WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A 2:2?

With degree awarding ceremonies now completed, GRB reveals in their latest survey that Class of 2011 is equally as frank as last year’s crop of graduates when it comes to explaining why they might have achieved a 2:2 rather than a higher degree class.

This year 37% were prepared to admit they simply did not work hard enough - a rise of 2% over last year.  A further 25% claimed they had issues of one kind or another that affected their studies family, health or financial issues. One in five admitted that they worked as hard as they could and a
2:2 was the best they could achieve, down slightly on the previous year and 14% found their course harder than expected.

Dan Hawes, GRB Co-founder added, “Perhaps students don’t realise that unlike A Levels most universities won’t allow you to retake your final year exams so it’s really important to do your best possible attempt first time round. A 2:1 is a prerequisite for many graduate schemes but not all. In fact I got a 2:2 and it made me more determined so it’s not all bad you just have to be more creative in your job search.”

Research conducted by AGR this summer showed that three quarters of employers specified a 2:1 when recruiting which tends to suggest that those with a lower second or third have failed in some way which, of course, is not the case. It is refreshing to discover the honesty of graduates in
analyzing why they got a certain class of degree.

There are lots of reasons why some students don’t achieve as high marks as others and this research helps to put the degree classification contest into perspective. We should also bear in mind that the 2:1 is not a standard across the HE sector. The way in which students work is assessed varies not just
from university to university but also from course to course at the same institution.