Can I still get a 2:1 after getting 50% in second year?

1

Hi everyone,
I just finished my second year of uni bsc econ and got 50%, which counts for 33% of my final degree classification. I barely revised and didn’t attend many lectures — I only started working seriously about 3 weeks before exams.
I really want to get a 2:1 overall. I know to do that I’d need around 65% in my final year, which counts for 67% of my grade.
I’m wondering:
Is it realistic to jump from 50% to 65% in final year?
Roughly how many hours per week would I need to put in to achieve that?
Has anyone here made a similar improvement — and if so, how?
Any honest advice or experience would be really appreciated!
Thanks in advance

Reply 1

Mrx0

4

I was able to move from a 2:2 to a first. What you need to do is to get first in everything. I worked hard this year, and I achieved it. It also depends on which degree you are studying for. I was studying music. But I think if you like what you do, I think you can definetly do it, just study as much as possible and try to get all first

Reply 2

souljav

10

It's definitely possible, and realistic. Its been a while for me, but I was in a worse position than you and managed to get a 2:1 in the end.

This thread was what really helped me: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2423861

What you have to do is put in the time and effort. Reflect on why you've not been achieving what you can and learn from your mistakes.

Get into a routine, work consistently with a purpose each day.
In terms of time, it differs a little bit for different people depending on other commitments, but honestly treat it like a job. Make it a 9-5. Including your lectures and seminars. Some people might work deeper so work in less time, others need more time. But try to get that discipline in whichever case works best for you. Some people are night owls and other early birds. Make it work for you.

Go to the lecture and seminars, listen and engage.
Do the required readings at a minimum. Engage with the readings - What are they saying, what is their arguments, what do I need to understand from this. What questions do I have from this etc. Then put in the extra time, doing additional readings and engage and reflect on what they say. Participate in the seminars, ask questions, share your thoughts. Don't be afraid to put your ideas out there. We learn more by putting our ideas out there and challenging our thinking and being challenged. It will help show yourself how much you understand too.

Plan and prepare early. If you have essays, start early. If you have exams, start early. Practice, practice and practice. You know the outline for the year, when the deadlines are, plan accordingly. One paper a week, 100 words a day. A little bit each day over a longer time is better than cramming. Give yourself the thinking space and time, and then also it means you can get help early on areas you're struggling.

Go and talk your lecturers and supervisors from the start. Ask them what they need from you, the standard of work they expect and suggestions on how you can achieve that . They can help guide you. Then, go to them with questions from your readings, from the lectures and from the seminars. Discuss any feedback from previous assignments, exams - what you did well and can improve on, and what your didn't do so well in and how to do better. Use them, thats what they're there for and they prefer it when students come to them rather than leave it last minute, or don't say anything.

Reply 3

hallamstudents

Official Rep

18

Original post

by bsceconadvice

Hi everyone,
I just finished my second year of uni bsc econ and got 50%, which counts for 33% of my final degree classification. I barely revised and didn’t attend many lectures — I only started working seriously about 3 weeks before exams.
I really want to get a 2:1 overall. I know to do that I’d need around 65% in my final year, which counts for 67% of my grade.
I’m wondering:
Is it realistic to jump from 50% to 65% in final year?
Roughly how many hours per week would I need to put in to achieve that?
Has anyone here made a similar improvement — and if so, how?
Any honest advice or experience would be really appreciated!
Thanks in advance

Hi there,

I know this might seem like a bit of a jump, but I am sure that it is doable! I know quite a few people who have improved their grades quite a lot, and the more you are at uni doing assignments, you will get used to what you need to write etc. Especially if you didn't revise much, there is lots of room for improvement if you put more work in! Here are some tips which helped me to get better grades at uni, or just general advice:

•

Try and start your assignments as soon as possible. I know this one is easier said than done, but it really does help as it allows you to have time to go back over what you have written and make improvements. You may also be able to ask your tutor to have a look over and tell you what needs to be done or what can be improved as this will help too. It also helps not being stressed and doing it last minute!

•

Similarly, make the most of all formative feedback opportunities that you have. If there is ever a chance to show you tutor your work, or submit a page for feedback etc, do it as this is how you will find out what your tutors think and how you can improve to get a better grade!

•

Attending lectures and classes helps too as you get the chance to ask any questions that you might have and clarify anything you don't understand so you know exactly what you are doing.

•

Make the most of all of the resources that your uni offers. At Hallam, the library puts sessions on where you can learn about referencing, critical writing, structure etc so if you are struggling with something in particular, go and fix it as it will really help.

•

Make sure the little things in your work are correct. Make sure the format is right and neat, you have a cover page if needed, references are in the correct order and format as this will help your grade!

•

I like to print off the marking rubric so I know I am following exactly what I need to put in the essay to get the best grade I can. You can highlight or tick when you think you have done some things too as this will help you to visualise what you need to include.

•

With exams, making sure that you are confident in all of the material is helpful. If you are unsure of anything, ask your tutor as soon as possible so that they can help you with this.

•

Have a look into revision techniques too and find one that works for you. Are you a visual learner, do you work better if you speak it out loud etc. This will be quite helpful.

•

Making sure you take regular breaks is a good idea. I remember doing my A - Levels and having a 5 minute break for every 25 minutes and it really helped me out, but it might not work for everyone.

•

Schedule fun things too so that you have things to look forward to and keep you motivated!

I hope some of this helps and good luck with your final year!

Lucy -SHU student ambassador.

Reply 4

University of Bath

Official Rep

14

Original post

by bsceconadvice

Hi everyone,
I just finished my second year of uni bsc econ and got 50%, which counts for 33% of my final degree classification. I barely revised and didn’t attend many lectures — I only started working seriously about 3 weeks before exams.
I really want to get a 2:1 overall. I know to do that I’d need around 65% in my final year, which counts for 67% of my grade.
I’m wondering:
Is it realistic to jump from 50% to 65% in final year?
Roughly how many hours per week would I need to put in to achieve that?
Has anyone here made a similar improvement — and if so, how?
Any honest advice or experience would be really appreciated!
Thanks in advance

Hello!

You've already had some great advice.

In short: yes, this is doable, realistic and 100% possible.

From what you've said it sounds like you'd need to average around a 65 for your whole degree to get a 2:1, which will involve getting a good mix of 2:1s and 1sts in your final year, which you can do!

•

Go to your classes

•

Study with friends so you can hold each other accountable

•

Keep a digital calendar and block out work/study sessions throughout your week - I'd include at least one two-hour session per day plus 1-2 one hour sessions and to cover a range of modules

•

Don't forget to have breaks and schedule in fun things too

•

Speak to your personal tutor about your goal - they will be able to offer some tips, support and encouragement

•

Go to any peer learning sessions available so you can talk about your assignments with second years

•

Chat to your lecturers - ask them what they'd be looking for in a first class assessment, and use their office hours

•

Have your last assessment's feedback in front of you as you write your next one - so you remember what you've been suggested to improve

•

Your dissertation is a significant proportion of your final year - prioritise this and get as much supervisor support as you can!

Hopefully this adds and helps a bit - you can absolutely do this, its just a case of being organised and sticking to a good study routine! Good luck 🙂

University of Bath

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 5

LancashireRep5

Official Rep

9

Original post

by bsceconadvice

Hi everyone,
I just finished my second year of uni bsc econ and got 50%, which counts for 33% of my final degree classification. I barely revised and didn’t attend many lectures — I only started working seriously about 3 weeks before exams.
I really want to get a 2:1 overall. I know to do that I’d need around 65% in my final year, which counts for 67% of my grade.
I’m wondering:
Is it realistic to jump from 50% to 65% in final year?
Roughly how many hours per week would I need to put in to achieve that?
Has anyone here made a similar improvement — and if so, how?
Any honest advice or experience would be really appreciated!
Thanks in advance

Hey there,

My name is Siobhan and I’m a third-year student at the University of Central Lancashire. I completely understand wanting to boost your grades in third year and those higher marks. I personally managed to go from a 2:1 to a 1st between second and third year so I would say that there is a chance for you to improve, but it can be quite demanding in terms of the workload, so I would start planning now. Here are some things that helped me improve:

•

Prepare in advance: Before going to your lectures, dedicate some time to look over the content and familiarise yourself with it. By doing this, you can see the areas you are struggling with and ask about when you go to the lectures. By preparing earlier, then you will have a head start on the workload and can manage your time a lot better.

•

Dedicate time for study: In terms of how much time you need to dedicate will depend on your timetable, workload and how fast you learn. I would recommend taking the first two weeks of year three to settle in and get a feel of how busy you might be, then see when you would have time to revise/study. I like to go after my lectures to go over what we have just done and prep for the next day to make sure I'm on track. Even if it’s 30 minutes a day and you build this up, then this habit will come natural to you.

•

Meet up with lecturers/ academic supervisors: The main thing that helped me boost my grades was seeking help and earlier on. I would book meetings in advance to go over content with lecturers or review assignments with academic supervisors to make sure I was meeting all the learning objectives in an academic writing style.

•

Study groups: When my exams came around and I found it hard to motivate myself, I met up with friends to study together which made me get up and go to the library or SU as I had people counting on me then. This made it much harder to put off revision time and helped me sooo much be confident and much more prepared in exams.

•

Environment: On that same note, I found that regularly doing my exams and assignments in a setting like a cafe or library helped me be more motivated to revise earlier and be in the study zone. The earlier you practice this, the easier it will be to adapt to this new habit.

It might be a difficult to start with and might take a bit of time getting used to, but a collection of adaptations to your everyday helps you be in a more productive mindset.

Hope this has helped you and good luck! If you have any questions, let me know😊

Siobhan (Student Ambassador for the University of Central Lancashire)

Can I still get a 2:1 after getting 50% in second year?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated