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Degree Classifications
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I'm having one of those middle of the night brain won't shut up thinking kinda moments...
Does degree classification matter when applying for jobs? Do people really get turned down for not having a certain grade? Has anybody ever been refused from a job because of the grade they finished with? My friends seem obsessed with comparing grades and it sends me cuckoo.
I'm not sure what my average is at the moment as I'm too scared to find out, my last couple of assignments have been lower than the rest and I feel like I might have blown my chances of finishing with what I was aiming for.
So... does it really matter? At least finishing the thing is an achievement right? This is worrying me now.
Does degree classification matter when applying for jobs? Do people really get turned down for not having a certain grade? Has anybody ever been refused from a job because of the grade they finished with? My friends seem obsessed with comparing grades and it sends me cuckoo.
I'm not sure what my average is at the moment as I'm too scared to find out, my last couple of assignments have been lower than the rest and I feel like I might have blown my chances of finishing with what I was aiming for.
So... does it really matter? At least finishing the thing is an achievement right? This is worrying me now.
Post edited by JustV on
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Comments
In general, the big grad schemes all require you to have a 2.1 or above. Beyond that, it starts to become more about the bigger picture.
It sounds as though you starting to worry more about your result as the exams get nearer, but try not to focus solely on this. You have worked really hard, and the mark you get should reflect this
As Piccolo, Ballerina and Scary Monster have pointed out the mark that you need will totally depend on what jobs you apply for or whether you decide to apply for a graduate training scheme. Some ask for a minimum mark and others will look more at the things that accompany this on your CV. Do you know yet what you're interested in doing?
This is a really interesting article that's worth a read. It shows that all degree classifications come with a stereotype but that when applying for jobs you don't just have to mention your grade, make sure you push your biggest achievements too
It might be best not to worry too much about the mark right now and concentrate on working as hard as you can through the final push, and hopefully you'll get a grade that you're proud of :thumb:
LauraO
Oh...
Joking aside, unless you're wanting to compete with the Ruperts and Jemimas at PwC, your skill set will define your job more than your degree. Even the UK Civil Service Fast Stream will take people with a 2:2
It's good to hear that there is still hope of getting a good job with whatever grade I come out with, to be honest I'm not even sure what I want to do yet I know that sounds stupid after 3 years of uni still not knowing. I was looking into primary school teaching possibly, but to get onto that I would need a 2:1 so I don't really know, I'm not looking for any post-grad courses, wouldn't be able to pay for it.
Thanks for the link about graduate training schemes - hadn't heard of those before.
Guess I just worry too much, I'm not sure I'm ready for the big bad world.
I finished my undergraduate degree in 2008, and I still don't know what I want to do as a day job!
I was looking to do ACA or ACCA (accounting graduate training) and I didn't really see anywhere that was accepting 2:2 for the last 12 months whilst I was looking. Some companies said they would accept a 2:2 in certain cases if you contacted them. I was confident I was getting the 2:2 and HR managers would just tell me 'you ought to get a 2:1 really'. Though professional training is erring on the grad scheme of things I guess. These weren't top 4 firms though; anything in the top 50 is about that. And smaller than that I'm not sure if you get the resources you really want to make the most of the your time there as they'll be stretched too thin to let you learn.
Ended up in a job in marketing and tbh my degree is useful for what I learnt, but the actual grades I got nobody cares about. It's very useful to be able to call someone's bullshit in a meeting with our suppliers though.
It's totally more about making connections and getting an 'in' than getting lofty high grades. Most of my 'successful' (as in, have a job with a company that's impressive on the CV - some of them hate their work) friends have basically got their jobs through that route (you know someone, you get work experience, you make a good impression, you get a job). The exception would be the ones who ended up in some highly specified engineering for some defence contractor or something.
Stage 1: Basic requisites. 300 UCAS Points, Good Maths / English GCSEs, 2:1 Degree. Depends on the job posting.
Stage 2: Interview to assess experience, assess your skills, whether you meet the company's needs
Stage 3: Interview at manager/partner level, to determine whether they actually like you in a personality sense or not (and to what degree relative to the other candidates)
I got to the last bit every time but never managed to eek my nose in front of the other candidates.
Okay so is this a similar process for most jobs? The thing that lets me down is lack of experience (which I hope to pick up with volunteering at some point) and my GCSE grades. Despite finishing college with three A's, some of my actual GCSE grades were low, especially maths (no accounting jobs for me thanks!). I don't expect to walk straight into a job, just hoping things aren't going to hold me back.
It really depends on the sector and the job! I mean I was going in at a certain level in a certain profession, and every tom dick and harry whether they've done biology, history or astrophysics applies for the accounting jobs because they figure - it pays well. Hence its quite a competitive field.
You could certainly start even in accounting at a lower level though, although realistically the salary isnt what you would want after uni (thinking 13000 here!).
GCSEs wise as long as you have some it should be fine. A levels wise, some employers are more picky because A level grades are actually a better predictor of future academic performance in professional examinations than degree grades. I guess its because it's easier to 'work excessively hard' and get a strong grade at uni, even if you might struggle to quickly pick up and cram for something like at A level. However, not all employers are the same!
What might actually be really valuable for you is thinking of what kind of industry you are thinking of working in, and calling a few HR managers. They're actually really friendly and want you to apply for their firm, so normally answer all the questions you have. Just make sure to make an appointment first or something lest you call them whilst they're busy sorting out someone's P45 or something
I'm just annoyed at all the people who decided after their degree that accounting was well paid so may as well chip in an application
Anyway, for "jobs" I'd say it doesn't matter. For anything involving further training, it usually does. So higher level qualifications, teaching qualifications, professional qualifications, internships, graduate programmes, etc. I suppose with anything competitive with lots of applicants with relevant degrees, it's also likely to be a factor.
It totally is too. You start of on your AAT, work up, get your ACA, work up through junior to senior, work up to manager (at this point, give up your life, 60 hrs week not unusual
These days though the route the vast majority take into the industry is through degree straight into graduate training. Just because there is a ripe market for fresh, desperate graduates, which HR manager wouldn't want a piece of that pie
I've been looking at graduate schemes while there are a couple, there's not really that much for what I want to do. The joys of picking a sport degree :rolleyes: apparently it's competitive, but there's all kinds of directions I could go in.
Apart from that I hope to find something good that I enjoy, I don't really think about salaries too much, I'd much rather have a job I enjoy so hopefully grades won't come into it so much. And I really don't mind working my way up from the very bottom, I expected that anyway :d
It's good to hear other people's experience of the whole grade thing so thanks peoples
Does it come with instructions? haha don't think I'd be very good at that.