failed my first essay at uni

What If I Fail My First Year at University?

No one wants to be reading this article, because if you’re here, it means that failing your first year of university is something you’re genuinely worried about. Your first year might not have gone to plan for a variety of different reasons, but let us reassure you from the start that even if you do fail, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end of your university journey. 

In this article we’ll help you understand how the credit system works, what steps you should take when you first start to struggle, and what options you might have if you don’t obtain enough credits to progress into your second year. 

What is a module credit at university? #

For most students in their first year of university, credits are a brand new concept. It can be overwhelming at first to find out that the structure of the university grading system is based on credits, so it’s a good idea to prepare yourself with a foundational understanding before you start your course. 

During your first and second year at university, you need to earn a certain number of credits in order to progress to the next year of study.

In your first year, you generally need to earn 120 credits, but this can vary depending on your course. One credit equates to 10 hours of study, so in theory you will need to undertake 1200 hours of study during your first year to pass with a good grade.

A single module or course can be worth between 10 and 30 credits, but this is dependent on its workload. 

How do you obtain credits at university? #

Credits are obtained by passing modules, which will be assessed in a variety of ways. This could be essays, coursework, exams, or even practical assessments. 

In order to obtain the credits from a module, a student needs to get a pass, which means achieving at least 40%. Credits don’t usually have a direct effect on the classification of degree that a student attains, credits are more of a way to manage workload, track academic progress, and ensure consistency. Credits must be achieved to move from one year to the next, and can also play a factor in whether you are able to graduate at all. 

The classification of your degree will depend on the marks you achieve in each piece of work, and be scored in a percentage.  Understanding the university grading system in the UK and how these percentages work is crucial to keeping track of your progress.

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Debunking Common Myths About: Failing Your First Year at University #

In your first few months of university, you will probably hear a few rumours regarding your first year “not counting” towards your final grade. Often, these will come from housemates trying to tempt you into a night out and skip the next morning’s lecture, so you need to be wary of what you believe!

It is indeed true that with most courses, your first year grade doesn’t count towards the final classification of your degree, however you still need to obtain the full 120 credits to move onto second year. In order to do this, you need to score at least 40% in all of your modules, which may sound like an easy feat, however the jump from A-Levels to university is a big one so try not to get complacent. 

Evaluating the Reasons Behind Failing the First Year #

It’s no secret that university is a whole different ball game to sixth form or college. New students will be faced with a completely new approach to learning, which often involves far less in-person tuition time, and a much bigger focus on independent study.

That in itself can be a contributing factor to students failing their first year of university. Having to adjust to working to a much higher standard whilst also having to find the motivation to do a lot of your learning alone and from home, can be overwhelming. At school and college, the whole curriculum is taught in a classroom, but at university, only part of what you need to know to ace exams and coursework is spoon-fed in lectures and seminars. 

Personal challenges also play a part in some students failing their first year of university. Moving away from home, missing friends and family, and juggling finances can all affect a students’ mental health. This can make it hard to find the motivation to study, and can have a knock on effect on coursework and exam grades. 

Social distractions can also play a factor. The excitement of meeting new people, living with friends, and the endless amount of social events can tempt even the most dedicated students to put down their books and let their hair down. Of course students should allow themselves time to wind down and relax, however finishing assignments and attending lectures should always be the priority. 

What To Do After Failing Your First Year #

You may be wondering what happens if you fail your first year of university. Luckily, there are a few options available to students who are facing failure at the end of their first year. These include: Exam Resits

It would make no sense to retake your entire first year of university if you only failed one module, so most universities offer the chance to resit an exam or resubmit coursework over the summer. Any work that has to be resubmitted is usually capped at a 40% pass rate, so even if you did a tremendous piece of work, you wouldn’t come out with more than 40% for it. However, you would get the credits you need to continue onto the next year, as well as be eligible to graduate. 

Retaking Your Year

If you had a bad year overall and weren’t close to achieving the credits you needed to progress into second year, you may be able to retake your first year of university. This is a big decision for students to make, as it will mean bearing the burden of an extra year of tuition fees and living costs. However, if failing your first year of university was down to personal circumstances which are no longer an issue, this could be another chance to start from scratch and thrive.

Conditional Progression

You may be able to move into the second year despite failing some of your first year modules, however this means you would have to resit them in second year, making your next year of study even more tough. This is called conditional progression. This does however depend on the number of missing credits and the university’s policy, so you definitely need to check with your university to see if they offer this option.

Compensated Passes

If you only failed one module but your performance in all others was strong, your university may allow you to progress with what’s called a compensated pass. This would mean that you would effectively get a pass for the failed module and be able to progress into your next year.

Exit Awards

If you don’t want to continue your university journey, you can choose to withdraw from your course. Depending on your course and institution, you may be eligible for a certificate or diploma which reflects the work you put into your course. 

Transferring Courses

Transferring to a different course may be a good option for students who failed specified modules, as it would mean finding a course that is better-tailored to their strengths. 

Talking to Your Professors: Steps to Take and Questions to Ask #

If you are worried about your performance in a particular module, or if your personal circumstances are putting you at risk of failing your first year altogether, your should consider should be arranging a meeting with your professor or personal tutor. 

Here are a few simple steps you can take:

Don’t wait: Schedule a meeting as soon as you notice issues starting to creep up. Tackling the issue early means you may have more options available to you, but also you give your professor more time to work with you towards a suitable solution - universities appreciate proactive students.

Prepare for the meeting: This is your chance to prove that you are serious about turning things around. Make sure you go over your grades and any feedback in advance, and also make notes of any concepts you are particularly struggling with, and identify the methods of learning that work best for you.

Be open and transparent: If personal issues or external circumstances are what’s causing you to fall behind, the best thing you can do is to be open and honest with your professor or tutor. They can point you in the direction of valuable resources and will let you know about any extra support or accommodations you may be eligible for. 

Ask for feedback: Understanding where you went wrong is a crucial step to getting on the right path. Detailed feedback is key to pinpointing areas in which you need to improve.

It is important to make the best use of your meeting, as one-on-one time with professors or tutors at university can be hard to come by. If you are in fear of failing your first year at university, here are some good questions you might want to ask:

“Where did I go wrong and what can I do to improve?”  This can help you understand whether you need to do more learning in a specific subject area, or if the issues stem from the way you are answering the questions. Most courses have a specific answer structure that examiners are looking for, and if you know all the relevant information but aren’t presenting it in the right way, you won’t reach your full potential. 

“Could you recommend resources or tools to help me further my work and understand difficult concepts?”  Your professor may be able to introduce you to a new study technique or point you in the direction of websites or textbooks that will help you understand tough topics. 

“Can I resubmit coursework or improve my grades in any other ways?”  You may be able to complete extra work or resubmit assignments to improve your grade, especially if you have circumstances outside of your control that have led to your performance. 

“What support services can I access?”  This could be anything from academic advisors and tutoring problems, to in-house mental health support. It is always good to know the full range of support available to you through your university.

“What can I do differently to pass future assessments?”  Your university may be more willing to offer you the highest level of support if you are able to show them how committed you are to improving your grades. Make sure you are ready to hear constructive criticism, and make plans to put any suggestions you’re given into action as soon as possible.

What to do about student finance after failing first year #

Retaking your first year is often a good option for students who have failed, especially if there was a specific reason behind it, such as personal circumstances. 

However many students will worry about what will happen with Student Finance if you fail a year.

Luckily, all hope is not lost. Student Finance will often allow a student to undertake an extra year of study, however this does mean that you will have more money to pay back in the long run!

The  gov.uk website lists some scenarios in which you may be eligible for funding for an extra year, these include:

- mental health

- bereavement

- pregnancy

- a caring responsibility

Make sure that you take steps to figure out what options are available to you as soon as you realise you are in danger of failing your first year at university. 

University is a big jump from college or sixth form, and often students can feel overwhelmed by the amount of work and time spent studying that is required to achieve a good grade. Just remember that your professors are there to help you, and approaching them early can help mitigate problems further down the line. Even if failing your first year comes as a complete shock to you on results day, you may still have options and it doesn’t have to be the end of your university journey.

Tell future students about your experience at university by leaving a review. Our 100% genuine student reviews play a big part in helping students find their dream university. #

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How to Cope if You Fail Your First Year at University

Last Updated: January 23, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Chloe Carmichael, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Amber Crain . Chloe Carmichael, PhD is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who runs a private practice in New York City. With over 12 years of psychological consulting experience, Dr. Chloe specializes in relationship issues, stress management, self-esteem, and career coaching. She has also instructed undergraduate courses at Long Island University and has served as adjunct faculty at the City University of New York. Dr. Chloe completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, and her clinical training at Lenox Hill Hospital and Kings County Hospital. She is accredited by the American Psychological Association and is the author of “Nervous Energy: Harness the Power of Your Anxiety” and “Dr. Chloe's 10 Commandments of Dating.” This article has been viewed 134,832 times.

If you've failed your first year of college, you're probably trying to work through some pretty difficult emotions right now. We understand and we want to help! We've put together a list of helpful tips you can use to get through this tough time. There's light at the end of this tunnel, even if it doesn't feel like it right now, and you can come out on the other side stronger and more capable than ever.

Remind yourself that first-year struggles are normal.

Take care of yourself as you process your emotions.

• Plenty of rest. Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time each day.
• A healthy diet. Choose healthy foods and don’t skip meals.
• Regular exercise. Try to get moving for at least 30 minutes a day.

Be honest with yourself about what went wrong.

• Did you skip class often or forget to study? It happens to lots of students!
• Did you get sick or have a family emergency? That could throw anyone off their game.
• Are you struggling with your mental health? If so, don’t be ashamed. Lots of other students are in the same boat.

Talk to your professors about why you failed.

Seek out resources on campus to help you cope.

Talk to your parents when you’re ready.

Reach out to friends for support.

• If your friends are fellow students, ask them to share any tips they have that got them through freshman year.
• If you don’t feel comfortable discussing your issues with friends or family, set up an appointment with a counselor. Almost all universities offer free mental health services to their students.

Meet with your advisor to figure out a game plan.

• Ask your advisor to help you set clear goals for next year.
• Find out if individual tutoring is available on campus.

Try taking classes closer to home for a while.

• Don't worry—most community colleges have open admission policies. Failing your freshman year won’t prevent you from getting in.

Talk to a therapist if you’re still struggling.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/anxiety-in-college-what-we-know-and-how-to-cope-2019052816729
• ↑ https://eduadvisor.my/articles/zero-hero-bounce-back-failing-semester-university/
• ↑ https://mhanational.org/how-talk-your-professor-about-your-mental-health
• ↑ Chloe Carmichael, PhD. Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Expert Interview. 29 May 2019.
• ↑ http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/09/cover-pressure.aspx
• ↑ https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/teaching-and-advising-first-year-students

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how do i talk about failure in my college essay.

I want to write about a failure I experienced and how I learned from it. But I'm afraid it might make me look weak or not good enough for college. How can I frame the failure in a positive light, and what should I focus on when discussing it?

Emphasizing growth and personal development is key when writing about failure in your college essay. It's common for students to feel hesitant about discussing their shortcomings, but keep in mind that colleges appreciate self-awareness and resilience in applicants.

Begin by clearly explaining the failure and the impact it had on you. Then, shift your focus to the steps you took to overcome or learn from the experience. Discuss the emotions and realizations that surfaced during this period of growth and how it has changed you for the better.

Avoid making excuses or blaming others for the failure. Instead, concentrate on the positive change that resulted from facing the challenge and the skills acquired. Demonstrating self-reflection and adaptability will portray your ability to bounce back from setbacks, which is an important quality in college and life.

For guidance, check out this CollegeVine blog post on incorporating life lessons into your college essays: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-common-application-essays-2023-2024/#prompt-2.

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

Tricks And Hacks For A Failed Assignment, Essay Or Exam

21 Oct 2022

Dealing with failure of any kind can be hard but experiencing failure at university can leave students feeling upset, unmotivated or doubting their abilities.

Whether you’ve failed an assignment, essay or exam, there are things you can do so don’t get yourself too down.

Carry on reading to find out reasons why students may fail at university, and the tricks and hacks to help you out if you’ve not done as well as you hoped on a piece of work!

Common Causes of Failure At University

There are several factors that can come into play when it comes to reasons why a student may have failed an assignment, essay or exam.

It may be that they didn’t understand the subject topic of the specific piece of work, or they may have a lack of confidence in their ability.

It could even be that their quality of teaching wasn’t beneficial to their learning, or they could be an international student who is facing language challenges.

More often than not, a student’s circumstances and mental and physical health is the cause of failure at university.

Such as, they may be worried about their financial circumstances, they may be feeling anxious about being away from home or they could be feeling lonely.

Which in turn, is distracting them from focusing on their degree and their learning.

It’s no surprise that this can lead to failing elements of their course, as there are so many things to think about whilst at university.

Of course, there are other reasons why a student may fail like missing lectures or seminars, as well as a lack of preparation and revision for the assignment, essay of exam.

It could also be that they lacked motivation or interest in the piece of work, so they didn’t put any effort in.

Tricks & Hacks For Dealing With Failure At Uni

If you find yourself experiencing failure at university, there are things that can be done to prevent this from happening again, and to deal with the current situation you’re faced with.

Find out with our 8 tricks and hacks below!

1. Put Things Into Perspective

If you have failed an assignment, essay or exam try to remember to keep things in perspective.

It can be hard to stop yourself from overthinking and presuming the worst, but chances are you will be able to do something about your situation.

If you start to think that that there’s nothing that can be done to change your position or that there’s no use in trying again, try and reframe your negative thoughts into positive ones.

Yes, you may have not done as well on this piece of work, but you can learn from your mistakes and improve for the future.

At the end of the day, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be the only one to have failed a piece of work on your course, so try not to get yourself too worked up.

So, stop and consider whether it’s worth letting yourself get super upset over something that can be changed!

2. Allow Yourself To Feel Your Feelings

Whilst it is important to reframe your negative thoughts and stop yourself from getting too stressed out when dealing with failure at uni, it’s also necessary to allow yourself to feel your feelings.

When experiencing failure, most people experience a range of negative feelings such as sadness, frustration, embarrassment and shame.

Rather than bottling up your emotions, try to get everything out into the open and allow yourself to face failure head on, it’s a key to success after all!

The same goes for preventing failure, you need to allow yourself to accept any small issues that do arise.

For example, if you’re not understanding a section of your course material and you’re beginning to feel stressed, you need to be honest about what’s going on and speak up about this before the problem becomes larger.

You could do this by talking to your course leader or tutor.

3. Accept A Level Of Responsibility

If you’ve flopped on an assignment, essay or exam at uni, one vital thing that you need to do is to accept a level of responsibility and practice some self reflection.

Whilst there may be some contributing factors to why you didn’t do so well on a piece of work like as discussed earlier, you also need to learn from your mistakes.

Try to accept maybe there was things you didn’t do successfully that you can improve upon within the future.

This isn’t an opportunity to blame yourself and be harsh to yourself, but rather a way to identify what needs to change.

Such as, if you didn’t revise as much as you should have or if you stopped going to your lectures and seminars, you need to accept a level of blame for why you failed.

By doing this you will prevent yourself from making the same mistakes in the future, and it means you’ll take accountability for your actions.

4. Be Kind To Yourself

Being kind to yourself is an important step of dealing with failure.

There can be many negative impacts on your self-esteem when you fail a piece of work or fail within other aspects of life.

However, there’s no point in punishing yourself when this happens, you won’t gain anything good from doing this.

Instead, treat your failure the same way you would if a friend came to you for advice.

You wouldn’t criticise them for it, would you?

You would provide them with some non-judgmental advice and support them, so make sure you do the same for yourself.

It’s hard to stop yourself from experiencing feelings of imposter syndrome whilst at uni, you may doubt your abilities and feel like a fraud, but you’re not!

A good way to try and prevent these feelings from intensifying is to not compare yourself to others.

For example, if you’ve failed a piece of work that your friend did really well on, don’t start spiralling into self-doubt.

Instead, focus on the things you did well and the things you can improve on.

Be kind to yourself because at the end of the day, no-one succeeds at everything in life (or uni).

Failure is inevitable and it’s an essential part of growing!

5. Practice Healthy Coping Mechanisms

Hearing that you’ve failed a piece of work can be difficult to hear, however, one of the worst things you can do is go into self-destruct mode.

Whilst university and succeeding academically is an important aspect of your life, try not to practice unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with your feelings of failure.

One of the most common unhealthy coping mechanisms is avoiding the problem altogether and refusing to confront the situation.

Such as, you may avoid your failed assignment, essay or exam and think that because it’s out of sight and out of mind, it will go away.

Or you may think that there’s nothing you can do about it so you give up hope.

Another negative coping mechanism is going out and getting drunk to distract yourself from your problems.

Instead of practicing behaviours such as these, try and practice healthy coping mechanisms such as spending time with friends, watching your favourite films or TV shows, going for walks to relax or even spending time focusing on your hobbies or interests.

Everyone has different coping mechanisms which work for them, so try and find yours.

6. Explore Your Options

Most of the time if you do receive a failed mark, there are several options for you to explore and try to remember that your university do want you to succeed too!

The best thing to do is firstly speak to your module tutor or department for feedback and the best cause of action.

Such options include re-sitting an exam, assignment or essay with a second attempt, although this could be at a capped grade it’s still another chance for you to improve.

There are other options too like re-taking an entire module if it’s necessary.

Although, it’s important to remember that just because you’ve failed one piece of work, it doesn’t mean you can’t receive a good grade overall.

Grades will vary from university and courses, but most of the time you don’t have to re-sit an assignment to end up passing the module or even the year.

Such as, if your averaged course mark is 40 or above, you can pass the module overall regardless of the failed piece of work.

As we said, it’s best to speak to your specific course department about this as some do require you to pass all elements!

7. Applying For Extenuating Circumstances

If you have failed at uni because of a problem out of your control such as an illness or an unexpected passing of a family member, you could look into applying for Extenuating Circumstances at your university.

These are determined on a case-by-case basis so it’s best to speak to your university about this and make a claim.

You may need to provide proof that you’ve experienced something out of your control which has impacted your assessed studies.

If your claim is accepted, you could be given a reassessment opportunity or be able to defer a future exam, assignment or essay.

Another option you could look into if you’ve failed is to make an appeal, which is a way of asking your university to review a mark within your academic studies if you believe it was incorrect or graded unfairly.

8. Set Future Goals

Our final tip and trick to take away is to create a plan to help you move forward and smash your next assignment, essay or exam and all the future ones after that.

Have a think about what you are going to do differently next time and think very clearly about what it is you want to achieve at uni.

It could be that you set realistic goals like attending all your lectures and seminars which you previously skipped last semester.

Additionally, it could be that you dedicate more time to studying within the library or an appropriate amount of time working at home each week to ensure that you receive a good grade.

The best way to do this is to write down the things you’re aiming towards and what you’re going to put into practice, this way you can refer back to them and these tasks will seem more manageable.

We’d recommend setting goals for each term, so that you can review them and see if you’re making progress.

Doing this will assist in your overall academic performance and motivate you to keep improving on your assignments!

Failures can have a big impact on our mental health, so don’t be afraid to reach out for help and support from a professional if you’re really struggling.

You could speak to the student support services at your university about what mental health and wellbeing help is available, or make an appointment with your GP.

We hope we’ve helped you with what to do when things go wrong and ways to avoid failure with our tips and tricks.

Remember, most students fail at some point and there’s always ways to pick yourself back up. You’ve got this!

If you want to improve your sleeping pattern whilst staying in student accommodation , have a read of our guide on Tips and Tricks For Students To Get A Good Nights Sleep.

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