Is getting a 2:2 that terrible?

I want to preface this by saying that I should get a 2:1, however given how our largest module is going so far I think it is getting increasingly unlikely that I shall end up getting a 2:1. This is despite me getting a 1st in a couple of modules in my final year (this is my current year).

Part of the issue is that I am severely depressed at university and have been for the entirely of my course and I don’t really care about how well I do anymore. I know this sounds awful, however it is true. I genuinely see my university experience as being a waste of time.

So, if it all does go horribly wrong and I end up with a 2:2 is this really the worst thing that can happen? How limited am I with a 2:2?

This research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), commissioned by the Department for Education, examines the financial benefit associated with different degree classifications.

It contains many findings, including:

"The penalty for getting a lower second (2.2) as opposed to a 2.1 is 7% lower earnings for women and 11% lower earnings for men."

The impact is more pronounced at some of the most selective universities:

"Controlling for observable characteristics, both men and women who obtain a 2.2 from the most selective universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and the London School of Economics) earn 20% less on average at age 30 than those who achieve a 2.1..."

Would you want to be earning that much less? No. Would it be a complete disaster? No.

If you wanted to stay at university (which sounds unlikely, to be fair!) then gaining entry to post-graduate courses would be harder with a 2:2 than a 2:1. Not impossible, but harder.

Note that if you genuinely "don’t really care about how well I do anymore", then a 2:2 might be more likely than you think, given how important motivation is.

Is there a Student Support team (or similar) at your university which can help with your depression?

Thanks.

The student support team can’t really give me anymore advice given that I have already used two extensions this year and I can’t gain anymore extensions this academic year

Maybe you could get some counselling and convince yourself to keep putting the effort in for a strong final push

What if I lie on my CV? None really checks grades, especially if it’s a few years down the line.

It's very common to be asked to provide evidence of your "highest" qualification - even decades after having obtained it. So if you were to obtain a Master's, it's quite possible that you'd only be asked to provide evidence of it to an employer.

Also, lying on your CV is never the answer.

What if I lie on my CV? None really checks grades, especially if it’s a few years down the line.

It’s also illegal, your career would be obtained via fraudulent means and you could be fired for cause at any point and the employer could seek remuneration.

additionally many employers do check most are spot check but some are detailed and some will also do background check.

What if I lie on my CV? None really checks grades, especially if it’s a few years down the line.

What if I lie on my CV? None really checks grades, especially if it’s a few years down the line.

Yes they do - my mate works for the body that employers use for this (HEDD). If the classification is so irrelevant that there's no HEDD check or certificate check, then there's little point embellishing the truth. It is also possible that a company would see a CV blag as fraudulent, which can have other, legal, repercussions.

Wow some of the replies here. Seriously I haven't been asked for my classification since leaving uni even though I got that "presitgious" 2:1. It's overrated and it's definitely not something employers give a hoot about. If you think they do, or have "a mate who does this that and the other or know another mate who got asked for it" whatever. It's the internet, I believe your stories LOL. Seriously though, work experience over education anyday, since starting my field I'm even abandoning my masters as I've realised it's useless for what I want to do in the long run and I feel uni in itself is just a massive cash cow con these days anyway. But to finally answer, no, getting a 2:2 isn't terrible and I don't even mention my grade from uni when applying for jobs since they never ask nor care in the REAL WORLD. You'll be ok OP

I got a 2:2 and now I work in a job earning 70k a year . Interestingly I earn more than two people who work below me who went to Oxford and got 1st’s.

So I would say it’s how use it and ultimately what your work ethic is.