To think doing my degree is going to have been a complete waste of time...

[girlylala0807]

Im so upset.

I have worked as hard as I can at uni since I started. Im going to start 4th year in September, and at the moment my final grade is probably going to be 2:2.

Every job ive been looking at needs a 2:1 so I went to speak with my director of studies who told me it was not looking good. My average at the moment is 55 percent meaning I need at least 66 percent in everthing next year.

Im so pissed off. I should have stuck at being a shop manager and tried to work my way up in a company but I stupidly got caught up in thinking having a degree would make me more employable. Idiot.

Sorry, I know this is rather self indulgent but im just so fed up right now!

So, aibu?

[Rosieeo]

No, YANBU. What's your degree in, if you don't mind me asking?

Even if you do get a 2.2, it's not a waste of time. Employers will surely consider your experience too.

Do you think there is any way you can up your grades?

[fluffles]

if you went to university as a mature student you should be able to draw on experience to claim the 'equivalent' of a 2:1

almost all job adds will actually say a 2:1 degree in xxx 'or equivalent' this is due to employment legislation about other qualifications.

you need to work hard on your cv to show that your 2:2 as a mature student (with a family??) IS the equivalent of a 2:1 for another student without your life experience.

[girlylala0807]

Im doing a degree in History.

Im really not sure what else I can do. Im not very good at this academic stuff. I can read and remember facts but I cant seem to create my own argument it would seem. Its feeling like a lost cause at the moment.

[funnysinthegarden]

girly, don't worry, tis the recession. In a few years your degree will seem very worthwhile.

[girlylala0807]

I was pregnant in second year and DS was 5mo when I started 3rd year so its been hard.

Ive had loads of jobs. Shop manager, holiday rep, kids rep so plenty of experience.

[Reallytired]

What is your degree in? What do you want to do for a career? Maybe mumsnetters can suggest ways of making yourself more marketable to future employers.

I've got a 2.2 degree in Physics with Astrophysics. I did manage to get a related job (I work in radiation physics for two year prior to children.)

Degree classificaion does not mean as much as you think. The sun will rise even if you get a third.

[loopyloops]

Make sure you get a letter of mitigating circumstances from your GP, even if it looks like you won't be close enough for that 2:1. I did, I was 0.5percent off a 2:1 and they gave it to me due to the letter.

Incidentally, it seemed like a big deal at the time, but no-one (important) has ever asked me my degree result. It's only really if you want to do post-grad stuff or go on a fast-track scheme that it matters. What are your plans?

[Rosieeo]

Does the university provide you with the mark scheme? Would your tutor be prepared to look at your work before submission as part of your tutor sessions?

[girlylala0807]

I dont know what I want to do. There were lots of graduate training jobs at Marks and Aldi and stuff but you need a 2:1.

Just not feeling great about it all at the moment.

People who marked coursework last term on research leave and wont be able to talk to them till next year.

[Conundrumish]

I am sure your degree will turn out to be worth something. What sort of jobs are you looking at that require a 2:1?

Your degree will show them not only that you know your subject but that you can plan your time and deal with complex material. That is worth far, far more than your shop manager role would have been.

I would suggest looking at the sort of companies that are in the next tier down from what you are looking at at the moment. and then working your way into the other companies once you have some experience behind you. Good luck.

[girlylala0807]

Eh...hang on a minute..

I never said I was entitled to ANYTHING. I am more than happy to try and work for it. If I get a 2:2 it will be me who fucked up nobody else! I certainly dont expect to be handed anything im just gutted that the work I put in wasent good enough.

[loopyloops]

Don't worry about the grade.

The difficult truth is that everyone enters university expecting a first or 2:1, then expecting to swan into a graduate position. This very rarely happens. You have to focus right now on getting your degree, doing as well as you can and looking after your DC too.

Don't worry about jobs just yet.

[tinkletinklelittlestar]

girlylala0807 - you can't change the past but you've got another year so just do your best - that is all you can do.

As for being able to set out written arguments, I find it helps to say outloud/write down the point(s) I want to make and take it from there.

You are not an idiot, you have ambition to improve yourself and your prospects. I have a 2:2 (13yrs ago) and have not made the most of it but that is my fault and I have to live with it. Do not fall into a negative trap!

[greenbananas]

Oh girly, I feel your pain, having been there. Don't worry, nothing is ever wasted. Even if you totally failed (which you won't if you keep putting the work in!), the experience would still count for something in the long run. And a 2:2 is a decent degree, let no-one tell you otherwise!

FWIW, I got a 2:1 in English after dropping out twice and worrying constantly that I was going to fail. I graduated in 1996, in the middle of a recession, and never did get the 'graduate' job I felt I'd been promised at school. I've never earned much, but I have ceased to care. I certainly don't regret doing the degree - it was very interesting and the discipline of learning to evaluate the things I read has been invaluable.

About written arguments: I do echo what littlestar said above. Write things out point by point. Before you even do that, decide what you really think... not what you reckon your tutors want to hear, but what you really think. Then decide how you can back your opinions up in an essay. IME, people marking essays and exam papers don't mind unconventional opinions. You might even break up the monotony of marking the same old arguments over and over again.

Hope things improve for you soon - final year is incredibly stressful and it's completely normal to lose confidence for a bit.

[trixymalixy]

Girly, just forget about jobs at the moment and do your best to get the best degree you can.

Most people on my course managed to go up a grade on what was predicted, so please don't give up now.

[MummyTubb]

You certainly won't be very employable with such a defeatist attitude!

[muffint]

Hello - I really feel for you. Graduated in the last recession (1991) with a 2:2. What made me really cross was that to achieve a 2:2 at my uni was a lot harder work than it was for my then partner to achieve a 2:1 on a different course at a different institution - I don't think he ever visited the library. It took me a lot longer and I had to be a lot more determined but I did eventually get the "graduate job" some years later. The important thing is to focus on something realistic you want to do then work towards it. However small your steps, just put them in place and work towards it. Go for small firms and local paper ads, rather than the milk round type stuff. Even when I took non-graduate jobs to get there, I did find that I was paid better and valued more simply because I had that qualification. It's not a waste of time. Keep going. At least you've recognised what the problem is - re creating an argument - you can now work on how to improve this. Don't give up on yourself. The media doesn't help with stories about employers only looking at candidates with 2:1's. This was the same when I graduated, no milk round, no need applying if you didn't have a 2:1, or if application in a brown envelope etc. All I can say is this only applies to the milk round type companies. Smaller companies don't have these "rules" they're just looking for someone local and competent. Good luck and keep going! xx

[Diamondback]

Hey Girlylala, as a lecturer, here are some of the most common mistakes I see students making - I'm not saying these are yours, but I hope some of them might help:

• Pay attention to Spelling and Grammar. Even if they're not included in the marking criteria, they do affect the lecturer's impression of how intelligent your essay is.

• Don't be afraid to ask for help. Go see your tutor when you get an assignment and ask them to talk you through it. I would always much rather a student came to see me and asked a million dumb questions, than just pretended they know what they're doing and then hand in an assignment that proves otherwise.

• Get support from the Learning Centre. Your university should have some support available (usually via the library or Student Services) to give you support in spelling, grammar, referencing, study and construction of essays.

• Our university library has a vast selection of books on how to write successful essays and reports. I don't think any of our students ever read them. If you are struggling to construct arguments, these could help you.

• Do the reading from the course/assignment reading list. These are the sources which your lecturer likes and recognises as useful and valid. It drives me crazy the number of students who completely disregard the required reading list and go do their own 'research', usually coming back with random web pages and out of date info/theories. Nul points. Also, many older lecturers are biased towards certain theories and theorists - you'll often find that the students who score highly are not always the most intelligent, but sometimes are those who are good at working out what each lecturer wants to see.

• Read assignment briefs carefully and pay particular attention to the marking criteria. These criteria are what the tutor will be looking at when s/he marks your work.

I hope at least some of this is helpful!

[dontdisstheteens]

First, a 2:2 is NOT fucking up. It is a bloody good achievement as a mature student.

Have you ever been taught how to write essays, how to formulate an argument, how to structure a paragraph? If not (and in my experience a lot of Universities are lousy at this!) this would be a very good place to start. I could dig out some references for you if you like.

Diamondback has given some excellent advice but I would add a suggestion that you ask colleagues if you can look at some of their better essays. Look at them with a kind of essay writing checklist in mind; a marking scheme for that assignment might help if you can get it.

Do you have any exams? What format is your final piece of work? Determination and study skills might make the difference for you if you want to go for that 2:1.

[Snuppeline]

I really feel for you, it is so hard to study with children and it does seem a megre reward for your 4 years.

Ask yourself why you got 55% so far? Is it because you procrastinate and leave things too late and therefore haven't got the time to put enough intellectual thought into things? Is it because your not yet on the required intellectual level (please note that this wording implies that it is a skill that can be learned and is not a reflection of IQ as such!), is it because you are distracted by family or other pressures or is it because you don't particularly enjoy the courses/degree you've chosen? Once you've identified why your not achieving the 66% you need then you can start changing things around and might find that you do reach your required level.

I guess I do wonder why you choose history? As far as I understand its rarely a degree that you finish off with (i.e. just do the undergraduate). I am of the impression that most pair it with a second degree like a postgraduate degree which is more applied (and more aligned with a profession/occupation). I know people who did history and then did a masters in fields such as psychology, law, economics, marketing and business. Others have converted their degree to teaching. What were you planning to use that degree for?

Personally I think doing a degree is a good thing for most people as it is character shaping but perhaps the drawbacks of many years committment and debts mean its too costly an experience nowadays. I also think history is very meaningful a subject but I would advise you to think about what you want to use it for and make a plan. A year isn't a long time given that you'll need to catch applications for either further study or jobs for when you finish (basically november time or thereabouts, so 3 months away).

Take all the advise you get from lecturers on here!

[DDDixon]

It depends where you're studying as well - if the department has a good reputation it may well be that a 2:2 from there is thought of as highly as a 2:1 from somewhere else. Also if you got high marks in any particular assignments or exams you can use that as a selling point, I always took great pains to talk about the modules where I got a first and not to mention the ones where I got a third!