Failed 2nd year of OT degree- funding options in future?

summerday

Hi,

I am posting on behalf of my sister who is nearly at the end of her 2nd year doing Occupational Therapy as a 3 year degree. Unfortunately she failed the re-sit of a module, and has been told that she will not be able to proceed on to the 3rd year due to this. She was very upset as she had not expected to fail the re-sit. There is another module she is supposed to finish next month in the form of a presentation with a group of other students, but when they found out that she is leaving the course they have been unpleaseant to her and excluded from the planning of the group presentation and there is no-one else she can work with. So her heart is really not in it now and she is feeling low and wants to come home to get a job, but says she really wants to take the course again in a few years time with a bit of life experience behind her (the course is very vocational, majority of people at hers were mature students while she started at 18).

So, say if she did apply to do the course again in a few years time, would she be eligible to get student loans agian does anyone know- given that she effectively failed a course? Also, she has been getting an NHS bursary as it is an NHS career, would she be able to get a bursary again having not completed a course previously?

I would be so grateful if anyone can offer any advice.

lellie

I would doubt she will get money again..

are the uni really stopping her from progressing? Can she resit the second year again? and then just carry on (Effectively making it a 4 year course?)

summerday

Hi Lellie,

I had hoped she could just re sit the 2nd year, and rang to discuss with her tutor to see what the options are, she said it depends what the assessment board decide in July, but the best possible outcome is that they will decide to let her take a year out then come back to it? It did sound a bit odd to me as I had thought maybe she could resit the 2nd year but that doesn't seem an option.

Her self esteem is so low now that she says she really wants to get some more related work experience and go back to it in a few years, and with hindsight says she didn't feel ready for it so young.

lellie

That seems a shame really.. I don't know what to suggest.. I would talk to your LEA as sometimes it is possible to get funding on a second attempt. My boyfriend dropped out after a year on his last degree and is now completing his new degree - he got student loans both times.

I think it's more complicated with the NHS bursary though.. My sister is about to start physiotherapy and she will be getting the NHS bursary - I can ask if she knows anything about getting it on second degrees and things.

Amys

It sounds like she does not need to sit the whole of the second year agian, just the models she hhas failed.

If this were the usual student loans then ther eis the allwance fo a fialed year to be repeated, but as this is NHS bursary then I thnk she needs to talk to the relelvant authoroty to get advice. I would be very surprised if they will not allow for one failed year. Howeve,r it will be important she talks to them, as if they think she just drops out, then she may loose it. If she talks to them they may be able to put in on 'hold'.

If she has said they talked about giving her a year off and then coming back, this may be if they also felt she needed some more experience and she may have indicatred that to them.

summerday

Thanks both of you. Yes, I see what you mean about it not looking good if it appears she's just chosen to drop out. I found the NHS bursaries website and it looks like any time you are accepted on to a course that is for an NHS funded course you can get the bursary, even if you have had one before to achieve a different qualification (eg if you got a nursing degreee then changed careers to be a radiographer), so hopefully even though she didn't pass a course previously they will look at her circumstances especially if she uses this time out to gain more related work experience.

When I spoke to her course leader she was kind but it really didn't sound very hopeful about her being let back on in any way for September, so my sister has accepted that in her mind and told the landlord of the house she was going to rent next year etc, it really is a case of what the situation would be for funding in 2-3 years time.

Anyone know what the case would be for student loans?

Savvy_Sue

Another thought is for your sister to become clear about why she failed the resit when she didn't expect to, so she needs to ask for feedback. I don't know how much they can give. But also if it was very close to a pass, can she appeal the result?

How very childish of the others to freeze her out of the other module. Again, maybe too late, but I wonder if the tutors would intervene: surely finishing as much as possible looks better on a cv and would give her more credits if she came back in the future.

summerday

Thanks Savvy Sue. I agree with everything you say, and a week or so I was proactively encouraging her to do all these things, I spoke personally to her course leader and although she was kind, she was not at all positive that my sister would be able to continue studying in September.

I completely agree that the other women are being very childish and unkind- although my sister tried putting on a brave face they were probably just worried that she would drag down their grade as they heard she was leaving. Worst thing is that they are all in their 30s and 40s, you'd think they'd be a bit more mature and understanding.

I agree about the credits, and think if it was only up to my sister to do an essay she would be fine, but it is the fact she was supposed to work in a group for this presentation and they have made it virtually impossible fro her.

She really seems to have made up her mind now that she wants to come home and work in the care field, to get some life experience before she goes back. Believe me I feel gutted that she has in effect racked up thousands of punds in debt in student loans and will probably have to pay the bursaries back, with zilch to show for it. When just a few weeks ago she was doing well on the whole having passed most things. But she is very unhappy now and wants to close this chapter of her life now, so it really is a case of trying to be as informed as possible about what the options will be in a few years when she hoppes to study again (though probably not at the same institution, we have not found them very helpful in several respects).