feel rubbish because I don't have the best grades

I achieved BCC at A-level in the summer and whilst I was pleased, I can't help but feel rubbish because I didn't get top grades and I'm not going to a top uni. Whilst I went to a good school, where a lot of people go to places like Oxbridge and in my January modules I achieved 3 As, I'm worried that people will think of me as not hardworking, lazy etc because of my grades. Even though I've always been really hardworking and I've love learning. My top choice is Nottingham Trent to study Politics and International Relations and although I really liked it at an open day, I'm worried I'll be surrounded by people who don't really care about their work or the course won't be challenging enough.
Basically, am I worrying too much about what people think about grades and 'lesser unis' because some of the stuff on here sometimes makes me feel really down, despite the fact I've always been successful at school and worked really hard.

Don't get down. You get out of life what you put in. And good grades aren't always a good indicator of success.

Thanks That's what I have to keep telling myself but sometimes it's hard when I see stuff like 'people who get anything less than ABB at A-level shouldn't go to university.'

I achieved BCC at A-level in the summer and whilst I was pleased, I can't help but feel rubbish because I didn't get top grades and I'm not going to a top uni. Whilst I went to a good school, where a lot of people go to places like Oxbridge and in my January modules I achieved 3 As, I'm worried that people will think of me as not hardworking, lazy etc because of my grades. Even though I've always been really hardworking and I've love learning. My top choice is Nottingham Trent to study Politics and International Relations and although I really liked it at an open day, I'm worried I'll be surrounded by people who don't really care about their work or the course won't be challenging enough.
Basically, am I worrying too much about what people think about grades and 'lesser unis' because some of the stuff on here sometimes makes me feel really down, despite the fact I've always been successful at school and worked really hard.

Hi Pink Pineapple. I'm Rob, an NTU Student Room Representative. I'm 20 and currently in my third year of university, undertaking my marketing placement with the university.

I also came from a good college and had similar worries, however as soon as I came to NTU my worries were eased. The only time you might talk about your A level grades is during freshers week with your flat mates. Apart from that, people really don't care about your grades at A level.

Before coming to Trent, I was frustrated that I didn't apply to 'better' universities, however I am absolutely loving NTU. The teaching is great, the people amazing and the opportunities fantastic.

My best advice would be to not let other people's opinions get you down. Many people will go to excellent universities and achieve little, while other will attend 'lesser' universities and achieve a great deal.

Do you have any other worries about university in general?

Is a Politics degree from Trent really worth 9% of your earnings over 21k for the next 30 years until you pay off a debt of nearly £27,000? Personally I'm not sure that it is.

Having said that I have no direct experience of the dept. I got a Politics degree from the other Nottingham based university. What I do know is that Politics graduates are ten a penny. I feel a little conned having "only" paid £3k fees.

Hi, if you do think of any more questions, feel free to post to my thread. I will be happy to answer any questions and I am online every Tuesday 3-4pm.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2509791

I achieved BCC at A-level in the summer and whilst I was pleased, I can't help but feel rubbish because I didn't get top grades and I'm not going to a top uni. Whilst I went to a good school, where a lot of people go to places like Oxbridge and in my January modules I achieved 3 As, I'm worried that people will think of me as not hardworking, lazy etc because of my grades. Even though I've always been really hardworking and I've love learning. My top choice is Nottingham Trent to study Politics and International Relations and although I really liked it at an open day, I'm worried I'll be surrounded by people who don't really care about their work or the course won't be challenging enough.
Basically, am I worrying too much about what people think about grades and 'lesser unis' because some of the stuff on here sometimes makes me feel really down, despite the fact I've always been successful at school and worked really hard.

Just to add to the thread, you'll find that TSR is not a representative sample of the real world. It's the sort of forum which would always attract people who are very bothered about their studies (which inflates the 'TSR average grade' way above the real average grade). And students are one of only three groups to obsess about university league tables (the other two groups being academics and education journalists). And broadly speaking, most of them haven't got a clue how the world works after university, or how 'valuable' any particular degree is.

Based on my own experience, and having spent 10 years working alongside hundreds of other people, including some time spent interviewing graduates for jobs, the person counts for almost the entire sum of their success. Not the name on the institution who awarded a certificate. The certificate will get you interviews, but you need something to say about yourself to get jobs. Get yourself a 2:1 and you'll be considered like pretty much everyone else with a 2:1 by almost every recruiter. Aside from UCAS requirements on some grad schemes, A Levels are almost irrelevant once you have a degree. Employers will ask to see what you got, but won't base their hiring decisions upon it.

BCC isn't the best result, nor is it the end of the world, it's better than I did during my first foray into education and I'm doing fine now. Every course will have some people who don't care, and some who are working as hard as you. You might have more people from poorer schools in your cohort than someone at Oxbridge, but there's no reason to believe that they won't work as hard as you, or that the course won't be challenging. Everyone has access to the same journals to do their personal research, and lectures, even at the highest-ranked universities, are intended as a basic introduction to the topic rather than a teaching exercise.

Well, you won't be eligible for most graduate schemes for one.


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Just a quick question though as you sound liek the sort of the person that would know the answer! Although I know it's quite a while in the future but after uni I'd quite like to go onto postgraduate study. If I get a 2:1 and had the right qualities, would anything stop me from going to a higher ranked uni for postgraduate studies?