Repeating for a higher degree grade affect Masters entry?

shineon23

Hi just wondering has anyone experienced a similar situation to me.

I have been offered a conditional place in a Masters in UCD providing I achieve a 2:1 (60% average in my primary degree)

However I estimate that my average grade will probably be 67 or 68% and am considering repeating 15 credits to try and improve my grade to 70% for a 1st class honour. The primary reason for this is that a large number in my class are guranteed a 1st class honour and I feel a 2:1 will lookpoor in comparison on my CV.

Does anyone know how this will affect my offer, as unless I fail miserably there is no way I will drop below a 60% average, I've asked admissions and they are vague enough with information at the minute.

Has anyone else been in this situation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

pljudge321

Pretty sure that you are not allowed to repeat for the purpose of increasing your grades.

Raphael

And whats more, repeats are capped at a pass.

shineon23

I'm in NUI Maynooth, we're allowed repeat up to 15 credits to improve our grade in Final Year!

I take it you cannot do the same in UCD then and that's why I'm getting blank faces from them??

Mardy Bum

shineon23 wrote: »

I'm in NUI Maynooth, we're allowed repeat up to 15 credits to improve our grade in Final Year!

I take it you cannot do the same in UCD then and that's why I'm getting blank faces from them??

That sounds ridiculous to be honest. Surely that will just lead to a devaluing of the degree if you can do something like that to improve it.

No you cannot do that in UCD.

pljudge321

Honours are not normally awarded in repeat examinations. The following rules apply to final year. Students may repeat modules (once only) up to 15 credits (of the 60 available) in the autumn supplemental examination or in the examinations in the subsequent year and still retain the entitlement to an honours award, which includes the contribution from the repeated modules. A student who chooses to repeat a passed module, or to take a new module in lieu of a passed module, in order to try and improve a result must relinquish the mark first obtained and accept either 40% or the mark obtained at the second sitting, thus obtaining a lower result on such a module may result in a lower class of Honours being awarded in both the subject and/or the overall qualification than was originally offered.

Hooray! Firsts for everyone.

Complete joke of a system.

Mardy Bum

pljudge321 wrote: »

Hooray! Firsts for everyone.

Complete joke of a system.

Bloody ridiculous. How is this allowed?

MissRealist

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Bloody ridiculous. How is this allowed?

I have no idea but it's absolutely crazy! Oh, I didn't pull my finger out for my final exams of my degree. No matter! REDO!

(That isn't a shot at the OP but I'd imagine the system is used like that regularly)

Shocking. I'd imagine it wouldn't go down too well with those reviewing the applications since UCD don't allow it, though obviously since it's policy in Maynooth an application can't be dismissed over it. If two applications come in, one with the results first time and one having resat to get them I'd imagine the one who sat down and worked for it first time would get it. (Obviously generalised so that only academics are taken into account)

shineon23

I fully agree it is a bit ridiculous but I'll definitely take advantage of this if I can, the reason for the prediction of first class honours being so widespread is even more ludicrous- In a single module in our final year it was possible for students to obtain 120% (highest was 102% I believe) contradicts the very definition of a percentage. People are averaging over 80% from semester 1 due to this.

I find repeat options to be a cop out in general in first and second year, and have heard of some students being given a second chance (in an essay format) , a third chance (a repeat exam) and even a fourth chance (another essay) before being forced to repeat the year and pay fees.

Again as stated the reason for considering a repeat is not to achieve the necessary grade for entry to the Masters (2:1) which I believe I should comfortably achieve, but to improve it to a first due to individual circumstances.

Cheers pljudge321 I think this more or less anwers my question,

'in order to try and improve a result must relinquish the mark first obtained and accept either 40% or the mark obtained at the second sitting'

The least I can get in a repeat is 40%, which won't have an impact on my final award as it shouldn't depreciate my average below the required 60%.

Pandoras Twist

shineon23 wrote: »

The least I can get in a repeat is 40%, which won't have an impact on my final award as it shouldn't depreciate my average below the required 60%.

The most you can get in a repeat is 40%, regardless of what you get in the actual exam

shineon23

OSI wrote: »

Did you read the quoted text above?



They have to forfeit their first result for either 40% or their new result. Meaning in effect, the lowest they could achieve is 40%.

This is Maynooth the OP is talking about, not UCD, which has me wondering why they even posted it here in the first place.

Posted here as the Masters course I've been accepted into is in UCD, that's what is causing my confusion with the conditional offer status, the different regulations,


So noone has been in this position before-having a conditional place held while final results are still pending(more or less)?

Musefan

I was wondering what was going on when the Op said a large number of their class would be getting firsts. I couldn't think how that was normal, when most of my class are getting 2:1s

shineon23

Musefan wrote: »

I was wondering what was going on when the Op said a large number of their class would be getting firsts. I couldn't think how that was normal, when most of my class are getting 2:1s

It's not normal, its primarily due to an 'unorthodox' marking system in one module, mentioned above, hence why I feel I need to repeat to improve the final grade.

Looks like noone has a definitive answer to this, Mod can close this up, cheers evreyone for replies.

Pandoras Twist

OSI wrote: »

Did you read the quoted text above?

This is Maynooth the OP is talking about, not UCD, which has me wondering why they even posted it here in the first place.

Yes I did but I thought that she had gotten confused again when she said she thinks she understood now, and then said the lowest she could get was 40%

karkins

What did you end up doing? In the exact same situation this year and can't decide what to do