University results - u certicate

[getrunningirl]

Found out this week offspring got a u certificate for degree. Got good Alevels though - covid version, but went to good grammar school.Knew it existed, never heard of anyone that actually got a U. ABU to feel more worried than cross,which is how I feel and am struggling to think how I 'should' feel. Perhaps expectations managed by failing 2nd year, but believed it when told knuckled down and turned round. Thoughts?

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

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.

Ordinary degree and Unclassified are different.

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

Unclassified - failed - no degree.

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.

@AskMeTomorrow hope yet 🤩 thanks for sharing

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.

Completely unnecessary and rude.

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

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

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 .

U is unclassified so a failure to pass.

Not necessarily it seems.

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

I found A levels very easy and first year Uni very easy getting top marks, then in second year it went down hill and I graduated in 2005 with a 2:2 BEng. I spent 3 years doing fairly menial jobs and I traveled. Then I decided to go back to uni and did a masters (in the subject I had though about but decided against doing for UG) since then I have been flying: Masters, PhD, good jobs, good salary. I think it was partly maturity but also a more interesting (to me) course and motivation.

I am sure things will turn out OK for your DC

I would strongly recommend not pursuing a repeat of the degree elsewhere. It actually takes a lot to fail a degree and so it suggests that the individual is not on the right path and repetition is unlike to yield different results. They need to look at other options.

Is it 'unclassified' (aka 'fail')?

You need self discipline when at University. I found students who had been to boarding school especially and were used to lots of supervision found it really hard to do self directed study sometimes. It is indeed very hard to get so far and fail usually they are ‘let go’ before it comes to that and end up with a certificate or a diploma in higher education.

DS did A levels in covid year, he decided to work for a couple of years so is in his second year and is in line for a first on a degree apprenticeship.

After 27 years working in higher education, now retired I can honestly say University is not for everyone and it is nothing to do with intelligence levels.

"retake one module from the 2nd year during the 3rd year having FAILED THE RESIT".

This would make me quite angry. WHO made this decision?? If he failed the end of Y2 exam then failed the re-sit, then this should have been the deciding point not to go into year 3 and pay another £9000 in tuition fees. A university should NOT be allowing a student to enter Y3 when they've failed a resit.

I'd absolutely be wanting some answers from the university on why this has happened. I'd almost be wanting a refund of Y3 tuition fees because allowing a student to continue who had failed twice is ridiculous. It's essentially wasted £9000 and a year of his life - university isn't for everyone.

Obviously if your son begged to continue then he will just have to deal with it, but I would be really angry with the university for allowing him to continue when he clearly wasn't going to pass.

On the surface yes. But thinking deeper...

Why would they know anything about non-degree jobs? Their whole purpose is to get their graduates into graduate employment.
Not only that enthusing about non-grad options runs contrary to the marketing of a degree as a required stepping stone for a good career.

Also, questions about degree transferability etc are academic. Not within the remit of careers service.

He's better off asking the admissions department or his former personal tutor about that.

Non-degree jobs well there's the national careers service or apprenticeship sites but they're not that great.

Personally I think rushing into stuff is the last thing needed, he should take some time to think, get a local job.

My BF at the time got a U (unclassified) for her maths degree. She does put it on her CV, but she can’t put the honours bit next to it.
she ended up in computing after doing another course.

An ex of money got a pass degree in maths and went on to do a PGCE and become a maths teacher ,this was in the 90,s though .

Not necessarily, they’ve had the cash and may well advise on certificates and diplomas of HE.

Is credit transfer an option? Maybe not now, but in a couple of years if he matures. I think you can carry over a certain number of credits to certain other degrees.

I don't think my meaning was clear.

Whether or not OP's son failed his degree, he's still entitled to the same level of support as alumni. Looking at their website , they don't seem to offer individual career coaching for alumni anyway. They are just following the policy and not making an exception for anybody else.
If this is wrong, and alumni have access then OP's son should too. That should be challenged.

It's not even clear whether he even emailed or just tried to book an appointment on some automated system that rejected him automatically as not a student.

However, if they have advised that they can't help because they don't know anything about certs/HE diplomas, that's also fair. You say they 'may' know. But they don't need to really. They are a university career service not the Jobcentre, FE college or anything like that. Those sorts of qualifications are not what they expect their students to be leaving with otherwise it's a failure of the university.

What he should really be asking is, instead of just an appointment or generic advice, is more targeted information.

He should tell them that he's left with a U, are there options for credit transfer or any resources regarding roles with this degree classification? Ask them what they can do.

They can then respond as appropriate.

Op, I wouldn't give up yet, not until I had explored all options. Nottingham can be errr sometimes not forthcoming with alternatives! Get son to email his tutor, course leader, head of dept, whichever you can get, and ask for a teams meeting. You can then ask to sit in on it.

And go back to the careers advice, email from his email account, as him, with him sitting next to you, and ask the pivotal and un-nerving questions that they won't want to answer! Be strong, polite, but firm.

ask the pivotal and un-nerving questions that they won't want to answer! Be strong, polite, but firm

What are the pivotal and unnerving questions that they won’t want to answer?