Poll: What would you rather have? 2:2 from a top-ranked uni or a 2:1 from a low-ranked uni

What would you rather have?

  • 2:2 from Oxford

    Votes: 101 66.4%

  • 2:1 from London Met

    Votes: 51 33.6%
  • Total voters
    152
Poll added, it's a difficult question though. I think I'd probably take the 2:2 from Oxford but that's principally because of the other opportunities that I suspect I would get from going to Oxford. However if the universities were more closely matched and it was say a middle-tier ranked university then I'd take the 2:1.

As some other have said a degree is often simply a way to prove that you can learn up to a certain level and a way for you to access options more easily than otherwise. In some ways it's a shorthand for employers to be aware that you've probably got YY level of ability and it roots out a number of candidates who don't meet that requirement. It doesn't prove that you'll be good but it's an easy substitute to thoroughly testing you themselves.

As it is I've got a degree from a university that doesn't have a particularly great reputation, the course itself that I did isn't too bad though as it's ranked as the best modern university in Scotland for it. That wasn't even a consideration when I went there though as I went for a different course but looking back I'm fairly happy with the way things turned out. For the little it is worth the graduate scheme I was on has entrance requirements of a 2:2.

//edit hold on a second, I'll sort that poll out. :o
 
muon said:
You might have got a 2:1 at a lower university, but you would never have even got an interview for a lot of highly paid graduate jobs.
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Exactly. I cursed my choice to go to a top uni when the job offer was withdrawn, but I don't anymore.
 
Dr Delphi said:
I got a first from a lower university (integrated masters) and then a PhD from King's college in London, when I was job hunting I found that the biggest sticking point was the drop in my A-Levels from GCSE to degree, where no matter what reasons I gave some companies wouldn't even look at me. Don't have A's at A-Levels don't get an interview, never mind you have a PhD in theoretical quantum physics, you didn't get an A in maths.... Drove me spare.
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Experienced similar myself.

Graduated with a 1st from a UK top 20 university in Environmental Science.

A couple of jobs I applied for would not even look at me as I did not have the required maths GCSE or equivalent they either did not recognise my Scottish Standard Grade or a C was not high enough.

I think too much credit is given to the "top" Universities if I’m honest. I did not attend any of the top 5 Universities instead choosing to attend one which was more financially feasible since I was funding myself and offered me more scope to tailor my studies to what I wanted to learn.

I spent all my summer holidays working with research teams in Iceland/Svalbard/Norway and the Faroes Islands, planned my own expedition to Iceland and received funding for this Royal Geographical Society to do this. Subsequently presented lectures at RGS events and worked with local schools to promote geography and learning outdoors. Worked in the laboratories for various staff/PhD's during my spare time (voluntary and paid) was asked to be part of a PhD led research trip to Spain and had to turn down the opportunity to spend 2 months in Patagonia as a research assistant because I was too busy.

From speaking to people I have met and friends who have attended some of the top Universities, had I attended one of the "top" universities I would not have had the opportunity to do a fraction of the above

I think I gained more experience/skills by attending a "lesser" university yet there are still the odd idiot who will look at me and ONLY see that I didn’t attend Cambridge and therefore my degree is worth less than someone who did.

/Salsa
 
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It's kinda flawed how this works then, I mean what's the point of going to somewhere like Warwick when you get the same chance at a graduate scheme if you go somewhere like London Southbank/Met
 
2:1 at Glamorgan.
High paid Grad job in the City.
So actually muon and Judgeneo thats a pile of ####.
Basically, The grade counts, Big time.
 
Grade does not count big time, I got a 2:1 and a 1st on my dissertation and I'm working on a base level job at a call center working every day to have enough money.

Work experience is the important thing.
 
The a levels thing is true though.
MS doesnt car you have a 2:1 in computer science if you dont get a A in Physics a level.
They except you with a 2:2 and a A in a level but not with a B in a level 2:1....
 
willhub said:
Grade does not count big time, I got a 2:1 and a 1st on my dissertation and I'm working on a base level job at a call center working every day to have enough money.

Work experience is the important thing.
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Nope.
Not what i experienced, How old are you? When you are 20 what experiencd were you expected to have exactly?
 
Eliot said:
The a levels thing is true though.
MS doesnt car you have a 2:1 in computer science if you dont get a A in Physics a level.
They except you with a 2:2 and a A in a level but not with a B in a level 2:1....
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But surely in my case the PhD should trump the requirement for A-Levels?

I am currently teaching A-Level physics and I know full well if I sat the exam tomorrow I would be able to get an A/A*. It's one of the things I am very seriously considering doing as I never put a date on my A-Levels anyway.
 
Eliot said:
The a levels thing is true though.
MS doesnt car you have a 2:1 in computer science if you dont get a A in Physics a level.
They except you with a 2:2 and a A in a level but not with a B in a level 2:1....
Click to expand...

The bank that I had the offer from obviously has the opposite policy to Morgan Stanley then.



Eliot said:
2:1 at Glamorgan.
High paid Grad job in the City.
So actually muon and Judgeneo thats a pile of ####.
Basically, The grade counts, Big time.
Click to expand...

Grade obviously counts for a great deal. Most of my application sucesses this year have come from hiding my undergraduate grade - Btw I am always asked eventually, no idea how some of you guys haven't been asked what you degree result is. Once I mention my grade you can visably see the interviewers faces drop in disappointment.


When I compare the opportunities in my university experience to my friends that didn't go to as highly ranked universities though, I feel I have developed much more as a result.
I might have achieved a better grade at London Met, but I wouldn't have got all the other opportunities, research experience, or met the breadth of different people and cultures that has broadened by general knowledge, and damped by arrogance to an acceptable level.

without that I doubt I would have passed the interviews at the banks, and would have ended up jobless anyway.
 
I voted 2:2 from a better University. On the basis that, whether its fair or not, its not what you know that gets you on in life but who you know.
 
Judgeneo said:
The bank that I had the offer from obviously has the opposite policy to Morgan Stanley then.





Grade obviously counts for a great deal. Most of my application sucesses this year have come from hiding my undergraduate grade - Btw I am always asked eventually, no idea how some of you guys haven't been asked what you degree result is. Once I mention my grade you can visably see the interviewers faces drop in disappointment.


When I compare the opportunities in my university experience to my friends that didn't go to as highly ranked universities though, I feel I have developed much more as a result.
I might have achieved a better grade at London Met, but I wouldn't have got all the other opportunities, research experience, or met the breadth of different people and cultures that has broadened by general knowledge, and damped by arrogance to an acceptable level.

without that I doubt I would have passed the interviews at the banks, and would have ended up jobless anyway.
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By ms i mean microsofts scheme.
I applied for a few schemes , Made it though to the last 0.5% of one for Mitie which i screwed up huge (full day interview) Frankly i had the job in the palm of my hand and then dropped a presentation bit big time.
Ultimately my advice to everyone is go on monster apply for 70 jobs in IT or whatever in the area you want (none of them exist anyway) the next day you will get about 15 agencies call you and its as simple as that.

I was always ask my grade, And the response was always one where they thought "great" you could see the tick being filled in the box.
Would i feel the same if i had a 2:2 ? i dont know.....
Ultimately all im saying is anyone who reckons they cant get a job in a major city in the uk with a 2:1 from a mediocre uni isnt trying hard enough.
Although perhaps some of my success/luck/whatever was that they could see i was fairly commited having seen me travel from wales at 6am for an interview in london at 10am.
 
I got a 2:2 from Warwick, and was able to get job offers (including grad schemes) which, on paper, required a 2:1. It helped that it was a 2:2 in maths, and not something like film studies. From my experience alone, a low-graded degree from a top university seems to be worth more than a high-graded degree from a no-name university.
 
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