Delayed University Grades

icanhandthemback- I agree : new graduates have had an exceptionally poor experience of university and I feel very sorry for them.

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I work in a university and got an email from the VC yesterday saying that the dispute had been settled. I can’t find anything about this on the UCU website however, so I’m a bit confused. Also, there was reference in the email to withheld pay, which will mean that the marks will take longer to be released, as obviously staff will start marking when the university start paying for it. Usually people have (unofficially) done the marking but not released the grades, in an effort to lessen the impact on students, as they can be released immediately when a dispute ends, but I can’t imagine the union recommending that if the university plans to withhold pay.

I am feeling cautious optimism about it all. My daughter and DIL are both waiting for marks, so I have a vicarious vested interest. My own marking is not due to start until September so I am not personally affected at this stage. I don’t know why there is nothing verifiable (that I can find) about it yet, and don’t understand the ambiguous wording of the email re withheld salary, so it’s not clear to me what is likely to happen next, but it may well be that those waiting for marks will get them soon.

I am feeling quite low - my grandson has failed his Degree. His Mum has been quite mad at him, so he is here with me. I have not told him off. Had it been one of my children, I would have reacted badly. But my grandson is so sensitive, I am afraid to tell him off. So, rightly or wrongly, I haven’t commented on his Results, but I am so worried. Yes, I suppose, he will resit, but who knows ? My daughter is divorced and has to provide for the children. Their father is a shirker - always has been. I am so upset.

crazyH

I am feeling quite low - my grandson has failed his Degree. His Mum has been quite mad at him, so he is here with me. I have not told him off. Had it been one of my children, I would have reacted badly. But my grandson is so sensitive, I am afraid to tell him off. So, rightly or wrongly, I haven’t commented on his Results, but I am so worried. Yes, I suppose, he will resit, but who knows ? My daughter is divorced and has to provide for the children. Their father is a shirker - always has been. I am so upset.

Can he re-do his final year?

Is it his final year crazyH?
What are his re-sit options... or maybe he has just had enough!

Maybe something has gone on this year?

crazyH

I am feeling quite low - my grandson has failed his Degree. His Mum has been quite mad at him, so he is here with me. I have not told him off. Had it been one of my children, I would have reacted badly. But my grandson is so sensitive, I am afraid to tell him off. So, rightly or wrongly, I haven’t commented on his Results, but I am so worried. Yes, I suppose, he will resit, but who knows ? My daughter is divorced and has to provide for the children. Their father is a shirker - always has been. I am so upset.

I am so sorry to hear this, it is very hard to fail your degree and think that you have let people down. Can I just say that one of mine did that. He barely passed his first year and fell at the end of semester 1 in the second. He worked for the rest of that year and went back for the second year where he promptly failed again. We could have been cross with him but we just supported him get a job where there was career progression using the transferable skills from his Uni job. About 5 years ago, we were very proud parents when he graduated with his Professional Career Qualifications before being headhunted for a brilliant job. He just had to do it when he was ready and not when we wanted him to.
The most important thing for him to do is to reflect where he miscalculated and learn from it. There is no point in making him feel worse than he already feels and even if he is putting on a brave face, that failure will sting deep inside. My sister didn't go to Uni and has always earned far more than me. At the end of the day, that degree might open doors more easily but there's more than one way to be successful.

Doodledog, my son got an email of his final grades about a week before graduation and his transcripts were handed to him at Graduation which was a great celebration. He is now getting ready to start his London job and a new start beckons!

My gd is just finishing her final year.
Her degreee is Mental Health Nursing, so the majority of her course has been on placement . (Of course during Covid this couldn’t happen). She doesn’t finish her current placement until September and won’t get her grade until then. Her graduation will be next year. I can’t make this out!
She has been offered a job from January in a psychiatric hospital for 2 years, working 6 months in 4 different departments. She then will be in a higher band to be able to choose where she wants to continue her nursing.

icanhandthemback

*Doodledog*, my son got an email of his final grades about a week before graduation and his transcripts were handed to him at Graduation which was a great celebration. He is now getting ready to start his London job and a new start beckons!

Yay! Congratulations

crazyH I'm sorry to hear about your grandson, but all is not lost. He may want to resit (although that will cost money), and he may want to take some time to consider his options. It's good that he has you there for him, and that you are not making him feel worse than he already will.

A couple of things to bear in mind for when he's ready to talk about the future - he may well be able to transfer his credits to something more suitable to his interests. If he did that, he would be able to go straight onto the final year if he passed the first and second years, and the new course is similar to the old. There is usually a time limit on how long the credits remain transferable, so if he thinks he might want to go back and redo the final year it would be an idea to look into that now, so he knows how much time he has. I think it's usually five years, but that might vary - it is to do with the 'up to dateness' of the things he's learned, so it might vary across courses and universities.

Whatever he decides, assuming he passed the second year, he can get a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) and can use those letters after his name.* He may need to apply to get it, but can do so through the admin department, or just ring the University and ask the switchboard operator - it really is as simple as making a phone call. Also, it is usually possible to go to the Graduation ceremony and graduate with a DipHE, so he needn't miss out on that, either.

*A Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) can be awarded after the first year of study, should anyone else be in this situation and find the information useful.

Gingster, my husband had that when he did an MSc. His course was just over a full year so he didn't graduate until the new year. As the final term was put aside for his dissertation, he was actually able to work from about October and do the Dissertation at the same time which was a Godsend because we had a young baby and were quite broke!

crazyH

I am feeling quite low - my grandson has failed his Degree. His Mum has been quite mad at him, so he is here with me. I have not told him off. Had it been one of my children, I would have reacted badly. But my grandson is so sensitive, I am afraid to tell him off. So, rightly or wrongly, I haven’t commented on his Results, but I am so worried. Yes, I suppose, he will resit, but who knows ? My daughter is divorced and has to provide for the children. Their father is a shirker - always has been. I am so upset.

The poor lad must be devastated and instead of understanding and sympathy he gets yelled at?

Please give him a hug, I’m sure he did his best.

Gingster my DiL in similar position. She's training as Speech Therapist now in her last year, has completed all her written exams, but is on last placement until September so she won't get to know her marks till then.

Thats not because of any Uni action, it's because they have to pass last placement first, even if it's basically a done deal if they have a good record. Like your GD she's got a job lined up, in her case for October, based on previous marks and recommendations - and they are both entering a field where there are shortages of staff.

Congratulations to her - very much needed!

Sorry to read your story, CrazyH hoping he finds his niche.

MyDs is a Maths lecturer and I've been following the O/P story since last November - its only just entered the news - incredibly complicated - it won't surprise many that its as much about stuff like student ratios - and proper contracts for tutors so they can actually do their best for the students and not all be newly employed on temporary 9 month contracts which can mean no continuity...but the actual marking and ratifying results - lot more than meets the eye.

Yes, it's a lot more complicated than it seems, and staff really don't want to hurt their students. The trouble is that there are so few ways to stand up to what has been effectively an ongoing cut in pay, to casualisation of staff, to unrealistic workloads and threats to pensions. The only time the management listen is when something like this happens, so nobody wins.

I really hope it is all settled very soon, for staff and students alike.

Some very informative and encouraging posts - thankyou x

That was my 'missing' post . I knew I had talked about getting a DipHE before the other thread.

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It's tough seeing students like your son deal with delayed grades amid COVID disruptions. Your concerns about postgrad studies and financial strain are valid. Universities need to step up support during these uncertain times.

Crazy H , don't despair! There are other ways to succeed. He should make the most of what he has done , a degree is not the be all and end all!! I hope his mum comes round soon. In the grand scheme of things it is not the end of the world!! You are doing a great job , he will come good one way or another - degree or no degree. The goal is simple , one way or another he must earn his living . If he feels good about himself he will do just that. I wish him luck whatever happens.