Degrees are now way too easy, discuss.

Grade inflation has eroded the value of a degree; a 2:1 is far too easy to achieve. Every man and his dog had a 2:1 these days, they are practically handed out with packets of cornflakes. This is intensifying competition in the graduate job market; high achievers with overall grades of 80% plus are unable to distinguish themselves from the competition. I have graduated from a top 15 University with a high 1st, yet in the job market I am competing against people who might have a grade as low as 57% (disgustingly, my University awards a 2:1 for achieving 57% or a 1st for 67%!).

The education system is broken; degrees have been watered down; the classification system is a joke (10% difference is MASSIVE).

Grade inflation has eroded the value of a degree; a 2:1 is far too easy to achieve. Every man and his dog had a 2:1 these days, they are practically handed out with packets of cornflakes. This is intensifying competition in the graduate job market; high achievers with overall grades of 80% plus are unable to distinguish themselves from the competition. I have graduated from a top 15 University with a high 1st, yet in the job market I am competing against people who might have a grade as low as 57% (disgustingly, my University awards a 2:1 for achieving 57% or a 1st for 67%!).

The education system is broken; degrees have been watered down; the classification system is a joke (10% difference is MASSIVE).

I disagree. I don't think degrees are easier, I just think people are assuming if they have a degree they're suddenly going to land in a job. Sadly, that isn't how things work. You have an advantage over the students with a 2:1 by having a 1:1, but that only gets your foot in the door for an interview. The rest is all down to you.

It's a dog eat dog world.

Because you did 10% better in your degree does not mean you will do 10% better in your employment. Sounds like you're just complaining about not being able to swan straight in to a job.

Grade inflation has eroded the value of a degree; a 2:1 is far too easy to achieve. Every man and his dog had a 2:1 these days, they are practically handed out with packets of cornflakes. This is intensifying competition in the graduate job market; high achievers with overall grades of 80% plus are unable to distinguish themselves from the competition. I have graduated from a top 15 University with a high 1st, yet in the job market I am competing against people who might have a grade as low as 57% (disgustingly, my University awards a 2:1 for achieving 57% or a 1st for 67%!).

The education system is broken; degrees have been watered down; the classification system is a joke (10% difference for grade boundaries is MASSIVE). Discuss.

You obviously don't study Economics, otherwise you'd realise the effect a less rigorous degree has on what is called a separating equilibrium. There is no doubt that degrees today are easier, go back 30 or 40 years and getting a 1st was almost unheard of. Have people suddenly got massively more intelligent? NO, degrees have been watered down. More competition has been introduced into the graduate job market, but the majority of these additional people are of a lower quality than previously.

Also sounds like you missed the boat in terms of becoming an employable individual.

That course mate with a 65 and a tonne of ECs and work exp might have got your grades if they concentrated 100% on the course.


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I'm studying Mathematics.

How can you be sure that degrees are easier? With ease of access to information via the internet, learning has never been any easier because you don't have to hunt for hours through books and articles in order to find the information you need. Admittedly more people are getting 2:1's and 1:1's than ever before, but that's only because that's what the industry expects of graduates nowadays. If they didn't get those grades they'd be wasting £9000+/year.

Sounds like you're the holder of a 2:1

Well as a mathematics student you should know that we can analyse the data, run a few regressions and invalidate that hypothesis very easily; grades have continually increased over the past decade at University when people still had access to all of the resources you have mentioned. They have no doubt facilitated the ease of learning over the years, yes, but you are missing the bigger picture. Degrees have become easier; there is massive pressure on Universities to increase the number of "good honours" awarded as it impacts their status on the University league tables.

And in here lies the problem. You may have a first and I congratulate you on that, but putting people down because they got a 2:1, which is also an amazing achievement, just proves how butthurt you really are that you're first doesn't mean much more in terms of employment.

I never said it wasn't. All I said was that you can never be 100% certain.

I have a boat load of EC, was head of a society and competed at a high level on a sports team. This is besides the point though, keep on topic- this is about how watered down degrees have become not my personal case.

Sorry. I apologise for making lazy assumptions.


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