I hate my Uni

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I had such a crap time with my first educational experiances. I finally ended up back in University, I was really happy with myself and thought I was doing ok although I did find it hard to have to do more than one thing (ie learning about more than one 'subject') at once. It wasnt the workload (only 3 papers) but rather that I prefer to just learn about one thing and also the logistics, getting to classes trying to balance requirements and switching back and forth between different course/paper 'styles'. Still I was pleased that I had found a university that had 3 in-depth papers a semester instead of the usual 4 that operate at most universities (where I live).


Well this year the university decided to implement a new system, suddenly four papers per semester (still for the same time length), supposedly the papers are all 1 seventh less and this in the view of the university means that the new degree structure has the same or less work load - I dont know what is worse, the enrolling students into degree structures under false pretences (the Uni was planning the changes at least as early as 2002 yet when I enrolled in 2004, kept this information from students until mid 2005), or the fact that the university expects the students they are purportedly educating are mathmatically-illiterate...I didnt even complete 2 years high school maths and even I can work out that 3 X seven sevenths is less than 4 X six sevenths...never mind that the undergraduate handbooks stated previously that a full time workload was 30 hours and yet now we are explicitly told a full time workload is 40 hours whist being expected to believe no increase in workload is occuring....


Am I being unreasonable in being absolutely furious and seething about this?

I cant do 4 papers a semester (I tried last semester and had a complete break down - I've since been given medical advice to not attempt more than 3 papers a semester) and so with the extra papers added onto the degree, this means that my degree will take longer.

I feel really awful that the goal posts have been moved and my degree feels further away than ever - just when I thought I was going forward, I've been shunted back. I also feel so angry to be treated with (what seems to me) such disdain and disregard. I've spent thousands of dollars and a couple of years of my life under the false pretense that what I was offered and signed up for is what I'd get, but all my complaints to the university seem to not even be comprehended. I complained that I am disadvantaged because my degree will take longer and the university just keep saying "dont worry you can complete the degree, you just might have to do some extra papers [on top of the extra papers] if you dont get finished before the 'transition regulations' lapse".....

I'm so caught up in it all, I think it's utterly unreasonable of the university and surely I should have some recourse but I keep getting the 'brush off' and treated like it's me that's nuts...do I have this all out of perspective?

I could swear that at least in the US, a college was not allowed to change the rules for any student already matriculated in a degree program as long as the students program was less than 7 years old. In fact, I think changes were made midstream a couple of times while I was in college and 2 sets of courses were required to be offered for students in the old program.

I would look in the student handbook to see if it says something about that. I think the matriculation is similar to a contract between the student and the college.

You are probably right about the law (in the US), but I dont live in the US. Frankly I'd have thought the law would prevent the Uni doing it where I live too, but they state otherwise and they dont seem at all worried about being blatant about what they've done...they even claim they had to get approval from a government standards org before they went ahead with the changes...I really dont know what to do.

Thanks for your reply though.

Where I live the student loans program has an option for people with disabilities to study at a reduced course load. You might want to check into that as a possible option.

Do you have a talent or ability that exceeds the norm? Many people with AS do. If you have such a talent or ability, stick with that, and don't even try to succeed down an academic path that requires studies in areas where you are sure to fail because of LD, or at best come out with barely adequate grades. Build on your strengths.

That's my advice.

Anandamide, I enrolled in a double degree, an arts degree for interest and a law degree for the purpose of actually one day earning some money. I have a child and frankly I budgeted tim and money with the expectation of completing the degree course as described. The simple fact is my child cant afford me to not be earning for as long as it will take to complete the degree only doing 3 papers per semester, especially since I have lost last semester when I had a complete breakdown and was already a semester "behind schedule" due to loosing a semester in 2004 when my father was dying of cancer.

The way the degree is structured I have completed 1st year law but have to reapply for year 2, without the change I would be finished all my arts degree papers by the end of this school-year and then only needed to complete 3 more years law. However with the change, extra papers are added to both components of the degree, and with last semester lost we are talking about 2 extra years.

Honestly I felt like I was making progress, now with 2 years added on it's like starting all over (I started in 2004). It's like the last 2 years have just been thrown out!

I dont have skills outside academia - I'm good with 'formal, structured English' physical things (including art & music) are utterly outside my league; I'm lucky if I can get from one side of the room to the other without tripping over my own feet.

Also I found out that the 'special provisions' for disabled students only apply to all and any disabled students except those that come under "mental health"...honestly there is no point to an undergraduate arts degree by itself. Because in 2004 I firstly didnt realise I needed glasses until half a semester had gone by and was too unwell to be attending classes in the 2nd semester but had to complete the rest of year 1 law or loose the whole paper, I got a B- on 1st year law. To get into 2nd year without special provisions applying I need at least a B+ if not an A- grade average (they take the last years grades and year one law), but the year one law is double weighted, so basically I have to come out with at least an A if not an A+ average in a year...frankly I'm starting to think it wont happen.

I'm heartbroken, I was kicked out of home at 14 and lived with my sister a bit but I didnt finish high-school, in fact I didnt even complete 2 years. I've never suceeded at anything. I finally thought I was achieving something, and now it looks like it's going the way of everything else I've ever tried...I really tried so hard and I really thought I was going to succeed at something this time. I feel heartsick and empty.

If I had any clue the Uni might do this I'd not have taken the arts degree and would simply have done the law degree.

Sorry to be negative, I guess I'm wallowing a bit right now, but I just dont understand why even when finally I dont fail at something, this has to come along and make it all fall apart. I honestly dont see how I can get into law, and if I dont do law then I need a minor and will have to do at least all of next year just to leave with something (an arts degree) that wont even qualify me to turn fries at McDonalds...

Consider me a terrible person if you like, but institutionalized education is asking for it.

This is what I would do.

ORDER a custom paper off the internet.

THEN, (because they're usually awful), edit it so that it's in your words, delete the crap, and add things that you believe would be important and relevant.

I do that sometimes and yeah, I do end up 'rewriting' a lot of it, but for me the kicker is organization. Once something is organized I can run in and edit and elaborate till I'm happy with it.

My justification is that I can spend more time learning the things we're being taught. Typically the term papers would have me tied up to the point that I can't dig into what I'm paying to learn. What sucks is that a lot of kids don't even care about the learning part of school, yet can churn out papers so easily.

I hope that helps. Rewriting it does defeat the purpose of ordering a paper, and it's expensive, but we many times have the short end of the stick in this NT oriented institutionalized system. So...that's uh, lol, thats what I would do.





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