Third class offer masters guildhall law and business

Original post by Kiddo276

Is it worth doing a masters with a third class? I was ill when I graduated and therefore got a compensatory pass degree

The only school to offer me a place is londonmet

If I try for a PhD after masters will having gone to a less renowned university cost me alot? Or can I still apply if I get a distinction

If you excel on your masters and have very strong mitigating factors a Phd might be possible, but your opportunities for funding will be much harder now. I’ve never met anyone on a PhD with a third class, but a lot will depend exactly on your circumstances - and how you perform on your masters.

I suppose a big question for a PhD is if the third class was due to very explainable lost credits, what was track record beforehand... i.e. first & second year. How much relevant work experience do you have.

id say you need to demonstrate over & above in your other areas to compensate for the very low performance. It’s a long shot now.

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@Reality Check @Mr Wednesday @gjd800

Reply 2

gjd800

Original post by mnot

If you excel on your masters and have very strong mitigating factors a Phd might be possible, but your opportunities for funding will be much harder now. I’ve never met anyone on a PhD with a third class, but a lot will depend exactly on your circumstances - and how you perform on your masters.

I suppose a big question for a PhD is if the third class was due to very explainable lost credits, what was track record beforehand... i.e. first & second year. How much relevant work experience do you have.

id say you need to demonstrate over & above in your other areas to compensate for the very low performance. It’s a long shot now.

-
@Reality Check @Mr Wednesday @gjd800

I agree, really. It doesn't look likely, to be honest.

Reply 3

Reality Check

22

Original post by mnot

If you excel on your masters and have very strong mitigating factors a Phd might be possible, but your opportunities for funding will be much harder now. I’ve never met anyone on a PhD with a third class, but a lot will depend exactly on your circumstances - and how you perform on your masters.

I suppose a big question for a PhD is if the third class was due to very explainable lost credits, what was track record beforehand... i.e. first & second year. How much relevant work experience do you have.

id say you need to demonstrate over & above in your other areas to compensate for the very low performance. It’s a long shot now.

-
@Reality Check @Mr Wednesday @gjd800

Yep, I too agree with this - it's not going to happen.

London Met really doesn't help itself with that cliché of the 'worst uni in the country', does it?

Original post by Kiddo276

Is it worth doing a masters with a third class? I was ill when I graduated and therefore got a compensatory pass degree

The only school to offer me a place is londonmet

If I try for a PhD after masters will having gone to a less renowned university cost me alot? Or can I still apply if I get a distinction

What were your marks like up the point at which you got ill? Were you consistently working at the I or strong 2(i) level?

Reply 4

Mr Wednesday

19

Original post by mnot

If you excel on your masters and have very strong mitigating factors a Phd might be possible, but your opportunities for funding will be much harder now. I’ve never met anyone on a PhD with a third class, but a lot will depend exactly on your circumstances - and how you perform on your masters.

I suppose a big question for a PhD is if the third class was due to very explainable lost credits, what was track record beforehand... i.e. first & second year. How much relevant work experience do you have.

id say you need to demonstrate over & above in your other areas to compensate for the very low performance. It’s a long shot now.

-
@Reality Check @Mr Wednesday @gjd800

While I have seen a few students make a remarkable turnaround in their marks, I don’t think this situation is salvageable just by adding an MSc from London Met. The combination of a 3rd and even a decent mark from what is one of the UKs lowest ranked institutions is really not going to be competitive for a PhD position I am afraid.

Reply 5

OP

My grades were more 2:2 before I got ill. I'm gonna take the advice and just forget about doing this then. Its clear its not possible realistically.

Reply 6

OP

Can I not do a phd at a lower ranked university and get a job at a lower ranked university?

Reply 7

Mr Wednesday

19

Original post by Kiddo276

Can I not do a phd at a lower ranked university and get a job at a lower ranked university?

A PhD with any kind of funding attached, no, I don’t think so. Someone might take you on if you self fund, but that is high risk (for both you and the supervisor) and really not recommended. As for the academic job, sorry but no. A PhD is just the start of that process and in my field you simply don’t make that transition without a lot of other things first, several years of productive post doc time and lots of publications and then an individual fellowship for maybe another 5 years, those are without exception hyper competitive 50-100 applicants per post affairs.

Reply 8

OP

Hi, sorry to bother you guys again.

I just wanted to ask, does the PhD funding from student finance of 28k work the same way as undergrad degrees?

If this is the case I believe I can afford a phd. I'm on disability, but that wouldn't make me ineligible for phd funding. Self funding I can continue with my disability and housing is done via the council.

So does this mean I can still go for a phd?

Reply 9

OP

@Mr Wednesday
@mnot
@gjd800

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 10

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Kiddo276

Hi, sorry to bother you guys again.

I just wanted to ask, does the PhD funding from student finance of 28k work the same way as undergrad degrees?

If this is the case I believe I can afford a phd. I'm on disability, but that wouldn't make me ineligible for phd funding. Self funding I can continue with my disability and housing is done via the council.

So does this mean I can still go for a phd?

So yes & no.

I believe in theory the repayment work similarly i.e. it is a financial threshold and repayment are proportional to income, however you now have multiple loans which have effectively stacked together so how much you repay is significantly larger and you’ll have this income drain for longer.

Self payment also means paying both stipend (ie your living costs & tuition). PhD funding also comes with a budget for travel/support which you won’t get.

Then there is the perception factor. I always viewed funded students as professional paid junior researchers, whereas self-funded are still students, perhaps harsh as funding doesn’t really mean professional but it’s a perspective i hold a little bit and is a fairly common sentiment.

Reply 11

gjd800

I don't know any self-funders that got jobs in academia. Sad but true.

Reply 12

Dnsnnssn

17

Original post by Kiddo276

My grades were more 2:2 before I got ill. I'm gonna take the advice and just forget about doing this then. Its clear its not possible realistically.

I think a Master's at Distinction grade even from londonmet uni could look good on Ur CV. But don't do it in hopes of getting a PhD from it.

What other reasons do u have for doing a masters?

Reply 13

OP

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Dnsnnssn

I think a Master's at Distinction grade even from londonmet uni could look good on Ur CV. But don't do it in hopes of getting a PhD from it.

What other reasons do u have for doing a masters?

I'm starting some voluntary work for the citizens advice bureau, hopefully to get some economic experience on my side. As for goals, it would be to apply to grad schemes as phd looks so unlikely.

The only reason I'm considering PhD is because I think im suited to knowledge creation/consolidation -- aspergers makes me a bit of a knowledge freak. Someone who loves to study

Reply 14

mnot

Original post by Kiddo276

I'm starting some voluntary work for the citizens advice bureau, hopefully to get some economic experience on my side. As for goals, it would be to apply to grad schemes as phd looks so unlikely.

The only reason I'm considering PhD is because I think im suited to knowledge creation/consolidation -- aspergers makes me a bit of a knowledge freak. Someone who loves to study

A PhD is far more challenging and demanding then undergraduate & masters degrees. It will require a lot of skills beyond the research itself (and id say of most of a PhD is actually problem solving challenges preventing you from undertaking research rather then sitting gathering the research itself).

I would say being a “knowledge freak” doesn’t itself mean you will be suited to research. You need excellent time management, personal admin, grit, self-motivation, communication as well as the underlying interest and knowledge of the field of study.

I wouldn’t recommend a PhD unless the project itself seems incredibly appealing for your personal interests or you need a PhD to enter the job you want.

Reply 15

OP

Original post by mnot

A PhD is far more challenging and demanding then undergraduate & masters degrees. It will require a lot of skills beyond the research itself (and id say of most of a PhD is actually problem solving challenges preventing you from undertaking research rather then sitting gathering the research itself).

I would say being a “knowledge freak” doesn’t itself mean you will be suited to research. You need excellent time management, personal admin, grit, self-motivation, communication as well as the underlying interest and knowledge of the field of study.

I wouldn’t recommend a PhD unless the project itself seems incredibly appealing for your personal interests or you need a PhD to enter the job you want.

I guess the last bit sums up the deciding factor for me. As far as I'm aware, literally no job requires me to have a PhD as of yet. So unless I need one for a job. I'm not gonna go for it after all.

I'll see what happens over the next year. If I can get into a grad scheme, which I'm pretty certain I can because of the test results and also interviews I had during my last year of uni. I should be fine to work for awhile and go back to school if it need be a certain topic or subject is of importance enough to pursue a doctorate

Again, thank you guys. This was very helpful information/support

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 16

OP