Club Z! tells about REAL STUDENT SORIES... Laura Bailey

Profile: Laura Bailey

Subject:  Combined Honours in Special Needs and the Advanced Study of Early Years

Institution:  Holy Cross College University Centre

I chose to do my degree at the University Centre at Holy Cross College in Bury because I had done my A levels there and I knew how good the standard of teaching was.

The course I chose was a Combined Honours Degree in Special Needs and the Advanced Study of Early Years and it takes place one evening a week. I didn’t want to go away to university because I knew I would miss my family too much. I didn’t think I would be able to cope and look after myself, so when I heard of this course, in connection with Liverpool Hope University, I knew it was right for me. 

I had a brain tumour when I was five and this has left me with a lot of problems. I am prone to migraines and I wear hearing aids in each ear. I also have emotional special needs. 

In the first year of my course I developed epilepsy. This was probably due to taking on too much academic work too quickly. I started as a full time student but I changed to part time in my second year and have been coping well ever since.

I found it difficult to listen and take notes at the same time in lectures, so I was provided with a note-taker so I could concentrate on listening. My support tutor and lecturer are both brilliant and willing to help me however they can. They arranged for a loop system to be installed in the classroom so that I could hear the lecture more clearly. If I ever need an extension for my assigments because of illness, they are very understanding and grant me one straight away.

The Student Loans Company funds my course and I also get a Disabled Students’ Allowance for extra books, for example.

There have been times when the workload has overwhelmed me, but we are given a large amount of time to complete it, and lots of advice while we do so. The best part of my course has been all the support I have received from the college and realising that I can achieve a degree despite my problems. I would recommend Holy Cross’s evening study programme to anyone who, like me, feels that they would have trouble adapting to university life.
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