AIBU to ask your advice regarding my degree?

[StudentInACrisis]

Would be very keen to hear your advice and honest opinions.

To cut a long story short, I am studying for a dual language MFL degree at a RG uni. Currently in my final year, with exams starting imminently.

One of the languages has posed a huge problem to me since the beginning of this year. Actually, problems started to become apparent in my second year but I brushed them off and carried on as normal. It's worth mentioning that I achieved a 2.1 grade in my past three years of study btw, with occasional firsts in module marks.

Although I have tried to tackle the language this year, tbh I have found things quite overwhelming and actually buried my head in the sand about it, if I'm honest. This has impacted my other modules and I am on course to do a lot less well than I had hoped.

I feel that if I achieve a 2.2 this year (which is looking more and more likely), it would throw the past four years' work down the drain... This is going to sound childish but I did well in my A levels and GCSEs too, and I just feel like degrees should if anything represent an improvement on existing grades... Feel like if I achieved a 2.2 (and I honestly do think this would not reflect my potential) it would just undermine everything I've done so far :( BTW this is absolutely NOT a criticism of anyone who has this mark. I'm really not trying to sound snobbish, just trying to convey my current situation and the fact that I have tried so hard in other years...

I have been debating taking a year out (now it would only be a few months obviously) to focus solely on the language, and essentially re-start things, since the beginning of this year but something has always stopped me. My uni have confimed that it would be fine (although unorthodox) but I guess I'm most worried about people's reactions - would they feel as if I was 'giving up'? Would they judge me for the fact that I'm only doing this to improve my grades, as it's not like I have a 'real reason' i.e. a hospital stay? - as well as the fact that maybe later on I'll regret it.

WWYD???? I feel like it is even worse that I'm potentially choosing to do it now, ie just before exams, when I have actually finished all the relevant courses - I really wish I hadn't let it get this far. Obviously it is rooted slightly in exam panic but equally because I just feel deep down that this year as a whole has been terrible, and not representative of my true abilities at all. Am I being a coward?? Please please help, I literally have a matter of hours to decide

Is there any way you could just throw money at the problem? Hire in a great tutor for a few weeks to get you up to scratch - it would be cheaper than repeating the year, surely?

You may do better than you think you will. A further year is a lot of time and money to invest with no guarantee of a successful outcome.

Personally, when recruiting, I would prefer a 2ii from a RG uni than a 1st from s former poly.

I think you should just knuckle down and try your best this year. I don't see why you would want to start this year all over again, plus surely if you're at a good uni, you wouldn't be allowed to resit modules that count towards your finals? So you'd only be resitting the end of year exam, which you can just cram for now?

If you can get into your accountancy job with a 2:2 then definitely do that. Once you have a few years good work experience, nobody will care what degree class you have.

If they won't, and you do end up getting a 2:2, then just do a Maaters. That's what everyone I know who got a 2:2 did, then they end up looking like superior academic folk. They've all got good jobs out of it.

If you're going to spend an extra year at university, you should have something to show for it, ie a Masters.

So, to summarise. Just crack on with studying, give it your best shot and then reassess.

I would think about ways to try to get through this year (cramming, tutors etc) but if you really can't do it and you're able to defer your job then I'd definitely take the other year. A 2.2 is going to be a millstone around your neck for at least a decade, you want to avoid that if you can.

And fgs go and live in the country you need language improvement in for a few months.

Depends. Will you still be living with your nightmare housemate?

I think it depends why you think you are not "getting" the language. It sounds like you've always done well so far, and are just not used to sailing through study and always getting good marks. You noticed the problem in your 2nd year but what you've done so far hasn't "fixed" it - are you really sure that doing another year, and continuing to be motivated, especially as you will now be working with a new year of students that you don't know ... will actually help?

Did you not have a year abroad in your third year?

You're presumably only a matter of weeks away from you finals, so it seems a bit late to be thinking of taking a year out. If you defer your exams until next year then that will give you a bit more time to master the language you're struggling with, but on the other hand it will be a whole year since you last had any lectures, tutorials, etc so the course content will be much less fresh in your mind. It may not lead to you getting a better result.

MFL academic here. Listen to upthechimney, she has wise words for you. Talk to your tutors about whether you can still defer and do a stint abroad as Erasmus or a language assistant.

These days universities expect at least a 2.1 for Masters degrees and PhDs so if you have any ambition to continue your studies I really urge you to take a year out and go all out for a 2.1. Gone are the days when a 2.2 or a pass degree will do.

I was in a very similar situation in my final year due to depression, anxiety and stress. I deferred in the end and ended up with 2:1. I'm now doing a Masters course, on which I wouldn't have got a place with anything lower that a 2:1. It was def the right decision for me.

I was in a very similar situation in my final year due to depression, anxiety and stress. I deferred in the end and ended up with 2:1
Problem is, that unless there are mitigating circumstances, such as illness like this, there isn't really any appropriate reason for a student to defer.

"I'm not doing as well as I'd like to and I only realised 6 weeks before my Finals" just isn't going to cut it at most reputable universities.

Aye's suggestion sounds sensible, nut how do you get onto a Masers' course without a 2i? Also, is there any funding available for a Masters?

I agree that very many people have degrees these days compared with yesteryear, which devalues the currency. However, I am confused that the entry standards for higher degrees are so high given that there are so many courses available and I would have thought that, even if further funding is available, few students would want to saddle themselves with more debt.

TroutQuintet the reason the entry standards for good higher degrees remain high is because we (I teach on one) demand very high standards of academic ability and anyone without a 2.1 will simply struggle and not pass. Given the high cost of a Master's nowadays, the moral obligation to only take those who have decent chance to success is imperative. (On our Master's the failure rate is very low: perhaps 1 in 50).

There is only one question here: if no one else could ever know your next step, or if, in fact, you did what you think others want but the more you tried to match their expectations the more guaranteed it would be they would think you are a failure, what would you do?

UptheChimney, while most of your post is excellent, I disagree that a 2,II is 'right' for someone who 'just' went to university to get a certain mark in the hopes of gaining employment. The vast majority of young people are not simply racking up huge debt for the love of learning, this is a different world to even when I was at uni twenty years ago. You surely know this. It's a necessary evil for entry to all but minimum wage roles. As an academic you may wish it weren't so, but I'm guessing this is unlikely to change.

I took a year out in the middle of my degree for similar reasons to yours and it worked out well for me.
If I were you I would take the year and try to do something useful in the year that will enhance your CV, e.g. work (paid or voluntary) in the country of the language you are studying.

i agree with upthechimney, if there are no mitigating circumstances then you are just one of many, many students who don't do as well as they would like. I'm one of them.

That's life. plain and simple.

If you've been a straight A student all your life and been used to coasting along a bit then uni is a shock. You go from being a bright star in your relatively small school, part of system that spoon feeds you, to being alongside the brightest stars from around the country, the people who really are the absolute best, many have done gap years abroad already, many are already fluent in one of their languages, many have already had coaching in how to write am academic essay. and then there is little old you plunged into this competitive pond and unless you take charge right from the start you will lag behind.

i know. I've been there. It makes you feel shit, like you've not fulfilled your potential. But your potential according to your gcse and a level grades is a load of arbitrary, computer generated bullshit. It doesn't reflect you as a person or the journey you are taking through life. over the next few years as you form your career, perhaps travel, explore, start a family, whatever, you will change, you will mature and you will come to realise that.

And many universities, especially the elite ones, don't teach you to study, to write academically and so on. They expect you to work out out. Not a particularly fair approach i must say. But life isn't fair, love isn't spoon feeding.

You need to get your head down, try to immerse yourself in the weeks leading up to orals by having dedicated chat in the language time with classmates, listen to music in the language (you might laugh but i picked up good constructions from some Russian folk ballads and used them in my oral. Got my highest Russian Mark ever), read even if it is for pleasure (i own Harry Potter in several languages, if you read a book you know well in English them you can figure out unknown words).

Do the best you can but don't stress. If you don't end up getting the graduate job you have lined up then something else will work out. It might not be what you planned but so what? Maybe you will start lower down and work up, which will give you a different perspective to those who went in at grad level. Maybe you will find something new. Let's face it at uni you have not got a clue about 3/4 of the career options out there.

university is tough and learning to deal with failure (or perceived failure in your case) is one of the lessons you will take from your experience. a very valuable one.

I'm doing a second degree now. My approach is very different from how it was first time, but then i have 10 plus years of life experience and lessons learned. Plus I'm at an old poly and they teach you study skills and academic writing .

I agree with UptheChimeny and Duplodon.

I think you are asking lots of other people in the hope that you will hear a clear message that this is all OK. Whether or not it is, there will always be people who judge you. There will always be people who say 'how ridiculous, another year?' and people who say 'why didn't you defer?' You will get judged because people do.

You need to ask the relevant person as UptheChimney suggested. It won't be fun but it will be over soon and you will have a genuine plan which is based on fact and reality.

I think it's true that you need a 2.1 for classic graduate jobs. Most graduates don't get these anyway though and have to carve out their career in their own way.

Could you clarify a couple of things?

1. Do you have a firm offer for this Big 4 place? Is it dependent on getting a 2.1? If so, do NOT assume that they will be OK with you getting a 2.2, they probably won't. They have thousands of talented people applying every year with 2.1s and 1sts and a 2.2 really does not look good these days.

1. Have you spoken to your personal tutor or someone else in the department? If so, you really need to. Don't just assume that taking a year out will fix everything - you could find yourself in the same position in 2 years time.

I think you should not take finals this year. The exams must be coming up pretty soon. It doesn't matter what anyone else says - you have to give yourself the best chance. One of the life lessons of uni is that you're responsible for your own life - no one is going to fix this for you, so you don't need to listen to their negative opinions. I swapped degree courses after a year and it was definitely the right decision.

I still don't think anyone has answered my question - is a dubious 2/1 taken over an extra year (which would be 5 years not 4 for most language degrees including the year abroad) just as bad as a 2/2 or even worse? In other words will employers and universities think the delayed degree at 2/1 worse than a 2/2 taken over the normal period? A bit like teenagers picking off GCSEs over 4 year periods are not looked at as well as someone who can get good grades in 9 taken all at once over 2 or 3 weeks only.

OK: answering as a university:

I don't think I would notice how long a degree took. The 2.1 is looked at by central admissions (without which I normally wouldn't even see your application) and then I'd be focusing on the breakdown of marks along with the personal statement.

Any really low marks would, I'm afraid, send negative signals out, though if there was an upwards trajectory that would work in your favour.

Other things that would be brought to bear are your references, which might be able to mitigate any uneven set of results assuming - as upthechimney says - there are mitigating circumstances.

Lang tutor here.

First of all, quit worrying about what "people" think. Sorry if that's unsympathetic but in 2 years few people will remember / care about you repeating a year, apart from you and your bank manager.

Some things to do:

Investigate whether you can definitely repeat with no mitigating circumstances (ie family breakup, illness, etc - not being unprepared for exams). But check: might your grade be capped if you do this? Look in your University's student handbook and confirm with an advisor in the Uni, not online forums.

Have you discussed the problems with your adviser of studies and tutors on your "problem" courses, recently? Make an appointment ASAP.

If you can't repeat:
Have you looked at past papers, and do you have an accurate understanding of what you'll need to do? Can you do it to even a reasonable standard? A 2:1 is a long way from perfect.

Have you looked at feedback (not the grade, the written feedback) on strengths and weaknesses in recent assessment or coursework, and at course objectives, to make a focussed and efficient study plan? Eg range and accuracy in core areas of grammar and vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, writing, listening and speaking. Think about the type of texts you might encounter / produce in an exam - eg if in your coursework you've had to translate only magazine articles and you know that's what you need to do in the exam, they will use a certain style of language, so practice using similar text types, not eg poems or technical writing. If you may encounter a variety of types of text eg a conversation, a lecture or a radio broadcast, practice with a variety of types, not just one. Is it worth paying someone experienced and with an awareness of what you need to do (ie not a £6 p/h Erasmus student but a professional tutor), for additional lessons and feedback on your language output or practice tests? Can you completely immerse yourself in your languages for the next few weeks, as pps suggest?

If you can repeat, can you work on your awareness of your strengths and weaknesses and effective language study practices, in an appropriate practice context and making good use of university / online resources, to improve efficiently? You would be surprised how many students I get whose independent study skills are really poor and who don't make good progress as a result.

Apologies if you have already done the above and good luck with whatever happens.