Student advice needed - retaking final year... fees cost and government allowences...

Oldernotwiser

boxrick wrote: »

Head of admissions and processing and the student services finance department...

Oh well, that beats some guys in the pub!

boxrick

So anyone else with some feedback to my later question?:j

border_collie

Well.....................if you totally drop out, might they say you are not a continuing student?


Obviously the best solution is to stay on and work towards next year if that doesn't wreck your degree results.

Might you be penalised for failing exams by uni?
We need student phil :rotfl:

border_collie

I have pm'd you.:A

Oldernotwiser

Surely if you finish the year you're likely to get a better degree and an easier final year as you'll be going over the same material again? When you come to apply for jobs, you'll still have to put that you were at university for 4 years, whether you drop out or complete the year and fail.

You could always get your Careers Department's views on this if you're worried about it.

bestpud

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Surely if you finish the year you're likely to get a better degree and an easier final year as you'll be going over the same material again? When you come to apply for jobs, you'll still have to put that you were at university for 4 years, whether you drop out or complete the year and fail.

You could always get your Careers Department's views on this if you're worried about it.

He would have to literally fail the lot though, I think, as they won't allow modules to be retaken at my uni unless the student has failed, or has mitigating circumstances (and not in all cases even with the latter, I believe).

I think I'd opt for finishing, as you say, but perhaps just not submitting the assessments? I'm sure that will be more helpful than dropping out and it will mean he is definitely a continuing student.

My concern is it is actually very difficult to fail an assessment in my experience and a fail may be better than a dire grade in this case.

You need to check this out OP.

Oldernotwiser

bestpud wrote: »

My concern is it is actually very difficult to fail an assessment in my experience and a fail may be better than a dire grade in this case.

.

What a mad, mad world it's become, hasn't it?

MrsManda

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

What a mad, mad world it's become, hasn't it?

That really depends on how you define 'failed'. Technically 40% is a pass, but if you're in your final year and only get a 40% average, you are only are only going to get a 'pass' degree, which is kind of like getting an E at A-level or GCSE - technically a pass but not worth all that much if you want to do anything with it. Of course if you just need a degree because you've got bucket loads of experience in what you want to do, but the silly world we live in means that employers generally put a degree as an essential attribute (why???) then that's fine.
Unfortuately with my course and most science/engineering courses it is all too easy to fail exams. Assignments such as essays may be entirely subjective in marking and this marker is unlikely to want to fail you yet in exams, there's a right answer and if you don't get it, you will fail.

With regards to assignments being subjective marking I wasn't referring to non-science/engineering, but all written assignments in any subject.

Oldernotwiser

MrsManda wrote: »

That really depends on how you define 'failed'. Technically 40% is a pass, but if you're in your final year and only get a 40% average, you are only are only going to get a 'pass' degree, which is kind of like getting an E at A-level or GCSE - technically a pass but not worth all that much if you want to do anything with it. Of course if you just need a degree because you've got bucket loads of experience in what you want to do, but the silly world we live in means that employers generally put a degree as an essential attribute (why???) then that's fine.
Unfortuately with my course and most science/engineering courses it is all too easy to fail exams. Assignments such as essays may be entirely subjective in marking and this marker is unlikely to want to fail you yet in exams, there's a right answer and if you don't get it, you will fail.

With regards to assignments being subjective marking I wasn't referring to non-science/engineering, but all written assignments in any subject.

It's not uncommon for academic staff to be told they have to pass someone, even in an objective exam situation. Don't forget that funding is affected if students fail!

boxrick

Well the way my course works is the final year is 70% and the 2nd year is 30% of the overall marks..

If your third year mark alone is considerably higher than your 2nd year and 3rd year combined they ignore the second and only use the third year....

So imagine my marks for the 2nd year were 100%, id still need at least to hand *something* in in my third year to actually pass you can't pass a university degree with under 30% ( more like 17% in my case), so "failing" will not be too difficult i just don't hand anything in.