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How hard is it to get a 2:1 degree?

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Reply 20

EierVonSatan

45% of graduates in 2007 got a 2:1, make what you will of that.

Reply 21

xJessx

I'm getting 60+ is most of my essays and assignments now but that's only 1st year. I'd say that at this point, it's about the equivalent of good (grade A) A-level standard. That worries me a little because I feel like, when the work gets harder next year - I'll be getting 50+ and then in last year, I'll be getting 40+. Basically, that I won't get any better lol.

Reply 22

SiaSiaSia

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It does depend on the uni. For example for a 2:1 you'd have to work much harder at Cambridge in comparison to Essex. And you'd have to work much harder at Manchester in comparison to the University of East London. But my uni is in the top 20and it is HARD. I mean really hard, you do have to put in a good number of hours a day and attend lectures, start revision early and read alot. I hope I get a 2:1.

Hmm, Essex is quite good actually.

Reply 23

prospectivEEconomist

Depends. I've never done economics before and I found the january exams alright. I reckon if I worked 2-3 hours a day outside lectyures I would get a first.

Reply 24

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SiaSiaSia

Hmm, Essex is quite good actually.

Yep its okay my brother went there. But a schoolmate of mine attends Cambridge and they make her do lectures on a Saturday. A 2:1 degree at Cambridge is more valued than Essex in my opinion just due to their positions in the league table.

Reply 25

ebam_uk

Well, it is different for everyone, because for example in Cambridge for engineering, they give the top 54% 2.1 or a 1st. So really you just have to be in the top 54% of the engineers in the year! Well some people are probably almost guaranteed to get a 1st and others 2.1's if they work a bit, so its dependent on how much you study and how intelligent you are compared to the rest of the year. Everyone works fairly hard here, so its pretty hard to get a 2.1 in general!

Reply 26

eulerwaswrong

cruciform

How much effort would you have to put in. Would it be like A-level where you have to put in a good number of hours a day?

you what?

people can get an A in an A level if they work hard for about a week per module. (1/6 module)

I expect university to be like an a level every month. Saying that you cant really compare - i suppose its a bit like comparing Gcses to a levels, ks3 SATs to gcses.

It a whole new level

Work hard.

Gangee

Ah right, I didnt realise that :p:

Is there any way of finding out what the grade boundaries each university has? (I mean like to get a first, 2:1 etc) :wink:

but each university sets different exams, with different content. so even comparing grade boundaries is pointless

Reply 29

MMA

As others have said it very much depends on the university you go to and the course you do. At any top university you will be expected to work much harder to get a 2:1 than at an ex-poly for example.

Reply 30

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

Gangee

..... Why would it be harder to get a 2:1 at a top uni compared to a lower ranked one??? Surely it would be easier due to the better teaching standards????
Hmmmmmmmmm

Some of the lecturers see students as the things that keep the lights on in top unis. The teaching standards tend to be a lot worse on average (though my dept is helpful).

Reply 31

rottcodd

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Valued by whom?

Reply 32

IBK

I think it is relatively easy to get a 2.1. the main issue is managing time. Creating a balance that works for you is the difficult part.

Reply 33

Greatleysteg

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

Some of the lecturers see students as the things that keep the lights on in top unis. The teaching standards tend to be a lot worse on average (though my dept is helpful).

Yes. I often get the feeling that I'm just an interruption in a day of research.

Reply 34

teriaki

It depends a lot on you.
Some people do spend 2-3 hours studying every day. Others (like me) won't even touch the textbooks until 2 weeks before the exam. It is hugely individual and there is no set amount of hours of study that you have to put in to get a good grade.

Reply 35

Grapevine

As others have said, the difficulty of getting a 2.1 will depend on the university you attend, how much you enjoy your degree, how intelligent you are, how hard working you are etc.

I think it goes without saying that getting a 2.1 at somewhere like Portsmouth is a hell of a lot easier than getting a 2.1 at Cambridge. I can safely say that based on some of the people I know who went to Portsmouth and got 2.1s.

Reply 36

Mad Vlad

Higgy90

LOOOOOOOOOOL

if you need to spend hours a day studying A levels you dont stand a chance in getting a 2.1

Nonsense. I struggled at A-Level for one reason or another, but I'm on course for a First at uni, simply because I love the course and have got a real drive to succeed at it. It's structured in a way that suits my style of learning and that's really helped with my grades.

Reply 37

Asteron

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Yes, a 2:1 from Cambridge will have more of an edge then a 2:1 from Essex, but that is if all other things are equal, which in many cases they are not.

A first from Essex would generally hold more weight then a 2:1 from Cambridge I would say.

Reply 38

she

questionmark

Lol, no.

I've found through my friends' experiences at lower unis that the lecturers provide more help i.e. checking essay drafts, giving them articles to read for their essays. At my uni which is a 'Redbrick' (i think thats what they're called) our lecturers give much less help. They wont read essay drafts, they wont provide you with articles if you get stuck on a lab report, they rarely answer essay queries because 'it provides too much help'. There's a huge emphasis on 'independent learning'. In addition my friend only has to get 55 to get a 2:1 I have to get 60-62.

It's the same on my course (no help) and I'm only at mere Kent.

Reply 39

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rottcodd

Valued by whom?

Employers, people...I KNOW even if I emerge from Uni.Manchester with a 2:1 it is not equivalent to a 2:1 at Cambridge its just a fact. A newspaper article stated that getting a 2:1 from Uni.Manchester is equivalent to a 1st from Man Met. The league tables act as an indicator of performance even though isome may think it is not quite accurate.