The Student Room Group

Do first year results matter?

Hi,
I am currently studying at one of the best universities in the UK. I have to admit I screwed up my first year and ended up getting a mid 2:2. I accept that it was entirely my fault and I didn't revise enough. I am definitely capable of more. I hope to get a high 2:1 or a first in my second year as I am definitely capable and will work extra hard! I was just wondering if first year results matter when applying for postgraduate study, specifically to either top-tier UK universities or American universities?
I think that in 99% of cases they wouldn't matter at all and in the 1% of cases where they might matter, they wouldn't matter very much.
Original post by dishonouronurcow
Hi,
I am currently studying at one of the best universities in the UK. I have to admit I screwed up my first year and ended up getting a mid 2:2. I accept that it was entirely my fault and I didn't revise enough. I am definitely capable of more. I hope to get a high 2:1 or a first in my second year as I am definitely capable and will work extra hard! I was just wondering if first year results matter when applying for postgraduate study, specifically to either top-tier UK universities or American universities?


Original post by nonswimmer
I think that in 99% of cases they wouldn't matter at all and in the 1% of cases where they might matter, they wouldn't matter very much.


For American universities, yes it will probably matter: they'll be looking at rafts of people with 3.7 + GPA's, which means almost never getting anything below an A- when you are taking 5 or six classes a semester. And they are interested in the fine details of your education - and your performance in your subject area (which is pretty much all UK degrees are). I do think bad first year marks will hurt you in the US, though they are not as important as final year results. That said, it's definitely not an absolute bar to studying there, but I think it will matter much more in America than in the UK, where they tend to be more interested in what your final result was.

I also got a crappy first year results, which were on my transcript, but which didn't count at all towards my final degree result. I don't know how this affected my applications, I did get in to some US universities, and am attending one now, but it is not "top-tier" (more middle-ranked) - though rank wasn't particularly something I was concerned about when applying.

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