Why don't NEW students get a reasonable cooling off period?

gazzamemate

Why is there not atleast a 4 week cooling off period for new students? Young often immature students are brain washed into thinking that the only way to get ahead is to go to University. Not really knowing what they want to do with their life, they go along with the flow and select a degree course and University. Although they are committing to atleast 3 years and £27000 plus accommodation and living costs, there is next to nothing in information as to what the consequences are if they subsequently find it is not what they want to do.

My daughter has recently started at University of Leeds. She could not get her choice of accommodation and was allocated something quite some distance away. When paying the deposit, you are given a 7 day cooling off period, however, the cooling off period expires BEFORE you even get to the accommodation, therefore you are automatically locked in to the t & c's. On arrival she immediately realises that the accommodation is not for her but is told she cannot apply to swap until 7th October (2 weeks later). The pressures of being in accommodation she did not like, being away from home for the first time and then finding that the lectures are perhaps not the way she wants to go, meant that she had made her mind up within 2 weeks of starting (1 week being freshers week and no lectures). She went to see her tutor for advice and was advised she should make a decision quickly. She has decided it may be best to defer and take a year out.

So, after being made to go to accommodation she didn't want to go to and just 1 week of lectures she is informed that if she is to leave thats okay. BUT she is still liable for 10 weeks accommodation £1000+ AND 25% of tuition fees! £2250. All that for 2 weeks. This is not fair or reasonable. Especially with the fees increasing to £9000. New students who, with the best will in the world, really do not know what they are getting in to, should be given a reasonable cooling off period. To be liable for a debt of over £3250 for just 2 weeks is unreasonable and not clearly explained to potential students.

devildog

I do sympathise with what you are saying, however my youngests experience was different to your daughter's.
They had 4 weeks cooling off period (they 'left' one day before the four weeks was up) they didn't have to pay any tuition fees and their room in halls was immediately re-let so no additional accommodation charges either. I guess things are different at each Uni (?)

The upside is that your daughter realised early on that it wasn't right for her and had the guts to leave. If there is a next time, once she has thought about it then things should work out OK. My youngest took a year out, did a lot of thinking/job research etc and went again the following year, is now in final year and loving it!!

TurnUpForTheBooks_2

gazzamemate wrote: »

Why is there not atleast a 4 week cooling off period for new students? Young often immature students are brain washed into thinking that the only way to get ahead is to go to University. Not really knowing what they want to do with their life, they go along with the flow and select a degree course and University. Although they are committing to atleast 3 years and £27000 plus accommodation and living costs, there is next to nothing in information as to what the consequences are if they subsequently find it is not what they want to do.

My daughter has recently started at University of Leeds. She could not get her choice of accommodation and was allocated something quite some distance away. When paying the deposit, you are given a 7 day cooling off period, however, the cooling off period expires BEFORE you even get to the accommodation, therefore you are automatically locked in to the t & c's. On arrival she immediately realises that the accommodation is not for her but is told she cannot apply to swap until 7th October (2 weeks later). The pressures of being in accommodation she did not like, being away from home for the first time and then finding that the lectures are perhaps not the way she wants to go, meant that she had made her mind up within 2 weeks of starting (1 week being freshers week and no lectures). She went to see her tutor for advice and was advised she should make a decision quickly. She has decided it may be best to defer and take a year out.

So, after being made to go to accommodation she didn't want to go to and just 1 week of lectures she is informed that if she is to leave thats okay. BUT she is still liable for 10 weeks accommodation £1000+ AND 25% of tuition fees! £2250. All that for 2 weeks. This is not fair or reasonable. Especially with the fees increasing to £9000. New students who, with the best will in the world, really do not know what they are getting in to, should be given a reasonable cooling off period. To be liable for a debt of over £3250 for just 2 weeks is unreasonable and not clearly explained to potential students.

If the University of Leeds allocated the accommodation and it in fact is too far away (seems so) then they can whistle for that in my book. And the tuition fees too.

Who the hell do the University of Leeds think they are? 419 Scammers from West Africa? Bloody terrorists. If you are anything to do with the set up at University of Leeds and read this you should be ashamed.

janiebquick

I really do think that your daughter has made a very hasty decision to leave Uni. Two weeks? She has not given herself any chance at all to settle in. The lectures will get better; she'll have a chance to swap accommodation. Why has she given up so soon?

Person_one

Fresher's week and the first week of the course are really not enough to be basing such a big decision on! Student accommodation is often a bit grotty, but you have to try and make the best of it, that's often how you form strong bonds with your fellow students!

Are you sure she isn't just panicking? If she has to pay for her room till Christmas why not stick with it until then so she's given it a proper chance?

devildog

I disagree with you Person_one. I believe they truly know when something isn't right!

My youngest knew, they had great accommodation on campus, had a great flat of friends (all of whom tried to persuade them to stay) as I witnessed when I went to collect them to bring home, there were posters and 'stickies' everywhere telling youngest not to leave, how they would miss them etc (in the hall, on the ceilings, kitchen cupboards, room door, bathroom etc)
Driving away from the flat was really hard, youngest was in tears BUT they knew it was right and they proved to be right.

Person_one

How long had they given it?

devildog

Person_one wrote: »

How long had they given it?

As per my first post, four weeks, that was the cut off 'trial' period before tuition fees etc kicked in. For them it wasn't about being homesick, their accommodation or Uni they just knew that the degree chosen wasn't the correct one.

Person_one

devildog wrote: »

As per my first post, four weeks, that was the cut off 'trial' period before tuition fees etc kicked in. For them it wasn't about being homesick, their accommodation or Uni they just knew that the degree chosen wasn't the correct one.

So that doesn't count as a 'false start' then? They still have another four years of funding available to them?

It still seems very quick to decide you don't like something you've (presumably) spent years working towards, but with that at the back of their minds I can understand it a bit more.

I wonder if any ever regret dropping out so soon though. A girl in my halls called her parents to come and get her before she'd even spent one night there!

bewildered123

You do realise on the accommodation that that is a considerably better deal than she would get in any other circumstances. If she had rented privately, she would be tied in for a minimum of six months...
But as a university lecturer who is currently spending much of my time trying to calm down upset 18 year olds, could I make the following suggestion? Find out how long, she can stay and still only pay 25% fees and try to get her to stick it out that long. Firstly, if she's only had one week of classes then most of it will have been explaining how the teaching system works, and this really isn't enough to judge whether things are right or not. Secondly, a lot of new students build up a fantasy picture of university; the ideal halls scenario, instant new best friends and a social life to die for. It can't possibly be like that for the majority - we all know as adults that it takes time to adapt and feel at home in a new situation, why would university be different? Thirdly, this is the point in the term where the freshers are tired, the novelty has worn off, communal living is not as comfortable as home, many have flu and lots want to go home. Anything goes wrong and they're convinced it's a catastrophe simply because they are tired and overwrought. They also have idealised their life at home and forgotten that many of the friends will be away at university, and that going home is going to mean a minimum wage job for the year, not going back to relive their last year at school. If they can stick it out a little longer, honestly the vast majority settle in. Every year at this time I worry that our drop out stats are going to go through the roof but it always ends up as 2-3%.
I think in some ways it's harder for them these days because they can be in constant touch with parents, friends from home etc and that can actually make things worse. The old days of the phone call home once a week from the payphone ironically I think made settling in easier as you had to make the best of it.

devildog

Person_one wrote: »

So that doesn't count as a 'false start' then? They still have another four years of funding available to them?

It still seems very quick to decide you don't like something you've (presumably) spent years working towards, but with that at the back of their minds I can understand it a bit more.

I wonder if any ever regret dropping out so soon though. A girl in my halls called her parents to come and get her before she'd even spent one night there!

As far as I recall it does count as a false start and they did lose a year of funding and I think(without referring back) it was due to the fact that they got dsa funded equipment. What was even worse at the time was that they were on the old tuition fee system and a new start the following year meant being on the new fee system:(

The degree they initially went on wasn't, the one they had spent years working towards, they wanted to do medicine but having been ill and undiagnosed for several years they didn't' get the grades required for that first time around,panicked and instead chose a degree course that they got an A grade for and a subject they found easy. They soon realised that is wasn't' right for them.
A year out, shadowing professionals in various health fields they opted for another career in the NHS and haven't looked back. An obvious bonus being the NHS is funding their degree.They have no regrets at all and the friends they made in those first few weeks they remain in touch with.
I felt that their choice was wrong at the time but kept my opinion to myself and just waited for them to come to the same conclusion;)