Desmond woke up, he looked towards his computer as soon as he did so, jumping up anxiously out of his bed and grabbing the laptop beside him. He was on holiday at the time with his girlfriend. Today was results day.
Desmond eagerly anticipated his grades, nervous and scared, but very excited, for Desmond had worked very hard this year. Desmond studies a science subject, and had to write a lengthly report that was over 20k words in addition to creating software projects. (Desmond studies computer Science btw)
He opened his results, and his heart sank. He read "SECOND CLASS DIVISION 2"
He frantically Googled his grade, in shock, in horror, he knew what it meant but he was hoping some how, that this was some kind of mistake. Google answered his search, and responded with his worst fears, a nightmarish moment he will never forget, he had been awarded a 2:2.
He was confused, he had been receiving 2:1's all year, his project was given a first, voted by the university as one of the best of the year, he presented it at their open day, how could this be!
Desmond realised his efforts had fallen short because in his second year, he had achieved a third. All his efforts in his final year lay to waste and now he was stained with a 2:2.
Everyone he knows, graduated with a 2:1, his girlfriend, who had done no work during their relationship, who was out partying whilst he was at home studying had achieved a 2:1 in Philosophy. Oh how Desmond was in despair, he was ashamed of his grade, ashamed of all he achieved, angry, sad, he was lower than he had been.
He searched online, hoping, praying that others similar to his plight could alleviate some of his trauma. But he was met with a horde of TSR pseudo-acedemic non-graduates.
"2:2, i'd be ashamed of myself", "dude, look forward to working in macdonalds", "might as well have not bothered going to uni"
Oh Desmond tried to appeal to his uni, he was only 1% away after all, but he was rejected.
And now Desmond has failed, he has lost it all, he thought that the shame would leave him once he found a graduate job, but alas, no one would have him.
he found that 70% of all graduate jobs require a 2:1 or above, he found none that would accept him. Now the 2:2 was really burning him, now he was truly being punished.
but it went further, his dream of doing postgraduate courses at the Russell group unis was squashed. For every application he would skim to the "entry requirements" section, only to be met with the great insurmountable gate-keeper, "minimum 2:1 required" he saw at every corner he turned, on application after application.
He has paid upwards of £25k, spent 4 years studying only to receive a grade that does not add anything to his life, but revoke it, does not augment his employability and eligibility, but actually reduces it. The 2:2 stain, screaming of laziness or inability. He has ruined his life, and 1% away...
It has been weeks of peaks and throughs, of depression, anger and sorrow. Desmond finds himself frantically obsessed about his grade, and mortified. His department in university has shut down, and Desmond suffered the inevitable harsh marking of lecturers and professors who knew their jobs were finished. Desmond also suffered great personal problems he doesn't like to hide behind, but that greatly affected him in his second year, and it was after all his second year that dragged him down.
achieving AAA at A-Level, Desmond was great, but now he forever will be a failure. His dreams crushed, all over that 1%, his life is ruined.
(Btw, I am Desmond)