People who got a 2:2...How did you take it/What did you do after uni??

Unless you're from Oxford or Cambridge, it doesn't matter.

I’m studying Criminology Undergraduate Degree with Honours

why would it matter if you're at Oxbridge?


OP, there are plenty of grad schemes accepting students with a 2:2. These include (but are not limited to) the big four accounting firms, finance roles (eg Lloyds), civil service roles, 'in house' accounting or finance roles for large companies, a lot of smaller firms, publishing houses...

Ultimately if you're looking to boost your application, try to get some experience before you graduate / arrange it for the summer after graduation so that you can put it as a future work placement on your CV. Any 'lower' grades can always be 'dragged up' by some experience, relevant or otherwise.
Source: will be graduating with a 2:2 this year but have landed my dream job (with great career prospects for progression too, my degree will not hold me back!)

What career have you managed to get? When people say experience I always wonder how exactly they get it, it’s very rare to find companies taking on people during the summer just for the sake of experience, unless they are actively advertising for it, they will just want grads for schemes and young people for apprenticeships by this point.

I'm going to be a consultant at one of the big 4 accountancy firms in central London, working in a specific area I find particularly interesting.

In my second year of uni, I found experience relevant to my degree (chemistry) in a lab near uni for 8 weeks. I did this to increase my chances of getting the masters project I wanted, and to boost my CV, despite it being irrelevant in terms of the careers I wanted. I tried to make it relevant by talking about transferable skills in interviews.

In summer of third year, I worked at one of the Big 4 accountancy firms. I was 'on track' for a 2:2 at this point, despite having a 3rd in my 2nd year exams (illness). They appear to care much more about potential, and how you perform in online tests and interview.

Side note: Despite my inevitable 2:2, I received offers for every graduate scheme I applied for (including civil service fast stream). I even received an offer from a boutique investment bank who claim they only accept people with a 1st, and I listed a 2:2 very clearly on my CV and also did not check the box saying I was on track for a 2:1 on their application form. At interview, my degree class was discussed and I didn't make 'excuses' - I don't believe my grades define me. I'm explaining this so you realise it's never worth lying on your application form: if you're a strong enough candidate in the other areas then they'll want you anyway.

FYI, there are a fair few schemes which accept recent graduates for 3 month / 6 month / 1 year placements. You don't always need a 2:1 and they don't always expect you to convert to a full graduate scheme after, although they will often make the offer!

Also might be worth considering unpaid/volunteer positions, even if only for a one or two week placement. These can really help boost your CV and the companies often pay for travel.

How do you recommend going about applying for such experience? I highly doubt my local police force or HR firm are going to take me on just through an email saying I want to gain experience paid/unpaid, I just wonder if there is technique here that is the secret to securing these sort of placements. It helps if you know people but in my case that is not going to help. Like I said just approaching them won't attract them to me anymore than a non graduate would, even if I said I would do it unpaid.
I would like to work in a firm like you said, my degree though I feel would be too generic for them - with chemistry how did you sway them to pick you over a person who has a relevant first class degree? I get that chemistry is obviously hard and analytical in some sense so they might have favoured that, but did you have any skills before hand to aid you there? I currently dont have ANY work experience in my field so it seems slightly more difficult to sway them in my direction.

Frankly, I'd be embarassed to graduate from university with 2.2 if I know I am capable of higher and this applies to any degree.

I achieved all A*s at GCSE and a mix of A*s and As at A level, and then went on to do spectacularly poorly in my second year at uni due to a combination of extenuating circumstances and just really struggling with the volume of content as well as the material itself. It is a complete shock for grades to suddenly drop so far, especially if you're working 100x harder at uni than you ever did at school! Grades don't define you, and I know you said you wouldn't view anyone with a 2:2 as a failure, but please be careful when posting personal views on these sorts of things. I have made my peace with a lower grade, but I know others really struggle with it, and despite you having good intentions when posting, I'm not sure this is necessarily a helpful post - I think we're all well aware that 40% is "laughable" but trust me when I say if that were the mark you'd received in a paper after working really hard, you would not be laughing!

What's particularly challenging to deal with, is knowing that however well you do in the next set of exams, that poor set of exams will always drag you back down. My degree was graded in a way that will leave me with a 2:2 despite scoring highly in finals, and coming top in the top 10 in the year in labs. Even with a very strong thesis in my masters year, I'm capped at a 2:2 (but equally I cannot drop below this no matter how badly I do this year).

I think it's a little harsh to say university sets the bar low, or that you'd be embarrassed, when OP is clearly asking for advice on how to progress in a career despite an academic setback / wants some reassurance that a 2:2 isn't the end. Not sure these opinions are helpful to the thread - we're all very aware that a 2:2 isn't ideal, which is why OP is still aiming for a 2:1!

My brother got a 2:2 for his first degree as he partied hard during his BSc. Was pretty surprised as he usually didn't have to work that hard for excellent A levels & GCSEs. Somehow he pleaded his way onto a MSc before going on to do a clinical psychology doctorate!!!! Now he has his own business working to help children who are anxious, worried, phobic etc. I don't think it really matters in the long run all that much it is more a question of finding opportunities & making them work for you. I did a 4 year degree and got a first which was a huge surprise. My final year sucked. I found it so difficult to stay motivated and finish my dissertation & do the exam revision. I just wanted it all to be over I was so fed up of it all. In the end I found someone else to work with & we motivated each other by using rewards. We set a goal, then a reward which we could only have once completed. It got me through it & still works as a great technique as I am trying to finish my PhD thesis. Good luck & don't be too hard on yourself. A big stick doesn't work to beat yourself up. Try being kind it works much better.

In a slump (final year) and honestly feel like everything I write is complete crap at this point, I’m aiming for a 2:1 (a 1st would be amazing) but right now the future looks bleak and I think I’ll have a full on breakdown if I go online on results day and see a 2:2...I’m losing sleep over the thought.
So people who’ve been there..how did you react, how have you coped since?

Got my 2.2 in Biomedical Genetics. Went on to get my masters in Bioinformatics with Distinction. Currently work as a Data Analyst for the NHS, applying to PhDs. Don't let it get you down if it does happen. I was disappointed on the day, but it hasn't been so bad. A 2.2 isn't the end, you're just getting started.

I feel like everyone who got a 2:2 went on to do a masters though which just is not what I want to do - education is making me fall behind and drain me financially, I just don’t believe a masters will help me achieve anything I can’t with the degree I am doing, does that mean as long as you over write your 2:2 with a better HE qualification that’s the only way to get a good job??

In a slump (final year) and honestly feel like everything I write is complete crap at this point, I’m aiming for a 2:1 (a 1st would be amazing) but right now the future looks bleak and I think I’ll have a full on breakdown if I go online on results day and see a 2:2...I’m losing sleep over the thought.
So people who’ve been there..how did you react, how have you coped since?

Well if it helps I asked a friend who got a 2.2 how life was for him. He told me he got a job as a "Vehicle Check Engineer".

I asked him what his normal days where like and it turns out he holds road signs outside Tesco car park....

Not at all, my masters didn't have any impact on my getting my job as a Data Analyst, that was just on the back of the 2.2. After a few years of work experience the degree classification doesn't matter so much, you've just got to focus on getting work experience in a field you want. It's not ideal, sometimes you have to start out a bit lower and work your way up, but it's not the end of the world.

Also smaller employers often aren't so picky on the degree classification and are often a good place to focus on if it happens, but you don't need to worry about it yet. Most of the people on my course were sure they'd get a 2.2 at undergrad and ended up with a 2.1.