I was reading an article on the Guardian website which reported that:
“Of the 283,000 undergraduate degrees awarded in 2004 last year, nearly 30,000 were classed a first and 125,500 as a 2:1. In 2000 those figures were 21,800 and 113,700 respectively.
The total number of first degree graduates in 2003-04 was 282,100, an increase from the previous year’s figure of 273,400.”
This means that over 10.6% of students achieved a 1st class degree in 2004, whilst 44.3% were awarded a 2:1.
With over 50% of students achieving an upper second / 2:1 or a first class degree it is little wonder that employers seem to set a 2:1 as their minimum requirement.
This really illustrates the value of a first class degree, with four times as many people being awarded a 2:1, it really helps differentiate you from other job applicants.
One thing that bothered me upon graduation was that although I over achieved against the requirement (70% at my university) for a first class degree, my degree classification is the same as many other students.
This is easily overcome by making the point in any job application you make, I always give my mark, and stress the fact that I won an award from my university.
With 10% of students receiving a first class degree (in 2004 at least) it is good to be able to differentiate oneself from the competition, certainly I am convinced doing this helped me get job interviews.
The article from which I got this information was: Highest Number of Students Graduate in 2004
I will keep digging and see if I can find 2006 statistics (which was the year I graduated).
I wish I had access to this site when I studied for my degree [graduated in 1999]. I only got a 2:1.
I didn’t even think of using a strategy to get a first which I now realise would be a good idea.
I would be interested in how a ‘first’ can affect job prospects.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the comment, all I can say is it hasn’t done me any harm!
I attended my graduation recently and ended up sat next to the six other students who also got first class degree’s.
We all had decent jobs, one was off for a few weeks training in Chicago which he was looking forward to.
A few moved to London and were working for financial institutions, they were started on around 28k which in my opinion is pretty good for a 22 year old ‘trainee’.
I worked hard, learned my subject inside out, produced high quality work which I had proof read before I submitted it.
I had the right attitude. I never missed an opportunity to learn from others and made full use of every resource put before me.
I scrutinised every module guide and continually referred back to them, so I knew I was focusing on the areas that would get the marks. During the whole course not one module listed grammer in the marking criteria, so whilst there was a little “red pen” on some of my returned assignments I always got high marks.
I out performed people who were brigher than me, knew the subject better than me and whose grammer was better than mine.
Hi there. Thanks a lot for this website; it helped a great deal.
I’m starting my degree this coming September… I was originally accepted at a ‘prestigious’ university, but then decided to go through Clearing to do a different course. There were less options, but I got accepted onto a course I really, really like the look of, but is at a significantly ‘less respected’ university.
I’m extremely determined to get a first class degree so that I won’t just be viewed as someone who went to a “doss university” by potential employers – especially since the job market is so tough at the moment.
Again, thank you for this helpful website!
Interesting that you would comment on his grammar when you clearly have no idea how to use an apostrophe and also seem to lack the grammatical intelligence to insert a question mark at the end of your poorly written question.
People in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones.
This site is awesome. I graduated in July 2006 with a first and its very interesting comparing your methodology in getting a first to mine. I would like to report that everything you suggest is similar to what I excercised so I can certainly verify your suggestions.
Hi Suat,
Thanks for that I appreciate the feedback!
Its nice to know people are reading and finding it useful!
I kind of knew I was not talking rubbish after reading the book I reviewed “Getting a first (or avoiding a third)”.
It was funny reading that as he had done exactly the same kind of things I did, and now here you are saying the same!
So that’s at least three people who worked the same kind of things out by themselves, and got first class degree’s through it….. so it really does work!!
Hi Steve,
Thanks for replying to my comment. This site would be very useful for current students at university. I honestly believe it could help students obtain a better degree classification. I think it would be great for you and your site if you could some how increase its exposure to uni students. Perhaps you should contacts uni’s directly and ask them to email your website address around. I mean, I only came across your website by chance one day while surfing the net. Its certainly a very valuable tool I believe.
Kind Regards,
Suat
Hi Suat,
The site is getting more visits month on month.
I have added a mail a friend link to the bottom of posts and have tried to exchange links with a couple of University sites, but to be honest the Uni’s are a bit precious about giving back-links.
I don’t think the fact that I run Advertising endears the site to them either!
I think Ill have to leave it to Google and word of mouth, the thing is I never Googled for this information when I was at University. It never really occurred to read up on how to study.
Having read a couple of books on the subject since, I wish I had, I could have saved a lot of time using a book or a site like this one.
Pingback: Get A First Class Degree: It Works!! » Get A First Class Degree
Hi,
This is a great site, and I wish I had found it sooner. I just found out the result of my degree (a BSc in Psychology at Exeter – and it is a first class degree with honours!) I am SO SO happy, and I must say that I worked so hard for this – day in day out. My main tip for other would-be-first-achievers out there is exactly what was mentioned on this site; treat your degree like a job. Study 8 hours a day for the degree, leaving yourself evenings and weekends free. When it is revision time, treat the degree like a demanding job which requires overtime (some, not all, evenings and weekends too). I think the reason for this succeeding is two-fold. Firstly, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week is a lot of time to dedicate to a degree. Especially as others just don’t seem to put in that much hard work. I found that this time gave me time to even do my own reading around a topic, and not just the obligatory reading. Also, this strategy psychologically dissociates one from the degree. I don’t mean in an “i-don’t-care-about-this,-it’s-only-a-job” kind of way. I mean that it allows one to gain perspective about the degree, and to treat it like a very important job that must be done, but which does not have the power to make or break you. Even though the latter may be true, it is helpful not to ruminate on this.
Anyway, great site and I hope my musings may help someone…somewhere!
Amy G xxxx
Thanks Amy,
That was a really cool comment….
For me the key was choosing a course I was genuinely interested in, that made putting the hours in a lot more enjoyable and rewarding.
I still do not understand why other people would make the effort to get up in the morning and attend University, then sit around doing nothing in between lectures, when they could have been getting ahead, getting better grades and suffering less stress over deadlines….
Congratulations on getting a first BTW!!
Glad to see this site is still going strong. Amy well done!!! Fantastic feeling it is to achieve a first and I fully agree with you comment. Also as my degree was in Business I saw it as though I was running my own company. Thus I saw the success in achieving high grades comparable to achieving high profit for my company. This pushed me to achieve higher levels of profits i.e. higher grades.
Hi Suat,
How are you getting on? Seeing it as running your own company, that’s a bit different! So do you run your own company for real now??
Jez
Hi Jez
Right now I am working for JPMorgan Asset Management as a Analyst. Going quite well I must say. I have had a few unsuccessful business ventures but I will keep trying and hope oneday I will have my own multi-million pound business.
What are you doing Jez?
Cheers
Suat
Hi Suat,
Sorry to hear that! I think that is often the case, that people in business often learn from their mistakes before they make it!
I now work in I.T. working with Web Applications which are a particular interest of mine, so I’m pretty pleased with that.
I would like to do some stuff for myself too, but trying to make money on the internet is extremely competitive. I think that is because it is relatively low risk… which is a good thing in many ways… low entry barriers etc…
Hi all,
I have just got my result, a 1st class honours in computer science, I am over the moon! Especially considering i completed the degree part-time whilst in full time employment.
In my experience, I dont thing a 1st is a measure of intelligence, it is a measure of effort.
Motivation, hard work and dedication are the key!
Congratulations!!!
I agree, it is more about perserverence and commitment than anything else.
I out performed people who were smarter than me on my course by learning more than they did, planning ahead and refining my work through many iterations before handing it in.
I got my 1st a few days ago in Business Management and am going onto further postgraduate study at a much more prestigious school in the UK.
I believe that the key to gaining a first is to shun much of the drinking and partying culture which has crept into the system. I say this having watched friends who at home were straight A students who remained focused, however when they were independent in a new city with freedom, they went off the rails and forgot what University actually means and stands for.
By all means enjoy a few drinks out and allow yourself one night a week for a blow out with friends, but through continually working and reviewing everything you do really is the difference maker. It can be tough to have the strength to put up with the pressure of people wanting you to join them but the long term benefits (I hope) should be worth it.
I agree with Whitehead, that it’s more about effort and dedication to what one wants to achieve rather than intelligence. You certainly do get out what you put in!
Finally i can relate with people of likeminds. This site is really good. Talking about 1st class, i see it is not about being a genius as many perceive, it is simply about ability to maintain “consistency” in geting As which requires focus, dedication and hard work. It’s about depriving yourself of those funfull activities on campus.
I got my own 1st class in Industrial and Labour Relations in September, 2010. Throughout my days in school, i worship nothing but what i called “trinity of my imperatives” this trinity is what i lived my life for on campus and it includes my God, my GP and my Text books. I didn’t take any of it for granted for any second. I monitored my progress on it and tried as much as possible to be watchfull not to compromise it for anything whatsoever.
One thing i can also point out is that many of us don’t invest in buying books, not just books, i mean great books. I mean when you always safe money to buy books as if it were inheritable property. There seem to be some sort of psychological connection between you and the very expensive latest edition of the books you bought. You will want to always read it no matter what. It helps a lot. Issues of obscurity to your mates are always demistified in these books. This connection can be so strong that when you are in the examination hall everything tend to be so vivid to you that you don’t want to stop writing. But many of us cannot do without buying new sets of clothes for each semester.
Getting a first class isn’t about luck nor is it about being a genius, it is simply about designing a strategy and cultivating behavioural attitude that supports the strategy for goal attainment. Ultimately, persistence in asking God for knowledge and wisdom.
Currently at university now, I am glad I found this site. You have really motivated me to try harder. I am in my second year so I hope it’s not too late. Should not be if I get organized in the second term.
Thanks for this website.
Mark.
Hi
I’m currently repeating my second year at uni, and am struggling again 2nd time round, so this site is quite useful!
I used to be a perfectionist student at school, right up until the last 2 (most crucial) years, when I lost my ability to focus on my work, and this nearly broke me, but through much difficulty I managed to get onto a good uni course (Engineering).
Now I still have trouble getting into the flow when I’m working, and was wondering if any of you have ever had a similar problem and if so, what did you do to tackle it?
What I’ve been doing for the past 2 yrs @ uni is just pulling all-nighters all the time, to the detriment of my attendance, because the time I need to get something done is too long!
I realise I can see a clear solution from what I’ve been writing and that is START EARLIER!
Does anyone have any other useful advice and tips?
I really appreciate this site!
Many thanks,
Iliana
This website is Legendary!
This article really does explain the need for a first class degree if you want to set yourself out from the crowd with a 2.1 really becoming a minimum requirement.
Just in my second year studying Quantity Surveying. Got myself some lovely A grades at the moment. My peeps ask me how i did so well. Its just time and commitment and reading beyond what is asked, so that you develop an advanced understanding each area of study.
I also like to slip in my best quote that i often use
‘ I referenced the hell out of that assignment! ‘
Great site. Keep up the good work. The feeling is very rewarding once you achieve that elusive first class. I got a first class honours in Business Information Systems in 2007 and it does make you stand out. Good luck to anyone still studying out there. What worked for me was reading more than the bare minimum. Getting different view from the reading list provided for the modules and not just focusing on one. Sharing ideas and discussion groups make the ideas stick even better and prepare you for the work place too.
Hi, this site is great. I have just achieved a first class in BA (hons) Sports Development with Coaching. I am over the moon. Well done to all and good luck to all people in the future. Being a single mum I found it really difficult studying HOWEVER hard work, sleepless nights and reading got me there. If I can do it then I believe anyone can, my husband left in Oct also which put me under incredible strain but still I managed to pull it outta the bag so to speak. All worth it
and 2 fingers up 2 my ex haha… Michelle
I got a first back in 2005 and was curious of some figures and stumbled upon this site. The method I used was sheer hard work and determination, I spent my final year looked away in the spare room doing 16 hours a day, helping out with our 1 year old son where I could so my partner could do her open uni degree. I screwed up my first semester in my first year passing only 1 module out of 3 so I carried them over into my final year so had 8 modules (dissertation as 2), making it more difficult. Academically I always faired average at school/college so it didn’t come naturally, like I said hard work and determination gets you everywhere. In addition my dissertation was published because it was that good! I went on to become a trainee management accountant and several promotions later I was doing well, then got bored with it all, and was not a happy bunny so been on the dole for the last 2 years, bringing up our 2 children with another on the way : D
I just got my first today 77.49% – very happy, although I worked extremely hard for it. You do not need to be a genius, or otherwise lucky as another person stated, I (as a problem solver) looked at the task of gaining a good grade as a problem that needed to be solved – this needed to be broken down into sub-problems; ‘divide and conquer’. READ WHAT IS BEING ASKED OF YOU THOROUGHLY and devote your time to the problem at hand. *Plan* in some leisure time – physical exercise helped me – this is important to maintain sanity. Start tasks early and then work hard at them. Realise when work is polished enough – be consistent with the quality of the work that you produce – always high!
I could write a whole dissertation on my academic journey, but I’m not going to now. My advice:
- Understand the problem
- Devise a solution
- Implement the solution
You should then check your feedback for coursework and verify whether the decisions made were good ones. Hopefully they were, but improvements can always be made. Consider feedback when executing future work.
Hi there, just jagged the ‘first’, lot of hard work but the goal wasn’t a first – it just ended up that way! i think the key is study technique and an active interest in the subject material, I found ‘mind mapping’ the best technique especially with law related subjects, have other ‘tips’ if anyone wants em, didn’t know the pestige a ‘first’ carries, was happy just to get a pass!
Hi all,
This is a great website! Keep it up!
I’ve just graduated with a First Class (Hons) at Cardiff University. I nearly failed my first year, as I was quite homeskick, and found it difficult to adjust to the university environment. I was surrounded by public school know-it-alls, and just didn’t feel like I fitted in.
However, I realised that it was (probably) my one chance at university, and I wanted to achieve the highest results possible. I looked at the reading lists, and looked for similar literature. I found that I demonstrated an advanced knowledge compared to fellow students in seminars. As a result, I became more confident in my ability, and began to outshine the so-called public school elite. Eventually, I realised that it was all bravado, and they were essentially spewing out flawed arguments in seminars, which I began to challenge.
In my last few weeks at university, I began to have nightmares about my dissertation and final essays (a tad extreme, I know). Consequently, I spent all my time in the computer room and library, pefecting my work. Although this helped push my marks up, I wouldn’t recommend it, as I didn’t get much sleeep and became quite hostile towards my friends. Everything is okay now though.
I would just advise people to set goals and stick to them, read around your set reading lists and visualise you picking up that First Class Honours. I felt amazing when I achieved it, and so did my parents, who helped me so much during university. Remember, this is probably your one chance at university, so aim high.
Hey, thank you for this amazing websites. Congrats to all those people who have achieved the degree they wanted.
I am in my first year of university, studying Business Managmet(Exchange). Thank God i have found this website. I really want to get First class Degree.
I have just enrolled, this week, so i am not late in getting, the advice i need.
i will definitely tell other people of this site.
keep up the excellent, wonderful work.