Silly Student Support people, or maybe its me...

[arthmelow]

I hate paper forms. I always get bits incorrect in them. I've just looked
up my already late application for my student loan online and I've found 3 errors already and I have no idea if they were me or the person looking at my terrible writing and misreading it...

1. It says I'm male ( I'm not! )
2. Its mispelled my contact's address, despite me knowing that they have a postcode lookup system and the postcode is correct.
3. It says that I don't want the income assessed stuff, just the standard
support. That's nonsense. I did put in all the financial details for the
form to be assessed... brrr... ( this is a huge thing for me - makes
the difference between being able to pay rent or not ).

I try to call them, and they say that they have no idea what is going
on because its not on their computers yet. They say to call my LEA, for
which they don't have a number for. I find the number, call them
and they're only open mon-fri 9am-5pm...

I hate forms! Why do I screw them up so much? :-/

[Daniel]

I absolutely loathe forms with a passion. I don't have to fill in forms all that often, but when I do they're normally of reasonable importance, and unless I go really slowly and concentrate totally on what I'm doing, I'll make a mess of it, and write things in the wrong place, or just the wrong thing entirely.

I wish more companies would have available the option of PC friendly forms, where you can fill the forms in on your PC, and either send the completely form off online, or a form that once filled in prints out nicely. Either seem to be beyond the wit of most companies to create for whatever reason.

The problems of forms have actually put me off from applying for certain jobs where the application is particularly lengthy and is required to be handwritten. I suppose this is to disuade those who aren't entirely committed to applying, but I wonder if they realise it can prove a real hurdle for those with certain disabilities too.

[fuzzy]

Maybe companies should be made aware of this- Dan could be an advocate for all dyspraxics and other sufferers of varying nuerological conditions!

Yeah I dislike forms too, but unfortunatley, if you want the job etc, it has to be done! I especailly hate my student loan form too; its always so daunting to fill out and really quite complex! Fortunatley in Scotland the form can be filled out entirely online (apart from the DSA bit but the application is purposefully easier to complete), but i can sympathise with you; its bloody annoying when stuff like that happens! Try not to let it get you down too much; the ppl who design these forms are of course thouroughly evil and will eternally burn in the flames of hell, heehee!! :P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P

[Daniel]

It's not just mistakes on forms though; I find them them difficult to understand, more difficult than others from what I gather, in that I find ambiguities with loads of forms and am not sure what they are looking for. This has long been a problem I've encountered but it's particularly noticeable on poorly thought out forms. I'm sure the person who created the form knew what he meant, but I just end up confused, and then worried that I might put in entirely the wrong piece of information because of the way I've interpreted it. Does anyone else encounter this too?

As for informing businesses, yes, that wouldn't be a bad idea.

[fuzzy]

Dan- you could totally email companies that you may have had difficulties with in terms of the application forms........ technically, theyd have to look into it otherwise you could do them for discrimination!

I dont know if i have that problem or not.... can you give me an example of a q you would find hard to interpret?

[towildhoney]

I know how you feel I'm having a nightmare with application forms.

I have a feeling you can get the student loan form on a computer.

My experience is that local councils LEA's are extremley ineficent (I would to spurt bile here but I doubt its intresting) I would phone them up pointing out the mistakes do not under any circumstances hint may be your mistake they will jump on it! If they insist you redo the form they may! Talk to there student support people who handel DSA's about getting the form on the computer or at least a large print version which will be easier and get someone to check it. I always send mine signed for delivery as they have said mine did not arive at the counil on numerous ocassions apparently.

[arthmelow]

My experience is that local councils LEA's are extremley ineficent (I would to spurt bile here but I doubt its intresting) I would phone them up pointing out the mistakes do not under any circumstances hint may be your mistake they will jump on it! If they insist you redo the form they may! Talk to there student support people who handel DSA's about getting the form on the computer or at least a large print version which will be easier and get someone to check it. I always send mine signed for delivery as they have said mine did not arive at the council on numerous ocassions apparently.

I did it online last year... the LEA managed to lose the entry in the
database somehow so I didn't get the loan until April and my uni
started threatening suspension... I was told to not do the form
online because it takes longer to process.

They also managed to lose two paper forms that I'd sent in the post.
In the end I travelled to my town hall and filled it all in and gave it in
that day.

In an ideal world I'd get a few people to check it for me but my
mother gets very defensive about her income so I'm not allowed
to show the form to my friends... plus if I did her bit separately
she would never get round to doing it, and she'd make as many
errors as I do!

[Liz944]

I am lucky, I live near my LEA office (when at home and not staying in London) and they are very good. I go in, in person hand in the forms, ask any questions I am not sure of and ask them to check the form is filled in correctly. So if there are any changes they cam be made immediately. So far this has worked well.

[Greg]

LEAs are terrible terrible things. My 2nd year student loan was a mere 2.5 years late. (I had a year out because my spine exploded) I didn't even bother applying for a third year one. It's a good thing I've mastered the art of spending less than £6000 a year and had some savings as a buffer. I've no idea what I'm going to do with twice that next year, let alone with the money I could make at a proper job.

I tend to blame the forms for my problems with them. I'm really not sure if it's that I'm woefully incompetant when it comes to forms or if they're all just really badly written. All of the questions seem to take the form "So, have you stopped beating you wife yet?" There's just no answer to them without writing in the margin that the permise of the question is wrong.

I'm sure it's designed to get people into the situation that I was in last year where I was classified as a student for houseing, disability and unemployment benefits but as a non-student for student loans and council tax. Grrrrr >:O

So is it the forms or is it me?

[wendel]

Hi,
I think you are so right about student support. I work in Student services
and getting any off the welfare officers to actually speak to a student is virtually impossible( I work on reception)
Student services includes disability
They just get stroppy with me if I do anything other then take a message
If I ask anyone anything they just bite my head of.
They do always speak to members off staff without any trouble at all
(i'm always relieved when it's from staff)
So if anyone has trouble with the staff at student support. Try if a lecturer
or any other member of staff can phone for you.or your disability coordinator
With regards to forms . I hate them. I 'm not sure what it is about them but they make me really anxious. Particularly things that involve writing like 500 words about why you want to do the course. I was going to do a counselling course but they weren't very helpful at all .in the end I just got annoyed with it eand didn't want to do it anymore. I find it really difficult to answer questions like that. I get really wound up about it. I find it hard to put things down in writing

[Shark Repellent Batspray]

Eugh, student loan.

I tried to do it on the computer because I knew I had no chance at completing an 11-page form without mucking it up.

I phoned up 3 times because I couldn't log on to the site, the first guy probably has to have help answering the phone. the second guy tried to help but didn't and the 3rd one told me I was born in Aylesbury (I was born in Wycombe) but wouldn't let me change it because it was "too much hassle". Then I got two different letters through the post with different login information on neither of which worked.

Then I did it by post and they sent a letter back asking if I wanted a loan, of course I ******* wanted a loan that's why I filled out an 11 page form you ***** (I checked it at least 3 times and my dad and mum both checked it, there's no way we made a mistake). Sent off another form which appears to have done the trick.