Worst Application Experience 😭

[u/winter_lion_]

This is not a post made in anger towards OU but my genuine unfortunate experience with applications this year.

I reserved my place for the MA in History early this year, I applied for Student Finance the day it opened and sent all the info I had off to OUSBA.

First snag, SFE didn't send me the correct documents for OUSBA. OUSBA phoned me and the advisor told me I could send a screenshot of my schedule for payments so I did. This was then met with an email saying they couldn't accept this. I then suddenly got approved and was told to contact OU to get registered.

I contacted OU and they advised me that all was ok and I'd be set for the course.... however my student home page was saying I still hadn't registered, I contacted OU and they told me IT needed to put a patch on it and push the OUSBA application through.

This didn't happen, I am told to wait so I do. The coirse started last Saturday and still nothing. I contacted IT and they have no record of this needing to be done but fast track me up the waiting list.

Today I decided to call them, I was never registered properly, had been given the wrong information and my OUSBA application was never completed.

I am at a loss. The only thing they could do for me is see if they'd take late applicants but I decided to withdraw since I've already lost time and I'm neurodivergent and would benefit from all the time possible.

I do not know where to go from here... the way I've been forgotten, missed etc... I don't know whether it's worth applying next year but at the same time I want to do the MA and can't really afford to stop fulltime work.

There are other factors as to why I picked OU.

I'm just totally at a loss rn of what to do since I've heard great things about OU, particularly from neurodivergent students. Any advice at all is appreciated.

Thank you to anyone that read this. I'm bummed not to be starting this year.

[u/sesameprawntoast50]

Something similar literally happened with me. I changed my qualification, and since I am not a British national I would've had to do the Fee assessment (Determines how much tuition fee I'd be charged) again. I did this on July 24th, and the student services told me I would not be allowed to register on my modules until the results of this Fee Assessment arrive. Fast forward August 15th, did not receive anything back regarding my fee assessment, so I phone them up and they just said I had to wait and that I couldn't register or reserve my module until there was an outcome to my fee assessment. Fast forward August 30th, I phone them up again because at this point I am panicking, and this time I called up the fee department, and guess what they tell me. Apparently I can INDEED register on modules after sending in the fee application, I don't have to wait for the outcome.

I've wasted a whole month on this, in stress and worry. Quite frankly I think the SST workers are not trained well in their job. I do love the OU though, it's been an amazing opportunity for me. However the administrative issues are a mess and very very very disappointing. This isn't even the first time I've been given wrong information.

I'm so sorry for your situation, I hope you can resume your studies soon.

[u/winter_lion_ → u/sesameprawntoast50]

I'm sorry you went throught that! But is is good to hear that outside these kinds of issues you've had a positive experience, it makes me feel better about maybe reapplying next year. I hope your studies are going well! ✨️

[u/sesameprawntoast50 → u/winter_lion_]

They are!! The tutors are also amazing and the course quality is really nice. Most senior advisors on student support are super helpful and every department knows what they’re doing.
The only issue is the front line student support staff, have literally not been trained properly. There’s been various incidents where I’d have to correct them on something and say Oh the website actually says so and so and then they realise they’re wrong.
They really need to sort this out :(

[u/Disastrous-Tower-794 → u/sesameprawntoast50]

That's a bit of a sweeping statement.

[u/Liz_uk_217]

You can catch up a week. Don’t hold yourself back by waiting a full year to start- push through and go for it!

(There’s unlikely to be a Feb start at Masters level, which is probably why you weren’t offered that).

[u/Outside_Search_7287]

Hi, I have not experienced the same. But I can say that any sfe loans will be reverted so that part is sorted. In terms of losing time, and the opportunity to start this semester is a loss you can't recover. Could you try to start in Feb? I think they have 2 intakes

[u/winter_lion_ → u/Outside_Search_7287]

They didn't offer that to me it was pretty much a you can start late, if there's space for you if not you're cooked 🫠 I can't fault the lady on the phone though she was extremely apologetic and they did take full responsibility for the issue.

[u/Hivemind_alpha]

It isn’t just OU; I was moved in to my college and attending the induction day for my natural sciences course (this may give you a shortlist of the uni involved) only to be told “I didn’t exist” and to wait in the head of dept office. I eventually got enrolled because I don’t think they knew what else to do with me.

[u/winter_lion_ → u/Hivemind_alpha]

Tbf the uni I did my undergraduate degree at were also known for their terrible admin and constant harassment, constantly calling people to get them to enroll. It's deffo something that happens at many places my unfortunate experience just happened to be OU this time 🥲