Failing your course year

Failing your course year

Some things don’t always work out the way you planned. So if you’ve just been told you didn’t make the grade, here’s how to pick yourself up.

The worst news ever!

If you didn’t pass there could be lots of reasons why, what matters most is that you’re able to review the situation and work out what went wrong. It isn’t the end of your life as a student. You have options, which is why it’s so important that you understand how you found yourself in this situation.

Deal with your feelings first

• However you respond to the news is fine. Your emotions will be running high so it’s important to let them out, whether its shock, denial, frustration or even anger.
• In this situation, it’s vital that you find a way to make sense of what you’re going through. Just staying inside brooding isn’t going to make you feel better. If anything, dwelling on the issue is only likely to make things seem much worse.
• Most effective way of expressing yourself is talking. You’ll find just putting your words into feelings will help you to gain some perspective. Talking will clear your head so you can take stock of what choices you now have. So turn to family, friends, your course tutor and take that vital first step to moving on from what feels like a mess.

Only you can say what got in the way of a straight A pass. Here are some common stumbling blocks:

Overwhelmed by the workload

It’s easy to feel swamped as a student. It’s all part of the learning process working out how to deal with the pressure of being a student and having so much work. So look upon what’s happened as a turning point. Discuss the situation with your course tutor and work out what went wrong.

No matter how much there is to cover; planning is the key to getting through all of your coursework. Even if it means retaking the year, you’ll find that by motivating yourself into maintaining a timetable your performance can only improve.

Too much time off

If you didn’t show up to lessons at school you’d expect a letter home. At University it would be rude not to skip and lecture or two. But without someone there to kick you up the backside, its tempting to turn skipping lectures into a habit, which is when things start to slip. When it comes to talking things through with your course tutor its worth recognising if you’re behind because of issues with your personal life.

It’s important to be honest, even if you’re basically admitting you’re lazy. Let your course tutor know if you’ve found your time has been tested by a need to earn money or attend to family problems. Nobody wants you to fail. So as long as you’re prepared to help yourself , you will get all the support and assistance you need.

A bad exam day

Exams can always be retaken whatever the case. Maybe you turned the page and freaked out, or simply found you revised all the things the examiners chose to ignore. The question is when and how much work you feel you need to do in order to make it through this time.

Learn from any mistakes you made the first time round. Look at ways to prepare yourself more effectively if stress got the better of you.

Your finances are in a mess

If you have to work to fund your time at university, then your studies may well suffer. In some cases, it may become financially impossible for you to continue. You risk paying a higher price if you favour skipping coursework for paid work.

It may not be what you expected to do when you started out at university but requesting to take a year out to earn some money is an option if you don’t qualify for a hardship loan. But at least it means you can last the course, no matter how bleak things seem financially you don’t have to give up on your studies.