Failed degree

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

Without getting into any of the whys & wherefores, DS2 failed a module earlier this year, hasn't handed in his dissertation (he did masses of research but just couldn't write it) & is about to not hand in 2 essays.

He can either just walk away with nothing, or retake his 3rd year in 2015/16, but in that case can only achieve a pass.

Is a simple pass (if he even gets it..) worth having? (He did fine in 1st & 2nd years but has been depressed this year & wondering why he even did this course)

He has no idea what to do with his life as it is & I'm wondering if he would be better finding a 2-year vocational course. Or abandoning study altogether. Or something.

All advice gratefully received.

OP you said he can either walk away with nothing or retake the third year and get a pass.
So I would say its best to retake the third year and get a pass because

a) its better than nothing as he comes out with a degree and
b) means his previous study wont be wasted and
c) gives time to explore with the university the actual case in relation to marking of a third year retake and
d) his depression will get better with treatment so he will most likely enjoy it better and do better academically.

So thats my feeling bearing in mind I come from a goal and achievement orientated family that would tend to soldier on regardless but also bearing in mind that lots of people have tough times but those are exactly the times when you shouldn't give up.

In 20 years time will he and you all feel better if he had a pass degree or better if he had no degree?

I mean though others upthread say a pass isn't worth anything well thats not quite true: a pass means he gets a degree, he finished the course, the university awarded him a pass. Not a fail. A pass. These things aren't all just about what an employer or post grad admissions officer might think. They are also about what the student achieves for him or herself. At the end of life, at 60 years old, it would be terrible to still regret not having a degree because others around advised that a 'pass' wasn't good enough so the whole degree was given up.

Funnyperson, I see what you mean, but I think a better option might be to find out whether OP's son could transfer in a year or two to the Open University. As I understand it, they would give academic credit for the two years that were completed and he could then go on and get an honours degree by completing another year or two by distance learning, possibly working part-time or in a not too demanding full-time job at the same time, if he's well enough. That has to be a better solution than having a pass degree, surely?

There may be other universities in the UK which would also accept years 1 and 2 and let him take year 3 with them, but my impression is that would be a lot less common than accepting someone transferring after just one year. Worth exploring, though.

Yes its an option all mimsy however he has his place at his current uni still and will have the work and work ethic from his first two years fresh in his mind. Whats to say he wouldn't just get a 'pass' an open uni course?

I don't know, funnyperson, that's why it needs to be explored. In 20 or 30 years it won't matter much but in the next few years it might matter a great deal whether this young man gets a pass degree or an honours degree. OP has been told that getting an honours degree from the current university is out of the question. That seems doubtful to me, so needs looking into, but if the university does not change its position I'd be advising my son in similar circumstances to go elsewhere if he could be sure that he would then have the chance of an honours degree.

All mimsy we hear that most employers and graduate courses want a 2.1 so just getting an honours degree vs a pass degree wont make a lot of difference will it?

To complete a degree says something to me about perseverance and seeing things through and finishing things and sitting final exams so I would value it above 2 years of an unfinished degree but then I am not an employer or an admissions officer. Most people know that life isn't always smooth and value those who manage to see something through in spite of that.

I think the DipHE idea is an excellent one. He could then choose to 'top up' at a later date, possibly through OU, when he feels able to cope with the work.

Well, I see that point, funnyperson, but I was assuming that this young man was on track for a 2.1 before and might be in with a chance of getting that from the OU, for all we know.

Veruca, the student will have to check with the academic regulations whether a DipHE is an option for him. It isn't always offered to those who leave after two years, it depends on the programme approval and the university's general academic regulations.

Another factor is the treatment for depression. My understanding and indeed observation of those who suffer from this condition is that it is treatable and so the disability arising from it is not permanent even though the sufferer and those around may think it seems so. For example if the OP's son were treated properly with a combination of medication and counselling or whatever the doctor recommends it seems conceivable to me that he would be ontrack to recovery by the Autumn and ready to start a new academc year. But obviously that depends on what the doctor says. I think it important to avoid the fall-out of these conditions -after all it is much less pleasant to do a part time job and an OU degree than to be with other students on a campus doing a full time degree with a student loan, and so recurrence of the depression might be more likely.
This is not advice by the way, or in any way intended as any definitive view, just my thoughts, and observations from friends and acquaintances. Neither DC or any family have suffered, other than short term reactions to life events, so it isn't the benefit of intimate experience either.