The Student Room Group

PhD with a 2:2

I did a 4 year MPharm (Masters in pharmacy) course and would like to pursue a PhD however, there was a circumstance that happened at university that meant I got 2:2 (1% off a 2:!). Does anyone know any way around this?

Thanks
PhD programmes are competitive enough for people with firsts, I doubt you'll have much luck with just a 2:2.
Original post by asaaal
I did a 4 year MPharm (Masters in pharmacy) course and would like to pursue a PhD however, there was a circumstance that happened at university that meant I got 2:2 (1% off a 2:!). Does anyone know any way around this?

Thanks


5+ years professional experience then pay for it yourself. With just a 2.2, almost nothing will make you a competitive funded candidate.
Original post by threeportdrift
5+ years professional experience then pay for it yourself. With just a 2.2, almost nothing will make you a competitive funded candidate.


Exactly. Although finding a professional job with a 2:2 will be a massive uphill battle.
Reply 4
Original post by #ChaosKass
Exactly. Although finding a professional job with a 2:2 will be a massive uphill battle.


I guess it depends what degree you did and you're only speaking from your own experience, a 2:2 in pharmacy doesn't really matter as we all have to sit the pre-reg exam and pass that in order to be on the register (however, one may argue that someone with a 2:2 will find it hard to pass the pre-reg exam in fifth year, which is true but I got a scholarship into pharmacy then things happened in my second year of university so I know its not a true reflection). They don't even ask what we got when we apply for jobs, they only ask for our experience and registration number from passing the final exam. Its only if you want to do post-grad qualifications like this that it matters...

Thanks for your help anyway :biggrin:
Reply 5
Original post by threeportdrift
5+ years professional experience then pay for it yourself. With just a 2.2, almost nothing will make you a competitive funded candidate.


Cant I just fund it now? Or do I need to work as a pharmacist in order to fund it?
Original post by asaaal
Cant I just fund it now? Or do I need to work as a pharmacist in order to fund it?


It's not just a case of funding it yourself - you'd also need to find a supervisor willing to accept you into their group.

I'm sorry to say this, but I'm pretty much certain that you will not be able to study towards a Ph.D. with a 2ii. I've never heard of a case of this happening.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by asaaal
Cant I just fund it now? Or do I need to work as a pharmacist in order to fund it?


I don't know your financial position, can you fund it now? You aren't going to be competitive in getting anyone else to fund it, ie you won't get a scholarship or anything, do you have savings? Usually, it takes quite a few years of earning to be able to fund 3 years of fees and living costs, but maybe your personal finances are in a different position.
Original post by asaaal
I did a 4 year MPharm (Masters in pharmacy) course and would like to pursue a PhD however, there was a circumstance that happened at university that meant I got 2:2 (1% off a 2:!). Does anyone know any way around this?

Thanks


I'm Jon Snow on this but I'll just state my mind anyways.

The fact you have a masters is already a plus.

You probably need a flawless academic background, eg. A/A*s at A-level, maybe full marks in sciences and several A*s at GCSE/O-level.

This all depends on lots of factors tho.
Where you graduated, where you're applying to.

You have an high 2:2 so it's not bad at all.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 9
Original post by Maths is Life
I'm Jon Snow on this but I'll just state my mind anyways.

The fact you have a masters is already a plus.

You probably need a flawless academic background, eg. A/A*s at A-level, maybe full marks in sciences and several A*s at GCSE/O-level.

This all depends on lots of factors tho.
Where you graduated, where you're applying to.

You have an high 2:2 so it's not bad at all.


Do you mean to study for a PhD I need A*'s in GCSE etc? I have that (its just my degree in third and fourth year a lot happened to me and it counted the most as you probably already know)
long odds to get admitted to PhD programme with 2.2. It is already competitive with first and 2.1. Theoretically, it can be done if you can find a supervisor. I know a young woman in STEM who got only a 2.2 and was admitted without funding straight from undergrad. She was self funded/had supportive parents. Her cousin was in the same subject, same year and got a first. The cousin got tuition waiver and a nice stipend with preferential research/publication projects.
What about a Masters? If you can acheive a high Merit or distinction, quite a few universities (KCL and Surrey come to mind for my field) will consider you with a 2.2. This is what I'm doing anyway.

But yes, funding might be an issue.
It would also perhaps be easier to give you a more comprehensive answer if you said what this 'circumstance' was. Was it illness or something else out of your control which led to a poor overall classification? You can work with that. If it's something else, it could be less easy to deal with.
Original post by asaaal
Do you mean to study for a PhD I need A*'s in GCSE etc? I have that (its just my degree in third and fourth year a lot happened to me and it counted the most as you probably already know)


I have never been asked for my school grades on a postgraduate application. Maybe it's different in other fields, but when I was applying the only things they asked for were my undergraduate degree results, and then the Master's result when I was applying for the PhD. I suspect the other poster isn't very familiar with postgrad applications.

As regards your problem, it would firstly be helpful to know a bit more about the kind(s) of problem(s) you had during your undergrad degree, without of course disclosing everything on a public forum. Knowing what the problem was might help in saying whether universities would take that into account when assessing any application from you versus other candidates with better marks.

I agree with most of the other posters that you will likely struggle to be accepted, and you can most likely forget about any kind of academic funding. If you are in a position to support yourself financially, then finding a supervisor willing to take you on would be the next key step - here you would likely have to give full details of why you only graduated with a 2.2, and have them assess whether they want to take you into their group.
An important thing here I think is having a few strong referees: academics who taught you during your undergrad, who can address the difficulties that you had and state that your final result is not indicative of your true ability, and so forth. Without these, with just a transcript to rely on, I think you'll be toast in any applications you made.

I would also advise you to think carefully about why you want to do a PhD, and whether you are really cut out for it. Of course, you did evidently have some problems during your undergrad, but you would need to think about whether these would likely continue to be a factor during any further study (mental illness, for example), and if so whether that could hinder your ability not only to write a good PhD, but whether you're likely to even finish one. Doing a PhD is a long, tough slog that can be very taxing in a variety of ways that you wouldn't have considered beforehand. And I am not just saying this because of your low undergrad result - I would say this to anyone considering it! You have to really like research and the working style that goes with it, as well as be very determined and resilient to finish it. The fact that you struggled with your undergrad, even if you did have mitigating circumstances, would give me some cause for concern if I'm being very honest. So be prepared to reflect on that, and possibly even reflect on it with potential supervisors who may ask you both why you'd like to do a PhD, and whether you're able to.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by gutenberg
I have never been asked for my school grades on a postgraduate application. Maybe it's different in other fields, but when I was applying the only things they asked for were my undergraduate degree results, and then the Master's result when I was applying for the PhD. I suspect the other poster isn't very familiar with postgrad applications.

As regards your problem, it would firstly be helpful to know a bit more about the kind(s) of problem(s) you had during your undergrad degree, without of course disclosing everything on a public forum. Knowing what the problem was might help in saying whether universities would take that into account when assessing any application from you versus other candidates with better marks.

I agree with most of the other posters that you will likely struggle to be accepted, and you can most likely forget about any kind of academic funding. If you are in a position to support yourself financially, then finding a supervisor willing to take you on would be the next key step - here you would likely have to give full details of why you only graduated with a 2.2, and have them assess whether they want to take you into their group.
An important thing here I think is having a few strong referees: academics who taught you during your undergrad, who can address the difficulties that you had and state that your final result is not indicative of your true ability, and so forth. Without these, with just a transcript to rely on, I think you'll be toast in any applications you made.

I would also advise you to think carefully about why you want to do a PhD, and whether you are really cut out for it. Of course, you did evidently have some problems during your undergrad, but you would need to think about whether these would likely continue to be a factor during any further study (mental illness, for example), and if so whether that could hinder your ability not only to write a good PhD, but whether you're likely to even finish one. Doing a PhD is a long, tough slog that can be very taxing in a variety of ways that you wouldn't have considered beforehand. And I am not just saying this because of your low undergrad result - I would say this to anyone considering it! You have to really like research and the working style that goes with it, as well as be very determined and resilient to finish it. The fact that you struggled with your undergrad, even if you did have mitigating circumstances, would give me some cause for concern if I'm being very honest. So be prepared to reflect on that, and possibly even reflect on it with potential supervisors who may ask you both why you'd like to do a PhD, and whether you're able to.


Hi! I am sorry for messaging here; I tried to private message you and could not because the system believes I am sending you spam. I had a quick question about the MPhil at Cambridge and I hope you don't mind me asking here!

I have a really random question: for the development questionnaire, do you remember if you typed your answers as paragraphs or as bullet points with explanations? I guess I don't really know what they want for that and there's nothing on the website. I also feel as though I don't know what type of skills I should be focusing on in the future, so any tips you have to offer would be great!

Thank you (and sorry again for the randomness of this post!)
Kaight

Quick Reply

Latest