Justifying a low mark in a module

Hey everyone!

I have just finished the second year of my undergraduate degree and I will be applying to several universities from September onwards (Manchester, Nottingham, UCL, Imperial and Leeds, where they all ask only for a 2:1 OR for a 2:1 or above) in order to undertake an MSc in Risk Management for the 2016/2017 academic year. Also, before I get to my main question, I just want to briefly describe my academic profile so far in order for my question to make sense to you.

I have managed to average a 66% and 65% overall (mid to high 2:1s) for the first and second corresponding years of my mathematical and financial degree (Maths and Actuarial Science). To be more specific, all of the marks for my second year modules have consistently been a 2:1 or above, except for one in which I managed to obtain a 45%, and which I consider it to be the outlier module score of my second year. I will also be doing an internship in China for 2 months working as an investment and risk analyst.

So my question is: during the application process of the universities, will I need to justify the reason for why I scored poorly on that specific module? Or should I just ignore it and only justify it if the admission board of the universities ask me to do so? Is it a big deal if I don't do well on that specific module but perform well on the rest?

I must admit that it is a 10 credit module, so it is generally deemed to be less important than those that are 20 credits, which means that maybe the admission board will pay less attention to it, or maybe they will just pay attention to the overall mark of the degree.

I would therefore really appreciate it if you guys could advice me on what to do regarding the justification of the module mark as I am very confused about it. Also, my apologies for the length of this post and for almost making you fall asleep whilst reading it, and I know I may be panicking a bit too much about it and that universities don't only pay attention to the module marks, but this is very important to me as I am extremely interested in getting into a masters like this one.

Thanks a lot guys, and peace

If you are interviewed, you may be asked about this outlier module, in which case you need to have an answer ready that doesn't sound (a) defensive or (b) lacking in insight. At the paper/online stage, I would personally be inclined not to draw attention to it, unless the topic is particularly relevant to the MSc you want to do, in which case you might want to offer a brief comment on it in your supporting statement. You might also like to discuss the situation with your referee/s and see what they think.

I've applied to a lot of masters courses (and had a number of offers) over time.

I can tell you confidently that if they ask for a 2:1 and are hardcore about this they are unlikely to pick apart how you got it. They'll either give you an offer outright or judge you on your personal statement and or interview.

Additionally some unis ask for a 2:1 but will accept you with a 2:2. I am proof of this on multiple occasions.

I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet here but I think it's important here to emphasise the extent to which a low mark in one module should not be a problem if you get a 2:1 overall for the unis that are strict on the 2:1 thing.

That's actually really helpful to know! Do you mind telling me which universities gave you an offer for an MSc after obtaining a 2:2? Thanks again.

Oh annnnd, I did my undergraduate at a Russel Group and two postgraduates (one pending) at ex polys and I swear they've been much of a muchness.

Your university application anecdote definitely makes me feel better then I am just not going to mention the outlier module mark unless they ask me to do so I think. And if they do, I will just try and explain it as natural and sincere as possible. I am expecting that Imperial will probably be the most strict out of the universities that I will be applying to, but hopefully the rest of the universities can be a bit more considerate and 'lenient' to a certain extent. Cheers for your help!

I wouldn't worry about it. I've been accepted to two different masters degrees at Cambridge with a first year module fail and resit on my transcript. If the rest of your record is good, preferably shows improvement over time, and you have good referendes, you should be fine. I'd imagine the only questions would arise if it was something crucial for the masters you want to do but that doesn't seem the case.

That makes me feel so much better, and wow, well done, that is very impressive! Did you only apply to Cambridge for your masters, or did you apply to other universities as well? By the way, who did you ask to do the academic reference letters for you? And finally, which university did you attend beforehand (if you do not mind me asking of course)?

Sorry for flooding you with questions! And thanks a lot for your help!