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Missed exams- extenuating circumstances, any experience of?

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  • 27-01-2009 2:14pm
    #1
    Teamhar
    Registered Users Posts: 139 ✭✭


    Hi,

    I'm a mature student studying the part-time Business Studies offered by UCD. I've also recently lost my job. Over Christmas, I was in Canada attending a number of job interviews (have a Canadian passport) and had planned to be back in time for the Semester 1 exams on the the 9th and 10th of January.

    I arrived at Toronto aiport Tuesday 6th but bad weather held up the plane on the runway and by the time I got to Chicago, my connecting flight to Dublin had gone (there are no direct Dublin - Toronto flights this time of year). As there was no other flight that night and no Dublin flight the following day, I spent the night in Chicago and next day managed to get rebooked on a flight to London with a connecting flight to Dublin. The flight left on time evening of Wednesday 7th arriving into London on Thursday 8th. Thing is, my bags didn't make it with me on the flight despite having been assured they would be found and retagged in Chicago. This was now considered it a security issue and I had to wait overnight in London Heathrow for my bags to be found in Chicago, checked, retagged and put on the next flight to London which arrived the morning of 9th. The date of my first exam.

    Needless to say, by the time I got to Dublin, late afternoon Friday 9th, I missed the exam and after two nights on airport floors and a touch of jetlag, I wasn't fit for the Saturday 10th exam either.

    I put in an application with all supporting documentation- P45 from lost job, original itinerary, rerouted itinerary etc- for extenuating circumstances which my learning officer is handling for me, but she's not too sure its going to be successful. Repeating the exams is no problem in May- its the fact that if the application isn't successful, these two modules will be capped at a D- which is appalling because all my assignments for the year got me A's and B's and are 50% of the overall mark. If the application is successful, they exams results won't be capped.

    Does anyone have any experience of this? As a fee-paying mature student with rent, bills, commitments etc, will they consider the loss of my job and the travel hassle extenuating circumstances?

    Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

    T.


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