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Getting an average 2:1 in second year

Hi,

I'm a psychology student at Bath and i really need some suggestions and insights now. Because of the whole distant learning thing this year, my second-year grade drops dramatically --- from a first in first year to an average 2:1 in the second year.

Since I have planned to apply for Oxbridge postgraduate degree, 2:1 result in second year seems to an extremely low result compare to other applicants; Because i'm an international student, a 65 at the end of second year probably means rejection straight away from Oxbridge or LSE, UCL.

Now I have two choices: 1. Continue on with my degree and hope to save my grade in third year --- and apply for master after graduation, in which case i waste a year. 2. Transfer to Durham or St. Andrews (I have offers of second year/third year entry) and redo a second year. In which case, i waste a year as well. What should i do?
What is your 2nd year weighting for your final mark and what percentage are you expecting to achieve in the second year as an average?

I achieved 47% average in first semester of second year but was able to work hard and get my average up to 65% by the end of the year. I am now in third year getting about 78% average in my semester 1 meaning I am back on track for a first.

If you believe you can raise your grade in the third year enough then don't waste another year as it is not guaranteed even with a 1st that you will get an offer for a postgraduate degree like Oxford either way. If you end up with a first overall, you can talk in your personal statement about how much you learned and how driven you were to achieve a first.


Honestly, at the end of the day they like to look at averages if you got 65 in the second year but average 75 in the third year they can clearly see you are a good student.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by AlexCoetz
What is your 2nd year weighting for your final mark and what percentage are you expecting to achieve in the second year as an average?

I achieved 47% average in first semester of second year but was able to work hard and get my average up to 65% by the end of the year. I am now in third year getting about 78% average in my semester 1 meaning I am back on track for a first.

If you believe you can raise your grade in the third year enough then don't waste another year as it is not guaranteed even with a 1st that you will get an offer for a postgraduate degree like Oxford either way. If you end up with a first overall, you can talk in your personal statement about how much you learned and how driven you were to achieve a first.


Honestly, at the end of the day they like to look at averages if you got 65 in the second year but average 75 in the third year they can clearly see you are a good student.

That’s amazing! What subject?
Original post by MajorFader
That’s amazing! What subject?

Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence... I must say it did take many many hours and a lot of stress to come back from the position I was in.
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Bazinger
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Original post by AlexCoetz
What is your 2nd year weighting for your final mark and what percentage are you expecting to achieve in the second year as an average?

I achieved 47% average in first semester of second year but was able to work hard and get my average up to 65% by the end of the year. I am now in third year getting about 78% average in my semester 1 meaning I am back on track for a first.

If you believe you can raise your grade in the third year enough then don't waste another year as it is not guaranteed even with a 1st that you will get an offer for a postgraduate degree like Oxford either way. If you end up with a first overall, you can talk in your personal statement about how much you learned and how driven you were to achieve a first.


Honestly, at the end of the day they like to look at averages if you got 65 in the second year but average 75 in the third year they can clearly see you are a good student.

Geez！That's amazing. Thank you for your comments. The thing is im not even confident with getting enough grade in third to get a high or at least a low first degree. The second year weighting is 40%, and i guess my final grade would be a 65 --- so a 72 in thrid year to get a first. However im in psychology and ALL our assessments are written essays and reports, so the marking is quite strict with an overall average of 62 in my year every single time. I have been reminded that to get into Oxford I need to be top 10% in our year --- it all seems quite impossible now as there are lots of people getting straight 70 this year. STRESS
Original post by Bazinger
Geez！That's amazing. Thank you for your comments. The thing is im not even confident with getting enough grade in third to get a high or at least a low first degree. The second year weighting is 40%, and i guess my final grade would be a 65 --- so a 72 in thrid year to get a first. However im in psychology and ALL our assessments are written essays and reports, so the marking is quite strict with an overall average of 62 in my year every single time. I have been reminded that to get into Oxford I need to be top 10% in our year --- it all seems quite impossible now as there are lots of people getting straight 70 this year. STRESS

If Oxford is that important to you then maybe it is worth retaking the year, please do consider though that even if you take the year again you might not end up with a first again and be an extra 9k down.

I f you believe you can get a first if you retake and are sure its worth that extra money and risk to go to Oxford, I would suggest you do it.

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