Is anyone out there starting the SW BA at City College this September??
It would be great to start chatting to other 'soon to be' students before we start!!
hey which college is that ?
im starting City College in Norwich this sept for the BA Hons SW x
Hi Katie,
Glad to find one person who's doing the same course! Do you live in Norwich or are you travelling to College?
When is your induction day? I'm in on the 7th Sept.
Josie
p.s I am going to Norwich City College
Me too !
Im so worried as im not sure the age range etc so I really dont want to feel alone ..
i dont live in Norwich , but im only 45 mins down the road in Lowestoft , so its not to bad i guess .
How about you ?
Yes my induction day is the same too .. I am slightly confused tho as i had a letter with our timetable attatched , which i couldnt make any sense of :/ and it says about the first day being the 5th Sept .
To be honest i havent really read into the letters to much , just skimmed them to see what they are about and i now i have a pile i need to realy go through .
I also went to the college and paid for me CRB last week .
Katie
How random - I'm coming from Lowestoft too!!!! haha I think they've put all people from similar areas on the induction day so people can talk about lift shares and study time together??
Don't worry I know what you mean about the letters. They're not very clear. I initially thought we had to attend all three induction days (5th, 6th, and 7th) but it turns out that they're fitting us all in for one of the three days. Our actual timetable (full day mon, half day wed and Fri) starts week beginning the 12th.
I haven't been able to get the time off work to take my CRB form in so I'll do that on the induction day.
I've been in contact with another lady who's doing the same degree but I'm not sure how old she is. I'm 25 and assume I'll be one of the youngest?
Well if you fancy meeting up for a coffee and a chat I'd be up for that. We could go through our letters togather and try and make sense of everything! If you fancy it my name is Josie Tailford and just send me a message on facebook!
Hi there,
I will be starting at City College on the 7th September. Feeling quite nervous so would be good to chat to a few people beforehand.
Look forward to seeing you all on the 7th!!!!
Hi Annie,
Great to hear from someone else who is starting on the 7th! Are you coming from Lowestoft too?
Hi Josie,
Good to hear from you too - getting a bit scared about the first day so it's nice to hear from someone who is going to the same place.
I live on the outskirts of Norwich but sort of on the opposite side of City College so will be getting the bus. I gather parking is limited so will reduce stress levels and let public transport do the work.
Are you on the part time or full time course?
Ax
hey ,
its glad there is another person in contact for the course ,
im going to be doing the full time course how about you ?
im interested to know the age range that will be in our class , as im only 21 and i am a little worried i will be with people alot older then me who might not take me seriously. :/ maybe im being a little silly .
also has anyone heard of/about the freshers fair ?
x
I'm so glad I found this thread. Great to hear from you.
I'm doing the part time version as I can't afford to stop working. I just hope I can juggle everything. Life is busy now let alone after the 7th Sept.
As for age - I really wouldn't worry. Social Work is a course that will have a more varied age range of students than perhaps other courses. But we all have something to offer. Youth can be a huge advantage in many ways and your experience of life is as important as anyone elses.
I'm a more mature student (you will never know how hard it was for me to type that!!!) but I am worried about the academic side of things. I have lots of work experience in the HSC field but very little academic experience so I'm worried that I won't be able to keep up. But I'm keeping an open mind.
Hopefully, as we all aspire to be Social Workers, we will be demonstrating an inclusive and supportive approach to each other as students. If we can't do that on the course, how can we be good social workers? We will be listening to our service users who may be small children or elderly people with dementia. Everyone's voice should be heard.
Try not to worry and don't let it spoil the excitement of what lies ahead.
thank you thats so reasuring to hear things like that :)
in my interview i was so worried as the people i was up against really new the business ( i think my nerves got the better of me )and they seemed to kind of intimidate me i suppose as they was a fair few years older , so you can imagine my excitement when i got my acceptance letter ! .
i just really cant wait to start the course . i am only still young but it has been such a long time coming for me as i never would have imagined i would have got this far and luckily before the fee's went up to hehe :D .
talking of which, how do the fee's work for the part time course?
im so confused with the loans etc . i have sorted them all out but i seem to have been entitled to an excessive amount of money . i have accepted the max amounts as im unsure how much things will cost and what they want us to buy for the course (books etc) and hoping it will give me a rough idea for next year .
hmmm..
xx
I know what you mean about the interview. There was one person who was obviously desperate to get on the course and would have done anything to make others feel that they shouldn't be there. We started off with a group of 6 and by the group discussion there was only 5 of us left. The person that didn't carry on was a young girl and I think this other candidate had got to her a bit. I felt a bit guilty when I realised what had happened as she was going in for the interview after me and was waiting outside when I came out. Apparently she went in and told them she didn't want the interview. If I had realised what was going on I would have supported her better and stayed with her until she went in for the interview, but I didn't. I could not believe how competitive it was. Talk about naive!!!!!
Some of the people in my group were doing the Access course which I found a bit intimidating as I thought that they were far more likely to get a place than me but you can't think like that. I just kept reminding myself that I had been chosen to be interviewed and it was up to me what happened next. It worked!
As for the funding - I assume you have applied for the Bursary which everyone gets assuming they meet the criteria. It's not assessed on your income or household etc. Everyone gets it. It' the other bits of funding that are more selective which I'm not eligible for. They don't make it easy to understand that's for sure. I'm a bit late getting my bursary form in as was dreading telling my employer about what I was doing and I have to get my manager to sign the form to say that they are not paying me to do the course - which would make me exempt from the bursary.
I hope that it's a nice group of people. You always get a few people who think they are a cut above and will try to intimidate others. But I think that may go against them as we are training to work as professionals who will act in the best interests of others and we will be being constantly observed and appraised to some degree. I can be quite a strong character but don't like unpleasantness or people who are unkind to others - i struggle with people politics a bit.
Oh well....in less than 2 weeks we will have started!!!!! Yipppeeeeeeeeeee!
yeah i had a person fishing for my interview answers on our interview day . three of us had interviews in one room and the other three in another and as we sat outside waiting to be called , this person was asking me and another lady " so why do you want to be social workers " i was thinking hmmm she will use my answer i best keep my mouth shut lol .
i really cant wait to get stuck in the course tho , esp the placement work !! i love the hands on approach and cant wait to get stuck in .
what area are you wanting to go into once qualified ?
i am really interested in children and families but i realise there are huge cuts in jobs etc and they have been targeted so gettin in to that line of social work might be hard for me to start with :/
It's amazing the tactics that people will use I guess. I've never experienced anything like that before and whilst I found it quite scary that people will try to intimidate others, it was a case of survival of the fittest. Everyone was fighting for what they wanted so I can understand it a bit.
Have you done any work in the sector or have you been volunteering?
I'm really interested in mental health - possibly forensics or children and families. Definitely don't want to work with Elderly or LD not that those areas are not worthwhile, but just not for me. I have worked with Adults and the elderly so would like to focus on something different in the future. I worked at a Psychiatric Hospital delivering training to staff and that was so interesting. There were 2 secure units and a rehab unit, also a children's home. I was made redundant from there unfortunately but loved it.
I think we are probably starting our training at a good time as by the time we qualify the cuts will be a distant memory (little miss optimistic maybe). I'm not sure if this government will remain and if Labour return to power, it could be just in time for us. I feel sad for the experienced social workers who are being moved about and seeing colleagues made redundant. I work alongside social workers in my current job and have seen a few changes that's for sure. The effect on service users is not good.
mental health has always interested me but i dont know if i could work in that sector , although i would love doing some work experience around that area . i think im a little niave on mental health and i fear the worst, although i have never had any real experience to make a judgement for my self .
i have a bit of expereince around the care sector , i finshed my last year at college in june , studying a diploma in health and social care , in which i have done various work placements .i have also worked for a care agency (short lived - only a year) but throughly enjoyed my time with the service users . with the agency i worked for i loved it as i got to work with various different people with different illness's , also people with the same illness effecting them completly differently . it really opened my eyes !! .
i think i am interested in children and famillies because i am a very young mother (having my child at the age of 15) and was once in a similar postion to what alot of people go through , (maybe not so extreme) but i do understand the difficulties some familys go through esp at such a young age . luckily for my self i had a great support group of family and friends and some people dont get the luxery of having either .
also child behaviour really interests me . we had a very short lived assignment at college on behaviour but unfortantly the unit got dropped as we wouldnt of had enough credits to complete the course ,but the few lessons we did have fascinated me . so i would love if we did any work on this .
It sounds like you've got lots of experiences to draw on and the diploma sounds really good. Courses like that give you opportunities to have placements which you don't get once you start working, unless you get the chance to change direction which doesn't always happen.
I'm interested in child behaviour as well. My partner has a child that I spend time with, obviously, and it's very interesting to watch her grow and change. I've been reading a really good text which was on the Guardian suggested reading list for SW students (2010). It's by John Sudbery and it's called Human Growth and Development. It's so easy to read and really interesting. I love Psychology anyway and studied it at A level a few years ago.
I know what you mean about MH. I did nurse training which i started when I was 17 - way too young and can empathise with your feelings about not being taken seriously etc as I really struggled but if I had been 21 it would probably have been ok. I didn't qualify as I left the course but I remember my MH placements which were clinical and quite scary and I remember thinking "this is not what I want to do at all" but now, i feel differently. I also think MH is portrayed quite negatively in the media which doesn't help. You never know, you might have an MH placement and love it!
I hope you are feeling less worried now about age etc. Perhaps we are the only 3 people going to City College. Ha ha.
oh really , i will see if i can get that on ebay or somthing and have a look . i love things like that .
was you given the list of 'suggested read' from the college ?
i was 2 pages long full of different books to read and that could be used on the course . i was debating weather to buy some of them , but ive decided to wait and buy the ones i will actually use. i can already see my house stacked high in books ..
i have always been a pain in the bum in psychology we studied so many different theorys by all different theorist's i ended up getting them all in a big muddle haha .
are you on any other sites to try connect to students befor we start ?
this is the only site i have found anyone on and i came here as a last resort .
i signed up for yoogo which is from the ucas site , and found a few people on there but i dont think anyone uses it as i never had replies . i also have CCN facebook page which i havnt met anyone but it gives usefull infomation . then here .
Hi again Annie,
Glad you guys are chatting away! Looking forward to meeting everyone at the induction!!
I'm doing the full time course - I know what you mean I'm a bit worried about finances but will continue to wrok 2 days a week which my employer will review at the end of the tax year. I was shocked by the student loan but I was given the maximum amount because I live on my own.
If it's of any help I've been told that the roads leading off the main road that the college is on have free parking and it's apparently not too hard to find a space in the morning. Fingers crossed!!
Do either of you know how many people are on the course in total? Do part time and full time students have some lectures togather?
Hi there Josie (and Katie)
Yes...thank you for starting this thread. I was starting to think I was the only person in the world going to CCN!! Ha ha. It's been good to chat with Katie today and I'm looking forward to the 7th ....not long now.
So you're doing the full time course and working 2 days a week??? Blimey. I wish I could have done the full time course but there was no chance. I have no idea about course numbers. I think there are 20 part time places but I can't remember where I got that from. I may even have dreamt it. (Have been having weird dreams about being back at my old school, seeing old teachers that I hated....must be something in the air!!!). I know that there were alot more people that applied than there were places for.
Re: Parking...I seem to recall from my interview invite letter that they suggested that there isn't parking in the side roads and only limited spaces at the college and you have to pay at the college. It's so close to the City that it would make sense that you can't park in the side roads but it's worth a try.
Katie...I didn't have a reading list with my induction paperwork. Did you have one? I think we have all been sent different things reading through your earlier posts to Josie. I'm hoping we will get the reading list on the 7th as I just don't know what to get or where to start. I bought a really good study skills book which has been really helpful and I think will be my bible on essay structure and how to reference etc. I tried Norwich Library but it was useless for social work texts. I was very surprised and disappointed.
Hope you have both had a good Bank Holiday weekend...despite the unpredictable weather!!
i havent a clue on numbers i know it wont be no more than 30 max ! and to be honest the rooms dont seem that big in the norwich building so i think it will be more along the lines of 20 too .!
i suppose we wont know till we start ekk !
my friend who studied at CCN last year said there are parking spaces out of college on the road but they are for limited period of time . so on our half days would be fine , but full days i think its best to park in the college . i dont know what time to head to the college to make sure i get a parking space , i suppose if the worst happends there always chaplefield near by to park , and for a cheeky window shop aha .
on my interview i got there very stupidly a hour early because i underestimated the time and spaces available in the car park .
yeah i got a list of suggested books, also my timetable for each term and places for accomodation in norwich .
hmm.. i havent checked out lowestoft libary yet but i imagine its no better :/ i may pop in to lowestoft college as they have the access course there so i hope they will have some there as i can already see all the book a CCN have more then likely gone by the time i get there ..
ebay have a few people selling there old ones but its a case of getting the right books i guess . no good getting a great deal on the wrong books !
student loans have thrown me , i do get help on my rent now as i left my job i dont know if they will continue to help me or ill have to pay it from my loans and i also im not entitled to my income support whilst in college . so i guess i have to put sum aside to fund what that would have been :S im puzzled
Just to let you know when it comes to means tested benefits (ie. Housing benefit) the student loan is classed as an income but the bursary is not. I looked into this because I was trying to work out whether I would get any support paying my mortgage if I was not able to continue working.
You will be council tax exempt and if you are only living with your child you will need to pay £0 in countil tax - you just need to notify waveney district council and take in confirmation of your enrolment.
I also know there is a college bursary but you cannot apply for this until you have started the course. The college told me it's up to £300 for the year if you are in financial hardship.
If you're a single mummy there may be some help from charities if you really got stuck but I know most charities will not contribute if there is a bursary and if you are able to get a student loan.
Hope it's of some help!
p.s let me know if you fancy lift sharing on the 7th. Up to you but if you would be interested that would be fine by me.
Katie & Annie,
I got the reading list too. I've hunted round for second hand books some of which are on the reading list but prices mount up! I've decided I'm going to wait until i start too before I could spending my debt!! haha!
I went on a shopping trip and tested the parking and I found spaces (no permit needed and no time restrictions) but I guess it's busy during the week.
Yes, fingers crossed I'll manage the 2 days!! I'm a bit worried about getting into studying because it's been a while and I've never studied at degree level before! I just know i panic... avoid starting it... and get super stressed because I'm trying to complete things last minute.
That's an analysis of myself in general! haha
That all sounds very familiar....I've never studied at degree level either and I have been panicking. It's very strange to feel so excited and yet so terrified, at exactly the same time. I'm just going to take each assignment as it comes. There's no pressure on me to complete as it's not a requirement for my job so I'm going to try and be chilled about it all. (Ahem). The study skills book that I bought is excellent and has given me more confidence so might be worth a look.
Have a good day!!!!
Hey,
A lift share would be brillaint Joise , :)
youll have to send me your email address and we could sort in over there .
although im fresh out of education, i myself havent worked at such a high level either . im hoping that the course will be mch laid back then it would be if we did go to a actuall univeristy . as our numbers are much smaller so it will give us more chance to pull tutour aside when we are struggling .
i am well aware of harvard referencing and i know they will expect atleast 30% of our assignments to be our own work . which dont sound much but i know from college when your are looking into a subject you have completly no knowledge about its hard to write about it without finding the info eles where , meaning you have no choice but to reference :/
P.S Anne where did you get your study skills book from and it sounds it will come in really handy !!
I think a Degree is a Degree wherever you study. It's a set standard and ours is administered by the UEA which is good for our future employability as UEA has a good rep. I'm not trying to scare you so please ignore me if you want to but I think we need to be prepared for a bit of an onslaught. Hopefully they will build us up gradually as I don't fancy being in a panic right from the word go!!!!
The study skills book is one I bought in Waterstones but you may find it cheaper on Amazon - it's called the Study Skills Handbook by Stella Cotterell and it's published by Palgrave. The cover is Lime Green which kind of drew me in I think (!!!!) but it really explains things and has made me feel so much better about what I am about to start. I almost had decided that I wasn't going to be able to do it at all but this book saved my sanity (so far anyway. It might not be so great when I start to put it into practice).
I emailed Sally at the college today and asked her for a reading list but the one she sent through was one page and seemed to be mostly by the same author and were very general reading suggestions. I also got my timetable through which was quite exciting (I live sheltered life so forgive me for being so easily pleased). I also asked about numbers of students and apparently for the part time group it's going to be about 20 students. I think she said that class sizes are 30 max anyway.
Over and out!!
ill pop down Waterstones tomorrow and see if they have one in stock . i did go into our Waterstone a few weeks bk to look for SW books but there wasnt anything :/
i just feel that in university they do there classes in seminars which can be of a really large number , whereas in college we will be taught as a small class meaning we get more of a chance to get questions in and that little extra help as uni seems to be alot more demanding as it has many more people to deal with . although i know the standard of work will have to be the same no matter where we would study .
my friend who is starting UCS on the 5th already has an assignment set for her and a hand in date !
this may seem a really silly question but what stationary do you think we need . i always had folders to keep my work in at college , but all i have brought so far is a note pad, biro's & highlighters as im not sure what they expect us to have .
the handy thing was as my college was only up the road from my house i could always leave my folder there and if i needed it urgently it was only a 5 min walk to get it , but i dont really fancy having to drive 45mins up the road just to get my folder or books . it just i dont particually want to lug them around with me back and forth back n forth , as knowing my luck they will end up gettin left behind or ill lose something :/
Yes I think you are probably right. It sounds like our class sizes will be quite small so it will be helpful when we get stuck or have questions.
As for stationary...I have 2 lever arch files. 1 is going to be for research resources and the other for my written work but I don't intend to carry either of them about. I shall just take a note pad, sticky note things ( I love those!!!), and pens. I've got plastic pockets to put my work in and a slim pastic wallet in case I need to carry a current piece of work with me but apart from that, nothing exciting. The only other thig that might be useful is a pen drive so that if you have to bring work in then that would be a very neat easy way to carry it - assuming there is a computer to access it with. Highlighters are a good idea... shall get some of those.
I think a pen drive would resolve the issue of having to drive home to get work. Until we get there we don't know what we have access to in the way of IT but I guess they must be available to us.
Waterstones wasn't great I agree. I went to the small one in Norwich which is near the Body Shop. The other Waterstones has no social work texts at all!!! You have to go upstairs and then over to the left. Social work texts are on the right hand side along with Psychology. The study aid texts are on the left hand side. There were quite a few different textbooks available but I would check out Amazon as you may save up to a fiver on each text you buy which means at some point you save enough to get a free one (technically).
A week today and I shall be getting on the bus to go "back to school". It's a bit odd as my partner's daughter starts school for the first time that day so we're both excited and scared!!
Have a good day