Should underachieving students repeat the year?

In my opinion, this topic appears to be more controversial than it actually is.

You would think that at this level in education, and especially since we are actually putting ourselves in a tremendous amount of debt, students would not allow themselves to underachieve and therefore be made to repeat the year, inevitably resulting in more debt.

Personal grievances and illness is one thing, but actually failing the year completely due to a lack of academic performance, is an embarrassment to your university as well as yourself.

Whilst many might think forcing someone to repeat the year is a controversial and severe decision, it actually makes sense for many reasons.

For instance, it will most likely benefit you in the long run because it will mean you have an opportunity to improve and therefore achieve a better grade at the end of your degree.

It may cost you more to do an extra year, but the difference between a 2.1 and a 2.2 could be the difference between you getting that dream job and someone else snatching it from you, resulting in either more or less cash in your pocket, and either an attractive or unsatisfactory CV.

It is important to remember that these students effectively put themselves in this position and if you really didn’t like these terms, you can choose to leave the university.

So, why should the university have to put its reputation at risk in order to put students through less stress when they should have taken it more seriously in the first place?

If anything, pass rates would soar because people do tend to work a lot harder when they know it is all or nothing – that way, everyone wins!

On the other hand, others believe that repeating the year can lead to a feeling of inadequacy, causing more stress as well as psychological and social effects later on.

The fact that you are already paying the university may also instigate the idea that students retain the right not to be forced into something they did not choose to do.

Furthermore, the way in which you evaluate underachievement could also cause a stir.

For instance, if one individual fails the year and another passes by scraping through one mark more than the individual who failed, would it be fair to allow the individual who passed to go into their second/final year whilst the other had to pay another £9,000 and sit a year behind?

Everyone will have their own individual opinions on this topic, but personally I doubt anyone would choose to pay a single penny to fail at something.

Everyone makes mistakes and has lapses, but that’s why your seminar leaders and advisers are there to support and guide when they start to see things going wrong.

Universities have a reputation to uphold, not just for grades but for the jobs their students gain as a result of the education and resources provided at that particular university.

Yes, everyone should have a choice, but then again in choosing to go to university in the first place, you are asserting and confirming your decision to attain a level of education that requires a certain amount of effort.

Students, therefore, should be made to repeat the year if they fail to meet the pass requirements of that particular institution.