University final exams - mitigating circumstances??

dark faery princess · 03-05-2010, 07:52 PM

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice.

I'm at uni and in two weeks time I have my final third year exams. I'm really scared I'm going to fail them. My head is all over the place, and I can't concetrate. Last year I messed them up a bit, I didn't fail, but didn't do as well as I should have. I almost didn't turn up to two of them but thought some mark was better than no mark.

Anyways, I'm thinking of asking for mitigating circumstances. I'm still going to do my exams, but I kind of want them to be aware that if I mess them up then there is a reason. I know I probably could ask for mitigating circumstances, but I don't know what to say. I have to tal to my dr which is fine. There is no problem there, but I have to also explain to my personal tutor. And tell them that I want t apply and discuss it with them. And I don't know what to say!

Help!?

x

Snowdrop · 03-05-2010, 08:04 PM

Hey, I'm not in uni yet but have had the same thing done for me for my a levels. Your doctor could write a letter for you, for you to give to them? As a letter will have to be written to give to examiners.
Do your uni know about the circumstances already?

Bleeding Angel · 03-05-2010, 10:02 PM

You will need a doctors letter and im afraid you are going to have to tell yout tutor why, you dont have to go into things though, you just need to say you have mental health issues that are affecting your study with a doctors note to back it up.

loo-loo · 03-05-2010, 10:05 PM

hey,
I'm a fresher at uni and I had to do this for my january assignments because they were rubbish.
I was really scared and unsure about it which is the impression i get you are feeling. Either get a letter first or i just told them the bare facts, i arranged a meeting with my personal tutor and just sed look im a mess i cant think stright i have depression i havent slept in weeks blah blah (you get the picture). then said i want to apply for extenuating circumstances and she was accepting of it and told me what form i needed to fill in.
Do you have any contact with university services?? because these can help you to fill in the form correctly if you are having difficulty...
Livvi
xx

dark faery princess · 04-05-2010, 02:24 PM

Thanks guys. I just don't want to come across like I'm making up excuses all the time. I mean have a pshyical disability as well so use a computer to type my exams and get 25% extra time. But feel a bit like I don't really deserve it. Then because of this and because I have M.E., throughout first and second year I've always had extensions on all my work. Then there was last year when I had to apply for extenuating circumstances cos I failed a report when my mum was in hospital. Then only a few weeks ago I had to email my tutor cos of a problem with my elbow (related to disability) and thought I might need something sorted for my exams, but they thought I was asing for extenuating circumstances for that and my dissertation (i.e. an extension) though I wasn't.

And now this. I mean my tutor is sort of aware of my MH problems. Nothing official though. I'm just concerned that she will think I just make up loads of excuses one after the other for why I'm not performing as well as I could be. She said before that in situations like this you have to be honest and think about whether this really is a mitigating circumstance or whether things will actually always be like it. I'm not sure if that makes sense.

I just don't want to be labelled as like some hypochondriac excuse maker. Cos with the whole elbow thing it has kinda made it seem like I made that up, and then there were all these forms and procedures to get mitigating circumstances for in 'injury', and then just after they said about that I replied and said that actually it was ok and should be bale to do my exams ok. Then a week later I'm asking for mitigating circumstances for something else. Do you see what I mean?

Anyways thanks for listening guys

x

Snowdrop · 04-05-2010, 05:31 PM

I can see what you mean, yes, and I have felt like I am just making excuses for myself for not doing so well. But mental health difficulties can affect your work. It was actually my school that did this for me, so that made me feel better. If you speak to your doctor too, they will understand as I'm sure they have done this for many people before you