot agree that you have CPR that warrants an extra years support.

juno

You have another option: complete year 1 with the OU and transfer for the last 2 years. Actually, I managed to get a place in the 2nd year at NTU based on only completing 70 credits with the OU, but I do have work experience and good A Level grades. But if you completed 120 credits with the OU you'd be in a good position to apply for 2nd year entry at most unis.