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Can I do a postgrad even though I only have a Desmond?

9 replies

thomasbodley · 18/02/2011 14:25

I really want to do a postgrad. It's partly a hobby thing and partly a work thing. The course I'm most interested in is a Master's in 19th century literature, with a particular focus on material culture.

The thing is, I was a proper slacker as an undergraduate (which was in the mid-1990s) and also crap at exams (get stupidly nervous, forget everything I know). I only got a 2:2. (Although it was from Oxford).

But I'm quite clever if something really grabs me - the Finals papers I actually liked I remember I got a 75 and a 74 in, which would have put me in the top 5% of marks, I think.

So...the academics on here, am I kidding myself, do you think? Or should I apply and see how I get on? Any advice (including sensible discouragement) much appreciated.

OP posts:

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thefurryone · 18/02/2011 16:50

Hi, I also have a desmond due to being a total slacker as an undergrad in the mid-1990s.

Despite this I have was able to do an MSc 2008 - 2009 and am now a PhD student, so it doesn't necessarily have to be a total handicap. I would add I had completed some Open University modules prior to the MSc which I think helped because I was taking a subject unrelated to my BA, and I was only accepted on to the PhD programme with the proviso that I acheived a Distinction in the MSc. The university also took into account the fact that I had been working for 10+ years and had other skills of interest.

The best thing to do is contact the programme director of the Masters course to ask about their entry requirements and whether they would consider you for the course even though you have a 2.2 rather than just applying blind. Quite often they aren't as strict for those that have been off and done other things as they are for recent undergrads.

Good luck!

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VivaLeBeaver · 18/02/2011 16:56

Yes. I've got a 2:2. Then went on to do a diploma in a different subject and uni are now nagging me to top up to a degree. Then they realised I already had one and are now nagging me to do a masters as well. Work will pay but I'm afraid I'm still too much of a slacker.

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Zorayda · 18/02/2011 17:30

Go for it! Get in touch - they'll judge it on whether they think you're capable of completing the course based on your work experience and other factors (including new enthusiasm)- not just one qualification. I know a professor with a Desmond!

On a cynical note, at the moment a lot of places are chasing students for fees income!

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Menagerie · 19/02/2011 20:28

Same cynical note as Zorayda: if you can fund it - you'll get in.

You sound really enthusiastic and clear on what you want to do. (Similar field to me -same uni too - though I am o-old in comparison with you. I'd ring up a few unis you really want to apply to and see what they say. I'd bet a fiver you're in by September if you, as they so tactfully say, have funds in place.

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slug · 19/02/2011 20:58

When I went to a presentation about the MSc I eventually did they were quite open about the entry requirements
2:1 if you had graduated in the last 5 years
2:2 if you had graduated 5-10 years ago
HND if you did it over 10 years ago.

I'm not sure if that was to take account of work experience or a tacit comment on grade inflation.

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crazyspaniel · 20/02/2011 01:51

It would really depend on the individual department / admissions tutor. I'm currently considering someone with a high 2:2 for an MA, but will be calling them for interview and asking for samples of written work. There is always the possibility of doing a Diploma before the MA as well.

I would talk to Admissions Tutor before putting an application in, since most unis charge £30 and upwards to submit an application these days.

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nooka · 20/02/2011 03:56

dh and I both got 2.2s (we went to university together and distracted one another ). We've both subsequently got masters, and I don't recall that it was ever raised that our degrees weren't amazing. Our masters were in fields unrelated to our degrees though (dh history and then IT, me international politics followed by public health).

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KatieMiddleton · 20/02/2011 15:03

Ime if you can pay for the course you're in. Which is a bit depressing really.

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thomasbodley · 21/02/2011 16:57

Crazyspaniel I didn't get a high 2:2. I was bloody lucky to escape a 3rd , it was only my two high marks that rescued me (and are clearly subsconsciously so important to me that I remember them nearly twenty years on!)

Sample essays I could totally manage - in fact suspect I'd love writing them. What sort of diploma could I do, do you think?