University results - u certicate

Not necessarily it seems.

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/qualitymanual/assessment-awards-and-deg-classification/ug-deg-class-sept20.aspx

U is unclassified so a failure to pass.

My nephew was due to sit his Alevels in 2020 and obviously had to make do with the teacher assessed grades ,there was some controversy about his initial grades and his grade, s were reassed and he got better results,
He graduated last week with a 2:1 .

But he hasn't graduated so the careers service don't want to know, which is crap.

My uni provides career advice for five years from date of graduation from memory. Definitely worth checking OP.

Completely unnecessary and rude.

I think I'd be more worried about them than cross. I would be worried about what was going on in their life that had led to this, and how they were coping with it mentally. I'd probably be a bit disappointed at the waste of money too, but that would be secondary.

I really hope it all works out.

This from the University of Nottingham suggests "unclassified" is synonymous with a Pass degree, Would be worth checking this.

If it is indeed a fail, he needs to be aware that there's a lifetime entitlement to 4 years loan for undergraduate study which may well put a later attempt at a degree out of reach. But there are other ways of progressing.

Ordinary degree and Unclassified are different.

Ordinary- without honours - so still got a degree but no Hons.

Unclassified - failed - no degree.

I would suggest something like an apprenticeship can still do a degree through that but it might help them to have to be in a work environment with other older people around to help them mature, find what it is they actually want to do and study in a way they learn - lots of people are more hands on for learning. Maybe more practical than academic?? I think its difficult these days - you either have to have every q going and 5 yrs of experience or earn shed loads of money gabbing away on tiktok or you tube no inbetweens. I think a heart to heart about what they actually like doing might help and then searching though some options.

Hmm the covid inflated grades have caught up with him.Did he go to an independent school by any chance?

Just to say OP, I knew someone who dropped out of uni after failing exams but omitted to tell his parents. Managed two years living as a student without actually being one. Eventually he confessed to his parents, went back home and built his life from there. He’s still in touch with his uni friends and has caught up with them career wise. He just went about it a different way.

Well I was the same, definitely MH relayed for my son and I hadn’t picked up. He made some questionable choices when living away, he was just not mature enough really. But it has worked out ok, he’s got a good career, recent promotion and he’s happy, that’s the main thing. Good luck to your son

I think being worried rather than cross is valid OP. I don’t suppose he feels great about it and covid was brutal for so many life and study skills for young people.

I’d focus on helping him find a job for now, not forever, just for now. He might need a year to think. There’s no rush. I’d take a no pressure approach as long as he was working 3/4 days a week for his self worth and some cash. These kids will probably be working until they’re 74. A hiccup at his age won’t mean anything in a decade.

As for academic success, I didn’t stay on for A levels. I did professional quals along the way, was accepted onto a masters course in my 40s (no undergrad degree) and carried on to do a PhD. Anything is possible.

Maybe a conversation is needed about what they would like to do, any interests or doing some work experience alongside working.
I have two undergraduate degrees and a master's and in my late 30s have only been working in a job I really enjoy for a few years. It can be difficult to find where you fit. It's a hard lesson but sometimes these things can lead to other opportunities. University isn't for everyone and plenty of people don't have degrees. It's not everything. Try not to think of it as wasted time and money and just a learning opportunity.

I read earlier but didn’t comment fully, my step son retook his final year and this year had some work to do plus a dissertation, he did his other modules but failed in submitting he dissertation, had a total melt down (autistic) and after 4 years has been awarded a HND (I think) the uni let him down, not details relevant to this thread, but I think you need to see if your daughter has come away with anything, and either way, they have to move out into the world, earn money and find their path. It’s very disappointing but degrees are net as valuable as they used to be. But getting a foot in the door somewhere to progress is probably the priority now. Look forward not backwards.

It’s not the end of the world. Same happened to someone close to me. They worked for a few years then used the credits for the modules they’d passed to finish their degree at a university closer to home while working part time. Ended up with a first and gone on to do postgrad degrees since.

This happened to a friend of mine, she left it a few years then contacted the uni as she was wanting to go back and start again with a new degree. They looked at the modules she'd passed and they awarded her a HND based on that.

She never did go back to Uni, the HND has not stopped her getting jobs or anything, even though it listed her ungraded/unawarded modules on the certificate, she says sometimes at interview she's asked about it but it never seems to put them off she's not been unemployed at all from 2 years after leaving uni until now (nearly 15 years).

OP you're probably more worried than cross because a) you know your child is capable
b) he's probably already very cross with themselves and c) at least he's still alive and presumably well.
c) Is not cavalierly said every university has those students who take their own lives after failing.

Yes he'd gotten into debt and wasted your hard earned cash. But all isn't lost.

He's only failed 3 modules... So is very likely to be able to finish off elsewhere if he can fund it. If not there are other options to get into work.

Our working lives these days are long, there's scope to recover from mistakes.

If I were you then I’d probably feel similar.

How is he feeling about things ? Maybe you’re not angry because you can see that he’s angry at himself so it’s pretty pointless adding to that.

At the end of the day he’s an adult who will be reminded about this every time he looks at his payslip and sees the student loan deduction.

Not having a degree isn’t the end of the world and there’s lots of young people who made the wrong decision because of Covid. I have a slightly younger child who made the wrong decision in terms of education path but I’ve told him not to worry, it’s better that this happens as a teen rather than when there’s responsibility like children who are dependent on him financially.

I think that your son should get a job in order to keep busy and learn about the working world. He may discover something that is more suited to him and being older may mean that he finds some motivation.

It’s tough but it’s going to be ok. 💐 He needs to keep plodding along until he realises what he wants his new future to look like.

I don't think you're wrong not to be cross, it wouldn't help anything and I expect DC feels worse with your disappointment than they would with anger!

I expect they're feeling a fair bit of shame already. Clearly Uni just wasn't a fit at the moment, definitely the priority is to support DCs MH and begin gently to help with planning next steps.

Unclassified. Which is basically a fail. No degree.