How Many Students get a First Class Degree

Posted on January 8, 2007 by get a first class degree

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).


Posted in Articles Degree Education | 30 Comments

How To Get A First Class Degree

Posted on January 5, 2007 by get a first class degree

I found the following article on the Internet and was interested by some of the points made:
Beverley Adams, 27, gained a first class degree from University College London, she says, she learnt the tricks of the academic trade. Without becoming savvy in the ways of academics – the way they read, the words they us, the way they phrase their replies – she would not have got a first, she thinks. Her schooling at Croydon High a private single-sex school in Surrey, set her up for University life. It taught her how to succeed. Her geography teacher instilled in her a love of the subject and a love of learning. “I am now reaping the rewards of that,” she says. “those experiences can determine your outlook on life.”

After a first in geography, Beverley took a Masters degree and is now poised to complete a PhD. ” Being successful academically is about being ‘smart’,” she says. “It’s not about being brilliant. You need to use the words that academics use and use the academic style. It’s about cottoning on, reading things in the right way and starting to think in an academic way. That’s the difference between getting a 2.1 and a first class degree. Writing simple English like a journalist won’t get you anywhere. Unless you know how to play the game you won’t get a first.”

It helped that Beverley was interested in the subject. She worked hard but she also enjoyed herself through swimming, working as a lifeguard and playing netball for her county. “I made sure I put aside time for work,” she says. “I was incredibly driven. The bottom line is, I hate failing. It is so much better to be praised than to be told off. If you are seen to be keen, doors are opened for you.”
Hodges, L., One woman’s route to a first’, The Independent, 25.01.01, p. 3
I have tried to address a number of points raised in this article in my own posts:

  • Being interested in your subject is vital, and must be a key consideration when choosing your degree course
  • Cottoning on I would say comes down to widening your research and engaging with lecturers, finding out what is required and benchmarking against other peoples degree work. I am not sure what is meant by “reading in the right way”, my interpretation would be that you must learn to pick out what is relevant to your degree, but also maintain balance and not take information out of context
  • Work hard on your degree, but maintain a social life. I advocate treating a university degree course like a job, working hard, to a schedule all day five days a week, allowing you to take time out in the evening or on weekends
  • Better to be praised than told off, certainly this is good motivation for your degree, its nice to get your degree marks and feel good about them, as opposed to falling behind and putting more pressure on yourself. A point I have made repeatedly is that handing assignments in late makes life harder not easier, as does handing in sub standard work!
  • Being seen as keen opens doors for you, again, I found that being perceived as a serious student meant lecturers took time out to help me. I was able to engage with them on a different level to less committed students and learned a lot more from them.
  • Journalistic versus academic writing style is also vitally important, I have yet to post on that topic!

So, it seems we shared a similar experience!

Posted in Articles Degree Education | 1 Comment

Academic Tips

Posted on January 1, 2007 by get a first class degree

There are many sites providing Academic Tips.

I have tried to make this site a little different, in that the study tips provided here are not so much academic tips as practical advice in a number of areas that I believe degree students will find useful.

The easiest way to use this site is to look at the index which organises my academic tips for ease of use.

I have tried not to repeat what is found on other academic tip sites, instead trying to take a more practical and easy to follow advice to improving degree marks.

I hope you find my academic tips useful, if so please leave a comment :-)

Posted in General Study Tips | Leave a comment

What marks are needed for a first class degree or a 2:1

Posted on December 20, 2006 by get a first class degree

The marks required for different classifications of degree vary between universities, but are typically as follows:

  • 40% or above = 3rd
  • 50% or above = 2:2
  • 60% or above = 2:1
  • 70% or above = 1st

Some universities require a mark as high as 85% for a first class degree. I have spoken to students who attended such establishments and get the impression they think that this makes their degree more valuable. This is simply not the case. I achieved the highest mark at my faculty in the year I graduated (83%), so, if the same standards were applied at a university requiring 85% for a first class degree, then no-one from that university would achieve a first class.

Another issue is consistency of standards between universities, particularly between old and new universities. Whilst research indicates there are variances, all marking is moderated / adjudicated by external bodies to ensure consistency.

Never the less, employers will favor certain universities when it comes to recruitment. An Oxford graduate will be viewed more favorably than a graduate from an ‘new university’ (ex-polytechnic). This is understandable as getting into Oxford or Cambridge is a feat in itself, regardless of whether you do any work when you get there!

The bottom line though, as I see it, is whichever university you attend, you need to make sure you get the best possible results for yourself at the end of the course.

Regardless of your mark, it will take the same number of years, and you will incur the same level of debt, so you may as well make sure it is all worth it.

Furthermore, employers ask for a 2:1 or a first, a mark below a 2:1 will disadvantage you in terms of gaining employment.

I have never seen an employer stipulate universities in their personal specification!

Posted in General Study Tips | 22 Comments

Deadline Extensions on a Degree Course

Posted on December 19, 2006 by get a first class degree

It is possible to get extensions to deadlines for your degree work if you have a genuine reason.

Degree students applying for extensions due to a last minute crisis are usually viewed with suspicion. Give tutors as much notice as possible and ensure all necessary paperwork (extension request form for example) is completed promptly.

Be honest, and provide evidence where appropriate.
If you put in multiple requests and get a bad reputation, you may encounter problems when making a genuine request.
Extension requests are a last resort, far better to get work done early and avoid the hassle.

Handing degree work in late makes life harder, not easier.

Posted in General Study Tips | Leave a comment

Save Money on Books for your Degree Course

Posted on December 19, 2006 by get a first class degree

Use the university library, and get into the habit of renewing books ever week to avoid fines!

Find out if your university has a scheme for students to re-sell old books. If so use this to buy books and sell them on when finished.

Amazon often sell used books via third parties, these are often ridiculously cheap when compared to the Amazon price for a new book. Used books on Amazon are usually properly described in terms of condition, and sellers are usually very professional.

Books are often sold cheaply on Ebay but beware:

  • Sellers are often deceitful and unprofessional compared to Amazon sellers
  • Read the small print, make sure you are not bidding on a pirate E-Book
  • Check sellers feedback carefully, even ‘positive’ (green) feedback may contain complaints

Another common problem is people masquerading as domestic sellers actually being based in other countries resulting in shipping delays (Books written in English are widely available abroad for a fraction of the UK/US price).

There are many specialist online bookstores which cater for students, so its always worth having a Google for what you need.

Posted in General Study Tips | 2 Comments

Revision Tips for your Degree Course

Posted on December 19, 2006 by get a first class degree

If you want to achieve a first class degree it is essential to become as effective as possible in terms of revision. I once read that the hardest part of getting started is getting started, with that in mind consider the when it comes to revising:

  • Do not procrastinate, start your revision early!
  • Make sure you check out previous years exam papers as part of your revision
  • Revise when you are at your best, trying to revise when tired or after drinking alcohol does not work very well!
  • Take regular breaks during revision, during these breaks reflect on what you have learned
  • Switch topics / tasks frequently to avoid getting too bored during revision
  • If you are not making progress on a particular topic, take a break / switch tasks and come back to it / get support from your tutor
  • Work away from distractions, turn the T.V. and mobile phone off, there are studies that suggest listening to (the right kind of) music can help with revision, but more often than not it is a distraction
  • Only work with others if you all stay focused on the task in hand. If you find yourself chatting then work alone
  • Drawing pictures and writing things down can help you remember things more easily, but don’t spend too much time doing this
  • Try using Mnemonic Techniques to help revise important details or lists of information
  • If your struggling in any way make sure you speak to your tutor about it (in good time, not the day before an exam!)

More useful revision tips can be found here:

http://engw1302.livejournal.com/1961.html 

Posted in General Study Tips | 1 Comment

Save Money on your Degree Course, Try Linux

Posted on December 19, 2006 by get a first class degree

Linux is a free operating system, a cost free alternative to Microsoft Windows. It also offers free applications, providing cost free alternatives to Microsoft Office, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop etc, a useful product for any hard up student!

Ubuntu is a popular distribution of Linux, designed to be easy to use and accessible to all (a problem with other distributions is the high skill level required to set up and use them).

On most machines Ubuntu will work ‘out of the box’ detecting and setting up all hardware automatically.

Better still, Ubuntu is shipped with a lot of useful software:

  • Open office which includes:
  • Word Processor
  • Spread Sheet
  • The Gimp image editing software (similar to photoshop or paintshop)
  • Firefox web browser
  • Very useful networking tools such as port scanners (for the geeks amongst us)

Better still, all this software can be updated and upgraded with automatic updates. Imagine a Windows update upgrading your image editing software as well as the operating system.

Better still there is a very long list of additional software that can be automatically installed (by searching for programs, and clicking check boxes in a program called synaptic, very easy).

There are other office programs, graphics programs, some games (not very good), web design and programming tools and much more.

Better still all of these additional programs, once installed will also automatically update or upgrade.

Better still, the whole operating system can be automatically upgraded online, imagine automatically upgrading from Windows XP to Windows VIsta, for free!
Advantages

  • Completely free and legal operating system and applications!
  • Does not suffer nearly as many problems with security / viruses as windows
  • Easy to use for the savvy
  • Xubuntu is a stripped down version capable of giving an old PC a new lease of life
  • EdUbuntu is a version designed especially for Children, if you are planning to teach!
  • You can run both Windows and Ubuntu on the same PC (choosing one or the other on startup).

Disadvantages

  • Will take some getting used to for those less computer savvy, particularly the way file permissions work
  • Applications such as Open Office and The Gimp are not as advanced as MS Office or Photoshop (but fine for the vast majority of users).
  • The above issues will not stop you using Open Office etc, but need to be understood when installing additional programs.

You can download and run Ubuntu as a Live CD. Simply put the CD in your PC and restart it. Your PC will up directly from the CD drive, leaving your hard disk intact. It allows you to try Ubuntu risk free, see how it works on your PC, try the free software and decide whether you like it. If you don’t like it, restart the machine and take the CD out (it will pop out automatically during shut down) and your system will be as it was.
Warning!!!

When running Ubuntu as a live CD there is an install icon on the desktop. If you click this icon without knowing what you are doing you can very easily wipe your windows installation!!

If you want to run both Windows and Ubuntu on the same machine back up all important data first, as there is a chance you will lose your windows data and have to reinstall windows.
You have been warned!!

All that said, do not be put off, Its great software.
Ubuntu Download Area

Posted in Free Software | Leave a comment

A Gmail Account can help with your degree course

Posted on December 19, 2006 by get a first class degree

Gmail (Google Mail) is the best free web based mail client around. During my degree I found it very reliable. It has a calendar linked to it which you can use to plan your degree work, plotting assignment deadlines etc. It can also be used as an ad-hoc means of backing up your degree work.
Advantages:

  • Unlimited mail box size (starting at 2 GB and increasing with your consumption)
  • Unlimited mail box allows Gmail to be used to backup files!
  • Chat client which can be used with other Gmail users (useful for collaborating on with
  • other students)
  • Calendar utility, allowing you to easily plan your timetable / diary, and share this with
  • others if you choose
  • Powerful Google search can be used on your mail box, making it easy to find your stuff!
  • Easy to tag (star) useful mails for quick retrieval
  • Better spam filtering than other clients I have used

Disadvantages

  • Privacy! Google are not really giving this tool away for free! They scan your mails and use the content to target advertising (visible on the left of the screen). Google promise not to actually read personal information, and I believe them, there is no commercial incentive to do this. That said, the fact that they are using personal data for market research does concern some people.

As mentioned, one of the most useful features of Gmail is the ability to mail large files back to yourself; thus backing them up, and having access to them from any machine with an Internet connection. Whilst you should not rely too heavily on this, it is a very useful feature. Google know people do this, and do not seem to object, I suppose its all useful information for their data miners!

If you create folders to organise your backups, and make good use of the search tool within Gmail, it does prove an effective backup tool, especially if you forget your USB disk!
In order to stop Gmail being used for spam (unsolicited mail advertising Viagra) you need to be invited (a mail is sent to your current mail account) by an existing member. If you ask around, it shouldn’t take long to find a Gmail user willing to send you an invite.

Posted in Free Software, Useful I.T. & Gadgets | Leave a comment

External Hard Drives can backup all of your degree work

Posted on December 19, 2006 by get a first class degree

USB disks are a useful way of carrying your degree work with you and transferring it between different machines, but they are easily lost, damaged and do not have enough storage for full backup and archiving of all your degree work and research material.

For full backup or archiving of your degree work you may like to consider a USB hard drive. There are two basic types available:

Mains Powered

As the title suggests, these drives require their own power source, i.e. a spare plug socket near your PC. A second (USB) lead connects the drive to the computer.

Advantages

  • Very cheap for the amount of storage they offer

Disadvantages

  • Create more mess with wires
  • Are too bulky to carry around with you
  • Require a power source, so not suitable on the move

Mains powered drives are really for extra backup at home, for example backing up a laptop.

USB Powered

These drives are powered via the USB connector on your machine.

Advantages

  • Only one wire, i.e. the wire connecting to the PC
  • Usually pocket size, maybe 10cm x 10cm x 1cm
  • Suitable for use on the move, with a laptop for example

Disadvantages

  • More expensive for the amount of storage they offer
  • Short connecting wire, or no connecting wire at all (direct plug)
  • If no connecting wire is present, the plugs are easily damaged

Personally I do not consider USB powered drives suitable for archiving or backup, due to their comparative fragility, though with current models offering between 20 and 80 GB storage, they do have the capacity to be used in this way.

Posted in Useful I.T. & Gadgets | Leave a comment