I'm going to fail college exams!

LegacyUser

Hi all,

In September I decided to go to college at night for varying reasons.

I have just finished the semester 1 and the exams are next week. The problem is I have not put the work in for these exams. I want to but I can't! I am sitting here now and I should be studying!

I have never studied at this level and when I was in school I always found it hard to sit down for hours and hours studying!

Its too late now to start anyway. I am going to fail and I have myself so stressed out about it.

I wanted to do so well at this course as I was hoping somehow that college and studying would lift me out of the lazy, umotivated and depressed looser that I have become over the last few years!

I don't want to be sitting there for 3 hours twiddling my thumbs while everybody else is writing away!

I am thinking of not turning up. Should I ring the college to tell them or should I just not turn up. I think there are repeat exams next August!

I am so scared! What should I do?

Rb

Lol, I was in the exact same position last January, and last June.
Don't worry about it too much, as hard as it is, try and sit down and learn even a bit. Have a read of the past exam papers, most courses will have similar questions from year to year with slight variations, if you can find the ones that do pop up just try and learn a bit for the questions.
If you fail them its certainly not the end of the world as you can repeat in August. Definately turn up for the exams though, give them your best shot and if you fail you fail but again, don't stress yourself out about it.

Smellyirishman

failure wrote:

Its too late now to start anyway. I am going to fail and I have myself so stressed out about it.

That's your first mistake. Of course it's not too late, it's not too late until you sitting down on that seat in the exam hall and putting away your notes.

failure wrote:

I don't want to be sitting there for 3 hours twiddling my thumbs while everybody else is writing away!

Then don't. Take a look over some of the material, slowly, and get some of the stuff down solid. Look for things that come up regularly in exams and hope to get a pass through some of the more common aspects.

failure wrote:

I am thinking of not turning up. Should I ring the college to tell them or should I just not turn up. I think there are repeat exams next August!

Don't run away from it now and pretend it will all be OK in the summer.Work from now until your exams. When it comes to doing the actual exams you may do grand in some, pass others and you may fail a few. You can repeat these in the summer though and you will only have to repeat half the number. Plus, the exam will have shown you how much work you need to put in and will give you an idea of the things you need to learn.

patrickc

my advice to you, is to study the day/night before for each one, look at past questions and just give it your best shot, what have you to lose by attempting the exams? I got through college on day before study in all my exams. Do a little bit of revision tonight and get stuck in tomorrow.

LegacyUser

There is 2 exams. One on Tuesday morning and the other on Thursday morning!

This course is an updated version of an old course! We were giving one sample paper for the exam on Thursday but none for the one on Tuesday and as its new there are no past papers!

I am so nervous I feel sick!

LegacyUser

patrickc2006 wrote:

my advice to you, is to study the day/night before for each one, look at past questions and just give it your best shot, what have you to lose by attempting the exams? I got through college on day before study in all my exams. Do a little bit of revision tonight and get stuck in tomorrow.

I guess I could do that! I just find it very hard to sit down and study and how to start!

Forgive my ignorance but if I do really bad in these exams will it affect my overall degree?

LegacyUser

Smellyirishman wrote:

Don't run away from it now and pretend it will all be OK in the summer.Work from now until your exams. When it comes to doing the actual exams you may do grand in some, pass others and you may fail a few. You can repeat these in the summer though and you will only have to repeat half the number. Plus, the exam will have shown you how much work you need to put in and will give you an idea of the things you need to learn.

There are only 2 exams. But I know already how much work I need to put in. ALL of it!

r3nu4l

Well, I failed my first year in Uni because I too didn't do the work. I failed all four subjects dismally. I got less than 10% in three subjects and under 30% in the other.

I repeated the year and passed, then finsihed Uni with a degree and a PhD and haven't looked back since

What's my point? Firstly, I sat the exams even though I knew I would fail. I'm glad I did because some colleges take a very dim view of people failing to show up and bar them from repeating!! So go, there, write your name and exam number on the paper, try to answer something, anything really. Sit in the hall for a while, most exam halls allow students to leave after one hour, you may not have to sit the three hours, ask an invigilator (the people who supervise the exam hall).

Secondly, you feel terrible now and guilt and panic are stopping you from doing what you should be doing. If there is an option for you to repeat in the Autumn then start studying now but with a view to this being preparation for the repeat exams.

Believe it or not, I knew people in College who would deliberately only study for two subjects to pass them in the Summer and then rely on studying for the other exams later and passing in the repeats! That was their strategy, risky but for a lot of people it worked.

Thirdly, if you are feeling that stressed about it, contact your course director or tutor and say that you know you haven't done the required work and feel miserable and are know you will fail. Just say that for one reason or another you haven't managed to put in the necessary time. Ask them what your options are. These people are there to help you.

Finally, if you do fail, perhaps it will be the best thing that happened to you, we all need something to push and motivate us and you can use this experience to help you by telling yourself you will never let anything like this happen to you ever again. It worked for me Keep the chin up, give your bones a shake and wake up your spirit Best of luck.

EDIT: SmellyIrishMan made some excellent points, good advice there, follow it. It's up to YOU then

LegacyUser

r3nu4l wrote:

Thirdly, if you are feeling that stressed about it, contact your course director or tutor and say that you know you haven't done the required work and feel miserable and are know you will fail. Just say that for one reason or another you haven't managed to put in the necessary time. Ask them what your options are. These people are there to help you.

QUOTE]


Thanks for your advice! I dont think I could hack repeating a whole year! I am only halfway through my first year and have made a balls of it!

I tried emailing the course "mentor" but I didn't get a response!

I will probably have to leave early if I do go but oh the shame!

kryan1

In the exact same situation as u right now, but with a small diff, i left work and went back 2 college full time, and like u, its been a while. I have done everything else but study, but i plan to look as the past papers and go through them. Maths i am kinda screwed for but we got an assignment over the xmas and history has shown that one r 2 questions have re appeared. So my advice 2 u is past papers, also, if there was also some one u could study and compare notes with as well always helps.
best of luck mate.

Gillie

Do them anyway. What have you got to lose? If you think you will fail anyway there is no harm in doing them!

Can I ask what kind of course it is? Science/IT/Engineering???

LegacyUser

Gillie wrote:

Do them anyway. What have you got to lose? If you think you will fail anyway there is no harm in doing them!

Can I ask what kind of course it is? Science/IT/Engineering???

Its IT. One exam on programming and one on maths!

mukki

on another note....

I wish that i had failed collage back in 98, I would probably have ended up on the buildings just before the boom started, would probably have been able to afford a house in 2001 and imagine how much money i would be making and the house would be worth now

p~b

I always find the hardest part of studying is just getting around to opening the book, after that its usually ok.

Just revise the pass papers, make concise notes and ask a friend if your stuck on a certain part.

Good luck with the exams

Endurance Man

Haha, im in the exact same position at the moment, doing a full time degree though. Once i get my head down and start i can go for hours but its the getting everything out and starting bit that i struggle with. Also the fact that i have a mate down from SA is not helping matters , gonna have to do something tomorrow.
Just put the books on the table, close the door and FORCE yourself, you will find after 10mins u get into it.

Smellyirishman

failure wrote:

There are only 2 exams. But I know already how much work I need to put in. ALL of it!

Devote your time to one, the "easier" one (If there is no easier one, then which ever one is further away). Pass it. Do some work for the other one if possible and go into the exam putting down anything you can think of, pass it then, or in the summer.

I assume your first exam is not until Monday morning at the earliest. You would be amazed what you can do in 3 days.

Don't drop your head, learn something from this.

LegacyUser

Smellyirishman wrote:

Devote your time to one, the "easier" one (If there is no easier one, then which ever one is further away). Pass it. Do some work for the other one if possible and go into the exam putting down anything you can think of, pass it then, or in the summer.

I assume your first exam is not until Monday morning at the earliest. You would be amazed what you can do in 3 days.

Don't drop your head, learn something from this.

Thanks smelly, I might try that! I am gonna try and do lots on sat sun and mon!

The other thing is I have a job interview on Monday

skywalker

The lads have given you some very good advise on here.

Between now and Tuesday you can easily cover enough of any IT degree subject if you make it your mission (Im talking shutting yourself away from the world and doing 10 hours a day over the weekend). If you just immerse yourself in it from the time you get up to the time you go to bed you can and probably will at least pass the exam.

Don't even think about the second one until the first is done though. Start tonight, make up a list of topics which will be on the exam, and start taking them one by one. Cover each topic repeatedly until you know it. Remember its only at max a 3 hour exam, which means theres in theory only 3 hours worth of writing you need to know, which is probably 6 areas.

Take the easy questions first. Pick off the low hanging fruit. Learn the algorithms for the programming one, learn the formulae for the maths (and practice practice practice the technique). 40% is easy enough to pick up in those exams if you can make an attempt at all questions.

If you apply yourself 100% This time next week you will be out celebrating with your mates about how you gave it your best shot, and I fully expect to read that post from you next Thursday.


Oh and one more thing. When this is all over, dont find yourself here posting the same thing come June. Get into the habit of doing one days study a week, and make good notes. You'll thank yourself.

patrickc

it shouldnt affect ur overall degree 1st year doesnt really count u generally just need a pass in 1st year

LegacyUser

'Thanks guys!

I don't feel as bad now as I think I can repeat in August (hopefully). Do you have to fail in order to apply for a repeat or can you repeat if your just not happy with your results?

This is gonna sound funny but I noticed all week that my eyes have been twitching! Kinda like a pulsating feeling! Very strange! I mentioned it to a friend and she said its from stress!! What am I like!'