Taken advantage of by University

I went to Uni, not out of own will, but bcuz I was advised it would change my life for better,

Hi,

So I feel my university and its staff have taken advantage of me. Before I say anything else, I want to say I am disabled and of really poor mental health. Prior to Uni, I had a full time paid job-circa 17k a year(+/- 1k£ per annum). It wasn't anything special, but stable, good life with opportunity of growth.

I went to Uni, not out of own will, but bcuz I was advised it would change my life for better, open better job prospects etc etc. It was awful experience. Abuse from staff including disability advisor, and mental health therapist. Repeated comments how they thought my condition was affecting me, vs how it was really affecting me.

I was missold halls accomodation during my lowest moment and expensive, private internship.

They wasted 4.5years of my life. 2years of uni and 2gap years. I was repeatedly encouraged by uni staff to carry on with degree despite lack of results and poor health. 2nd year I hardly submitted anything and haven't attended classes. They falsified my records to say I wasn't struggling with mental health during year 1. I feel cheated off, taken advantage of, groomed and exploited financially.

So, I am now in circa 70k £s debt(2years plus foundation year). I have no uni degree. Not other legal qualification. Add to if fact, that for 4.5years I teied to pursue degree as per university recommendation, I missed on my employment so not only I was lured into debt, but missed out on around 25-30k £s of paid employment.

What do I do? Do I sue? Complain? Go public? How?

I feel they ruined my life and my shot at education-as I am not eligible to SFE anymore as I have just 1year of student funding left. Hiw do I crawl out of situation they put me into?

And if you wish to say, its my fault- before saying anything educate yourself on disability, on chronic pain, and on mental untreated illness. Due to uni staff, I neglected my health, my disability and my mental health. So do not tell me I could have achieved things, if I was not getting proper help.

Hi,

So I feel my university and its staff have taken advantage of me. Before I say anything else, I want to say I am disabled and of really poor mental health. Prior to Uni, I had a full time paid job-circa 17k a year(+/- 1k£ per annum). It wasn't anything special, but stable, good life with opportunity of growth.

I went to Uni, not out of own will, but bcuz I was advised it would change my life for better, open better job prospects etc etc. It was awful experience. Abuse from staff including disability advisor, and mental health therapist. Repeated comments how they thought my condition was affecting me, vs how it was really affecting me.

I was missold halls accomodation during my lowest moment and expensive, private internship.

They wasted 4.5years of my life. 2years of uni and 2gap years. I was repeatedly encouraged by uni staff to carry on with degree despite lack of results and poor health. 2nd year I hardly submitted anything and haven't attended classes. They falsified my records to say I wasn't struggling with mental health during year 1. I feel cheated off, taken advantage of, groomed and exploited financially.

So, I am now in circa 70k £s debt(2years plus foundation year). I have no uni degree. Not other legal qualification. Add to if fact, that for 4.5years I teied to pursue degree as per university recommendation, I missed on my employment so not only I was lured into debt, but missed out on around 25-30k £s of paid employment.

What do I do? Do I sue? Complain? Go public? How?

I feel they ruined my life and my shot at education-as I am not eligible to SFE anymore as I have just 1year of student funding left. Hiw do I crawl out of situation they put me into?

And if you wish to say, its my fault- before saying anything educate yourself on disability, on chronic pain, and on mental untreated illness. Due to uni staff, I neglected my health, my disability and my mental health. So do not tell me I could have achieved things, if I was not getting proper help.

You did go to uni of your own free will. You don't have to take the advice people give you; you weren't forced to do so.

It is very common for school advisors to recommend university as the best option based to school leavers (I know in my school they did this with a pile of macro data largely not suitable to use on an individual basis) and i have a good degree of sympathy for students poorly advised that university especially when students are enrolling onto programs that don’t naturally lead to proven socioeconomic value.

Unfortunately the reality is other people aren’t responsible for your life, and in your late teens you reach a point where you learn your fate is in your hands and even well intentioned advise is often unsuitable or poor. I don’t really think you have recourse for enrolling at university, ultimately despite poor advice you must accept responsibility for enrolling.

Their is good news, your life is far from ruined. You can drastically change your prospects & ambitions, and you don’t need a degree to do great things. Whilst being burdened by a student loan is crap, the good news is the loan functions in practice as more of a levy/tax and only is enforced after you approach a decent salary & only really functions as debt if you earn a very prosperous PAYE based income.

As for your situation regarding disability and how either the academic or support staff engaged with you such that you feel they were negligent or failed to treat your circumstances appropriately I would take your evidence to official channels such as office for students, they can advise what recourse is reasonable, they are a public body who can investigate universities and hold them accountable.

Id also note in exceptional circumstances, particularly health related you can get additional SFE finances for a second chance at completing a degree although this will depend on your application.

Now, I know I do not have to take advice ppl give me. The issue is, when you are surrounded by abusive network, pushy network, who only runs around and gives you advises, they break you. The ppl who recommended Uni, and who broke me, worked on me for 5years. After 5years I broke. Whatever they said I did. Once they broke me, it was like open doors. I was used financially by number of ppl. I acted not out of own will. If its not coerce and abuse, then what it is?

Well, I know other ppl are not responsible for my life and OWN decisions. Choices. I know. This is how parents raised me. My act, good or bad is on me.

But, am I still to be ćheld accountable, for 'own decisions' if I was victim of long lasting domestic violence, exploited financially and literally, anything that anybody told me-I did. A group of abusers broke me, and they preyed on me. I was used financially by... 1,2, 3,4,5,6 people. I was advised not only uni but other things to&I sadly listened. I count losses in thousand of pounds. Not only debt. I have as of now 2notebooks, and 1x big clip in folder currently(after wasting like 5notebooks before coming to current point) with notes how did it happen. Nah, it was not my decision, neither my own will. I am victim of coercive control and domestic violence. Now, I just keep writing: who, did what, said what, what advice was and what are consequences. And how advice was given-was it thru text/phone call shere I was in majority of events, able to defend myself. Or was it, direct access advice, coercive control and me falling victim to coercive control. And oh, just to let you know. I can say no. Just some ppl, of you say no to their advice, they get offended and they attack you:verbally, intimidation is there and ohysical outburst too. Did you miss disability part? It dies mean, that in 99.9% of situations of abuse, I was not able to get out of situation and escape abuse. I was too slow. I was threatened. And I was just scared and controlled. I have even book on how to say NO. The issue is, in life, not everybody is mindful. Not everybody takes NO as no.

Happened again event recently. Bigger than me, intimidating co worker was acting inappropriately towards me. Deja vu as she was displaying the same pattern of behaviour of person giving unwanted, unsolicited advices:do this, that. Buy this, that(she went into details which i will skip). 1 on 1, repeated attack. Nowhere to escape as place was small. I told her stop once, twice, she got red and offended snd said I was antisocial. And then she made other nasty remarks. I felt sick, vulnerable, afraid and at loss. Reported to manager. Quit job after maybe 8-9shifts with said co worker. Reported her to Police too after past experiences. Ppl like that roam around and ruin lives. Uni-okay. Everybody saying my decision, my had advice. Tatata. How do you call it, when you ill, vulnerable, with little income, liabilities to pay&someone approaches them with advices to spend money on bul)**** you do not need? Last I checked, its fraud attempt/luring person to mishandle/misappropriate their funds. Its life ruining.

Uni-I will fight them

Now, I know I do not have to take advice ppl give me. The issue is, when you are surrounded by abusive network, pushy network, who only runs around and gives you advises, they break you. The ppl who recommended Uni, and who broke me, worked on me for 5years. After 5years I broke. Whatever they said I did. Once they broke me, it was like open doors. I was used financially by number of ppl. I acted not out of own will. If its not coerce and abuse, then what it is?

I went to Uni, not out of own will, but bcuz I was advised it would change my life for better, open better job prospects etc etc.

They wasted 4.5years of my life. 2years of uni and 2gap years.

Hi,

So I feel my university and its staff have taken advantage of me. Before I say anything else, I want to say I am disabled and of really poor mental health. Prior to Uni, I had a full time paid job-circa 17k a year(+/- 1k£ per annum). It wasn't anything special, but stable, good life with opportunity of growth.

I went to Uni, not out of own will, but bcuz I was advised it would change my life for better, open better job prospects etc etc. It was awful experience. Abuse from staff including disability advisor, and mental health therapist. Repeated comments how they thought my condition was affecting me, vs how it was really affecting me.

I was missold halls accomodation during my lowest moment and expensive, private internship.

They wasted 4.5years of my life. 2years of uni and 2gap years. I was repeatedly encouraged by uni staff to carry on with degree despite lack of results and poor health. 2nd year I hardly submitted anything and haven't attended classes. They falsified my records to say I wasn't struggling with mental health during year 1. I feel cheated off, taken advantage of, groomed and exploited financially.

So, I am now in circa 70k £s debt(2years plus foundation year). I have no uni degree. Not other legal qualification. Add to if fact, that for 4.5years I teied to pursue degree as per university recommendation, I missed on my employment so not only I was lured into debt, but missed out on around 25-30k £s of paid employment.

What do I do? Do I sue? Complain? Go public? How?

I feel they ruined my life and my shot at education-as I am not eligible to SFE anymore as I have just 1year of student funding left. Hiw do I crawl out of situation they put me into?

And if you wish to say, its my fault- before saying anything educate yourself on disability, on chronic pain, and on mental untreated illness. Due to uni staff, I neglected my health, my disability and my mental health. So do not tell me I could have achieved things, if I was not getting proper help.

Did you have DSA support?