Obviously it's completely dependent on your intelligence, how hard you work, what subject you do, where you study, what you're good at, whether you're examined by coursework or exams etc.

My opinion is that if someone says getting a 1st was easy, either a) they're lying. b) they did a doss degree. or c) they did a degree that's well suited to them.

Reply 10

Antifazian

Depends on the subject, uni, the person etc. Just like anything if you have a talent for it, then it wont be too difficult.

I have got firsts in a few of my essays, and in one module overall with little effort, but I think that getting one for your final degree classification is probably quite difficult because every essay you write or exam you sit obviously needs to be very, very good and it's hard to maintain that.

Reply 11

Ben_Dover

Original post by MrHappy_J

I've achieved 70% and above in some coursework pieces, and I'm not intelligent. It can't be that hard.

I got tons of 70% and above as well but maintaining this in everything for 3 years is tough. It also depends a lot on the subject....for some, it is very difficult to achieve that first

Reply 12

ShredMaster

Its easy man. Just badabing badaboom and there: sorted.

Reply 13

SophiaKeuning

My sister got a first despite doing rubbish in her GCSEs and not doing A Levels.
I genuinely think some unis make it easier for people to get a first. I mean, you get some people at 'higher ranking' unis whose lecturers say that hardly anyone is going to do well, and then you get unis like Glamorgan saying last year a quarter of the students in that course had a a first, 2/4 had a 2.1. :wtf:

I'm proud of my sister, but I mean come on, in her final presentation she had 75%, she complained to the lecturer and got 80%. It's just annoying the way unis become competitive and want the better grades.

She does Business, and for her accounting module she's **** at maths so my mum (who has no experience in accountancy or uni) did it for her and got top of the class. Now I know my mum's pretty f***ing intelligent, but that seems a little too easy for me.

I know I seem like a bitter bitch for saying this, but I guess I am. :u:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 14

MrHappy_J

Original post by Ben_Dover

I got tons of 70% and above as well but maintaining this in everything for 3 years is tough. It also depends a lot on the subject....for some, it is very difficult to achieve that first

True. Most of my essays are crap. And no way am I smart enough to write a dissertation. I'm on my way for a solid Third :smile:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 15

Ben_Dover

Original post by MrHappy_J

True. Most of my essays are crap. And no way am I smart enough to write a dissertation. I'm on my way for a solid Third :smile:

Dude aim for at least a 2:1....things will get a lot more difficult with a 3rd, unless of course you got contacts. Dissertations are alot easier then people think to be honest...once you start and there's plenty of academic literature in that area, it should be easy to get at least a 2:1

Reply 16

Howbeit

In Psychology at Southampton they operate a categorical marking system along a normal distribution. This means only the top % can achieve a 1st. I hate this kind of marking system as even if the whole group is clever enough to achieve a 1st, unless they score 100% it is impossible to do so. I achieved 68% in my first year and am hoping to get the 1st overall (first year doesn't count).

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 17

PagowenTheGreat

Original post by RobertWhite

Sometimes using a bell curve is the best system, though - this year only one person out of a total of 18 graduating from my course got a 1st.

Reply 18

Howbeit

Original post by PagowenTheGreat

Sometimes using a bell curve is the best system, though - this year only one person out of a total of 18 graduating from my course got a 1st.

It's definitely a harsher marking system and employers don't understand this. So if I went to another university where it might be easier to get a 1st they wouldn't understand by getting one at Soton that it was harder.

Reply 19

.Scout.

I think it depends which subject aswell...I study an arts subject and I know that it can be pretty tough to get firsts.

With essays there is always something else you can add, or it could be marked subjectively (which happends far too often...). There is also no 100% right answer. Lecturers within my dept are also so inconsistant when it comes to giving grades...I can get firsts with some lecturers yet scrape 2:1s with others.