missed uni exams due to very bad viral infection, now I'm scared about the outcome

Ok so basically I'm studying pharmacy at kings and a few days before my exam I started feeling very ill and got a very bad cold, so I emailed my head of department for some advice and I told her that it was just a cold. Then she said ' If your revision is affected and you feel ill prepared for the exams then the department advice would have to be not to sit. '. I was going to just sit the exams but after she said the part in bold I thought that since she had more experience with all this she probably knows what she's talking about. So I decided not to sit my exams this may (all 4).

But then, I looked at the exam absence form and it said they do no accept a cold as a mitigating circumstance. But it's too late as I already missed my exams. I wrote on the form that my revision was affected due to my illness. But I'm so scared right now.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME??!

If I end up getting kicked out I'm gonna hate my head of department so much for giving me such rubbish advice

If I get kicked out I don't know what I'll do with my life I might as well just kill myself, pharmacy at kings was my dream :'(

Sorry but that is kinda weak. You just gotta get on with it. When I'm ill I don't get time off school and I'm in sixth form. So if I was going to uni I would still just do the exam. Even if you are really ill you just gotta get your notes, a glass of water, some mints, lozenges and a tissue pressed against your nose to stop it running and revise for them exams.

Yeah I'm not weak, I had chicken pox right before my AS exams and I still sat them and came out with As and Bs. Pharmacy at kings is 50 times harder than A levels

And I'm pretty sure you don't get chicken pox and 18 years old. If you don't have them when you are little then you get them when you are older then they are not chicken pox. It is something else but I can't remember what it is called.

Also chicken pox is just itchy spots on your body. No big deal.

I had chicken pox when I was 18. The first event is not age-specific and can happen at any age. You can carry the chicken pox virus and have it reactivated at a later date, at which point it's shingles.

I was in bed with a temperature and vomiting for a week with chicken pox. I couldn't eat for a few days, meaning that I was too weak to walk further than the bathroom. It's not just an itchy rash.

That's what I mean. If I was doing what you are doing no way would I miss it. My point was I'm doing something as small as AS levels and I don't miss school so if I was paying to go to uni or whatever I would be there for the exam no excuses. And I'm pretty sure you don't get chicken pox and 18 years old. If you don't have them when you are little then you get them when you are older then they are not chicken pox. It is something else but I can't remember what it is called.

Also chicken pox is just itchy spots on your body. No big deal.

Firstly, shingles was the word I was looking for.
Secondly, wow I did not realise that it can be that bad.

Final point is that if the OP done their AS levels in that state that you described, why not do uni exams if you have a cold.

I didn't get it as a child, and chicken pox is worse in adults than in children (http://www.patient.co.uk/health/chickenpox-in-adults-and-teenagers). It's not just itchy spots, I had extreme muscle pain, a headache so bad my head literally felt like it was going to explode, I also felt very nauseous and sick like I would throw up constantly. I had spots inside in throat too and on top of that you get a very sore throat (so both of these things combined made the pain in my throat literally unbearable, also the way I memorise is by repeating things out loud over and over again which was veryy difficult for me). Despite all of this I kept pushing myself, my teachers told me not to sit the exam and repeat the year, but I didn't want to waste a year. So I was being stubborn. It was extremely painful but I worked through the pain. The only reason I didn't sit it this time is because at kings you only get 2 chances (may then august, or if you don't sit the may exams then august & then the following may (i.e. 2016)). I didn't want to waste one of my chances (and I trusted my head of department), and I thought I'm going to get august anyway so I decided not to sit it. I should've checked the form before missing the exams instead of blindly following her advice. It's my fault for being so stupid

Because like I said uni exams (well pharmacy at kings at least) is 50 times harder than A levels. Even when you're fully well it's extremlyy hard.

Now I see where you are coming from with not doing the Uni exams. Also I hope I don't get chicken pox again if it is that bad.

Also its kind of your tutors fault as they too should have known the rules and they advised you not to sit the exam.

Its kind of there fault.

Don't panic about it (I know it's hard not to) Just hope that it turns out ok.

I think that I understand now.
You just wanted to be on form for the exam so you could have the best chance. I apologise if any of my previous comments offended/upset you in any way.

Okay firstly- wanting to kill your self because you missed your exams? Bit of an over reaction. Secondly, let's be realistic, you missed your exams because of a cold. You'll be pretty lucky to resist your exams as a first attempt with that excuse but you'll most probably get a resist (second attempt)

And I'd advise against handing in more than one doctors note- it won't go in your favor. In fact, it'll probably go against you. These people aren't stupid- more than one sick note is going to look suspicious to even the least intelligent of people.

Perhaps rather than jumping straight to the gun next time you receive an email telling you not to attend 'IF' you aren't well enough you should simply suck it up. I've personally revised and attended exams in far worse medical states and have managed to pass with A's+B's.

This might seem a bit harsh but saying you'll kill yourself if your school doesn't accept your cold as an excuse? It really is an insult to those families who have lost loved ones to mental illness and suicide.


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You were freezing cold, shivering, couldn't walk straight and vomiting with a very painful headache. Okay?

You were freezing cold, shivering, couldn't walk straight and vomiting with a very painful headache. Okay?

Also had diarrhoea.

You were freezing cold, shivering, couldn't walk straight and vomiting with a very painful headache. Okay?

Also had diarrhoea.

okay first of all, as other people have said, killing yourself, don't be so dramatic and inconsiderate to people who are in that bad a place. You missed exams, just email the uni and examiners and show them the email from your tutor. They will probably ask you to attend a hearing to discuss if you had a reason. If you get a drs note then there is really a very small chance that they will argue. It may help if you say that you had breathing difficulties due to the cold as it is easy to struggle with lung infections around that time. But do not worry they will do everything they can to help you and if it is your tutors fault then you can resit them, which is more than some people get.

a cold?

Did not read

but srsly.. because of a cold?

a COLD

that to the side , you can rely on her email as overruling the guidelines. as someone who had higher authority and was aware of the full extent of your condition (i.e. not very serious) , and she still gave advice , she would be unable to claim that your circumstances did not fit the mitigating circumstances outlined in the guidelines - she implied that they did.

what they will probably do is require you to resit in august.

a cold?