Failure + Progression = not looking good

dyl10

Exams aren't going well. Made a balls of 3 of them, in the last 3 days. It's generally tough to get a definitive answer out of UCD, so just thought I'd try here first.
Has anyone been in a situation where they have ended up short of the 50 credits needed for next the next stage/year?
Will I have to take first year again(and pay for it) or is there another way?

Any help/advice would be appreciatied
Thanks

Slash/ED

How'd you do at christmas? You can repeat any summer exam at christmas, for a start. I think if you get say, 40 credits, you can take 20 credits worth of 1st year lectures in first semester then do 30 credits of 2nd year in 2nd semester and then finish it off in the first semester of the next year, if you get me...

If you did fine at christmas then you can repeat these exams next christmas and get the credits that way, anyway.

Also if you're ten credits short you can just do an extra module each semester next year.

dyl10

Well my Christmas exams were very similar to my summer. I failed 2 at christmas, and possibley failed the repeats. It's only really that one subject Im having trouble with.
I'm just worried about what happens if I did fail those repeats, and 1 other.

Can I even start second year without having achieved 50 creds?

Stepherunie

No, you have to have 50 credits to progress to second year I'm afraid.

I'd say try and stay positive, I mean if you still have exams left focus on them rather than letting it bring you down.

You may also pass by compensation in some of your exams if you do well enough in some of your exams.

Boredsie

Plus you'd be amazed how possible it is to pass at third level after making a mess of a couple of exams. A lot of people coming from leaving cert always think its more difficult than it is. I think the general opinion is that its harder to do well at third level than second, but its easier to just pass in university than during secondary school. When you're in first year, you don't know the standard thats needed to pass, and you might be pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't lose hope yet.

Todd_6

First of all i would recommended you contact your programme office as they would know more about progression requirements for you course. What course are you doing ?? As it may be the case that you are required to have passed certain modules to continue that subject into 2nd year. Altough you do require 50 credits to offically become a 2nd year, you can go into what they call stage X, this will allow you to repeat or resit those module which you have failed and also do those subjects you wish to take in 2nd year, you will then become a 2nd year students after christmas exams assuming you pass your repeat's.... as far as i know the most about of credits you can sit, i.e. attend classes for in one year is 70 credits, which would be your 60 credits for 2nd year + the 2 repeats you think you have failed again, it would mean you have to attend lectures for 8 subjects next semester and whatever the repeats requirements you have for those subjects you think you have failed at summer, but it would enable you to continue, rather that fall a semester behind, by just doing your repeats and resits next semester and then start your 2nd year subjects after christmas, this is only my interpretation of the progression requirements so i would encourage you to wait untill your exams are over and then contact your programme office

dyl10

Thanks alot for all the advice.
I'm a good bit calmer now

simonrooneyzaga

You might have to go and do stage x - its no big deal, loads of people end up in it. In fact - its good craic apparently! (3 lectures a week on average)!

Dave!

Anyone actually got any stats re: failure?

I'd be interested in knowing what % of people fail at least one exam during college. Or what's the average amount failed. And which courses have the highest failure rate.

slevins

DaveMcG wrote: »

Anyone actually got any stats re: failure?

I'd be interested in knowing what % of people fail at least one exam during college. Or what's the average amount failed. And which courses have the highest failure rate.

I was one of the lucky 2 out of my friends not to fail anything in first and it was a big group.:p Most went into stage x after the summer...

TonythePony

If you fail a repeat can you still compensate, or do you have to resit it again the next year or settle with obtaining 1.6 points? Why doesn't the programme office provide students with a general faq web page?

Donald-Duck

TonythePony wrote: »

If you fail a repeat can you still compensate, or do you have to resit it again the next year or settle with obtaining 1.6 points? Why doesn't the programme office provide students with a general faq web page?

Because that repeat page is a mess. Its easier to find it on google than it is through the ucd website.

TonythePony

Donald-Duck wrote: »

Because that repeat page is a mess. Its easier to find it on google than it is through the ucd website.

Yea, hence the need for some structure.

Mushy

http://www.ucd.ie/students/student_prototype/resits.html

Does that help at all?

Onr question I must ask actually is how does the pass by compensation work? I think I failed economics, but all other exams are fine, and I'll easily have a good enough GPA to allow me to pass by compensation. But how do you go about doing that?

princess-sprkle

Mushy wrote: »

http://www.ucd.ie/students/student_prototype/resits.html

Does that help at all?

Onr question I must ask actually is how does the pass by compensation work? I think I failed economics, but all other exams are fine, and I'll easily have a good enough GPA to allow me to pass by compensation. But how do you go about doing that?

i think it does it automatically. i got an E in one at christmas and with the summer results it said PC beside it, happy days cause there was no way i was gonna pass it, even with a repeat. Its only for E grades i think? email the student desk and see for definate though.

TonythePony

princess-sprkle wrote: »

i think it does it automatically. i got an E in one at christmas and with the summer results it said PC beside it, happy days cause there was no way i was gonna pass it, even with a repeat. Its only for E grades i think? email the student desk and see for definate though.

Thanks looks like I should not have opted for the repeat and waited to compensate the grade.

Sarn

Had to look it up (been a while since I was on an exam board ) Here's the section:

5.11 Where a student has completed an attempt at a stage and has obtained passing grades (including an I grade) in modules accounting for 75% or more of the total credit required to successfully complete the stage, and the compensation GPA for the attempt at the stage is 2.00 or greater, E grades are considered compensated, and a final grade of E(C) is awarded. The grade of E(C) carries a grade point of 1.6.

http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicpolicy/academic_regs.pdf

Mushy

Sarn wrote: »

Had to look it up (been a while since I was on an exam board ) Here's the section:

5.11 Where a student has completed an attempt at a stage and has obtained passing grades (including an I grade) in modules accounting for 75% or more of the total credit required to successfully complete the stage, and the compensation GPA for the attempt at the stage is 2.00 or greater, E grades are considered compensated, and a final grade of E(C) is awarded. The grade of E(C) carries a grade point of 1.6.

http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicpolicy/academic_regs.pdf

Ok, so I've done my attempt at the year, have passed everything(incl. Christmas), bar this Ecnomics one, and the GPA will be well over 2.0. So by my understanding, that should mean I'll be able to pass by compensation yeah? Obviously once I got the E in the first place:o