advise please!

hi guys im due go to university in september 2012 and i really need some advice.

i want to study nursing at uni and idealy move away from home but im having second thoughts i am really struggeling at a level so badly that i tend to cry alot over my studies :colondollar:

i do have 1 on 1 support etc at the moment (have dyslexia) but obviously this wont continue at university and i was wondering what is the support like at uni for students like this?

all through education i have had my parents and sister help me alot with essays and coursework and since being at college i have tried so hard but i just find it really hard to do them and still need help from them as id never get them done to a standerd im happy with (i got 2a* 5a 1b 2distinction* and a distinction at gcse which im very pleased with and bccdd at as level dispite trying so hard :/

i dont know whether to move away and experience more of uni life , but i dont want to become so overwelmed at uni and fail my course.
how have you guys coped? do uni do enough to support students? i know stuff like dsa is available but money isnt going to help me write essays and stuff so thats irrelevent really

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 1

Tiger Rag

DSA can pay for note takers, mentors, etc.

Reply 2

pipsi

You say that your family have helped you a lot, exactly how much have they helped you? From your post it sounds as if they actually helped you write the essays, you've got to be really careful especially when you get to uni that the help you receive doesn't cross the line into plagiarism.

The study skills sessions that you would be entitled to through DSA will help you develop essay plans and give you someone to talk about your essay to form your thoughts but no one can actually write the essays for you. My ex boyfriend is dyslexic (as am I) and I've helped him before by talking about his topic and asking him questions about it, much the same as a small group might in a seminar. I've even typed for him as he dictates to me because he finds it easier to say what he wants to write than actually typing it but I've never written any of the content for him. The words are all his own.

I'm not sure if DSA can provide you with someone to type for you like I have done for him but they will provide note takers for lectures if that's one of the recommendations for you.

Also, you say you want to study nursing, my sister did that a few years ago and from what i can gather it was a pretty practical course and a lot of the work she did was writing up things about her placements, or answering an essay style question based on something she had come across on her placement. You may find the more practical element of the course to be better suited to you with having dyslexia.

Reply 3

snufkin_

You seem to be confused, you do get one on one support for dyslexia at university. I meet with a mentor once a week and it's similar to the support in college. You still get your 25% extra time in exams, as well as a computer with some specialist software. You are often allowed to record lectures on a dictaphone and in my uni you get automaticaly 2 weeks extra time for coursework if your struggling with the reading. My university are extremely supportive.

If your family are helping you with education you have to consider, it's not actually your work. There is no need to use dyslexia as an excuse as struggling with work, some people are more intelligent then others. You will find that different universities expect different standards, and they teach in a different way. I ensured I enrolled a course that didn't have long essays due, or didn't have massive exams at the end of each module.

Also you say DSA and money. This is not the case. For being dyslexic you don't get given money. The money has to be spent on support or specialist software.

These days in education there is no excuse for failing because your "dyslexic" in university. You get stickers to put on your work to mark it for content and not spelling or grammar except where the meaning is impeded, a laptop to help with notetaking and specialist software, a notetaker or dictaphone if you need it, a reader in exams, a specialist one to one study support, 25% extra time in coursework/exams if you need it. If anything I'd say there is too much support at university, as a lot of my course mates are extremely resentful of the help I recieve as they think it gives me an unfair advantage.

Reply 4

beckylewis

not using it as an excuse at all thanks i was simpley asking a question what is support like an uni as ihave not been told. i know the dsa goes on educational things, duh they are not going to give you money for other stuff are they just didnt think anhing they can provide will really help me i dont get dsa anyway as im doing nursing i think

im not plajerising im sure everyone gets help from there parents, the work is myown anyway thanks for replying some points were useful

Reply 5

Tiger Rag

Original post by beckylewis

im not plajerising im sure everyone gets help from there parents

I seriously doubt that.

Reply 6

thesyrianjackal123

Hi there,

Can someone help me and guide me to the best Grammar checker software for students writing an academic essays? I am really struggling with it. I have seen few like white smoke but i thought people on here would know best what is the best software for grammar check regarding academic writing?

Reply 7

NJones

Original post by OU Student

I seriously doubt that.

Lots of people get help Becky, ignore the offensive comment.
Plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward. Parents helping is not stealing work.

Reply 8

Tiger Rag

Original post by NJones

What I said was hardly offensive. Very few people get help.

Reply 9

pipsi

If parents help out to a degree where they are contributing significantly to the content, it is plagiarism. This goes for anyone, not just parents.

If I help a friend with an essay by listening to what their ideas are and asking them questions about the topic to help them formulate their ideas (similar to perhaps a group discussion in a seminar) this is fine. If I help a friend with an essay by telling them things they should put into it and they do or in the extreme actually writing sections of it for them, this is plagiarism. My friend would be using my ideas and passing them off as their own.