Failed degree and am a complete failure

[loseridiot]

Hi,

Failed an OU open degree after failing the final EMA. Thought it would just mean a lower classification but it'll be a diploma. When it comes it's going straight in the bin.

Can't stop crying. Everybody always said I was useless, stupid and would never amount to anything. Wanted to prove they were wrong. They weren't. Always had minimum wage jobs as no better for anything else. Thought it might improve prospects and help others.

Hope nobody is in this position. What a waste of time and money.

Would you be happy to share the gist of the feedback? I would assume their was an issue with the narrative- does the aims and objectives at the beginning match up with the findings and conclusion at the end?
I would break it down into key sections and bullet points, clarity and consistency is vital.
The references will be key. So there will be a few key areas or themes and you need to make sure you are including the seminal authors as well as key and current debates here.
Critical thinking is a big one and you need to take a clear position/ perspective.
You can take a step back, reassess and rewrite this. Tomorrow is the day you stop the self pity and take a plan of action

A lack of citations is not a failure to understand the subject content, it's a lack of admin and understanding the rules of that discipline as they are not all the same.

It's not the massive hurdle you are making it. You got high marks at level three in your other course. That is degree success.

OU is tough. Far from an easy option but you have shown you can do it. I understand you are devastated but you will get there

Try the search function to read other posts. You might find something useful there?

@GoingToBeLessRubbishAtLife

What are you even talking about? I’ve failed an EMA myself at the same stage as the OP. I was gutted but I knew better than to waste all my efforts over the years. I picked myself back up, got some advice on what went wrong and did the resit. Ended up with a 2:1. I’m sorry but sometimes you just need a kick up the arse because wallowing won’t get you very far.

Stop that right now. My dc has failed some modules and has resat them. He is not a fucking failure and he will graduate.

You are not stupid - you currently have a Diploma of Higher Education - a university qualification that the vast majority of people don't have. Or do you them they're all stupid too.

OK so if you have been getting 70s then you are more than capable of doing the work.

It sounds like you must have misunderstood what was required for this piece of work. A mark of 33 isn't that far from the pass mark and I think you have a good chance of passing the resit. Just make sure you get some really detailed feedback on where you went wrong.

Listen to me. You are NOT a failure. You have done well in all your other modules, it's just this one you have tripped up on. It sounds like you perhaps has not quite understood what was needed for your EMA to pass, that is not a sign of stupidity or of being a failure. It just means you were not adequately taught what you needed to do for the EMA.
You have had unkind cruel things said to you when you were young which has dented your confidence, but you don't have to define yourself by those negative comments now. Stop with all the negative self descriptions such as being stupid or a failure....just stop. Those words are so damaging to yourself.
It's ok to feel upset that you did not pass this module first time round, and it's ok to wallow in that a little but stop with the negative self hate, that is not going to help your situation,is it?
Do the resit. Get as much support and knowledge that you can do re what is needed for a successful EMA. There will be information out there. Get marking feedback, look at where you can improve for the next one. Be proactive. You can do this, and you are NOT stupid or a failure.
Be kind to yourself, please.

Well that’s lovely for you but not every approach suits every person. She already said she didn’t find your approach helpful.

TooOldForThisNonsense, there's been a second reply and it was harsher. Itslosenotloose, I said I would resit already as it would be foolish not to. I am simply very upset at the moment and that's allowed. Anybody who cared would be.

Thanks GoingToBeLessRubbishAtLife.

What career path is it that you ultimately wanted to use your psychology degree for?
Because anything clinical is extremely competitive and you don’t really get people from the open university getting into those paths.
Lots of people go into business with a psychology qualification, or simply use the degree to get onto a graduate programme with any large company.

It’s worth going back and finishing the degree, and then you can access graduate programmes in a whole host of different careers.

Of course you’re allowed to be upset. Lick your wounds for a bit and then crack on and show the world what you can do 😊

@GoingToBeLessRubbishAtLife

Look, the OP could have one million people responding with kind words and the likelihood is she would still wallow in self pity. Oh it never rains it pours…..If you’ve been getting straight 70s on all your essays and you fail one EMA and chuck in the towel then that’s straight up self sabotaging. But whatever…. I’ll leave the OP to her pity party.

You are not stupid!

Take 24hrs to stop and think, don’t make any rash decisions this minute. Can you retake / redo? If you’ve got this far, then I think you should.

To give up is wrong - you are stronger than you think so prove it to everyone by carrying on and achieving what you set out to achieve in the first place!

Good luck

@loseridiot

You didn’t say you were going to resit. You said you were just going to take the diploma and either chuck it in the bin or ask them not to send it. You said you “could” resit if you wanted too but that you won’t because you’re too stupid. Something like that anyway. No one has said you can’t feel upset because you failed either???

Are you allowed to resit the same piece of work ie resubmit an improved dissertation or do you have to do a new one from scratch?

If it’s the latter then you are in an excellent position. Consider the failed dissertation a draft. You’ve received your feedback and you should have a clear idea of what is needed to get over the line. Clearly your citation practices need to be improved. But there may be other things that can help that your tutor has mentioned.

I would also contact the study skills team for advice. I’m not familiar with the OU but do they have writing 1-1s or academic writing tutorials? There are also lots of books and internet resources on writing dissertations. An extended piece of academic writing requires different skills from writing shorter essays or sitting exams. It sounds like you need a quick primer on how to acquire those skills.

Good luck! You can do it!

Are you allowed to rework and resubmit your dissertation? I think this is what an EMA is from the other posts. If so, get all the feedback you can and then work through it point by point.

I know it seems daunting and can be emotionally loaded, but if you just need to pick up 7 marks it shouldn’t be too hard. Adding citations isn’t too hard, look back at the sources you used, or if you can’t remember just google what you’ve said and look for the most academically reputable source that comes up, read the abstract, or relevant bits, you don’t need to read the whole thing to cite it. Or if it’s healthcare -related psychology topic, you mention nhs, then look at NICE guidance, or type keywords and then pubmed to get peer-reviewed stuff. Sound like they just want you to back up your statements with evidence more.

I’m glad you said you’re going to give it a try. If the feedback isn’t clear ask your tutor, or if there is anyone you know who teaches at a uni or similar.
What helped me was thinking that at any one point in time I only needed to write the next sentence, like climbing a mountain. But you know all this because you sound so close to getting your degree and have done so well to get there studying online etc.

I did once sit on the steps of a university department in tears, thinking I was such a failure, and my first degree wasn’t even an honours degree. But eventually I got a masters and a PhD, so I know you might take a bit of time to sit in the grief but please don’t stay there too long!

Thanks. The questions was about did different studies overlap or not. Well of course, they do but are also studies in their own right. I used Freud's study of how people revert to natural behaviours, animal instincts but hardly used citations.

Yes, it's more an admin error and not making the essay flow properly. That was the feedback which was fair and accepted.

No, titchy I do not think they're failures and you were a bit aggressive. Just me and I worded that badly. It's just a bit hard when it's late and you've been upset for days.

Was hoping to use the degree to stay within the NHS but unsure which path yet.

I failed my master's dissertation. It was a huge shock as I was well on course for a distinction. I had to swallow my pride, take the advice from my supervisor on what to change (and resist the urge to ask why she hadn't given that advice when I'd asked in supervision 🤨), grit my teeth and get it done. I passed the re-sit, got the letters after my name and in the future noone will know or care. I didn't go to my graduation though. Allow yourself to feel the disappointment, then pick yourself up and get the re-sit done.

You aren’t a failure. You challenged yourself to do an OU course. There’s no lecturer reminding you when things are due in. There’s no study groups. No going to the library together. There isn’t even drinks once the assignment is in with your course mates. You did it. You got up, made yourself work on every module. When you could have been doom scrolling on your phone or stuffing your face with biscuits. When you could have been out with friends. You pushed yourself to go further. And you got a diploma. A diploma is not nothing. It is a very real qualification and very well deserved. Be proud of that bit of paper. I did my masters part time and it was really fucking hard. I had some of the support of a traditional university and it still nearly broke me. You did an OU course, it’s hard but you fucking did it.

It didn’t go quite as you planned but life rarely does. You get to feel sad. You get to be angry. You don’t get to call yourself names or wallow in self pity. You feel sad and then you pick yourself up. Everyone I know has failed something and it’s been a turning point for them to move in an unexpected direction. That has usually been beneficial to them. My husband failed his A-Levels and ended up at university through clearing, where he met me and his life improved immeasurably! Joking aside, he had to follow a slightly different path but he’s in a professional job with a great salary and great career progression. My brother failed his GCSEs and so couldn’t do his A-Level course. He had to do Btech - which he excelled at and he’s gone on to do great things. I failed the last module of my masters, it really hurt so I get it. I didn’t want to work in that field anymore and I’ve gone down a different route, picked up loads of skills. I’m in a job I didn’t think I’d be in but the pay is good and I really enjoy it. Failure can lead you to better things, you just have to be open to different routes.

Sorry, I meant “if it’s the former”.

It sounds also as if you need to work on structuring your material so that each part not only makes sense on its own, it also functions as part of a coherent whole. Did you use headings and bridging sentences to help with the flow of your argument? Is there a clear and consistent narrative drive throughout the work? Does the conclusion answer the research question posed in the introduction? Does each section of the dissertation build on previous sections and provide a stepping stone to the next section?

If you were doing fine on your modules and suddenly got 33 on your EMA, what the hell was your EMA tutor doing??

I was seriously stressed on my EMA years ago, and my tutor gave brilliant feedback until I got a distinction.

EMA (thesis/project) is unique in that it needs good guidance and support. I had to do 2 as I did a double degree with the OU - don't you DARE blame yourself, redo with a different tutor

@loseridiot I did an OU degree and graduated two years. Ian sorry you didn’t pass that assignment but your other scores show that you’re perfectly capable.

I am wondering from what you’ve said if you didn’t counteract your argument in the EMA. If you only used Freud’s theory, did you do anything to show the opposite side of the argument?

This.

Allow yourself time to be disappointed and cry. But please TRY to limit the negative talk. Think of it this way. If the same happened to someone you love, would you say to them that they were a "stupid useless, idiot that won't pass"? My guess is that you wouldn't. Apply the same empathy to yourself.

Nothing says you can't pass if you gave it another go. And if you don't, keep searching in your areas of interest, and you will come across another path that suits you.

Just don't put yourself down. You are worth a LOT more than a dissertation result. And so is life.

I failed the final year of my degree and had to repeat the year, I was very disappointed / shocked / embarrassed but got on with it.
You are not the first and won’t be the last, have a good cry and just get on with it, I’m a years time you won’t even be thinking about this. Ignore anyone who tries to make you feel bad about it and power on…

You Can Do It!!!

Surely you've keep the credits and they can be used towards a further degree.

You need to tick boxes for any kind of project. For example my son did an amazing porject for his HPQ sort of thing a third year student at uni might make. Unfortunately, he didn't quite comprehend that a significant amount of his project was R&D and although he got a good mark it was not a stellar as it should have been.