This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Is it harder to get a first from Cambridge or London met?

Scroll to see replies

I'm studying accounting and finance, oh i see do you think i could get any internships between my first and second year? I haven't really done any real work experience apart from office work in year 10 and charity work in between 12-13. Although that was done is odd circumstances so im not sure it counts.

Afraid I've no idea, since my uni didn't offer it as a subject and none of my secondary school friends did it, so I have no point of reference :colondollar:

Reply 21

james_smithy123

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd

Afraid I've no idea, since my uni didn't offer it as a subject and none of my secondary school friends did it, so I have no point of reference :colondollar:

Ah ok thanks for your help anyway :smile:

Reply 22

Aeschylus

Original post by The Polymath

No. a 2:1 from Oxbridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL, Warwick, Durham, St Andrews, Edinburgh or Bristol (random top 10) would be viewed as better than a 30th ranked 1st (e.g. SOAS, Leicester), in general.

Are we talking employers here (in which case, whom?) or 'the man on the street'? Because this bears no relation to my (relatively) limited experience of employment.

Yes

Original post by Aeschylus

Are we talking employers here (in which case, whom?) or 'the man on the street'? Because this bears no relation to my (relatively) limited experience of employment.

Big boy employers, like the major firms which will be hiring people who are asking these sorts of questions about the top 10 universities

Reply 25

nulli tertius

Original post by Aeschylus

Are we talking employers here (in which case, whom?) or 'the man on the street'? Because this bears no relation to my (relatively) limited experience of employment.

Yes, but your experience in seeing the jobs your contemporaries have actually obtained is far less than the experience gained in Polymath's VIth form classroom.

Reply 26

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by The Polymath

Big boy employers, like the major firms which will be hiring people who are asking these sorts of questions about the top 10 universities

The last company I worked for, a FTSE 100 who is recruiting 30 graduates for this intake and paying excellent salaries, would tell you that you are talking absolute rubbish.

Reply 27

Doglamlico

Original post by Smack

The last company I worked for, a FTSE 100 who is recruiting 30 graduates for this intake and paying excellent salaries, would tell you that you are talking absolute rubbish.

The last company I did experience at, a Magic Circle firm, said otherwise, but I appreciate your point - it will vary, some firms/employers might value a 2.1 from a top uni over a 1st from a 'lesser' uni, but others won't. It might even depend on the nature of the job - in something like quantitative analysis, you might want to be taking the most knowledgeable people, whereas in a less degree-related career you'd just want the hardest workers?

Reply 28

Hackett

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd

Not sure if serious :eyeball:

At the end of the day, whilst some degrees are harder than others, most employers are going to consider the classification over the university :yes:

Lol that's such bull.

Reply 29

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Original post by Hackett

Lol that's such bull.

So you think my Oxford 2.2 is going to override all the people who have got 2.1s, just because it's Oxford? :smile:

Reply 30

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by The Polymath

Yes, and only a small minority of graduates are interested in such firms with a much smaller percentage actually getting them - the vast majority of graduates who get good graduate jobs will get them with firms that think that the notion of a 2:1 at a "top 10" is better than a 1st at at "top 30" is nonsense.

Reply 31

Alexandra's Box

Oh we all love the search
Oh we all love the search
Oh GUESS WHAT?
We all love the seeeeaaaarch

Reply 32

Hackett

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd

So you think my Oxford 2.2 is going to override all the people who have got 2.1s, just because it's Oxford? :smile:

A 2:2 at Oxford over a first from London met yes, even in sectors such as banking.

Reply 33

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Original post by Hackett

A 2:2 at Oxford over a first from London met yes, even in sectors such as banking.

You have a very idealistic view of the world :yes:

Reply 34

Pixelated

I can't say as I've not been to both Universities; I'd make a guess and say the material at Cambridge would be more advanced, because it is a world-class institution, where people at the forefront of their field go to research/teach. That is not to say that someone who gets a first from London Met is less intelligent than someone who gets a 2:1 from Cambridge, beacuse to get a first you have to work incredibly hard, and to do that you must have a lot of self-discipline and focus (aspects of intelligence) which the majority of students might not be able to acquire.

Reply 35

Hal.E.Lujah

Original post by a.partridge

there's already like 5000 threads on this.

yes it's harder

if you ask questions like this then you probably are not cut out for either

What an ironic statement.

Paraphrased:

"Asking Questions??!?! :fuhrer:

You're not cut out for a degree!!!"

The workload at Cambridge is Immense. You're expected to work hard constantly, not have a job in term time (that might just be oxford) and research indefinitely. On the flip side of that however, you are given 1:1 tutoring, the best research facilities in the world, and you're placed in a highly competitive academic environment.

At London Met, you'll be in massive seminar groups. You'll have good but not 'the best' research facilities. To live in London you'll probably get a job. You'll go out alot as you're in a social environment. However, you'll be given a less intensive/pressured workload. You do less exams, drafts, and research, meaning you have the freedom to work at your own pace.

It's one of those 'Pick which suits you' questions really. For some people, yes it will be harder to get a 1st at Cambridge. For others, yes it will be harder to get a 1st at Lmet.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 36

Aspiringlawstudent

This simply cannot be a serious question.

Reply 37

Pixelated

Original post by Hackett

A 2:2 at Oxford over a first from London met yes, even in sectors such as banking.

Definitely not correct.

Reply 38

257532

It's not always harder to get a first from top tier universities, it depends on their degree classification system.
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=192163&sectioncode=26

You can obviously still argue that academic standards might be higher at top unis, so first grade marks are harder to achieve - I'm not sure though.