Part of C+’s investigation into student intermissions.
I have taken medical leave twice during my time in Oxford. I’m also currently a member of the Balliol JCR Suspended Status Working Group, which hopes to improve the process of intermission, supporting those who have suspended their studies.
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I have had an overall positive experience of medical leave, but my major problem is the impression it gives the student taking it. Medical leave often feels like a punishment, particularly as a result of rules put in place by the colleges that deny access to the prem- ises, meaning people cannot easily visit their friends.
I understand that these rules are in place for a reason: for example, a break from the Oxford environment might be extremely beneficial to the student. However, there is a need for other people to support the student, rather than just their friends at college.
It’s a really hard decision to take. Nobody wants to leave their studies, and people often feel like everyone’s teaming up against them, but my college has been nothing but supportive, allowing me to make decisions for myself.
This is not the case for everyone. There is a particularly large disparity between different colleges, and I feel this issue needs to be more thoroughly outlined and standardised. I know of cases where students have been forced into taking medical leave without a say in it.
If you don’t know the process, it can be very daunting – it all happens very quickly. Within a week from talking to my tutor about it, I’d left. My tutor and the Dean, who was also the Chaplain, sorted it all out. It’s when you’re on medical leave that the problems start. Most of the people I know who took leave, myself included, did not maintain college contact.
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Last year, I was still living in Oxford, but I wasn’t allowed access to college – it feels like a massive punishment, and that’s something our working group is trying to change. Students on medical leave often feel like they’re a fugitive from college, and there’s next to no help with recovery.
When you come back, you’re usually asked to do a collection to prove you’re at the right place. That can be quite stressful – it’s a lot of pressure, and while everyone has collections, these are the big ones.
There are some sources of help for returning students. For instance, the Disability Advisory Service can provide mentors for students with mental illnesses, who meet with you once a week. However, I don’t think enough of this support actually reaches students.
There’s an obvious problem with mental health as opposed to a physical disability. It’s so important that these issues are taught properly in schools. When I developed depres- sion and an eating disorder in my first year, I was so scared, and I think because of the stigma, most people hide the fact that they’re feeling this way. They’re less likely to ask for help, and that can put them in real danger. You don’t understand if you’ve never been through something similar. Education in that respect is so hard to do.
Tutors can vary a lot in terms of the sym- pathy they give. Mental health is so poorly understood. A tutor might think a student is missing essays and meetings on purpose, but in fact they might have no control over their work.
At Balliol, we’re trying to separate disciplinary leave from medical leave. It’s very difficult, of course, because there’s a lot of overlap. The Suspended Status Working Group is in its early stages, but we’re aiming towards getting JCR votes for people on medical leave. At the moment, suspended status students are not members of college, but we want to say to students, “You can still be a member of the JCR, and you still have the right to vote on issues like welfare and access.”
We’ve been speaking to the Dean, but it’s so difficult to make radical changes – the system at the moment is very vague. Hopefully, all this is changing College’s perception of the issues that force students to take an intermission.
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