Your degree classification is massively important if you are looking to pursue further education following your undergraduate degree, or when fighting tooth and nail for that first job, but it is not the be all and end all of your future.
Further study
Research does show, resoundingly, that unemployment rates are lower for those students who get a first. This is partially due to the fact that having a first-class degree often means that red carpets are laid out to encourage students to go onto further study. Around 59 percent of students who go onto postgraduate or PhD study gained a first in their undergraduate degree (according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency). If you are looking to pursue postgraduate education, and particularly if you are hoping to get your hands on some special funding to do so, a first can make all the difference.
Going nowhere?
In highly competitive fields, employers with an overwhelming number of applicants may screen out everyone who did not manage to achieve a 2:1, or may even demand a first to proceed to the next round of the application process. The backlog of high-standard graduates seeking work which was created by the recession is finally receding, but the more competitive the job you are pursuing is, the more weight that grade on your degree certificate will hold.
The golden bar
A 2:1 is heralded as the gold bar which students need to propel themselves over in order to consider their degree a success with a capital ‘S’. So what if you end up falling into the 2:2 band? The key to putting yourself back alongside the front runners will be experience and attitude. Bolster up that slightly less impressive grade with all the skills you have attained alongside your degree. Internships, society involvement, references, part-time work and volunteering experiences can all override a percentage and will probably have shaped you as an individual more than that final cram for those exams.
It’s not the end of the world
There is a lot of criticism for the degree classification system which creates a chasm between students whose results are only separated by 2 or 3 percent. If you find yourself just short of the boundary above then it is possible to appeal for remarking and reconsideration which could vastly change your immediate opportunities as a graduate.
Your final certificate of attainment is by no means a definitive judgment of your value in the working world. It is never the only consideration and having a first is unlikely to be enough if you have neglected the real world and chained yourself to a desk for three or four years in order to be able to wave it in people’s faces.
That third
If you have left university with a third then there is probably a reason which you need to pay serious attention to. Is this the field that really inspires you? Do you want to continue hitting your head against a brick wall, or is it time to re-evaluate what motivates you?
A big shiny first is of course the ultimate dream for a student but it is not always attainable. So while it is always a good policy to aim for the stars, do not panic if your final grades fall short of what you hoped for – just find other ways to dazzle potential employers. Experience can often trump academic achievement if you can polish it up to your best advantage.
Do you think degree classifications matter? Let us know in the comments.
Photo: COD Newsroom / Flickr
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