Education: Tips for attending university with PoTS
Other sections within this area:
Adjusting to student life can be difficult for anyone. Dealing with chronic illness while living away from home for the first time only adds to the challenge. However, there are things that can be done to make that transition easier.
Here are a few tips to make the university experience the best it can be.
Open Days
Open days provide a fantastic opportunity to discover what each of your prospective universities and courses have to offer. You are able to find out more about your course, meet lecturers, view student accommodation, observe the layout of the campus and get a sense of what university life has to offer. If you think you may need some support or adjustments whilst at university, try to ask about these during the open day or make a specific appointment with the University’s Disability service. This will give you the chance to explain your needs, ask questions and find out what support is available at each university. You can then make an informed choice about where is best for you.
A few questions you could ask at this stage include:
- Online lectures – are lectures recorded and available to view online? Many universities do this, but not all. Being able to access recordings of your lectures can be especially useful if you are unable to attend in person for any reason.
- What are the accommodation options available to you at each university?
- Does the university have any support groups for students with long term health conditions? Finding support at university from other students going through similar challenges can be particularly empowering.
Apply for Disabled Student’s Allowance (DSA)
If granted, DSA helps cover some of the extra study-related costs associated with having an illness or disability, such as transport costs and specialist equipment/software. It may also cover the cost of a disability study mentor, provided through the university’s disability service. Gov.uk has advice on applying for DSA. It’s worth noting that you will need to have medical evidence to apply, so it’s helpful to start collating this in advance of your application!
Contact the University Disability Service
Within every British university, there is a team working to support students with long term health conditions and disabilities. Any support, adjustments or additional requirements can be established during a meeting with one of their disability advisors. It is best to set up this meeting as soon as possible, so that adjustments can be put into place in plenty of time.
Your university disability service will help by putting a student support plan in place, which can include the following (depending on your personal needs):
- Deadline extensions
- Any adjustments to your physical learning environment (such as whether your classroom needs to be on the ground floor, whether you need a chair for presentations, whether you need to be near a toilet, disabled parking etc.)
- Learning support (e.g. recording of lectures and seminars, whether you might need a notetaker etc.)
- Exam adjustments (e.g. extra time, separate room, making sure you’re near a toilet, granting use of a computer)
- Placement support, extensions and risk assessments
- Regular check-ins or support meetings
- Access to any disability resource areas that your university may have, which can offer a more accessible study environment with specialist equipment and services.
Contact Student Accommodation services
During first year, students often live in university accommodation. In this case, contacting accommodation services and letting them know of any additional requirements is a good idea. For example, you may want to consider:
- Whether you’d benefit from a quieter living space
- Whether you need a larger, adapted living space and bathroom
- Whether you need any equipment in your room (e.g. a red pull cord, a shower chair, a fridge for medication storage)
- Whether you require any additional facilities, such as a lift, automatic doors, nearby disabled parking
- Whether you need a flat on the ground floor
- Whether living on campus is important to you due to the proximity to lectures
- Whether you need your own bathroom due to bladder or bowel issues
Consider disclosing your illness to friends & tutors
Whether a person discloses their disability/illness to anyone is entirely their choice, but it should be considered carefully. PoTS can be considered an invisible disability for some and therefore any struggles may not be immediately obvious to others. Although it may seem daunting, willingness to have an open and honest conversation about the situation can help others to understand why their friend/flatmate may be struggling or unable to keep up at times.
Building a good relationship with tutors is important, therefore it may prove helpful to inform them of your illness, especially if extra support may be required from time to time. Furthermore, if lectures/seminars are scheduled at symptomatic times of the day or too close together, the chances of being able to switch to another group at a different time are much higher if tutors are already aware of the situation. If you don’t feel comfortable discussing your disability with your tutor/lecturer, you can ask your university disability service to do this on your behalf. They can also share your disability support plan with any of your lecturers.
Daily Life
Rest
For people with chronic illnesses, pacing activities and ensuring adequate rest time can make all the difference. If you know that a daily rest is necessary for you, and prevents you from burning out, it may help to consider it as a ‘non-negotiable’ activity and set an alarm so that you remember to rest! If it gets noisy in your accommodation, a white noise machine or app can drown out any noise, to increase the possibility of being well enough to attend university for lectures.
Prepare meals
On better health days, preparing nutritious meals that can be kept in the fridge/freezer means the stress of mealtimes on bad days can be reduced. As well as keeping snacks nearby, it might also be helpful to have equipment such as a mini fridge, toaster and kettle close by. On mornings when symptoms are at their worst or the kitchen is too messy to face, it makes it possible to just have a quick bite to eat in bed.
Socialising
There is no denying that drinking culture at university is stereotypically seen as part of the student experience. If you don’t drink for medical (or other) reasons, the thought may be quite intimidating. Although during freshers’ week in particular, it may seem like all socialising revolves around alcohol, you don’t have to drink to have an amazing university experience! There are so many clubs, societies and activities you can get involved in, where you can meet likeminded people. And although nights out drinking can be a part of these clubs/societies, some of them will also have ‘sober socials’, where you can socialise without the pressure of drinking. It is well worth doing a google search to get some great tips on socialising without drinking at university.
Make attendance as easy as possible
Planning for the next day
There are a few things that can be done to make the mornings easier. For example, showering in the evening before bed so that less energy is wasted in the morning and there is ample time to rest. After a shower, for anyone with long hair, sleeping with it in a high bun or a plait helps to keep the body cool and means hair doesn’t need to be styled in the morning. It can also help to plan outfits the night before to save more time and energy if this is important to you.
Clothing
For those that struggle with temperature regulation, dressing in light layers is a good option. Lecture halls can get fairly warm, whilst ICT suites are often cold due to air-conditioning. Dressing in layers means it’s possible to add or take layers off as needed. For sedentary periods, it may also help to wear compression tights to prevent blood pooling. If possible, make sure to get up in between lectures and walk around.
Expect the unexpected
Finances
Being unwell can sometimes come with unexpected costs. For example; getting a taxi when needing to get home faster, buying food or drink whilst out or paying extra for accommodation that suits your needs better. If within your means, don’t be afraid to spend a little bit extra on the things that are going to make life a lot easier.
If you have a disability/long-term health condition (such as PoTS) that affects your daily life, you may be able to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). PIP helps with extra living costs that occur as a result of your disability or long-term health condition. You can apply for PIP even if you’re working, a student, or have savings, as it is not means-tested. If you are granted PIP whilst at university, you could use it to help cover the cost of; mobility equipment to help you get around better; a paid carer to help with daily living tasks, such as cooking or sorting medication etc.
If your disability/long-term health condition means that you have acquired extra costs whilst at university (perhaps for medical appointments or your living situation), and you are struggling financially, your university may be able to help. Some universities have hardship funds that you can apply to, in times such as these.
Scheduling
Planning ahead and making use of a timetable can ensure that rest, study, any medical admin (e.g. appointments or physio) and social activities, can all be scheduled. Additionally, a symptom and activity tracker can help identify activities that may be causing extra symptoms. These are also handy to have for medical appointments, especially if you are seeing a new doctor at university.
Seeing a new GP
If you do register with a new GP at university, and they are not aware of PoTS or how to help you, it might help to print out this GP Guide leaflet and take it to the appointment with you.
You may also want to note that registering with a GP in a different area may affect which specialists you can see/be referred to on the NHS.
Flare preparations
Keeping a flare preparation stock next to the bed is another useful tip. This could include things like snacks, drinks, medications, baby/make-up wipes, for potential days when it’s too difficult to get up. Having a medical kit in the bag that you use for uni may also be handy. Finally, use of a dosette box (pill organiser) makes it easier to see when a medication has been taken (in case of brain fog) and is a time saver for the morning – nobody needs to be fiddling around with all of their different pill bottles when they’ve just woken up!
Don’t be afraid to keep asking for help
University can be challenging, don’t burn yourself out trying to do everything if you are struggling with your health. There are many avenues you can explore for help; student wellbeing services, the disability service, the student union, your tutor or disability study mentor. And if you think you need to take a break from university for a while, that is okay. Temporary withdrawal from university is usually an option.
Remember, PoTS isn’t a well understood medical condition. Everyone living with PoTS has differing symptoms and needs that only they will fully understand. Don’t be afraid to speak up and to educate others – the more they know, the better they can help. Most of all, enjoy it! Put provisions in place and then go out there and get involved!
Please share this link to our PoTS and University – What is PoTS? video with your disability department.
Share this page
This information is general information about PoTS and is not an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other healthcare professional. You must always consult your doctor or healthcare professional.
Last review 18/07/2024
Next review 01/07/2027
Version 2