Being a nervy university student myself, I feel that I can safely say that it is by no means an exaggeration that many students don't particularly mind what final degree grade they receive, so long as they have managed to avoid the dreaded 2:2. For many students just the sound of this sinister grade is enough to have them waking up at night in a pool of sweat, roused from nightmares prophesying a future without hope of employment of happiness.
Perhaps I am being slightly melodramatic, however a commonly cited statistic that 'around three quarters of large graduate employers routinely use the 2:1 to sift applications' is enough to ensure that students are breathing fairly heavily when it comes to their final year. Of the 2010-11 graduating class, around 28% of graduates received the dreaded 2:2. However, regardless of ominous pieces of data and a general atmosphere of disdain, a 2:2 is by no means a disaster.
Statistics published in the Guardian by the Higher Education Statistics Agency demonstrate that nearly half of the graduating class of 2009-10 had managed to find full-time employment within six months of graduating, a total of 48%! However, this impressive statistic is put into healthy perspective by the statistics which also indicate that of those who received 2:1's and 2:2's, around the exact same amount of graduates had found full-time employment within the same amount of time, give or take a few negligible percentages.
Furthermore, there are also countless anecdotes from 2:2 graduates who have achieved immense success regardless of their mediocre degree qualification. For example, Kate Morfoot, a 37 year old who now runs her own award-winning PR company graduated from Manchester University with a 2:2 and has never considered her degree classification a hindrance. Accepting that she possibly had a bias, Kate still asserts the importance of alternative qualities which emphasise someone's employability, regardless of their academic prowess, 'I would hire someone regardless of their degree grade, as I believe just getting a degree proves a commitment to study.' Indeed, there are even some who argue that those students who achieve at the top end of the scale, usually those receiving firsts, demonstrate an over-commitment to studying which prevents them from develop communicative or social skills which will be just as important in the real world working environment.
While receiving a 2:2 isn't the absolute disaster many people seem to think, it does exclude people from various graduates scheme which choose to discriminate via academic success and can put off potential employers. Some people may get a 2:2 as a result of sheer laziness, while others find themselves with this degree classification as a result of bad luck or merely as a consequence of genuine struggles with academic pursuits which are not to everybody's tastes. I guess the moral Im trying to convey is to not give up hope even if you doesn't get the grades you dreamed of, but while you still have the opportunity to work as hard as possible to get the best grades you possibly can, make sure you knuckle down before it feels like it's too late.
