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So I was rejected from all my grad schemes...

Hi everyone. I want to keep this as anonymous as possible because a lot of my friends are on here. Because of this I will post a bulleted list to be concise and avoid adding information in prose.

I am in the final year of my degree

I study at a top Russell Group uni

I have a good degree relating to Economics/Business/Management (trying to be ambiguous here)

For the last two years I have averaged a first class

I have loads of extra curricular activities such as treasurer to a society

I have one summer of professional work experience

I am a care leaver so when I graduate I have nowhere to go, and this is the real world not Tracy Beaker. There is no support for you once you are 18 unless you are a criminal

I hold down a part time job whilst I study to give me extra money and brother who is still in care (well, a halfway house but I don’t think most of you will know what that is)

I have applied to a lot of graduate schemes and spent many hours of my time doing it

I took care with each application, did a lot of research and tailored my CV to each application

Everyone from my university's careers department said my applications and CV were perfect

Because I haven't had time to study I expected my grade average to drop to a 2.1 but that is OK

Every graduate scheme I applied for I have been rejected from. I have no idea why, and the only thing I can think of that would have led to my rejection was my online test, but none of the graduate schemes I applied for was willing to give me feedback

I spend Christmas alone as I have done for my other two years of uni because everyone goes home. I am used to it but I fell into depression. All the other girls I grew up with have an easy life. They got themselves pregnant and now don't have to work and have flat screen TV's in their living rooms. I, on the other hand, wasted the last 2.5 years chasing a job that I will never get, wasting my money and putting my life on hold. Further, people from my degree from privileged backgrounds who have failed lots of modules, have no extra-curricular activities or work experience, and are averaging a 2.2 have found graduate schemes. I have made so many sacrifices to get this degree and it was all for nothing. I couldn't study. Is the problem me or society? Surly if I am not getting a job offer from any number of rational individual, I am the problem. I have lots of friends (.: my personality is OK) and my academics seem OK. I don't know what I did wrong.

After a long period of depression I have moved on. Unfortunately I will only get a 2.2 or 3 for this semester now, but I can average my grade to a 2.1 if I work hard next semester. It's a shame that I got 80% in my first year which counts for nothing, 75% in my second which counts for a small part of my degree and this year, the most important, is the one I will do bad in.

Where can I go from this? I really do need advice to keep me up. I want to do a graduate scheme but they won't accept me. Because of exams then work, I won't be able to reapply for mid February for grad schemes, and most will be closed then... No one ever talks about finding non-grad scheme jobs at uni or online. I don't even know when you should start applying to these.

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Reply 1
Original post by Iwags
Hi everyone. I want to keep this as anonymous as possible because a lot of my friends are on here. Because of this I will post a bulleted list to be concise and avoid adding information in prose.

I am in the final year of my degree

I study at a top Russell Group uni

I have a good degree relating to Economics/Business/Management (trying to be ambiguous here)

For the last two years I have averaged a first class

I have loads of extra curricular activities such as treasurer to a society

I have one summer of professional work experience

I am a care leaver so when I graduate I have nowhere to go, and this is the real world not Tracy Beaker. There is no support for you once you are 18 unless you are a criminal

I hold down a part time job whilst I study to give me extra money and brother who is still in care (well, a halfway house but I don’t think most of you will know what that is)

I have applied to a lot of graduate schemes and spent many hours of my time doing it

I took care with each application, did a lot of research and tailored my CV to each application

Everyone from my university's careers department said my applications and CV were perfect

Because I haven't had time to study I expected my grade average to drop to a 2.1 but that is OK

Every graduate scheme I applied for I have been rejected from. I have no idea why, and the only thing I can think of that would have led to my rejection was my online test, but none of the graduate schemes I applied for was willing to give me feedback

I spend Christmas alone as I have done for my other two years of uni because everyone goes home. I am used to it but I fell into depression. All the other girls I grew up with have an easy life. They got themselves pregnant and now don't have to work and have flat screen TV's in their living rooms. I, on the other hand, wasted the last 2.5 years chasing a job that I will never get, wasting my money and putting my life on hold. Further, people from my degree from privileged backgrounds who have failed lots of modules, have no extra-curricular activities or work experience, and are averaging a 2.2 have found graduate schemes. I have made so many sacrifices to get this degree and it was all for nothing. I couldn't study. Is the problem me or society? Surly if I am not getting a job offer from any number of rational individual, I am the problem. I have lots of friends (.: my personality is OK) and my academics seem OK. I don't know what I did wrong.

After a long period of depression I have moved on. Unfortunately I will only get a 2.2 or 3 for this semester now, but I can average my grade to a 2.1 if I work hard next semester. It's a shame that I got 80% in my first year which counts for nothing, 75% in my second which counts for a small part of my degree and this year, the most important, is the one I will do bad in.

Where can I go from this? I really do need advice to keep me up. I want to do a graduate scheme but they won't accept me. Because of exams then work, I won't be able to reapply for mid February for grad schemes, and most will be closed then... No one ever talks about finding non-grad scheme jobs at uni or online. I don't even know when you should start applying to these.



What kind of graduate schemes have you been applying for?
Original post by GeneralOJB
lol I think I know who OP is


Go away. You're a troll.

Original post by Iwags
Hi everyone. I want to keep this as anonymous as possible because a lot of my friends are on here. Because of this I will post a bulleted list to be concise and avoid adding information in prose.

I am in the final year of my degree

I study at a top Russell Group uni

I have a good degree relating to Economics/Business/Management (trying to be ambiguous here)

For the last two years I have averaged a first class

I have loads of extra curricular activities such as treasurer to a society

I have one summer of professional work experience

I am a care leaver so when I graduate I have nowhere to go, and this is the real world not Tracy Beaker. There is no support for you once you are 18 unless you are a criminal

I hold down a part time job whilst I study to give me extra money and brother who is still in care (well, a halfway house but I don’t think most of you will know what that is)

I have applied to a lot of graduate schemes and spent many hours of my time doing it

I took care with each application, did a lot of research and tailored my CV to each application

Everyone from my university's careers department said my applications and CV were perfect

Because I haven't had time to study I expected my grade average to drop to a 2.1 but that is OK

Every graduate scheme I applied for I have been rejected from. I have no idea why, and the only thing I can think of that would have led to my rejection was my online test, but none of the graduate schemes I applied for was willing to give me feedback

I spend Christmas alone as I have done for my other two years of uni because everyone goes home. I am used to it but I fell into depression. All the other girls I grew up with have an easy life. They got themselves pregnant and now don't have to work and have flat screen TV's in their living rooms. I, on the other hand, wasted the last 2.5 years chasing a job that I will never get, wasting my money and putting my life on hold. Further, people from my degree from privileged backgrounds who have failed lots of modules, have no extra-curricular activities or work experience, and are averaging a 2.2 have found graduate schemes. I have made so many sacrifices to get this degree and it was all for nothing. I couldn't study. Is the problem me or society? Surly if I am not getting a job offer from any number of rational individual, I am the problem. I have lots of friends (.: my personality is OK) and my academics seem OK. I don't know what I did wrong.

After a long period of depression I have moved on. Unfortunately I will only get a 2.2 or 3 for this semester now, but I can average my grade to a 2.1 if I work hard next semester. It's a shame that I got 80% in my first year which counts for nothing, 75% in my second which counts for a small part of my degree and this year, the most important, is the one I will do bad in.

Where can I go from this? I really do need advice to keep me up. I want to do a graduate scheme but they won't accept me. Because of exams then work, I won't be able to reapply for mid February for grad schemes, and most will be closed then... No one ever talks about finding non-grad scheme jobs at uni or online. I don't even know when you should start applying to these.



& OP this is really weird - I went to a top uni and did economics and was treasurer! Small world! Anyway I applied to about 60 grad schemes last year and go t rejected from them all except morrisons as a trader which I didn't want! Anyway I thought I was done for the year as everything was closing but they're not :smile: admittedly the majority are but I ended up applying to pwc and IBM in January and I got both jobs! It's not all over, you can still apply - what things are you looking into?? Finance? Consultancy? If you can let me know what you're interested in I can probably tell you places to still apply! It's not all over yet, I know so many people who didn't have jobs when they graduated but are now on good schemes - have you tried graduaterecruitmentbureau.co.uk or grb.co.uk... Something like that, they're very good!! :smile: good luck! :smile:


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Sometimes things don't go as planned but don't give up ...... I didn't manage to get onto a grad scheme before I finished uni but managed to get on one the April after I finished uni. Gives you more time to prepare and fully know what your going into.

I didn't fully read the whole post (break it up a bit) but if things are looking like they're going out of plan, Re-evaluate what you need to do in the next year and re-apply again. Just don't leave it too long to get into a job just because "you want to do a grad scheme"

Also if it's any consolation, I used to spend Xmas alone at Uni was crappy and depressing at times. Also, you can't let it get into your head that something is wrong with you or you CV if your not into grad schemes. I got so many rejections and didn't change much and got the job I'm working at now.

I found the less I tried to "please" (saying what I think they would like me to hear ) The more successful I was. I went to three interviews Feb this year and got offers for all of them and the only difference I made in these 3 interviews were not to prepare as much as I did for the others
I spent Xmas alone too, its not fun. But I made it pretty productive to make up for it.

I think its pretty normal to get rejected. I applied for a few prior to Xmas and have been rejected from all but 1, and that company hasn't got back to me yet. I repeated a year due to illness so most of my friends graduated last year and they say rejections are part of the process and not to take them to heart. Its not an easy skill, but its part of the graduating experience. Keep applying, there are schemes opening up all the time.

My best friends boyfriend graduated from a russell group with a 1st in accounting and he is working in Asda. Its not the job he wants but it pays him whilst he's looking/applying to more career suited positions. If I can't get my PhD or a related Grad job then I will just apply to random full time jobs for the money to tie me over until I can get a position more suited to my career path or can self fund my Postgrad.

With respect to depression, have you seeked any help for this?

Looking at the care side of things, wouldn't it be great if it was like Tracey Beaker! Yes, there are people you know sat at home not working with material items like TVs paid for by having a baby. I know many from my school who never experienced care who are the same. But in 10 years time, they will still be sat there in a rented property struggling to make rent, let alone holidays and newer cars and all that. You, by bettering yourself at Uni, show you have ambition to work in the real world. You will end up with a wage you can comfortably live off and will be able to afford your flat screen TV in a house that you own. It won't happen right away, but it will if you persevere.

Keep your head up and keep applying to graduate jobs - the worst they can say is no. But don't do it at the expense of your degree. Getting a 2:1 or above will really help as many grad jobs require it.

Good luck with it all :smile:
Reply 5
So you wanna be a grad schemer huh? I have a feeling that your CV just isn't good enough to even get considered. You really need 3 professional work experiences with a least one of them in a relevant business sector.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Iwags
Hi everyone. I want to keep this as anonymous as possible because a lot of my friends are on here. Because of this I will post a bulleted list to be concise and avoid adding information in prose.

I am in the final year of my degree

I study at a top Russell Group uni

I have a good degree relating to Economics/Business/Management (trying to be ambiguous here)

For the last two years I have averaged a first class

I have loads of extra curricular activities such as treasurer to a society

I have one summer of professional work experience

I am a care leaver so when I graduate I have nowhere to go, and this is the real world not Tracy Beaker. There is no support for you once you are 18 unless you are a criminal

I hold down a part time job whilst I study to give me extra money and brother who is still in care (well, a halfway house but I don’t think most of you will know what that is)

I have applied to a lot of graduate schemes and spent many hours of my time doing it

I took care with each application, did a lot of research and tailored my CV to each application

Everyone from my university's careers department said my applications and CV were perfect

Because I haven't had time to study I expected my grade average to drop to a 2.1 but that is OK

Every graduate scheme I applied for I have been rejected from. I have no idea why, and the only thing I can think of that would have led to my rejection was my online test, but none of the graduate schemes I applied for was willing to give me feedback

I spend Christmas alone as I have done for my other two years of uni because everyone goes home. I am used to it but I fell into depression. All the other girls I grew up with have an easy life. They got themselves pregnant and now don't have to work and have flat screen TV's in their living rooms. I, on the other hand, wasted the last 2.5 years chasing a job that I will never get, wasting my money and putting my life on hold. Further, people from my degree from privileged backgrounds who have failed lots of modules, have no extra-curricular activities or work experience, and are averaging a 2.2 have found graduate schemes. I have made so many sacrifices to get this degree and it was all for nothing. I couldn't study. Is the problem me or society? Surly if I am not getting a job offer from any number of rational individual, I am the problem. I have lots of friends (.: my personality is OK) and my academics seem OK. I don't know what I did wrong.

After a long period of depression I have moved on. Unfortunately I will only get a 2.2 or 3 for this semester now, but I can average my grade to a 2.1 if I work hard next semester. It's a shame that I got 80% in my first year which counts for nothing, 75% in my second which counts for a small part of my degree and this year, the most important, is the one I will do bad in.

Where can I go from this? I really do need advice to keep me up. I want to do a graduate scheme but they won't accept me. Because of exams then work, I won't be able to reapply for mid February for grad schemes, and most will be closed then... No one ever talks about finding non-grad scheme jobs at uni or online. I don't even know when you should start applying to these.



Only a small minority of people get on graduate scheme. Very few places for a huge amount of applicants.

Non grad scheme jobs? Check the job centre website. If your lucky you will find a dead end job, but chances you will end up unemployed for at least a few months potentially longer (Getting towards 3 months and I have experience + an MSc). The job market is awful at the moment. I am applying for jobs I have experience doing plus meet all the desired skills with tailored CV and a covering letter really selling myself. Guess what I get in response? Nothing. The norm is now not to even send rejection emails. I have had a few and they are always "we would have given you an interview but due to the strength of other applicants..." sigh

Grad schemes are pushed at uni and I know only 1 person who has been successful in getting a place on one. Only a very small minority get a place on them, with the vast majority entering a job market with limited experience in a terrible economic time.
As Politics Student has said, it's very difficult to get onto a grad scheme these days.

It'd be usefult o know what sort of grad scheme you're applying for and what experience you've got. I've got experience in marketing/business generally so please feel free to PM me if you want to.

Have you thought about counselling for your depression?
Assuming that everything you said is 100% true with no exaggeration, I think you're just unlucky. Honestly, without relevant experience it's just a lottery with graduate schemes. That's the problem, really. People said the same thing about me at university. People I didn't even know used to ask me what I had lined up because "you're going to be successful anyway". After graduation it was just rejection after rejection, followed by the dole and one rubbish temp job which I was eternally grateful for. After doing a degree it felt like I was grateful for a kick in the teeth over a kick in the groin.

I sympathise. I really do. People who seem to have it all handed to them on a plate just coast through life, while it seems that there are a select few who have to crawl out of the dirt with their bare hands just to get some temp work. Unfortunately there's nothing you can do apart from trying again, and again, and again.

The key to success is persistence. You'll find that if you persist for longer than average - if you just hold on longer than everyone else - you'll find success. Even if it's small at first. Once you've got that one success, people will simply put it to "luck" or you being "that type of person". In reality, it was because you worked harder for longer. They might work hard, but for how long?

You're working hard now but your rewards are due. Life after graduation will be hard, but it won't be impossible. Trudge through and come out better for it. Adversity is a great experience that teaches you about yourself. You'll learn things that you never knew before. Just remember that your day will come as long as you keep trying and you don't just give up like everyone else does so eagerly.

Original post by mizzsnazzter
& OP this is really weird - I went to a top uni and did economics and was treasurer! Small world! Anyway I applied to about 60 grad schemes last year and go t rejected from them all except morrisons as a trader which I didn't want! Anyway I thought I was done for the year as everything was closing but they're not :smile: admittedly the majority are but I ended up applying to pwc and IBM in January and I got both jobs! It's not all over, you can still apply - what things are you looking into?? Finance? Consultancy? If you can let me know what you're interested in I can probably tell you places to still apply! It's not all over yet, I know so many people who didn't have jobs when they graduated but are now on good schemes - have you tried graduaterecruitmentbureau.co.uk or grb.co.uk... Something like that, they're very good!! :smile: good luck! :smile:


This reminds me of someone. There's a girl I know who got a first in an MMath from Warwick who's sitting at home doing nothing because she wants to be a Quant, and nothing else. Her parents have told her to just apply for retail just so her CV isn't blank but she outright refuses.

I've been on JSA. I've seen the people coming in who have no hope, and I've also seen the people who work ****ing hard... who literally have to feed their family and are hard workers, only to be totally crapped on by unemployment. For people to refuse work, unless it's for a legitimate reason like being offered another job or having to take care of family, is just ridiculous. It really is. Obviously I don't know your situation and I'm not attacking you personally, since it's stupid to assume that you did it for selfish reasons. It just makes me angry that there are pompous graduates who feel they can turn their noses up at employment when they're mooching off their parents. Guess what? Work is work, it's a repetitive role for which you're paid. That's all it is. Employers like to glam it up with 'schemes' or 'contracts' but it's just asking you to live as a hamster on a wheel for money to buy goods and services.

Too many graduates nowadays are filled with a sense of entitlement because they've managed to obtain a piece of paper that their parents didn't. Doesn't make you any more eligible for a higher job. Jobs are earned now, not given.

/rant over
(edited 11 years ago)
Have you thought about going to your uni career service for help? You might find that they can give you help with things like the structure of your CV, filling in standard forms, and interview technique. Some of those things are things that those from more privileged backgrounds who you say have been more successful may have had help with.

Also, grad schemes are not the only ways to get grad jobs. It does depend what you are looking to do.
Hey sorry to hear about you being brought up in care. Did you ask for any feed back from the jobs you applied for? Also did you ask your uni careers people for Amy advice as to why you have been rejected so much?
Reply 11
Maybe try different strategies, remember like its not easy out there.

You need to apply for alternative routes, consider further study (Masters/Phd).

Have you tried going into teaching? PGCE? Teachfirst?

Also try things like the army or non-graduate roles in these companies, such as a temp role?

It is not an easy world out there.
Original post by Iwags

Everyone from my university's careers department said my applications and CV were perfect

Every graduate scheme I applied for I have been rejected from. I have no idea why, and the only thing I can think of that would have led to my rejection was my online test, but none of the graduate schemes I applied for was willing to give me feedback



I'm afraid a perfect application and CV is one that gets you invited to interview. The jobs market is pretty brutal at the moment, but it doesn't mean the basic rules have changed. Employers are still looking to find the applicants with the best skill set to invite to interview, so something in your application isn't working.

There's a CV Help forum on TSR which can take another look at your CV and covering letter.

As has been mentioned, there are many other good options, other than grad schemes, so keep looking.
Original post by wanderlust.xx


This reminds me of someone. There's a girl I know who got a first in an MMath from Warwick who's sitting at home doing nothing because she wants to be a Quant, and nothing else. Her parents have told her to just apply for retail just so her CV isn't blank but she outright refuses.

I've been on JSA. I've seen the people coming in who have no hope, and I've also seen the people who work ****ing hard... who literally have to feed their family and are hard workers, only to be totally crapped on by unemployment. For people to refuse work, unless it's for a legitimate reason like being offered another job or having to take care of family, is just ridiculous. It really is. Obviously I don't know your situation and I'm not attacking you personally, since it's stupid to assume that you did it for selfish reasons. It just makes me angry that there are pompous graduates who feel they can turn their noses up at employment when they're mooching off their parents. Guess what? Work is work, it's a repetitive role for which you're paid. That's all it is. Employers like to glam it up with 'schemes' or 'contracts' but it's just asking you to live as a hamster on a wheel for money to buy goods and services.

Too many graduates nowadays are filled with a sense of entitlement because they've managed to obtain a piece of paper that their parents didn't. Doesn't make you any more eligible for a higher job. Jobs are earned now, not given.

/rant over


Not really too sure how you can compare me and your friend... I have a job. & I was perfectly willing to accept the morrisons job but I kept up the hard work of applying so that I could get the best possible job available to me.. I applied to 60 grad schemes, I was hardly being 'pompous'

I know all too well that grad schemes are ridiculously hard to get into... I got a first at Bristol uni and still found it just as hard to get a job, the market is total crap but as someone mentioned before its all about persistence, and people can't expect that doing 10applications is enough... It's a numbers game....

Keep at it, it will pay off soon!! :smile:



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Reply 14
Was the OP getting many interviews?
Reply 15
Original post by Bloodbath
So you wanna be a grad schemer huh? I have a feeling that your CV just isn't good enough to even get considered. You really need 3 professional work experiences with a least one of them in a relevant business sector.


Is this a joke? :rolleyes:
Reply 16
Original post by M1011
Is this a joke? :rolleyes:


Is this a joke? :rolleyes:

You pretty much have to look like you were destined for a career in whatever it is. Your work experience has to be very relevant. For instance if u were to apply for a job in marketing u should have work experience in marketing.

1 internship won't cut it. I have a friend with 5 internships including private equity, economic journalism, start up building and she still gets rejected for ops in BBs lol. Combined with my own experience, I believe you really need to have an internship in the role you are applying for full time.

Recruiters are pretty lazy tbh. If they see a company they don't recognise they will simply ignore it and not look into it. That's why if you've worked for a blue chip company it really helps.
Reply 17
Original post by Bloodbath
Is this a joke? :rolleyes:

You pretty much have to look like you were destined for a career in whatever it is. Your work experience has to be very relevant. For instance if u were to apply for a job in marketing u should have work experience in marketing.

1 internship won't cut it. I have a friend with 5 internships including private equity, economic journalism, start up building and she still gets rejected for ops in BBs lol. Combined with my own experience, I believe you really need to have an internship in the role you are applying for full time.

Recruiters are pretty lazy tbh. If they see a company they don't recognise they will simply ignore it and not look into it. That's why if you've worked for a blue chip company it really helps.


Banks are a little different from the norm, wouldn't you say?

I had one placement before graduation and wasn't rejected at the application stage of any of the graduate schemes I applied to. My academics are decidedly average as well. It's more about how you write the application and how much you got out of your experience (e.g. if you get yourself involved and do something worth talking about it'll be noticed!).
70% of getting a job is about how good looking you are, whether the employer likes you on a personal level, or if you have any identity that helps their "equality" figures (i.e. if you are a woman, if you are transgender, if you are of a non-English race of if you are disabled, your chances will be higher).

20% of getting a job is about experience.

The last 10% of getting a job is about how hard working you are, how intelligent you are and how strong your academic history is.

It sounds like, to me, that you might just be considered by the bog standard person, as visually ugly. I say this out of respect, for I too am ugly, so I can relate. Unfortunately if you're ugly and your personality is not top draw, you won't get the job. A pretty Indian girl who asks irrelevant questions to seem interested will get it instead.

My advice? You may not want to hear it, and everyone else on here certainly wouldn't, so I won't say explicitly what I truly believe you should do, and what I personally am seriously considering. What I will say is that certain people don't fit into this world, with all these nasty people inhabiting it. Sometimes you just have to say ok, I give up, you win.

I know this thread is about 6 years old, but I'd love to hear how you've got on since and how you are doing in life now?
Original post by DavidJES
70% of getting a job is about how good looking you are, whether the employer likes you on a personal level, or if you have any identity that helps their "equality" figures (i.e. if you are a woman, if you are transgender, if you are of a non-English race of if you are disabled, your chances will be higher).

20% of getting a job is about experience.

The last 10% of getting a job is about how hard working you are, how intelligent you are and how strong your academic history is.

It sounds like, to me, that you might just be considered by the bog standard person, as visually ugly. I say this out of respect, for I too am ugly, so I can relate. Unfortunately if you're ugly and your personality is not top draw, you won't get the job. A pretty Indian girl who asks irrelevant questions to seem interested will get it instead.

My advice? You may not want to hear it, and everyone else on here certainly wouldn't, so I won't say explicitly what I truly believe you should do, and what I personally am seriously considering. What I will say is that certain people don't fit into this world, with all these nasty people inhabiting it. Sometimes you just have to say ok, I give up, you win.

I know this thread is about 6 years old, but I'd love to hear how you've got on since and how you are doing in life now?


Your advice is suicide???? This is the least helpful response I've ever seen.