Universities/colleges forget to tell you one minor thing

Im writing from a host of different opinions on this matter-past students graduating since 2007 up till now , not just my own experience or a simple google search.

You would think that a degree 'over rides' your A-levels, as it is the most recent but that is not the case, employers filter you out on the basis of a-levels and degree qualification not your GCSE's. So like I said you could get a 1st but if you have 320 ucas points- then the door remains shut.

Booyah: Literacy and numercy are needed and they are tested during psychometric tests, to get to that stage of taking the test you need to meet the min requirements- which is 340 ucas points and a min 2.1 in a lot of cases- look at milkround.com and gander at some job specs and try it out.

Finally, I'm not saying any of this to put a dampner on anyones achievement of getting to university in the first place, it is something that does need to be brought to attention though so that you don't find yourself in a postion where you want to work in a certain industry, proceed to get the relevant degree and put all the effort in, then finally realise the front door option was always closed since day one.

depends on what course, things like engineering and stuff it doesnt matter, simply because the people hiring you and sometimes top people in the company have done hnd & hnc at ex poly

ie i think the lead engineer at babcock has

it really depends on subject, ie professional degrees are much much more feasible at lower tier unis

What industries?? I start a history degree in September at a low tier uni, with the main purpose of becoming a secondary school teacher, failing that something to do with the government or something :/

Teaching requires grade C or above in English and Maths too.

So what happened to going to uni to satisfy ones intellectual curiosity or to fulfil an academic interest?

People who think degrees are a way of getting a job, outside engineering/medicine etc, are deluded. Even Oxbridge students aren't guaranteed a job. The candidate is much more important that the institution they went to.

The world is bigger than London, and bigger than FTSE 100 companies

Well, my main bug bear was that you stated "most" or the majority of graduate employers do this. It's not even a large minority. This is therefore exaggerating the problem in order to scare people.

Again, a university isn't going to know what a particular student's career plans are when they apply (perhaps the student doesn't even know). University provides an opportunity for a student to study a subject at an advanced level, develop transferable skills, and take part in volunteering and internships that will allow him (or her) to explore career options. At the age of 18 you're still uncomplete as a person. Moreoever, many of these university's offer professional courses, particularly health care courses. Do you think the NHS care about A-levels?

The decision to study a degree is, at least in part, an academic decision and at the application stage this is what the university's are interested in - your academic potential, suitability, and motivation. It is not the university's responsibility to interrogate teenagers about their possible career plans and perhaps confuse them.

It is in the university's best interest for its students to find employment after graduation as employment statistics are used in league tables. This is why they willl (or should) provide as much support and advice during the students' time at university. However, yes, universities are a business and it's also in their interest to get bums and seats and not scare off applicants needlessly.

I thank you for brining this to the attention of people, though I think many applicants (or soon to be applicants) are already aware that this happens having looked at adverts, internships and browsed TSR (as UCAS tarrifs are frequently mentioned). But please don't suggest the majority of employers do this.

The course says Grade C in English and Maths GCSE, not a-level?

The course says Grade C in English and Maths GCSE, not a-level?

it's this weeks outing of the 'evil ex poly' meme.

Point 1: a university doesn't know the students chosen career path prior to attending university-agreed, and in most cases neither does the student- but what would be helpful is if a student wishes to follow a certain career path, then the uni should advise on the minimum ucas points requirement for a typical role- before the student hands over the money and starts a course with a belief that they have a chance of even sending off an application.

Point 2: transferable skills can be gained via work not just by university

Point 3:No the NHS prob wouldn't care about a-levels, and prob only care about getting the cheapest staff for their buck.

Point 4: with no disrespect intended- but finding work after uni could be classified as working in temp roles- such as telesales, or field sales that are so common these days. The mid-lower table uni's support aftet uni is pretty poor...

Point 5: the decision to study a degree now days is not just an academic decision- people coming out of college can also see it as essential step to getting a job, because this is what we have been forced fed by the government/employers for so many years.

The best bit of advice would be to way up several potential careers and contact employers within that industry before you start uni- ask what they are looking for post graduation in terms of ucas points- if you don't have that either pick another career or try and network your way into a internship(which with certain jobs do require ucas points) or via friends etc.

Point 1: a university doesn't know the students chosen career path prior to attending university-agreed, and in most cases neither does the student- but what would be helpful is if a student wishes to follow a certain career path, then the uni should advise on the minimum ucas points requirement for a typical role- before the student hands over the money and starts a course with a belief that they have a chance of even sending off an application.

Point 2: transferable skills can be gained via work not just by university

Point 3:No the NHS prob wouldn't care about a-levels, and prob only care about getting the cheapest staff for their buck.

Point 4: with no disrespect intended- but finding work after uni could be classified as working in temp roles- such as telesales, or field sales that are so common these days. The mid-lower table uni's support aftet uni is pretty poor...

Point 5: the decision to study a degree now days is not just an academic decision- people coming out of college can also see it as essential step to getting a job, because this is what we have been forced fed by the government/employers for so many years.

The best bit of advice would be to way up several potential careers and contact employers within that industry before you start uni- ask what they are looking for post graduation in terms of ucas points- if you don't have that either pick another career or try and network your way into a internship(which with certain jobs do require ucas points) or via friends etc.

you don't need A level maths to become a history teacher. The whole thread is degenerating into a bunch of unhelpful, scary daily mail style disinformation imo.

it's this weeks outing of the 'evil ex poly' meme.

some of the more 'prestigious' uni's when applying for a pgce in secondary teaching will specify A-Levels (IE, grade B in the subject you want to teach) however the majority simply require a grade C in English and Maths GCSE and a C in GCSE science if wanting to teach primary.

However, where you do your PGCE doesn't really matter.

Thank you

I have all 3 and an English A-level, so I think I'll be okay.

It is not the responsibility of the university and the university probably does not have the resources.

Makes you wonder where all that money is going, if they can't just say a typical accounting job requires 300- 340 after graduation, or a typical nursing job requires so many a-level grades, etc etc

I know they can. I didn't say they can't.

I know you know, but many young 17/18 year olds have been bombarded with the fact that uni is the only way to get these skills.


They will care about getting the best staff. I don't know what you mean by "cheapest" staff. NHS pay bands are already in existence and publicised. I wouldn't say that the salary for a pharmacist or physiotherapist is quite low. They are decent middle class salaries.

My friend is a physio and the salary ain't that great compared to another friend in the private sector

The NHS, which is a large graduate employer, was also just one example. I don't think their graduate management programme asks for a UCAS tarriff (correct me if I'm wrong) either.

wouldn't know


Not necessarily. I'm referring to league tables and these are used to specifically show how many students are in graduate employment or further study. The definition of "graduate job" may be outdated but it probably does not include the roles you are referring to.



I didn't say it was just an academic one. If students are paying up to 9k a year then it's natural that they should expect a financial return. My point is that it is not the responsibility of admissions tutors to determine whether this will be a good move for the applicants' career. All they are concerned with his academic factors. Furthermore, as Meat is Murder has already mentioned, some students study a degree as it provides them with the opportunityto study a subject they are passionate about and they aren't particularly interested in their career prospects. A university is not to know the students' motivation, or anything about the student, beyond what's on the UCAS form.

fair play to those that can afford to study a degree for enjoyment and not worry about the ultimate outcome and their career prospects. A university is not to know a students motivation?? I think knowing someones motivation and end goal as to why they have handed over 9k is important and should be a standard, handing over that amount of money and not caring about the reasons why a student has done that is a pathetic service.


Perhaps. So why didn't you say that in your opening post instead of wrongly stating that most graduate employers require 340 UCAS points?