To think there's life after getting a 2.2

[GladToBeGlobal]

It's that time of year again. I've been consoling lots of students who've narrowly missed out on their 2.1 or their First. I really mean it when I tell them a 2.2 is still an achievement and a valid qualification. Unfortunately many people out there in the world think differently.

Please tell me your stories of success in life after a disappointing degree result.

I teach at a university, and in the current climate, students getting a 2.2 degree are seriously disadvantaged as regards graduate jobs and postgraduate study - the school of which my subject department is part runs twelve MA programmes, and not one recruits candidates with less than a 2.1 these days. The one I teach on had an intake entirely comprised of Firsts last year.

Am surprised at the number of people who gave never been asked their first degree classification. I have two MAs and a PhD, so you'd think that an undergraduate degree was irrelevant to my job applications, but I am always asked for the classification of all of them.

Never been asked. I only got it 3 years ago too ! I was lucky to get on my master with it though that's true enough.

I have always had to declare my degree classification.

It's never been specified on my CV. I've worked for a few decent companies, one was clinical research. Interesting.

I'm on track for a Desmond and far from being dissapointed I'm delighted. I was on track for a third not so long back and have HATED the academic side of my degree so to even finish let alone getting something more than just a pass is in my eyes a real achievement.
And you can get on the MI5 graduate scheme with a 2:2 so it's not all bad!

I finish my degree next year and am really hoping for a 2:1 but will be happy with any pass.

I know several people who got on masters courses with 2:2. And someone with a pass who is very high up in a big company. It isn't a barrier if you stand out in other ways, experience, aptitude etc.

Have never been asked the classification of my degree. Have done well in my career, don't think having a 2.2 has ever been an issue, also went on to do a Masters

Funnily enough the people I know who have had the most success in their careers and have made the most money have not even got a degree, just a lot of ambition, drive and charisma

On the flip side, I have first and academic prize and don't feel it has made a huge difference. I don't earn more than friends with other degree classifications. I was short listing candidates for a job with my manager recently and we were talking about the lack of relevance of degree results.

I'm with Burren. As a fairly recent graduate, I am lucky enough to be in a fairly good job now. EVERYONE I work with (that is in a similar role, i.e. new-ish to career) has a 1st. From Oxbridge/RG. And an MSc with Distinction. They recently shortlisted. Person spec asked for 2.1 or 1st. There were so many applications that 2.1s did not even get looked at. MSc did not accept applications from anyone who does not have a 1st and in my field I have seen many jobs advertised specifying exactly that.

(As a side note since I just realised that this does not at all come across in my post: I think that this is ridiculous. A 2.2 does not necessarily mean that the person is any less capable to do the job or actually even less academic - I am just pointing out how tough the competition is).

My husband spent his degree missing half his classes to travel and visit me at my uni - consequently he failed a couple of courses and had to retake a year. He never put much more effort in and so ended up with a 2:2 from UCL. He didn't really know what he wanted to do with his life, but his parent had moved to America and after we had a baby and no income they suggested he apply to do a PHD at the university they worked in. He took the GRE ( a kind of IQ test on maths and English skills) and got excellent results, which the Americans counted as far more important than his 2:2, so he was given a two year full scholarship to do a genetics PHD. He has maintained a near perfect grade point average and assuming his stem cells ever actually grow properly, he will graduate this year. The 2:2 will mean nothing then.

I graduated with a third, but that was back in the day when only 5% of schoolleavers went on to univesity.

Between the mid 80's and the turn of the millenium, increased Uni attendance meant that entry level applicants in the company I worked for went from new graduates to PhD holders in 15 years or so.

Degrees have lost their exclusivity now that approaching 50% of school leavers go on to uni. Its a vicious circle balancing the chance of a good job against the debt load now. Many would be better off considering the trades.

Personally, after you've held a job for more than 5 years nobody ever asks what class of degree you have, just that you have one. The only time my academic ability was ever questioned was when I applied to do a part time Masters Degree. that was until I uttered the magic words "the comany's paying the fees". I found the Masters much easier as I was probably more mature and work oriented after having a job for a decade.

A 2.1 isn't the end of the world but is may not be the start either.

I got as third (in a hard subject at a world class university) in the last decade. I've done reasonably weep, had a job, did an MSc and got a better job.

Probably happier than my peers with firsts at blue chip companies, certainly a better life balance.

I'd be interested to see how many people who graduated in the past five years with a 2:2 are getting on.

Especially knowing my peers with 1sts and2:1s who are struggling to get half decent jobs.

My db is a drop out from his second year in a business admin degree. His wife didn't even go to uni. Both are in their early 30s and are heads of departments at Jp Morgan.

I have a degree and have never had a decent career.

Back in the day, a 2:2 was the standard degree. Something like 10% of graduates got a 1st; 20% got a 2:1 and 60% got a 2:2.

Now it seems to be more 25% get a 1st, 30% get a 2:1 and 30% get a 2:2.

So nowadays a 2:2 might exclude you from entry to some of the more competitive graduate programs. But there are other ways into good jobs, and as someone above said, once you are working no-one cares about your degree class. My degree certificate doesn't even say what it is!

Both dh and I graduated with 2.2s after spending too much time drinking and arguing with each other (and I had tonsillitis during my finals too) We graduated in the mid 90s and there were no jobs for us or most of our contemporaries either. However most of my rejection letters came before my finals (really helped!) and dh got into his PGCE a year later. We had almost a year of menial jobs/intern type unpaid work, which wasn't great, but we learned a fair bit and in the long run I don't think it was such a bad thing. After getting the first job it all became pretty immaterial, and we've both taken masters since then with no issues.

I graduated 3 years ago, and a 2:2 would at that point have been a massive disadvantage for getting a graduate role. It does of course depend what you want to go in to but law, accounting, finance etc roles were all asking for at least a 2:1. I think I found one accounting firm taking on grads with a 2:2. So for some students it will feel like the end of the world and will mean a massive rethink.

my husband is only just getting around to finishing an OU degree now in his mid forties.
He's got a professional job in London and earning close to six figures.

Does not the actual university matter anymore these days too?

Are people really saying that a 2.2 from Southampton (RG) is valued lower than a 2.1 from Bournemouth (non RG)?

(interested)

I scraped a 2 1 by the skin of my teeth, my best friend got a 2 2. He has had absolutely no problems, he was a great teacher, fitness instructor and is now quite a well.known TV celebrity also working in his chosen field day to day. It shouldn't hold you back at all.

My DH got his engineering degree with the OU at 41yo. He got a 2:2 and I think it's pretty amazing considering he took his grade 3 english AFTER his degree. Yup, he didn't even have GCSE English pass and he got a degree.

He was at the end of an army career and wanted an engineering qualification to show that he could work at that level. He's happily engineering for another company now. His 2:2 was considered good enough.

I'm awaiting my results from my final module with the OU. I'm right on the line between 2:1 and 2:2 and it depends on the exam result. And it doesn't matter to me (too much, I mean I want to have done as well as I can on my final module). I've taken this over 6 years and I have a 5yo and a 3.5yo At one point I was taking a nursing degree as well and I was aiming at a third classification for that - no wasted effort. I had been nursing for years on the old style training by this point and I felt needing a degree undervalued all the work I had been doing.

What Singaporeswing said. Think it would be interesting how many people who got a 2.2 in the past three years got into a decent graduate scheme/a good first job on career ladder/into a competitive MSc program/a funded PhD.

Who is it tangerine