Advice Centre Blog

Academic performance affected by things beyong your control?

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:54:00 Z

Sometimes your performance can be affected by things beyond your control, referred to by MMU as Exceptional Factors (EF). These are;

severe, unexpected, unpreventable events

or personal issues

which occur at the time of your assessment or during the period immediately leading up to your assessment.

So if you have been affected by problems that prevented you from;

attending an exam,

submitting an assessment on time

or which significantly affected your performance in an assessment

YOU MUST hand in an Exceptional Factors Form (EF1) along with your evidence (e.g. GP or Counsellors letter, death certificate or police report) to your Student Information Point/Life Office who will forward your case to your Faculty Exceptional Factors Panel to consider. There will be a submission deadline for this form so make sure you check with your SIP/SLO when it is.

The Exceptional Factors Panel should inform you of your outcome within 5 working days of their meeting. Contact your SIP/SLO if you do not receive a response.

If your application is accepted, you will normally get extra time to complete your assignment or the chance to sit an examination again. However, an Exceptional Factors Form will not increase your marks or degree classification.

If your application is refused, come and see us for information on appealing this decision.

If your case is particularly sensitive, it may be possible to make your form anonymous – come to see us in the Advice Centre to discuss this further or review MMU's detailed information.

If you have any questions or would like help with completing the form please contact the Advice Centre
You can also find further information in the Exceptional Factors leaflet.

Need help coping on a tight budget?

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:01:00 Z

The Christmas and New Year period is an expensive time of year, so it's important to keep on top of your finances. Most students cope on a very tight budget.

Learning how to manage your money correctly is a key way to make sure that financial pressures do not affect your academic work or spoil your enjoyment of university life.

Here are some tips you can follow to get ahead of your finances:

Be prepared for bills. Put money aside, or set up direct debits, so you are sorted if lots of bills come at once.
Watch out for big charges on your mobile, especially on long distance calls or when you're overseas.
Know you're limit and if you're about to exceed your overdraft, speak to your Students' Union Advice Centre
Review your budget regularly. Make sure you are aware if your budget is about to change.
Calculate expected income and expenditure and plan ahead.
Don't buy new books - get second hand ones from your union, other students or online
Buy in bulk with your housemates when food shopping to save money every week.
Take advantage of being a student! Buying an NUS card will allow you lots of discounts on things like food and travel.

The Advice Centre at the Students' Union is here to help with any issues you may be having, so feel free to pop in if you want to talk to someone about your finances.

You can download the Money Management booklet, which is full of tips and advice on managing your finances.

MMU's Access to Learning Fund is another resource available to students, you can find more information here.

It's time to find a doctor!

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:57:00 +0100

A big welcome from your students’ union advice team!

Hopefully by now, you will have moved in, attended a few lectures, received your student loan and generally be feeling a little more settled. However, you can’t get too comfy as now it’s time to register with a doctor! With winter just around the corner, cold, flu and all those other nasty bugs will be waiting to pounce, so it’s very important you register with a doctor as soon as possible. Please don’t wait until you get ill – there nothing worse than feeling poorly in a strange city. To find your nearest doctor go to the NHS website and type in your postcode.

You will also need a HC1 form which you can pick up from the student union advice centre, 3^rd floor.

If you are struggling with health costs have a read here

Once you've registered - then you can relax!

Too ill to attend your exam?

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:28:00 +0100

We have been receiving lots of calls from poorly students and worried parents during exam resit season. If you are too ill to attend your exam (or will attend but haven’t performed to the best of your ability) or haven’t submitted an assignment by the deadline you MUST submit an Exceptional Factors form with evidence. MMU have devised a helpful page on assessments Here and we have written an Exceptional Factors Guide

If you want any further help call us or come and visit us at the Advice Centre

Not happy with your exam results?

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:29:00 +0100

Just got your results? Unhappy?

Please review our Academic Appeals booklet to see if you have grounds to appeal. You will have 14 days to submit an appeal from the date on your results letter.

If you believe that you have a case, fill out an Appeal Form, attach your evidence and submit it to your Student Information Point/Life Office.

If you would like to chat with an impartial adviser about the validity of your case or you would like to us to read your case before you submit it please come and see us at the Students’ Union Advice Centre