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How Important Are A-Levels?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I've just taken my A-Levels and I'm going to University in September.
Throughout my education I have achieved average grades, nothing like straight A's but more a long the lines of B's and C's.
Exactly how important are your A-Levels? For example if i got a 1:1 which in reality is very unlikely or a decent 2:1 would a future employer overlook the average A-Levels and see the effort put in to achieve the degree? or would a candidate with straight A's at A-Level and just scraped a 2:1 or has a 2:2 stand a better chance?
I'm just wondering as it concerns me with wanting to pursue a career in Law as the expectations and grades needed are high.
Thanks for any opinions given or advice offered in advance!
Throughout my education I have achieved average grades, nothing like straight A's but more a long the lines of B's and C's.
Exactly how important are your A-Levels? For example if i got a 1:1 which in reality is very unlikely or a decent 2:1 would a future employer overlook the average A-Levels and see the effort put in to achieve the degree? or would a candidate with straight A's at A-Level and just scraped a 2:1 or has a 2:2 stand a better chance?
I'm just wondering as it concerns me with wanting to pursue a career in Law as the expectations and grades needed are high.
Thanks for any opinions given or advice offered in advance!
Post edited by JustV on
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Comments
So once you've got your A levels, people care less about your GCSEs, once you get your degree, no one is too fussed about your A levels.
The usual excepts apply though, Investment Wanks and magic circle law firms may want a top degree and a top A levels.
That's what worries me, for small high street firms would average A Level's not be such a big issue then?
I thought it may be a problem. What are your A-Levels like? Have you applied to small firms and still not had much luck?
This is what I thought.
I think my job was 280 points :chin:
So if you didn't have the 280 points you couldn't apply for the job you wanted even if you did very well in your degree and had a lot of work experience in that field?
I am old school, what is 280 points?
I think A Levels are important. If there are 2 candidates and you both have 2:1s and similar experience, but one has 3 As and one has 3 Cs, guess which one will get the job?
Although I went to a former poly for my degree, I did well in my A Levels which I think helped me stand out on applications.
Yeah I will do never thought to ask when i went before, just waiting till I've started university now as there isn't too much i can do atm in such places.
UCAS Points, for example to get 280 points you need BBC at A Level as a B is 100 points and a C 80 points.
Like my above example to begin with what if one had a 1:1 and average A Levels and another 2:1 and good A Level's would the one with good A Levels still have the best chance?
My personal opinion? The system is a complete sham.
Yeah i agree. It's a shame really because at 16/17 you still aren't really entirely sure what you want to do with your life, it's a big decision to have to make. You could do excellent in a degree because you know what you want out of life but back when you did your A Levels you didn't. You probably didn't work as hard as you could have done despite doing great at degree level and then it turns out A Levels are just as important and it can make your dream harder to achieve or even impossible.
Hope that makes some sense atleast to someone!
I actually don't know how they do it these days. I'm also old school where A=10, B=8 etc.
I just guessed that I would be safe with AAA.
Since most of the application is done online then sadly they would probably weed you out. One of the first questions on the application is 'Do you have 280+ UCAS points' and if not, then the application doesn't go through. Perhaps it's not as cut and dry as that but that was the impression I got.
I didn't realise that, i seriously hope i manage to scrape BBC then!
Well done with the AAA, very impressive.
What kind of jobs were you applying for?
I find that quite annoying how they wouldn't even give you a chance. Someone very clever academically would get an interview but could lack social skills and other key aspects needed for the job but then someone with all of that is over looked just because they didn't have 280 points.
Earlier today, I checked my emails. One of them was from Futuretrack. Basically, I signed up last year to be part of a study they are doing. They're following students who started in September 2006 for a number of years to see what they're up to. One question I was asked was - one year on, are you any clearer as to what you want to do with your life?
My answer, yet again, was "no". I mean, I'm 22, for God's sake. I'm not some insecure teenager anymore. Surely I should know by now?
Cheers, though it was aaaages ago.
Got onto the RBS Grad scheme which is pretty tasty. Same starting salary as my mates at Goldman / UBS etc. and a lot more than mates doing Big 4 accounting.
Not necessarily, if you don't know what you want to do there isn't anything to motivate you to do well, apart from wanting to do well like you said but that didn't really work for me, I've never thought much of myself academically.
Now i know what i want to do though i will try my very best to achieve that and if my A Levels stop me from doing that then i will just have to take an alternative route. Hopefully though i will meet someone who will see my potential and give me a chance! I'm sure it's all about networking
but stop scaring me, my a level results turn up in august :crying:
Less than a month now! I'm so worried about my Travel and Tourism! Good Luck!
Yeah but either way i wouldn't want to be a year behind
So because at 16/17 i still didn't know what i wanted to do it meant i didn't give a toss about my life?