Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all.
I went to traditional brick Uni in the autumn of 2018 after passing a pre-access course and after being diagnosed with ASD at the start of 2019, I dropped out of my degree. Since then, I’ve been battling with severe depression and have always received the common comment ‘Oh, uni isn’t for everyone.’ The issue is that uni was for me, however, I hated the environment and received no support regarding my health and ASD diagnosis.
I know that I’ve already been to uni, so wouldn’t be entitled to any student finance loans yet I’ve been feeling more drawn to OU just because a family member has done multiple degree courses with them and had a positive experience. The subjects I’m thinking of are either along the lines of business management or doing an open degree since I have lots of interests and have done so from a young age. I hate exams and being unemployed with a chronic health condition means no money is coming in.
I would like to hear from anyone with autism/chronic conditions that have studied with OU. Good or bad experiences, I’m interested in hearing all perspectives! Any advice about how to potentially find someone to sponsor my studies would be great as well
I’m with the Open University and have been studying an Engineering degree for 3 years. I am autistic and have a depression, anxiety and I suspect ADD. I’m 24. I love it. Don’t think I could have managed at a traditional brick university. Of course you need to be good at managing your own time and need to be someone who is good at self teaching but those are the positives for me. There is the ability to interact socially if you wish and there is forthcoming support for disabilities. For my course we do have to participate in 2 residential schools that involve going away for a week and taking part in practical activities with other students. I haven’t had mine yet because of covid but it is clear that they are accommodating for those with disabilities and my understanding is you can get assigned someone from the OU who will support you on site. I love not being in a class room (often find the pace too slow), being able to chose when to study and it means I can work full time also.
hope that gives you an overview but if you have anymore questions then let me know :-)
I’m not the best at time management but maybe doing a degree is the right thing to get better at that? The trips away do scare me however since my chronic condition is unpredictable. Thanks for replying, really helpful!