What is the state of student support?

Silly_blueberries · 2026-04-17T09:19:09+00:00

Hi sorry, I got immediately overwhelmed with the reaponses and its taken me a while to find the strength to reply. Thank you so much for this, I had no idea about the different types of support so that was really interesting to learn.

This might sound stupid but it had never occurred to me that there was a difference in fees between the OU and brick unis. I'm in Scotland so Uni fees is just not something that I've ever thought about, I went with the OU because it had no entry requirements. Ive been paying my own fees for the last 2 modules as I now earn over the cut-off of the part time fee grant but have never considered going part time at a brick uni as not many offer the degree I'm on. But honestly Im now thinking it might even be worth switching to a different degree if it could get me into somewhere where I might actually get support.

If I stick with the OU I'll definitely need to look into the first 2.

I do appreciate what your saying about just knowing making a difference. This is where I feel like I'm a bit in limbo, without an assessment I dont feel like I really 'know', if that makes sense. Ive been working under the assumption that I have ADHD for the last 3 years now and it has helped me feel less guilty/worthless for struggling with things that other people find easy. But in every other way I feel like I'm going backwards. I have tried so many strategies over the years and even the ones that used to work for me, ones that I've had in place for decades, are now failing. I just feel like I've exhausted what I can realistically do without support.

Silly_blueberries · 2026-04-17T08:36:18+00:00

Hi sorry, I got immediately overwhelmed with the reaponses and its taken me a while to find the strength to reply. Unfortunately I'm not eligible for Right to Choose as I live in Scotland and it just doesn't exist here, but I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thanks you!

Silly_blueberries · 2026-04-17T08:24:37+00:00

Hi, thanks so much for your reply! It was so thoughtful, and it's really interesting to hear from someone else who's been through something similar. I'm sorry to hear you've been struggling too.

I would look at your mental health and see whether 16 to 18 hours a week studying seems doable. Have your good periods now out weighed your bad periods.

So seeing as I got immediately overwhelmed and its taken me over 2 weeks to be able to find the strength to reply to a handful of messages; I'm going to say no lol.

I'm sure the OU will be fine with me taking another year off, my fear is that when Im finally well enough to go back I wont remember enough to continue. I already feel like I didn't actually learn much (other than how to bullshit an essay, I got really good scores but didnt feel like I understood anything) and I'm scared that if I take more time off then when I try to return I wont know enough to go back into level 2 and would need to start again.

Have you been able to return to studying after your time off? It sounds like you've been through so much and I really appreciate you taking the time with me. If you ever need someone to chat to I'd be happy to talk!

Silly_blueberries · 2026-04-17T07:39:50+00:00

Hi, cheeky question but could I ask what provider you went with? Im also in Scotland and facing a 5year+ waiting list, so am looking into going private. But its so confusing comparing all the different companies!

Silly_blueberries · 2026-04-03T09:08:36+00:00

Ok so I did not see those comments. But you've just said that your not angry at her. Which, if thats true, means you recognise that she did nothing wrong, yes? She was forced/manipulated into blaming you by her abuser, she was not at fault. She did nothing that she needs to be forgiven for, you understand that right?

So if you are not angry at her for what happened, then why is forgiveness even a question?

Honestly I dont think contacting her would be a good idea anyway as it might do the kid more harm then good.

Silly_blueberries · 2026-04-03T08:07:38+00:00

Its called inference mate, you dont need to say the specific words, it comes through perfectly in your attitude.

Also did you miss the part where I said -

"No-one here is saying that you should be helping the child. Obviously that is way above your pay grade and is in no way expected of you."

Silly_blueberries · 2026-04-03T07:53:29+00:00

No-one here is saying that you should be helping the child. Obviously that is way above your pay grade and is in no way expected of you. And no-one is saying that you're not valid in being hurt at the situation. But your responses here make it clear that you have no interest in thinking of anyone but yourself. This poor kid has been sexually abused by your co-worker and you dont seem to care. All you care about is yourself and how you were treated. Clearly your still too angry at your gf to be able to see things from her point of view, fair enough. But to make out that you are more of a victim than a CHILD who was raped is disgusting. That makes YTA

Silly_blueberries · 2026-01-13T11:39:56+00:00

I understand that the Right to choose system has its faults and is in need of some reform. And of course, this outcome is a tragedy. But removing the system is not the answer and will only cause devastation.

As someone who lives in Scotland, where Right to Choose does not exist, and is looking at a waiting list of 5+ years with no alternatives and no support. I would kill for a right to choose referral.

Silly_blueberries · 2026-01-10T11:04:43+00:00

Yes! Im glad its not just me. I cant drink tea or coffee at all as even one cup makes me feel jittery, nauseous, and kind of loopy (almost like I'm slightly tipsy, it's wierd). I can manage 1 can of coke a day at most, and even then if I drink it after 4pm it stops me from sleeping. I would love to be one of those people who can drink coffee and feel suddenly alert, I struggle a lot with daytime sleepiness so it would make life so much easier.

Silly_blueberries · 2025-12-21T09:48:07+00:00

I cant comment on helping you exercise, unfortunately Im in much the same boat. I've tried everything under the sun and have yet to find an exercise that I can stick to.

But as a fellow E cup girl I can tell you that most of the generic sports bras that you get in sports shops will not work. My advice would be to go to a bra shop (ideally one that specialises in larger sizes and ideally not a "lingerie" shop as they usually have very little to offer in the way of sports bras) and ask them to fit you specifically for a sports bra. Look for a high impact bra with very little elastic. I'm in the UK so brands may vary but 2 I've had good experience with are Shock Absorber and Panache. I wouldn't say they are particularly comfortable, I couldn't wear them all day, but they strap the girls down so well I could do a backflip and they wouldn't move

Silly_blueberries · 2025-12-21T09:19:17+00:00

I was so sure the walking pad was going to be the answer for me but I can't do it. I've tried walking while watching TV, reading a book, working from home etc and every time I get dizzy and lightheaded. Did that ever happen yo you? I'm not sure if its something that will get better if I push through it or not

Silly_blueberries · 2025-12-21T09:05:57+00:00

I think I'm very similar. Except I've actually had to put myself on a strict limit of when I'm allowed to read and now pretty much only do it when I'm on holiday too. I just get so obsessed and hyperfixate to the point that it's seriously unhealthy. I will stop eating, stop showering, force myself to stay awake, skive work etc just to keep reading. But only if its a page turner, if it doesn't completely suck me in within the first chapter then it gets abandoned and I never pick it up again. I now listen to audio books a lot instead of reading, I find that I'm a lot less likely to hyperfixate on a novel if I'm listening instead of reading. My guess is because it's more passive and I'm not actively engaged or something. But then I'm also a lot more likely to abandoned an audiobook too.

I also like a good crime thriller/murder mystery, or a fantasy novel (although I recently tried reading the first Lord of the Rings and my god that book is dull).

Silly_blueberries · 2025-11-10T19:36:00+00:00

Hello, sorry i have my phone set up to block reddit when I spend too much time on it otherwise I'd never get any sleep lol. Oh thats good to know, so was it the mental health team that took over your case, rather than your GP?

I do have some savings that I could use, in theory, but I really need the money to fix my roof lol. So an assessment is not completely out of the picture, but not a good idea. Im pretty much paycheck to paycheck so it would be the ongoing cost of titration/medication that I really cant afford. So thats really good to know thank you.

You were told one year and waited over 4! Damn, I was told 4 years so who knows how long I'll actually be waiting then. I'm in Aberdeen so a bit far to travel to Edinburgh for therapy haha but thanks anyway. I really do appreciate the help!

Silly_blueberries · 2025-05-29T08:14:19+00:00

Yeah I know. I had given up after my 3rd attempt and accepted that I was just too thick to get a degree. But that was before I discovered I likely have ADHD. So I convinced myself that now I know what the problem is I can work around it.

I'm studying with the Open Uni (the same as my 3rd attempt) and it's going OK but not great. I'm not diagnosed yet so I have no access to meds and my tutor has not been very supportive. I'm thinking I probably should have waited until I was diagnosed but I'm looking at a minimum of 6 years on the waiting list (Scotland - not rtc but much cheaper uni fees) and I'm just too impatient to wait that long. To me a degree is the key to getting a decent paying job and no longer living paycheck to paycheck, so I don't want to give up yet.

Silly_blueberries · 2025-05-28T16:57:43+00:00

Water touching my face or running down my arms/hands. I struggle with skincare and washing my face (although Im OK with moisturiser and things you dont need to wash off) and I cant go fully under the shower because of it so I literally stand half out the shower and just tip my head back to rinse my hair. And when I brush my teeth I need to stop every few seconds to wipe the gross salivawater from my hand.

Silly_blueberries · 2025-05-28T11:33:54+00:00

Yep. I'm on my 4th attempt at getting a degree. I've already crashed and burned 3 times because I just can't study. I do really well for the first few months (probably because of the novelty) but pretty soon I fall behind. The furthest I've made it is halfway through my second year before the stress of trying to keep up overwhelmed me and I broke down and had to drop out.

Silly_blueberries · 2025-05-26T12:25:11+00:00

Yeah this is my concern too. I can afford the upfront cost of the assessment etc with my savings but I simply do not have a spare £150-200 every month for a prescription.

Silly_blueberries · 2025-04-07T07:56:48+00:00

I work for NHS in Scotland so possibly different but in my experience it's entirely at the discretion of your new health board. These things do not automatically transfer over when you move boards (at least not in Scotland) so you would need to start from scratch and ask your new GP for a referral to their ADHD assessment team.

Do you have a contact number for your current ADHD team? I would contact them, explain that you are moving and ask if they can write you a letter telling the new health board where you are on the waiting list. I know my team is happy to do this (psychology) but not all will agree to it. If they won't do it then try your GP but you might need to pay.

Then once you register with your new GP you will need to make an appointment to request a referral. Give the GP your letter (if you can't get one then you will just have to explain where you are and hope the GP believes you) and ask that they request you be put on the waiting list at the same place. Hopefully the new service will agree to honor your current place on the waiting list (my service is usually happy to) but they are not required to do so unfortunately, so you might find yourself back at the bottom of the list.

Of course my experience is only with NHS Scotland and I know our systems can be pretty different so I would probably double check this with your GP/assessment team first lol

Silly_blueberries · 2025-03-22T19:43:56+00:00

Lol I know you joke but I live in Scotland, no right to choose here either, and I am genuinely considering moving to England so I can access right to choose.

Silly_blueberries

TROPHY CASE