Should I just write this module off and do another?

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice from someone who might have been in a similar situation.

I dropped out of UCL 13 years ago when I lost a pregnancy during my finals (I already had a 1 year old daughter at the time). My first and second years exams I had earned firsts. But the degree was 100% finals so prior work didn't count, and it didn't occur to me at the time to ask for the finals I had taken to be used and some sort of degree to be awarded, and my tutor didn't even suggest it so I never knew that was an option till it was too late.

Fast forward and last year I decided that I was ready to perhaps finish my degree. The OU would award me 240 credits for my prior studies, so I only had to do 2 Level 3 60 point courses.

Great - I thought. And threw myself in at the deep end in Feb with a Level 3 course in a subject I was familiar with through my time at UCL. The course content was very different from what I had studied, and this wasn't clear until the course was underway. Anyway I did the whole course, and my average TMA mark was 74. Then there was an exam....I'm terrible with exams, I guess most people are. I do have memory issues due to health problems but there was no exam substitution I was told.

So I got the exam result back yesterday, along with the breakdown. 2 out of the 3 questions were around the 70 mark but one question I totally messed up and got a 40 on. I had a feeling when I came out of the exam I might have messed that question up.

As those familiar with the OU know, the overall grade generally reflects the worse grade over the course rather than a mean average or your best. So my exam score was dragged down to a 58. A 14 point difference and I got a Grade 3 Pass.

I'm quite upset as I feel this doesn't reflect my work for the last year which apart from one exam question was a consistent Grade 2.

I've started already on my new module, and am loving it. The tutor is miles better than the last and my marks are higher because I'm more confident about the material.

So (and well done and thank you if you're still reading!) my dilemna is this: I'm doing an open degree (it was the only thing they would count my credits towards) and I'd like to get the best mark possible. I don't know what I want to do at the end, and I'd like to have options for postgraduate study. There are other modules I'd like to do, though I would face the same issue of jumping in at a level 3, and I'm considering un-linking the Grade 3 module and trying to get better marks in another module so my overall classification will be higher. It would mean a year more than I planned, but I am lucky enough to be financially able to do it and take that time for more study.

I could end up doing another module and not getting a better result at all. But even if I some how got a distinction in the module I'm doing now, the Grade 3 would mean my overall classification would not reflect the bulk of my work - what would be the highest classification I could get in that situation anyway?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - I don't want to spend another year and more money if it would make no difference but I'm happy to if it meant a whole classification higher - but it's a gamble isn't it?

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 1

Moggs

Original post by mamapie

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - I don't want to spend another year and more money if it would make no difference but I'm happy to if it meant a whole classification higher - but it's a gamble isn't it?

I understand that the competitiveness of postgrads vary widley. The only way to know for sure is pick the MSc's that interest you, talk to the universities offering it, and consider your likelihood of getting in.

You can also link/unlink courses at the OU any time you want, which means you have plenty of time to change your mind :smile:

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 2

lupinpooter

Original post by mamapie

I could end up doing another module and not getting a better result at all. But even if I some how got a distinction in the module I'm doing now, the Grade 3 would mean my overall classification would not reflect the bulk of my work - what would be the highest classification I could get in that situation anyway?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - I don't want to spend another year and more money if it would make no difference but I'm happy to if it meant a whole classification higher - but it's a gamble isn't it?

Hi, and first of all sorry to hear about your disappointing result <commiseratory hug>

If you login to Student Home and go to the Qualifications tab, you can set up and save a qualification plan there. Once you've saved a plan, you'll see a "Predict your degree classification" link on the right which you can play around with to see how different module grades will affect your final classification. I suspect that 1 x grade 3 pass + 1 x distinction would give you an overall 2.1 but I'm not certain about that, so do check.

As Moggs said, you can unlink the module and try again. If you're not in a big hurry and you can afford to do it then that might be the best option.

Reply 3

mamapie

Thanks to both of you of replying.

The postgraduate courses I'm interested in both want a first or 2.1. I'm not sure I want to go down that road, but I'd like to have the option to.

I'm leaning towards taking another year, it would be silly if I can not to I guess?

Reply 4

lupinpooter

Original post by mamapie

In your shoes I'd be inclined to take another year, but you don't have to make a decision now. You can unlink the other module at any time, so maybe the best thing to do is to see how you do on the current module before deciding?

Reply 5

mamapie

I think that's what I'll do - if this module goes well then it would be a better reason for taking another, if it doesn't perhaps it's a sign! Thanks.

Reply 6

lupinpooter

Original post by mamapie

I think that's what I'll do - if this module goes well then it would be a better reason for taking another, if it doesn't perhaps it's a sign! Thanks.