Daughter feels like a failure with a 2.1

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My dd finished her first year at Oxford. She studies english. She got a 2.1, and was 2 marks away from a distinction (first) She got 68 and needed 68.5 (overall) for a first and to become a scholar.

She is sobbing away and feels the world has ended as she worked so hard for it. How do I get through to her that a high 2.1 is still amazing?

My daughter cried for a good while yesterday because she wanted to go into space. So I gave her a penguin bar and hugged her. Hth.

My daughter cried for a good while yesterday because she wanted to go into space. So I gave her a penguin bar and hugged her. Hth.

who knows, she may! The first Briton in space worked on the flavouring of chocolate so your response was apt.

Actually Errol you are correct.

I know; if I post without the words 'probably' or 'maybe' and with supporting data I'd hope so... it's a science thing.

The author thought there should be a standardised approach university-wide

Personally I think it should be subject-wide across all universities but that would require standardised content so isn't feasible.

Going to a top university after being a large fish in a (mediocre and) small pond at school is a shock to the system, I remember it well - going from being top of the class, to someone doing ok (mid-60s marks). I ended up 1% off a distinction in my masters, and that still annoys me.

If she's really suffering she should look into perfectionism, and managing it, maybe via CBT. It's a really unhealthy approach to life unfortunately, though it works well at first.

When my husband and his college friends get together 20 years after graduating from Cambridge, they still tease each other for getting, or not getting, a 'double first' (a first after year 1 and 3). It's obviously all very traumatic still () but there is no relation between grades and future (financial) success among those who got a double first, those who merely got a first after 3 years and those who got a 2:1. A first is only important for getting onto a D.Phil. program and for a research scholarship, but also then it doesn't matter whether it's a double first or not.

By that logic it would mean that a degree is the same level of complexity as an a level

@Bluntness100, that doesn't make sense. Why on earth would it mean that?

Why on earth would it mean that?

Because the admissions tutors are judging students on their performance up to a level standard, not beyond. When the content gets harder, not every student will be able to cope with it in the same way.

No, they're not. For these reasons:

1. The majority of students have not sat A Levels at the time of the interviews.

2. Many, many students achieve identically high A Level grades to successful Oxbridge candidates, and do not get in - high A Level grades (achieved or predicted) are not sufficient qualification.

3. Some students achieve (relatively) low A Level grades and still get in. A Levels are not a very good measure of what admissions interviews and tests are looking for.

It's not really about 'content' getting 'harder' - not in English, anyway. You could perfectly well sit finals at Cambridge and write almost exclusively on texts you're read for GCSE and A Level (though it'd not recommended or usual). The main thing that gets harder is the approach. University isn't school. And that's me back to my earlier point about working smarter rather than working harder.

I think from the view of the OPs DD that working even harder would be counter productive in that she got the dreaded 2:1 with working bloody hard anyway. Imagine another year of massive sustained effort, even more intense than this year, and getting a 2:1 at the end of it. I think that just leads to more upset and not a great year. So being able to praise yourself for a 2:1 is a great thing to do and try and enjoy university.

I rather disagree about work being spread out over a length of time and exam pressure doesn’t translate to real work life. I actually think speed of thought, intellect, and accurate work produced in a short space of time is immensely useful to employers. Not all employees have work spread over months and have a very quick turnaround of work.

Cambridge publishes exactly how many students are awarded 1st, 2.1, 2.2 etc each year . Here are the results for 2017 / 2018.

I think I’ll avoid Classics, medicine and Vet. Sci. 😅

I’d guess Oxford do the same. 🤷🏻‍♀️

So many of my hardworking undergrads get stuck on 2:1 as they keep trying to work out what we are looking for. But what we are looking for is to be surprised and excited by their new ways of thinking about a text. There are no assessment objectives for them to meet. The more creative, inventive and independent they are, the better they will do.

nags had hit the mark with the assessment objectives comment. So many A level students work towards the mark scheme presumably made so that papers can be marked by different people and all would come to the same conclusion.
University exams will be different with an expert in that field setting one question and marking (or being involved in the marking of every response to that question) and therefore have scope to adjust for individualism which will be tough on those who are good at producing a correct but standard answer

Jeez she’s a year in?!

She needs to calm the fuck down and grow up a bit.

You need to talk here down as that's not OK after year 1. I'm sure she will feel better in year one.