The Student Room Group

Resitting the first year of University?

My first year of University has been sooooo good I've litterally not gone into Uni (less than 15% attendance). I didn't even hand in some assignments, and failed more than half my modules. There aren't any major reasons for me not going in and completing work I was just lazy, enjoying Uni and not taking it serious.

Because of all this, I'm on my final warning and it's looking more than likely that I will fail this year. I'm just wondering, is it possible to resit the entire first year? Just start from scratch? or even resit the failed modules, alongside near years modules?

I'm not sure and the realism is starting to hit me that I don't want to leave, and I do want the degree. I'm pretty worried at the moment, just explaining why I failed Uni online is hard enough, I don't want to tell my family.

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Reply 1
Okay, well... it depends what you mean by 'resit'. It depends on your university, but I think if you mean 'resit' in terms of doing the same course next year, I would think it unlikely. You don't have extenuating circustances or anything. I would expect you would either have to change course or uni and you would have to pay the higher rate of fees if you resat the year on the same course (probably) though if you started a different course at the university you wouldn't neccesearily need to.

You can work hard and try and do well in the modules you have left. See if you can make up for the modules you have failed whether is that through resits, submitting essays at half credit, whatever you can do. If you put effort in for the rest of the year, the university is significantly more likely to be sympathetic to your situation... Equally, however, they understandably might not be sympathetic.

If I were you, tbh, I would both start talking to the uni about the possibility (and neccesity... it might not be neccesary as they might let you onto year 2 if you pour your heart out and then start doing well) of resitting the year. At the same time, I would start looking through the university's prospectus at other courses and start looking through extra at other unis. I really feel for you and understand that it is a difficult situation, I am having difficulties with my uni at the moment as well, but I think it is likely that you will not be allowed to resit the same course at the same uni for a year. At my university, at least, it is strictly forbidden (it is written in the manuals they give out to everyone), but restarting doing a different subject isn't (and it isn't subject to the fee increase).

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
without passing the first year it is unlikely that you will be allowed in the 2nd year (level 5) so you would need to speak to the university esp your course leader and programme leader for a start and hope that they allow you to take some modules over the summer (alot of work) and then take some next year as well.
You may well need to explain why you have basically tossed off the 1st year of uni off and why you really want to do the degree. question if you are doing the right degree for you or not as well, if you didnt apply yourself it may be a question of your motivations and passion for what you chose to study have diminished

good luck and hope a positive outcome comes from this for you in the long term.
Reply 3
I'm the same, except I'm not skipping for fun- more to work to cover my rent and make sure I have money stacked up so I can pay rent without missing second year classes!
I would start attending- make it look like you're willing to change. I'm not on a warning until after my June exams and should I fail my August resits I can sit an external year (but this will be my last chance!) Every Uni is different, but generally my Uni looks to help everyone continue unless they don't think University study is right for them. The modules I have passed I have very good marks on all 2:1 and above- there is no reason why I couldn't do well. However if someone is all round useless and they don't think they will benefit from being here three years they will get the boot!
Reply 4
Original post by jordan1993
My first year of University has been sooooo good I've litterally not gone into Uni (less than 15% attendance). I didn't even hand in some assignments, and failed more than half my modules. There aren't any major reasons for me not going in and completing work I was just lazy, enjoying Uni and not taking it serious.

Because of all this, I'm on my final warning and it's looking more than likely that I will fail this year. I'm just wondering, is it possible to resit the entire first year? Just start from scratch? or even resit the failed modules, alongside near years modules?

I'm not sure and the realism is starting to hit me that I don't want to leave, and I do want the degree. I'm pretty worried at the moment, just explaining why I failed Uni online is hard enough, I don't want to tell my family.


Only if you have a very good reason - going out and getting pissed is sadly not one.
Reply 5
My uni (Birmingham) lets you retake failed exams in August, but with a maximum mark of 40%. Definitely no assignment resits though. You might just have to take responsibility for your actions..
Reply 6
You will not just be allowed to resit a year when you fail. You have the opportunity to resit all the failed assessments(exams & essays) during the August resit period. You MUST pass them all or you will be terminated form uni. If you have mitigating circumstances however you can appeal against that, and if you win the appeal you will be allowed to repeat the year.
So basically concentrate on passing the resists. Pass what you can pass in the summer exams, then start revising for your resits immediately! Otherwise, you'll have to drop out of uni and reapply to another course or uni.
Reply 7
so, (since I'm in about the same situation) , is it possible to apply for another uni now - without yet quitting the present one? And not specifying that you have failed this uni course, and showing the A-Level results rather then the late modules from the uni ? Or you have to be out of education even when you apply, not just start other uni ?
I know plenty of people that have found a balance between having a really good time at university and keeping up to date with the assignments. In fact pretty much everyone I know has. Its not really fair on people who have tried if you're allowed to put in 0 effort and sail through.
different universities and different courses have different policies with regards to this. You're best off talking to your university, not to us.
Reply 10
Original post by jordan1993
My first year of University has been sooooo good I've litterally not gone into Uni (less than 15% attendance). I didn't even hand in some assignments, and failed more than half my modules. There aren't any major reasons for me not going in and completing work I was just lazy, enjoying Uni and not taking it serious.

Because of all this, I'm on my final warning and it's looking more than likely that I will fail this year. I'm just wondering, is it possible to resit the entire first year? Just start from scratch? or even resit the failed modules, alongside near years modules?

I'm not sure and the realism is starting to hit me that I don't want to leave, and I do want the degree. I'm pretty worried at the moment, just explaining why I failed Uni online is hard enough, I don't want to tell my family.


They should either.

1) Make an example of you and kick your lazy ass out of uni as a warning to other would be crap students....

2) Let you do they year again, but charge you international fees for the privilege. And of course, no student loan or grants to help pay for it.


Finally, all money paid to you by the uni and the SLC, should be paid back straight away, because you basicly just abused tax payers money.


Might seem harsh, but given you attitude towards education it is proportional to me.
Reply 11
Original post by jordan1993
My first year of University has been sooooo good I've litterally not gone into Uni (less than 15% attendance). I didn't even hand in some assignments, and failed more than half my modules. There aren't any major reasons for me not going in and completing work I was just lazy, enjoying Uni and not taking it serious.

Because of all this, I'm on my final warning and it's looking more than likely that I will fail this year. I'm just wondering, is it possible to resit the entire first year? Just start from scratch? or even resit the failed modules, alongside near years modules?

I'm not sure and the realism is starting to hit me that I don't want to leave, and I do want the degree. I'm pretty worried at the moment, just explaining why I failed Uni online is hard enough, I don't want to tell my family.


You may be able to resit the year, but what is to say you won't do the same again? You may have to be very persuasive for them to give you a second chance with such poor attendance, although the bottom line is, would you truly try harder next time? and would you be happy to pay the new rate of fees?
I think you need to ask yourself why you allowed yourself to fail, really why, and if it will happen again. You knew you had to pass the first year, and to be honest most people do the minimum possible to pass in the first year, but you didn't even do that. I didn't work that hard up to Christmas, didn't have wonderful attendance, and had various issues going on, but I still managed good passes in both modules (and this was Biological Science, not something easy). To be honest, unless it's a really tough subject at a really tough University then I think it takes some effort to fail the first year. Not handing in assignments is asking for trouble. Ok, you were enjoying yourself in the first year, but so are most people, but the difference is that most people will get their heads down even if it's the night before something needs handing in, or a week or two before the exams (I know a lot of people who spent their time at home for Christmas revising). If you can't even do that now, what is to say you'll do it next year?

To be honest, my advice would probably be to try as hard as possible for the rest of the year and then see what happens. If you can't do that then the best thing is to drop out, get a job, and then try again when you have some more maturity. From experiance with people I know, including a few on my course, most people who start again the next year because they were too lazy end up failing again as they are still too lazy. On the other hand those who leave it a couple of years before trying again tend to do very well as they are different people. Actually, I know someone who was kicked out of University for poor attendance, got a job working for the RSPCA and then went back to Uni to become a Vet. The extra few years maturity, and the realisation about what they wanted to do (they were doing Biochem originally but didn't have any career ideas), made all the difference.
Reply 13
I blame student loans. If you were paying thousands for your own education (lets face it the repayments are so spread out and interest free its virtually free money) you wouldn't have been ****ing around. Obviously I am not against the student loan, I am in the receipt of one myself. I'm just saying I think that it is sadly a factor in why some people at uni don't take it seriously.
Original post by sexbo
I blame student loans. If you were paying thousands for your own education (lets face it the repayments are so spread out and interest free its virtually free money) you wouldn't have been ****ing around. Obviously I am not against the student loan, I am in the receipt of one myself. I'm just saying I think that it is sadly a factor in why some people at uni don't take it seriously.


I think the problem is people going to university because they think they'll get a job out of it. A lot of people aren't at university to learn any more, they're there to get a qualification at the end to get into the workplace. This view encourages them to "get by" on the minimum grades possible and some end up slipping into completely not giving a ****. Its really frustrating when I turn up to my seminars and there's nothing to discuss because only about 5 people have turned up and none have done the reading, and there's someone furiously copying down every word I say and not offering anything herself. People are actually £3,000 for university, I struggle to see why they're wasting it.

And I think another part of it is that because going to university is now the "done thing" people feel entitled to a place there. Its become part of a rite of passage. It doesn't matter if you actually want to be there, or you're going to put the effort in, every single person has to leave college or 6th form and go to university. Its bs, and I'm very glad the fees have been raised to prevent people like this and the OP taking advantage.
Reply 15
Original post by IlliteratePedant
I think the problem is people going to university because they think they'll get a job out of it. A lot of people aren't at university to learn any more, they're there to get a qualification at the end to get into the workplace. This view encourages them to "get by" on the minimum grades possible and some end up slipping into completely not giving a ****. Its really frustrating when I turn up to my seminars and there's nothing to discuss because only about 5 people have turned up and none have done the reading, and there's someone furiously copying down every word I say and not offering anything herself. People are actually £3,000 for university, I struggle to see why they're wasting it.

And I think another part of it is that because going to university is now the "done thing" people feel entitled to a place there. Its become part of a rite of passage. It doesn't matter if you actually want to be there, or you're going to put the effort in, every single person has to leave college or 6th form and go to university. Its bs, and I'm very glad the fees have been raised to prevent people like this and the OP taking advantage.


Absolutely true. At my sixth form they managed to get every single lazy layabout into university. I'm talking 20 year old retakers who threw paper planes around physics class. But no matter how many Ds they got there was always a place in Hertfordshire for them because "every one their age just had to go to uni" I say close down the ex-polys so that saying you went to university actually means something.
Original post by sexbo
Absolutely true. At my sixth form they managed to get every single lazy layabout into university. I'm talking 20 year old retakers who threw paper planes around physics class. But no matter how many Ds they got there was always a place in Hertfordshire for them because "every one their age just had to go to uni" I say close down the ex-polys so that saying you went to university actually means something.


You do realise that Polytechnics have been around and giving out degrees and other professional qualifications before many of the supposed proper Universities were founded? The actual change in 1992 was little more than allowing them to change their name and to gain their own degree awarding powers. Yes big change came in the 2000s when there was a push to get more people attending University, but this has nothing to do with the former Polytechnics, even if they (like many of the older Universities) took advantage of it. Oh, I also presume you would wish the likes of MIT to close, afterall that's was set up based on the British Polytechnic system.
Original post by sexbo
Absolutely true. At my sixth form they managed to get every single lazy layabout into university. I'm talking 20 year old retakers who threw paper planes around physics class. But no matter how many Ds they got there was always a place in Hertfordshire for them because "every one their age just had to go to uni" I say close down the ex-polys so that saying you went to university actually means something.


Why would you want to shut down ex-polys? These are major institutions that are often the largest employers in their region. The loss to the local economy and national economy would be enormous. Universities help to create wealth by providing high paying jobs and wealth to the economy. Closing them down would be a massive retrograde step. This is why the government keep creating new universities, since 2005 there have been loads of colleges like Northampton which have been upgraded to uni status. I believe more are planned in the future too. I think there a college in Peterborough that is pushing for university status to become University of Peterborough imminently.
Reply 18
Original post by jordan1993
My first year of University has been sooooo good I've litterally not gone into Uni (less than 15% attendance). I didn't even hand in some assignments, and failed more than half my modules. There aren't any major reasons for me not going in and completing work I was just lazy, enjoying Uni and not taking it serious.

Because of all this, I'm on my final warning and it's looking more than likely that I will fail this year. I'm just wondering, is it possible to resit the entire first year? Just start from scratch? or even resit the failed modules, alongside near years modules?

I'm not sure and the realism is starting to hit me that I don't want to leave, and I do want the degree. I'm pretty worried at the moment, just explaining why I failed Uni online is hard enough, I don't want to tell my family.


This is just a classic case of how university is no longer reserved for the intellectual, passionate, and hard-working people any more. I hope you are kicked off your course. I just don't understand...
Reply 19
Original post by ultimate mashup
Why would you want to shut down ex-polys? These are major institutions that are often the largest employers in their region. The loss to the local economy and national economy would be enormous. Universities help to create wealth by providing high paying jobs and wealth to the economy. Closing them down would be a massive retrograde step. This is why the government keep creating new universities, since 2005 there have been loads of colleges like Northampton which have been upgraded to uni status. I believe more are planned in the future too. I think there a college in Peterborough that is pushing for university status to become University of Peterborough imminently.


No they don't. The government subsidizes them. You're telling me that if the government had closed down half of UK universities tuition fees would still have tripled?

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