Degree on the cheap...

lisa_75

Jersy wrote:

referencing is the main problem that im having because before hand its not something that i had to do before!

That is not your fault. You have been let down by your former college. I cannot believe people are awarded a HND without being able to reference properly.

Good luck with the 3rd year.

Jersy

thanks lisa

however i have been thinking about this a lot recently

i came 2nd in my year last year.. it started off with about 180 people in it

but now im in this course, and i get the impression that not everyone is that bright!

ive kinda come to the conclusion that i did the wrong thing going into higher education. but im so far thought it that it would be a waste not to finish it

because i had been at a higher education college before i was alwas in awe of university.. "smart people" go there

now that im there its full of rejects! not just my course, the university all over

and as a university it's reputation is not a bad one

so i now think that uni is not worth it

unless your going to oxford, cambridge or london school of economics (thats a different story all togther!) or studying medicine, uni is just a waste of time

theres 188 people in my year.. so what use is that? competing directly with 188 people, if i had of been there from the start im sure that i could have been at the very top of that. maybe not #1, but top 10% anyway. as it is i dont know how i will fair, mainly due to the references as previously talked about. my fear is that this will mean i come out with a 2:2 (= a waste of time)

i really now think that 1:1s are needed, even with that a MA

not trying to start an arguement with anyone, but t hats just how i feel now

just been really down about stuff recently. graduate jobs in NI are few and far between, and because of my immaturity when i was younger i do not have ucas points worth talkin about so just making it harder for myself

peskie_pixie

Jersy wrote:

referencing is the main problem that im having because before hand its not something that i had to do before!

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with this particular part. I did find a lot of the people on my course who'd come the HND route also had similar problems. Not coming that route myself i can't comment whether it's just a shortcoming of HND.

Don't panic that it's going to excessively damage your grades. I've listed a couple of sites below that might give you some guidance.

http://www.uwe.ac.uk/library/resources/general/info_study_skills/harvard2.htm#news

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/schools/business/bsadmin/staff/s3/jamr.htm

Also see if they have any study skills classes going on at your uni that you can get on. These might give you some tips on effective reading and assignment skills etc, which may make you realise you're not doing as badly as you think and give you a confidence boast.

As you've realised people at uni are not any cleverer than you and you've probably got more life skills and common sense than most.

I you have any other concerns post on the undergrad support group thread. There's loads of really great supportive people on there who can give you tips and help.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=292055

Keep your chin up and good luck with the 3rd year

PandaPants_2

Jersy wrote:

referencing is the main problem that im having because before hand its not something that i had to do before!

you dont have to reference?? i thought the foundation degree and HND were very similar. Im doing foundation degreee and i lost a lot of marks because i made a mistake with my referencing on one of my very first assignments. We are constantly reminded how vital it is both now and at uni. I think your tutors have really let you down...

Was your course run by a uni or a college? In my college the course is run by the uni but taught in the college with all exams and assignments marked by the uni also. This makes sure we are up to uni standard.

Voyager2002

Jersy wrote:

referencing is the main problem that im having because before hand its not something that i had to do before!

However, it is something that you just learn.

Personally, I never had to do any referencing during my first degree (BSc Mathematics) so it was completely new to me when I began an MSc in a completely different subject (Policy studies). I did not find it a major difficulty.

Jersy

ill pick it up, it will jsut take me a wee while

PandaPants wrote:

you dont have to reference?? i thought the foundation degree and HND were very similar. Im doing foundation degreee and i lost a lot of marks because i made a mistake with my referencing on one of my very first assignments. We are constantly reminded how vital it is both now and at uni. I think your tutors have really let you down...

Was your course run by a uni or a college? In my college the course is run by the uni but taught in the college with all exams and assignments marked by the uni also. This makes sure we are up to uni standard.

to get top top grades we had to put in a list of references, i copied in the reccomended reading and they thought i was the dogs !!!!!!!! because no one else did it