The Miscellaneous Thread

You applying to the NHS scheme? I am practicing some maths atm

I thought SJT's would be really easy as i've got a decent employment history/experience managing groups of people. The one I did was such a mind**** though. It's made me think really carefully about what I want to look at next. Aldi's one looks amazing but then it's retail and i'm not sure if I want to go down that route.

I've just got a job for now, it's not a graduate role but it's a good salary and it gets me some really good experience which should help me in the future. I'm starting to lean towards a career in something like Finance/Accountancy, which makes my decision to take a History degree look rather silly.

Well done on the offer, you're brave for wanting to study further. What course is that for? I'd love to do a Masters in a year or two, but right now it's really good to have a break because third year took so much out of me.

Thanks for your kind words SR90!

Yes. It's interesting because I remember you saying you found the Numerical Reasoning tests easy, which I found astonishing, as I find them really really hard. Even my friend who is on for a 1st Economics at LSE fails the Maths tests. So you must be a pretty strong candidate!!

I've always found mental maths really easy, not too sure what the cause is for that. We had a test like that for this job I went for, most people were frantically using their calculators but most things I could work out in my head. I always found other areas of Maths like trig, algebra & vectors incredibly difficult which is probably what put me off studying the subject further.

Aldi is the false dawn for graduates. I'm in process of application now and applied in placement year as well (you know what happened). It's always a whisker away but never closer...

Anyone applying for graduate jobs/undergraduate degrees/postgraduate degrees at this time?

I'm starting to get applications in, I can feel the nerves rising. Doing a Situational Judgement Test this morning, insanely difficult!

Someone at my uni got on Aldi with a 2:2 even though you need a 2:1, they just liked him and let him off, so it's doable. Best of luck. You could try Lidl as well, you start on £38,000 there (helping the competition here!)

Sorry to hear that man. Yeah it's so competitive. My first two grad scheme applications I didn't even make it past the application form. Insane how competitive these schemes are. I suppose it's the fact that you go to uni, you want to feel "rewarded" for that, I'd be looking to start on 25k minimum, ideally towards 30k. But perhaps I'm just a delusional third year student in an era where about 45% of school leavers go to uni and where there is on average about 50 applications per place.

Maths part is fine for me. Got 850 on my Quantitative reasoning for UKCAT, highest in the year for that but I struggle with everything else. Haven't managed groups of people. Don't know how it is like to work in a company. Is it worth getting a book for these tests e.g or just using free online services?

Got rejected by Network rails supply chain scheme. Tbh I knew I would I just wanted to get a feel of applying for Grad jobs. Two rejections from M&S and Network rail so far. Will apply for NHS by the end of this month most probably.

Take about 4-5 secs to think your answer through, if no alarm bells ring it's likely right. If they do, another 4-5 secs to think again; if it's the same, use that, if different change it.

Haha we might not be competition unless you're boring like me and want to go into corporate tax. Yeah I'm just plotting through applications now, NHS is £25k+ I think so would like a job there. However anywhere where they pay for my exams is good for me. You not decided about your masters or grad job yet then?

Are you taking grad medicine then?

I am also applying for the civil service, generalist scheme.

Everything is insanely competitive and I do have a feeling I will still run short this cycle. It is hard to keep optimistic.

Na this was back in sixth form. Don't wanna do Medicine any more.

Yeah not enough graduate roles. You just need to accentuate your strengths and disguise your weaknesses.

I feel you here as well. It's annoying going to university for 3 years getting a degree and finding out you're not good enough for a graduate job and have to go entry level, just makes university absolutely pointless.

When is the Civil Service Stream deadline?

I've always found mental maths really easy, not too sure what the cause is for that. We had a test like that for this job I went for, most people were frantically using their calculators but most things I could work out in my head. I always found other areas of Maths like trig, algebra & vectors incredibly difficult which is probably what put me off studying the subject further.

Thanks for your kind words SR90!

Yes. It's interesting because I remember you saying you found the Numerical Reasoning tests easy, which I found astonishing, as I find them really really hard. Even my friend who is on for a 1st Economics at LSE fails the Maths tests. So you must be a pretty strong candidate!

Yes the SJT are hard. Earlier on I did one, one of the questions had five responses and they were all good, it seemed very difficult when you are putting something like "Confidence, approach the task in a calm and orderly manner" as the least effective response!

Well done on getting your job man. You see, I worked for a bit before uni, and found it hard to give that up to go to uni, but I really wanted to go, so I did. Anyway, now I've got it in my head that I want to be Eboracum BA MA, I feel as though I should do a Masters now, as if I get on the right grad scheme I'll never leave, and well, a Masters is for life.

Aldi looks insane. 41k and a company car. Someone from my uni got on it last year. I'd be happy to do it. So many great grad schemes out there. We had a huge JP Morgan event on campus today (so much for the people on here that think only London unis are "target" ones) and it seemed interesting, but I don't think banking is for me, I'd favour business/energy/oil/pharmaceuticals something like that!

Ah, a Historian! Awesome subject, I did History at A Level. I'm a politician, I do BA Politics now, my offer is for MA International Relations. So happy with that. They were my first choice at undergrad but rejected me, so I'm happy to have the offer. I've applied to UCL as well, waiting to hear from them, so will see what happens!

3rd Nov.

And yeah, it is becoming a real distinct possibility that I am going to be working a job (and stuck in one) that means I cannot ever afford to buy a house and start a family if I want to. I live with a Liverpool grad in his 30's, he is a ticket seller in a theatre. The right breaks just did not happen for him. Academically he was very able, but I think a lot of it is to do with fate, luck.

That really is not great news for me but I could understand how that can happen relatively easily to anyone especially in the last couple of years. I am 23 now and I can see it is going to take a long while to be able to save for a deposit, let alone a house tbh. How old are you?

I am 23 too. I had a graduate job as a contractor for a bank, but that did not work out. Life gets hard after graduation when you are selling labour. Graduates are just a resource really for the titans, we're not really needed too much in the current day. So we are finding it a lot tougher than previous generations imo. Another guy I am mates with, he's a chef in his 40's and he said even the holidays back when he was my age were longer. They used to go for two weeks and even more. Music was great and he thinks that even the girls were better in those days because they were less fat and arrogant about their educations. He is adamant that people were happier back in the 80's and 90's, a lot of things have changed (and not all for the better).

It's all tied into the economic freedom of the individual really. Because we individually have little money as graduates (even though our parents may be financially comfortable) it really impacts on our social prospects. Economically, we are the ****ed generation. We are left with a lot of mess.

Stress man, you lot are all talking about grad schemes n jobs and here I am helping out my friend with his UCAS application lol

I am 23 too. I had a graduate job as a contractor for a bank, but that did not work out. Life gets hard after graduation when you are selling labour. Graduates are just a resource really for the titans, we're not really needed too much in the current day. So we are finding it a lot tougher than previous generations imo. Another guy I am mates with, he's a chef in his 40's and he said even the holidays back when he was my age were longer. They used to go for two weeks and even more. Music was great and he thinks that even the girls were better in those days because they were less fat and arrogant about their educations. He is adamant that people were happier back in the 80's and 90's, a lot of things have changed (and not all for the better).

It's all tied into the economic freedom of the individual really. Because we individually have little money as graduates (even though our parents may be financially comfortable) it really impacts on our social prospects. Economically, we are the ****ed generation. We are left with a lot of mess.