Uni grades?

Imy said:
I got my Hons because I did a sandwich degree (3 years study, 1 year work placement).

To the interviewer I guess the Hons won't matter much but if you did something like a work placement to achieve it then that will certainly count.
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A sandwich degree? I didn't realise that you needed a degree to work at Subway!?
 
I got 59% which landed me a 2:2 I was never really interested at the time I had gone back into education after being made redundant. I found a decent job straight away. All the people getting a first on our course had no people skills and most would not hack it in the real working world. Some companies are starting to realise this. I managed to pick up a decent job straight away due to previous experience and the degree.
 
Alway aim for the best, why would anyone ever not!? If it's still theoretically possible for you to get a 1st, aim for that. If not, aim for the 2:1. There's no point whatsoever in aiming or settling for less than you're able to get.
 
Windle said:
As someone who interviews for professionals/graduates, I pay zero attention to the grade of a degree as it is (in my experience) not a good indicator of how good you will be at the job.

A degree tells me you have an understanding of the degree subject matter, can read and interpret data and pass exams. It doesn't tell me that when I bring you in and start you working that you will be able to undertake the tasks I set you even with mentoring. I've had graduates with a 3rd who could run rings around another member of staff with a 1st, I've also had engineers with no degree but with work experience that have far exceeded their counterparts with a university education.
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Exactly this.

I have an honours degree, and a master's degree (at distinction) but I assure you that a degree proves than an individual can work hard. It does not (across the board) prove knowledge and, with some candidates, it doesn't prove ability either.

The entire education system is rife with this same issue - grades/scores/ranks are meaningless when you are assessing the ability to regurgitate a statistic, formula or definition that has been drilled into you 'in the way that the examiner is requiring'.

A true measure of intellect, ability and achievement in my humble opinion, is how a candidate has dealt with certain events in their lives - completing a degree when caring for a sick family member, starting at the bottom dealing with all the crap that colleagues and bosses through at you, yet you persevere and deliver, and get promoted for it. And so forth.

Sadly though, at every stage in life whether vocationally, academically or personally, you will encounter setbacks and people who want to hold you down - either out of fear or jealousy, and the issue comes when these people hold a position of power over you (thereby preventing promotion, or a good glowing reference).

Other measures of intellect and ability are through psychometric testing and other problem-solving tasks - the sort employed by big blue-chip companies, certain government offices/agencies etc.
 
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I thought Honours meant you did a dissertation?

I'm doing an Honours degree in Applied Computing (Networking) aiming for a 1:1. I think 2:1 is the standard for most jobs I've looked at.
 
Stonehouse said:
I thought Honours meant you did a dissertation?

I'm doing an Honours degree in Applied Computing (Networking) aiming for a 1:1. I think 2:1 is the standard for most jobs I've looked at.
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There isn't a 1:1. It is simply a 1st.

Everyone aims for a 1st, yet only a tiny % actually attain it!!
 
RedvGreen said:
Other measures of intellect and ability are through psychometric testing and other problem-solving tasks - the sort employed by big blue-chip companies, certain government offices/agencies etc.
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I always liked this interview question from Glassdoor:

"A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?"

Apparently the candidate answered "Where's the sunscreen?" and got the job.
 
RedvGreen said:
There isn't a 1:1. It is simply a 1st.

Everyone aims for a 1st, yet only a tiny % actually attain it!!
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It's course-dependent; you won't find too many historians achieving a 1st but it is reasonably common across science and engineering, where exams are marked "absolutely". My graduating MEng class had approximately 40% of people gaining first class degrees - relatively high, but this is because people who scored lower than 2:2 are kicked out before the final year, so this obviously bumps up the overall average as you're now no longer counting the people dragging the average down.
 
Dave said:
It's course-dependent; you won't find too many historians achieving a 1st but it is reasonably common across science and engineering, where exams are marked "absolutely". My graduating MEng class had approximately 40% of people gaining first class degrees - relatively high, but this is because people who scored lower than 2:2 are kicked out before the final year, so this obviously bumps up the overall average as you're now no longer counting the people dragging the average down.
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Most science subjects are 0 or 1/absolute answers, but theses and dissertations are still highly subjective. I've worked with students who have achieved 80%+ every module, yet delivered a dissertation that the tutor found conflicted with their own findings, and they didn't get the 1st.
 
RedvGreen said:
Most science subjects are 0 or 1/absolute answers, but theses and dissertations are still highly subjective. I've worked with students who have achieved 80%+ every module, yet delivered a dissertation that the tutor found conflicted with their own findings, and they didn't get the 1st.
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I did the opposite, hah!

Got 51% overall in my degree, which sucked, but I got 69% in my dissertation, which I was delighted by.

Although I'm not wonderful at engineering, I am good at designing and fortunately got a design project, so was very grateful for that!!
 
Like others have said, don't worry about Hons, or grading, just work as hard as you honestly can. I spent my 3 years dossing about and ended up with a 2:2, which I have regretted for the last 4 years as I know deep down I could have done so much better.

Having said that, 3 years of hard graft after graduating, I am now studying for my masters and am predicted a Distinction (equiv of a 1st). I think I may have just taken my undergrad degree too early when I was too immature.

Best of luck to you.
 
I'm currently revising for final year exams and obviously that leads to thinking far too much about the overall degree classification. I've averaged over 70% for the first two years however that was with an average amount of effort put in; I'm now finding that this level of effort will not see me end up with a 1st in the final year. I agree with Moses, most people are aware the level of effort required to attain a 1st, however many (such as myself) are not willing to sacrifice work/social life and other life experiences which all go together with the academic side as part of your time at uni in order to guarantee it.

I know I will probably kick myself if I don't achieve a first, however I also know that it will probably make very little difference to job/life opportunities down the line and I know that the amount of dedication and effort will not have been enough to guarantee a first.
 
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