Extenuating Circumstances - Sick parent + UCAS

Hi, apologies for the beefy post, but I want my situation to be understood properly!!

Currently in year 13 and wanting to send off my application once we come back from half term in November (we have a two week half-term where I am). For context, my mum's health issues started during September, but they've procedurally gotten worse - now that we're on break, the effects have come in full swing. My mum shows no sign of getting better, either.

I'm having to now support my two younger sisters (one in highschool, the other in nursery), whilst also supporting my aunt and uncle who lives with us, and their two young children. (One is a newborn, another is almost two now). Obviously, my aunt and uncle help, but there is still a huge burden on me. My father is needing to go abroad for an extensive period of time for business purposes in a week, and won't be coming back for almost another year, hence a lack of support from him.

As the oldest girl who can cook, clean, etc. capably currently in a pretty traditional household, I've found myself having to try keep things running and in a state which is normal and livable. My aunt obviously does things when she can, but she's not in a state to be doing too much, either. My mum barely comes down from her room, and I constantly find my studies and work being interrupted to go help her by getting food, cleaning, looking after my sister, etc.

This is really impacting me mentally, and it's very stressful for me. I'm having to apply for a competitive course at top unis, make sure I get in, get my license, work, and also help run the house. I know I would have to anyways, but this isn't me whining about needing to do a few household tasks, it's the fact that if I don't do these things, nobody can, or at least will. I know you may argue that I don't *need* to go to a very good uni, but I have a lot of familial pressure on me to do so.

I would also like to do so as well, and I really do want to go on to achieve big things and take a lot of those first steps, as a second generation immigrant. I will try to avoid being too political or anything, but I really don't want to end up being another woman in my family whose only option is to marry and rely on a man to afford their lifestyle or live, because they couldn't access higher education. I want to be successful and I want to be independent - I don't want to be hampered or weighed down by family commitments and pressure, and discouraged to pursue my education as a result.

I know perhaps my situation might not be worth that many paragraphs to some people, but that's how it feels for me. Does anyone know what my sixth form might be able to do for me? I know this may not be as extreme as other situations, but it's so frustrating that my immediate support network isn't going to be here for me. I haven't been able to go to many open days or have time to myself as a result.

I'm predicted A*A*A, and I'm applying for Computer Science at St. Andrews (contextual), Warwick (contextual), Durham (contextua), Uni of Birmingham and Leeds. I work as a tutor part time, about 12 hours a week.

Does anyone have any advice on how I could go about this? I know it's not life or death, but this is a crucial time of the year for applications, and I don't want this to be my make of break.

Thank you if you've read this far :smile:

I appreciate it!

Reply 1

McGinger

All Unis will consider serious Extenuating Circumstances like these that are impacting your studies - make sure that your school includes a summary of this information in your UCAS reference, and you may need to complete a separate form for each Uni that you apply to. This wont mean that they make you a lower offer - but it will mean they take all of this into account when assessing your application and in particular take this into account on Results Day if you miss your offer grades. Example - Extenuating circumstances | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol

If you haven't already done this, go and speak to your Head of Sixth or similar asap so that they know what is going on, and so they can put strategies in place to help you get through this.

Reply 2

sixofhearts

Original post

by McGinger

All Unis will consider serious Extenuating Circumstances like these that are impacting your studies - make sure that your school includes a summary of this information in your UCAS reference, and you may need to complete a separate form for each Uni that you apply to. This wont mean that they make you a lower offer - but it will mean they take all of this into account when assessing your application and in particular take this into account on Results Day if you miss your offer grades. Example - Extenuating circumstances | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol
If you haven't already done this, go and speak to your Head of Sixth or similar asap so that they know what is going on, and so they can put strategies in place to help you get through this.

Thank you so much for the advice, will do once we're back from the break. :smile:

Reply 3

MerrineGexko27

Just wanted to add on here - as someone who has gone through the extenuating circumstances process, what the other reply said is absolutely correct, and I can assure you that your situation will get you extenuating circumstances.

Your school should do everything for you except for the uni specific forms. Normally there are two forms - one to complete for the uni to assess during your application process, and one to complete if any of your circumstances change and/or get worse after you get your offer. Most unis don’t require an extra form unless your circumstances change, so check the uni websites for what they specifically need.

Also, mitigating circumstances and extenuating circumstances are the same thing - I spent such a long time trying to figure this out but the terminology is just based on what the uni decides.

Your circumstances will likely include two things - 1. Serious illness of close family member, and 2. Significant carer responsibilities. But you should check this with your school just in case! This also means that if/when you complete the uni specific forms you will likely have to do them twice, as most unis only let you put one extenuating circumstance on each form.

Ideally, the pieces of evidence you will need for your extenuating circumstances application are a note from a relevant medical professional (your mum’s doctor) explaining your mum’s health issue and how it can impact you, and a note from your school explaining your caring responsibilities and how your mum’s health has impacted your ability to work and complete exams.

Finally, make sure you are aware of all the deadlines! Your school should be aware of the UCAS deadlines so they will be able to make sure the information about your circumstances is sent in to UCAS on time, but each uni has different deadlines for their forms. Most forms that need to be completed for your circumstances to be considered in your application have a two week deadline from the moment you send off your application via UCAS. But, as I mentioned before, if your school has put your extenuating circumstances in your reference, most unis don’t require another form to be completed unless something changes, and the forms for noting a change in your circumstances normally have a deadline of a bit after your exams end.

Good luck with your applications! I’m sure you’re going to do great :thumbsup: