Finalists’ outrage as exams timetabled the day after dissertation deadlines

A group of Sussex third years have set up a petition on change.org to protest their current assessment timetables.

As it stands, many third years will have to sit exams the day after their dissertation is due, or have to sit back-to-back exams.

Students have complained about these problems for years, but as of yet, nothing has been done this year.

Last year, students protested the same cause, and timetables were altered as a result.

The petition has gained 540 supporters in less than a week, and has a goal of 1,000 signatures. It is thought many schools of study are currently affected, including Law, Biomedicine, English, Economics and Psychology.

One of the petition’s organisers said: “The petition was started as a result of growing frustration among my peers and myself, because it seems as though the university does not consider the implications of setting critical exams literally hours after people are expected to hand in dissertations which are usually worth double the credits.

“Most people have coursework assignments in addition to dissertations – I have a friend with 14,000 words due on the 11th and is then expected to sit her exams on the 12th, 13th immediately after.

“It should not be unreasonable to expect the university to bear this in mind when scheduling exams.

“We understand the pressure on timetabling, but we would expect a minimum of 3-4 days after submission deadlines for exams to commence, just so all students can have a fair chance at their exams.

“In the current structure, some students will be at an advantage to others and that is simply not fair.”

You can sign the petition by clicking here.