Couldn't get near a first despite busting my ass

username974975

•

Recorded and attended all lectures

•

Moved back home during study leave to help focus

•

Gave up sport to focus on work from October

•

Treated the coursework that made up 70% of my biomed degree like it was a hobby and not work

•

Read around topic extensively

But ended up with a 2.1. What's gone wrong?

I've already asked for feedback from the professors who marked the work. Just worried that I might not be intellectually able especially with all the work i put in.

(edited 11 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Norton1

Original post by KenGosgrove

•

Recorded and attended all lectures

•

Moved back home during study leave to help focus

•

Gave up sport to focus on work from October

•

Treated the coursework that made up 70% of my biomed degree like it was a hobby and not work

•

Read around topic extensively

But ended up with a very average module grades in my 2.1. What's gone wrong?

I've already asked for feedback from the professors who marked the work. Just worried that I might not be intellectually able especially with all the work i put in.

If this is your final degree classification I would suggest your level is probably evident from how you've done over the last few years.

Reply 2

edjunkie

You say you read around your subject and completed coursework with a hobbyist enthusiasm. This maybe part of the reason you didn't achieve the highest mark, you may inadvertently reduced the amount of relevant content by losing focus. So good breath of coverage but insufficient depth given the coursework topic.

Get your feedback and then go and talk to your lecturer(s) about where you missed marks. If this isn't your final year, in future seek feedback as you go.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

geeksandtherest

OP I am not yet at university so cannot give a definite reply without having experienced the workload first hand. But one thing I have learned when it comes to learning and attaining good marks is the notion of working smart rather than working hard i.e. studying all the time without a clear study plan or structure.

Based on the description you have given above, it seems as though you did not create an effective study plan. As a result, might have resulted in you presumably reading around your subject without a clear aim and purpose of what exactly you were aiming to achieve. By this I mean carrying out a self analysis as a student such as identifying areas within the Biomed degree which are of your strengths and weaknesses. And then working on either to ensure you constantly are improving. This is only an assumption so I could be wrong. But I do gather this from the “hobby” label you attached to your degree.

Lastly, although you say you did seek help and advice from lectures on your performance. My question is was the feedback constructive or just basic points without recommendations for improvements commented on your work. I ask this because lectures obliviously teach many students so do not have time to give each student detailed feedback on their assignment. For this reason, I personally would suggest that you should ask some of your course mates to provide a copy of their assignment in order to compare the standards with yours. This will enable you to identify exactly what improvements are needed or not to achieve high marks next time.

Reply 4

WarriorInAWig

inb4 jelly. I did get a 2:1 average :P

Be grateful for what you receive! My friend got a 3rd. Sure I'd have been made up if my Master's 2:2 was a 2:1 but whatever will be, will be. As above posts have said, get feedback from your tutors or just be happy, you have a 2:1!!!!!

Reply 5

SpicyStrawberry

It's not so much the amount of time you spend doing your work, it's about the quality of it. Despite attending all lectures and doing extensive research, you might have lost the focus of your coursework if you were treating it as a hobby rather than serious work - the technique might not have been right for what you were asked to do.

As others have said, get your feedback from tutors and see what they say - all we can do is assume reasons you didn't get a first.

Reply 6

Jake22

It is a good grade. A first is meant to be the absolute tops.

I tried really hard at my football when I was younger - why wasn't I picked up by at least a Vauxhall Conference club?

Don't sweat it dude - be pleased with what you got. It is possible that you weren't as efficient as possible or didn't jump through the hoops well enough (you need to make sure essays and exams aren't just good - they have to be precisely what the lecturer is looking for in terms of content/approach/level etc. this is sometimes a subtle thing to reckon) bu does it really matter at this stage?

Reply 7

admbeatmaker

Original post by KenGosgrove

•

Recorded and attended all lectures - Doesn't make a difference.

•

Moved back home during study leave to help focus - Doesn't make a difference, in fact I think it's better to study away from family, they can be a distraction

•

Gave up sport to focus on work from October - You need time outside of work so you can relax and then refocus your efforts.

•

Treated the coursework that made up 70% of my biomed degree like it was a hobby and not work

•

Read around topic extensively

A 2.1 is still great. You should be proud.

Reply 8

laura130490

Biomed is a hard degree. I busted my ass as well will only get a 2.1. Don't be too hard on yourself, a 2.1 is great, not many people get firsts.

Reply 9

username974975

Original post by admbeatmaker

A 2.1 is still great. You should be proud.

Why wouldn't turning up to lectures make a difference? Any other bits of advice you could give? I found the things in bold kinda interesting.

Reply 10

admbeatmaker

Original post by KenGosgrove

Why wouldn't turning up to lectures make a difference? Any other bits of advice you could give? I found the things in bold kinda interesting.

Because by just attending lectures it doesn't mean you're benefitting from them. Lectures serve simply as a forum to introduce your weekly material that you need to learn. The lecturers will go over the topics quite briefly, then it's up to you to go away and do the reading to learn it in detail. In my first year at another university, I hardly learned anything from lectures.

Reply 11

username974975

Original post by admbeatmaker

That's interesting. I think I went in with the mentality that learning and understanding the material mentioned in the lectures would give me a first. I guess that works for multiple choice exams but not so well in essays?

Reply 12

sw3

You may be working hard, but are you working smart? Despite attending all your lectures etc, are you focusing on what you need to know for your exam. A lot of the time, marks are lost because you're not writing what your examiners want to hear. Perhaps talk to your tutors/ lecturers to get a feel for what they look for in the exam. Look at the previous years exam and exam feedback. Hope this helps

Reply 13

username974975

Original post by sw3

Thought that was what I was doing by reading/recording the lectures? That would have told me what they wanted us to know.

Reply 14

sw3

Original post by KenGosgrove

Thought that was what I was doing by reading/recording the lectures? That would have told me what they wanted us to know.

From my experience, lecture notes are terrible. They are overly concise, with several spelling errors and teach you nothing. However, they are good for gaining an introduction to what you need to learn. Thereafter, you need to consult your course textbook and look at questions. This will develop your understanding of the topic far greater than just reading broadly around your subject

Reply 15

Twinkle1

Original post by KenGosgrove

Thought that was what I was doing by reading/recording the lectures? That would have told me what they wanted us to know.

from experience and what I was always told they want you to 'go the extra mile' and look beyond the lectures and show 'original thought'. That is normally the wording on the mark sheets throughout my undergrad degree.
but not sure how that works on a biomed degree

Reply 16

username974975

Original post by sw3

I never did that. For the exams I just looked at the lecture notes with a few reviews thrown into help my understanding of the topic as a whole.

Reply 17

username974975

This is shocking. Always thought you had to learn the material in the lectures, first and foremost, not read around only. I always thought it was a choice between the two as time/effort limits doing both...

Reply 18

Twinkle1

Original post by KenGosgrove

I think you might have answered your question there. it isn't a choice between the two. it is a case of doing both. of course first and foremost the lecture material is vital as that is the outline of the modules and the course, but from there you need to look further.
I have no understanding of your subject but for instance in my subjects (this is an 'idea of what I mean!')
Say for example I have been taught about a theory about how companies deal with procurement and order fulfilment by author X, and got asked about ways in which companies do this in an exam, I would have learnt that theory, but also found in the literature/theory/academic texts another author who has a similar view or contradicting view? Does that make sense?

Also - you didn't mention but is this your final grading for your overall degree? or just part way through?

Reply 19

username728604

Original post by KenGosgrove

If anything lecturers don't want to hear what they've told you in lectures and want you to demonstrate that you've read around the subject and also your own analysis on whatever the subject is. Exams and assignments are about you demonstrating your understanding and you can best do this by showing them the conclusion that you yourself have come to based on the large amount of research that you say you're doing. Just working hard alone will not get you top results and it goes the same in everyday life.