Entry Thirty-One: Resits

OK, this is truly ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, I love my university and I’m true to my school, but they’re really good at screwing up. I travelled 189.7 miles yesterday to get here for my re-sits, one was due this morning (Tuesday) and I have another on Friday. I paid £51 to get here and £80 to stay in Halls for the four nights and prepared for my first exam; communications systems.

I met my classmates in the exam room ten minutes before the exam was due to start. Thirty-five minutes later we were still there waiting for the exam to start. At this point we were all becoming restless and I stepped outside to call the Faculty of Advanced Technology Advise Shop and explained to them that we were due to start an exam twenty-five minutes earlier but no examiner had arrived. They thought this very strange and agreed to call me back when they found out what was occurring.

Ten minutes later the gentleman with whom I’d spoken came to the room and explained to us that our course leader was still on holiday, but the university had not known and so they had not arranged for anyone to write the paper and examine us in the belief he would be back for it.

We all discussed the fact we’d travelled some distances for this exam, two of our group had come from Saudi Arabia the day before for it. He was very apologetic about the circumstances but couldn’t do anything about it except take our contact details and get back to us when they get hold of the lecturer.

I; for one, am absolutely fuming at this situation, I’m essentially here three days earlier than I have to be and that is the university’s fault, not mine. I intend to get three of my days’ accommodation compensated, as well as the three days’ work I’ve missed for these exams. Adding all that up means that my university now owes me £178 and eight pence as well, but they can keep that and put it towards being less pathetic.

Of course, if they let me onto the next year of my course and give me a First they can keep the money, but that’s not going to happen, so Glam, where’s my hundred-and-eighty-quid?