# What should I put on my CV if I failed my degree?



## lobster (Jun 25, 2009)

This year I received my results and according to the examination board if I want to repeat the modules my final degree result would be capped as a 3rd.
I have spoken to the university about it and that's how it is...
Therefore I cannot afford to pay another £3000 in fees to know in advance however hard I may try I would only be able to achieve a lower degree...

What is the best way to address this in  a CV ?

Perhaps I could mention Diploma in Higher Education , which I think is given after completing two years of a university degree?

Or perhaps I could write 

University xyz (2006-2009) 

And when it comes to the interview I could say someone that is close to me died and I could not concentrate, or depression (which is not far from the truth) . Maybe they could reply with,...why did you not speak to your university about it? So I am not sure...

The last suggestion I have seen online is to write

Subject-taken university xyz 2006 - 2009 (degree not completed)

I would then have to explain like the above to why I did not finish.

That's all I have come up with at the moment , I would be appreciated with any other suggestions .


----------



## Badger Kitten (Jun 25, 2009)

have you asked the Uni careers office for advice?


----------



## ericjarvis (Jun 25, 2009)

I put that I did two years of a physics honours degree course at Imperial College, London. Which is true. Though I could probably get away with claiming three years since I did the first year twice.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jun 25, 2009)

lobster said:


> This year I received my results and according to the examination board if I want to repeat the modules my final degree result would be capped as a 3rd.
> I have spoken to the university about it and that's how it is...
> Therefore I cannot afford to pay another £3000 in fees to know in advance however hard I may try I would only be able to achieve a lower degree...
> 
> ...


is there no way you could retake as exams only? ie, taking the exams without attending the course?


----------



## lobster (Jun 25, 2009)

Badger Kitten said:


> have you asked the Uni careers office for advice?



I have not asked them, I might contact them,  my experience with career services in the past is partial at best.


----------



## lobster (Jun 25, 2009)

Pickman'sModel said:


> is there no way you could retake as exams only? ie, taking the exams without attending the course?



retaking exams from next week would only allow me to attend two at most , I still have one other and the project to do... This year was also the last of a four year programme, the new programme was introduced when I was in the second year so there is different modules...


----------



## AnnO'Neemus (Jun 25, 2009)

The problem with telling fibs like a relative died in your final year and/or that you were depressed or something, is that the interviewer would probably be thinking that if your grades in the first and second years were okay, maybe the university would have given you leeway, extensions in deadlines, would have averaged your course work grade out for any missed exam.  Or something.  (I don't know what university rules generally permit in such circumstances.)

If I was an interviewer, in such circumstances, I'd be wanting someone to say:  I was in line for a first or IIi or IIii - as you can see from my first and second year grades - it just all went horribly wrong in the final year due to xyz.  If you can't say that, I think it's going to raise more questions than it's going to answer.

I'd have a chat with the careers service if I were you.  

And was it just you, or were there others, was it a problem with the teaching, were you all mucked about?


----------



## lobster (Jun 26, 2009)

AnnO'Neemus said:


> The problem with telling fibs like a relative died in your final year and/or that you were depressed or something, is that the interviewer would probably be thinking that if your grades in the first and second years were okay, maybe the university would have given you leeway, extensions in deadlines, would have averaged your course work grade out for any missed exam.  Or something.  (I don't know what university rules generally permit in such circumstances.)
> 
> If I was an interviewer, in such circumstances, I'd be wanting someone to say:  I was in line for a first or IIi or IIii - as you can see from my first and second year grades - it just all went horribly wrong in the final year due to xyz.  If you can't say that, I think it's going to raise more questions than it's going to answer.
> 
> ...



That is a good point that has been juggling in my mind. Where I studied , I could of dropped out of the course just before the second semester started and retaken the third year from scratch another time, it probably would have been beneficial as I would have had some time to get myself together. 

My first year grades were okay , second were soso , I think I would need some sort of medical certificate to show I had depression in order for myself to be considered as an extenuating circumstance case.

I have only spoken to two people and they seem to have got a good result. Some other people i know will be doing their final year this academic year.


----------



## Wilf (Jun 26, 2009)

So, you've got 2 years worth of passed stuff (240 credits Probably?) - and no third year passes?  Are they saying you'd be limited to a 3rd because that's what they do whenever someone repeats a final year?  If so, sounds a bit harsh.  You certainly want to get in to see the student union to get advice about this - maybe even an appeal.

Other alternative is that you might be able to take your 2 years worth of credits somewhere else to do their final year (provided there's a reasonable fit).  That's not uncommon and you wouldn't be restricted to a third I would imagine.  

Edit: ah, just seen the bit about it being a 4 year programme - but my basic point still stands (about taking credits elsewhere).


----------



## lobster (Jun 26, 2009)

4thwrite said:


> So, you've got 2 years worth of passed stuff (240 credits Probably?) - and no third year passes?  Are they saying you'd be limited to a 3rd because that's what they do whenever someone repeats a final year?  If so, sounds a bit harsh.  You certainly want to get in to see the student union to get advice about this - maybe even an appeal.
> 
> Other alternative is that you might be able to take your 2 years worth of credits somewhere else to do their final year (provided there's a reasonable fit).  That's not uncommon and you wouldn't be restricted to a third I would imagine.
> 
> Edit: ah, just seen the bit about it being a 4 year programme - but my basic point still stands (about taking credits elsewhere).



I have 240 credits , one is from the third year as I failed one in the second year.

To clear any misunderstandings I have copied Q/A directly from the university website exam results FAQ .



> Frequently Asked Questions About Results
> (Note that the answers given here are correct according to the University Policies and Regulations in force now, June 2009. They may change for future years.)





> Q: I am unhappy with my results. Can I appeal against them or ask for a re-mark?
> 
> A: The University Regulations and Procedures do not allow this.
> See Appendix 1
> "5.3.1 Whilst candidates may raise queries about the results of an assessment, the University will not admit queries which consist solely of a challenge to the academic judgement of Examiners in assessing the merits of a candidate's work, or in reaching a decision or recommendation on progression, award, or the class or grade of award based on the marks, grades and other information relating to the candidate's performance."





> Q: How many referrals can I take?
> 
> A: The University Regulations only allow you to take a maximum of 60 credits' worth of referrals in any one academic year. This includes referrals from Semester A and Semester B. You choose which ones to take simply by taking them. If you do not take a referral (or if you take it and fail), the grade will revert to F2 (or F3 if you have already failed this module or an equivalent before)
> If you are studying less than 120 credits in a year, then your limit on referrals may be lower.
> (There are no limits on deferrals.)






> Q: Can I submit Extenuating Circumstances now?
> 
> A: Not unless there is a very good reason why you did not submit the ECs earlier. You would need to justify your late submission of ECs, and saying "I thought I was going to pass so I didn't bother" is not a good enough reason.





> Q: I failed to get honours. What now?
> 
> A: This is governed by the rules in section D10
> "D10.2.1 Students who have failed to qualify in their first consideration at a final Programme Board of Examiners for their intended award have the opportunity for..."
> If (after any referrals) you are being considered for honours but do not succeed, you will usually be offered the opportunity to retake some failed modules or take new modules to gain honours in the next year, but your honours class will be limited to a maximum of third class.





> Q: What are the chances of my failed module being compensated for honours?
> 
> A: According to to section D4
> "D4.3.1 When considering students for any award (except the University Certificate) the Programme Board may award final compensatory credit for F grades at any level but is limited to a total of 30 credit points."
> So, when finally assessing for honours, it is possible for the Board to give E4 grades for up to 30 credits even if you have failed them, although this will add a bit to your CG average (section D7.3.2) so you may go down a class. I would not advise you to rely on this regulation, and if you have a referral, take it and pass it!





> Q: If I retake a module completely, will the grade be capped?
> 
> A: No. If you retake a module, the grade awarded is the grade you earn. Note that you are usually only allowed to take a module at most two times.
> (Note that although the module grade will not be capped, your degree class may be capped
> - see above Q: I failed to get honours. What now?)





> Q: Can I retake a passed module to get a better grade?
> 
> A: No. See section D5.3
> "Students who have achieved a pass grade in any module will be credited accordingly. They may not elect to repeat the module in an attempt to improve the grading, nor may they be required to repeat the module in order to qualify for an award."



I have read it as If I was to do a referral which is a maximum of just two, the highest mark is a non-honours. It would gain me if passed 60 more credits , but the other 60 which could be taken next year regardless of the grade would bring the degree class to a maximum of 3rd.

I did send a email to someone who deals with this at the uni after I got the results and my thoughts on it were verified.


----------



## lobster (Jun 29, 2009)

I have an appointment with the careers advisor tomorrow , the softly spoken receptionist has given me some optimism


----------



## lighterthief (Jun 29, 2009)

I only completed two years of my degree, transferred the credits to the Open University and will (hopefully) in October complete my BA hons with them.

You need to take a further 120 credits at Level 3 and they only look at these modules when assessing your pass grade.

Two observations - I think they will award an 'Open' degree, ie with no named subject specialisation, and the OU is no walk in the park - requires a lot of work!

Birkbeck or similar may also allow you to transfer in your credits - worth checking too I reckon.  Good luck.


eta: I claimed a Diploma in Higher Education from my previous institution and have listed that on the my CV to date.


----------



## Thimble Queen (Jul 1, 2009)

Can you claim mitigating circumstances saying you did not submit them earlier due to the effects of the depression your beravment?


----------



## lobster (Jul 1, 2009)

MrsDarlingsKiss said:


> Can you claim mitigating circumstances saying you did not submit them earlier due to the effects of the depression your beravment?




not easily, I would need a note from a doctor most likely and since I did not see one at the time , the doctor would have no evidence of my health condition back then.

The careers advisor confirmed my thoughts , i should have a university diploma for having 240 credits. The official documentation states



> Award                                     Minimum requirements            Available at end of Level
> 
> University Certificate                 45 credit points at level 1                      1
> Certificate of Higher Education   120 credit points at level 1                  1, 2
> ...



I actually have 120 at level 1 , 90 at level 2 and 30 at level 3 .


----------



## aqua (Jul 1, 2009)

if you do resists you only pay for the modules you are retaking, not the whole year

every uni is different but if you have had a bereavement you normally would only need the certificate as evidence, not a Dr's note - worth a try at least - then you might not be capped


----------



## LindaR (Jul 1, 2009)

BH Calcutta (failed).
Anyone else read The Perishers in the Mirror in the 70s?

Seriously, pretend you were in prison, it's less damaging than admitting you got anything less than a 2:1


----------



## strung out (Jul 1, 2009)

i just put diploma in higher education on my cv


----------

