3rd class honours degree

ImDave

Im a 2nd year student studying business studies in Limerick Unversity. Im majoring in Accounting and minoring in Entrebreneurship and am about to sit my end of semister exams in a week. Anyway im not one of the students aiming for a 1st class honours degree, infact all i am aiming for is to get a 3rd class honours degree and pass college. I have no real interest going down the accounting route but i majored in it so i could get an understanding of accounting for if i ever setup my own business. Im not good at accounting or maths. I am just wondering if anybody knows what my options are when I finish my degree. How much money could I be looking at starting off on? or am I lost cause just wasting my time in college??

AARRRGH

Why don't you put in some effort and aim for something other than a crap result?

That's not an insult. I don't understand why you've given up on getting a good grade. All it takes is a bit of effort.

Supercell

EI-DAV you could be me about 10 years ago!

Get the damn degree, wheter you like it or not, even a crappy degree is better than no degree in job getting terms.

I hated every second of my business degree with accountancy in the last couple of years ....but it opened doors for me afterwards.

Get it out of the way, then move into something that interests you more.

ixus

You're thinking too far ahead. Get on with your studies for next weeks exams. Try not to have to repeat any. Enjoy your Summer, while also thinking further about what you want to do.

I've been in your place, and after a degree I didn't enjoy, I worked in a different a sector for 2 years before realising I needed to go back to college and do something I enjoy.

Your reasons for taking accounting are pretty good, so stick at it.
If some day, you go out on your own, you'll thank yourself!

Hanley

I'm not sure how your degree is graded, but only my final year counts towards my end score.

I'm good friends with a guy who scraped passes and 2.2's in first and second year and really started to work mid way thru S1 of 3rd year and he's carrying a 1.1 from xmas into our final exams this week.

Try and get some relevant work exp this summer, it REALLY helped to focus me going into final year.

And if you're planning on living in Dublin, there will be ALOT of places available come next year. We've had employers begging for graduates in college.

cronos

Hanley wrote: »

I'm not sure how your degree is graded, but only my final year counts towards my end score.

I'm good friends with a guy who scraped passes and 2.2's in first and second year and really started to work mid way thru S1 of 3rd year and he's carrying a 1.1 from xmas into our final exams this week.

Try and get some relevant work exp this summer, it REALLY helped to focus me going into final year.

And if you're planning on living in Dublin, there will be ALOT of places available come next year. We've had employers begging for graduates in college.

In UL second third and fourth year count towards the degree. But there is a heavy weighting towards third and fourth year I believe.

OP if your going to aim low aim to scrape a 2.2 degree. Lots of people work really hard and come out with a high 2.2 but it shouldnt be difficult to get a low 2.2 and employers dont generally know the difference.

The problem with a third is that it shows you will only do the bare minimum in a job. But any degree is better than no degree.

amtc

and perhaps learn basic spelling and punctuation!

AARRRGH

Another reason to scrape a 2:2 -

You can get into most post grad courses with a 2:2. This means you have loads of options to continue with college at night (or whatever) should you want to change career direction.

Honestly you will not regret putting in the effort and getting a 2:2 or 2:1.

ImDave

Thanks a lot guys, most of ye have been very helpful so far. except for the one person who slagged my slight dislexcia. anyway one statment there was very true, a third class honours degree does tell an employer that I do the bare minimum but that really is the way i am and i would love to change it but its just the way i work. I also only study when there is actually no other option just like now I have barely attended college all year and will start studying tomorrow for my exams starting on tuesday.

Is there anyone out there who was like this?? and how did ye end up like? if ye wouldnt mind stating what career routes ye went down and if ye feel ye are earning a good wage. oh and also how do the degrees work?? 1.1, 2.1, 2.2 or what???

Thanks again guys!

cronos

EI-DAV wrote: »

Thanks a lot guys, most of ye have been very helpful so far. except for the one person who slagged my slight dislexcia. anyway one statment there was very true, a third class honours degree does tell an employer that I do the bare minimum but that really is the way i am and i would love to change it but its just the way i work. I also only study when there is actually no other option just like now I have barely attended college all year and will start studying tomorrow for my exams starting on tuesday.

Is there anyone out there who was like this?? and how did ye end up like? if ye wouldnt mind stating what career routes ye went down and if ye feel ye are earning a good wage. oh and also how do the degrees work?? 1.1, 2.1, 2.2 or what???

Thanks again guys!

It depends on how you have been doing on all your projects during the semister. You can study most modules in about 3 - 4 days if your putting in 12 to 16 hour days and get a high B. But if you missed out on marks during the semister that makes it though.

How have you been doing in projects?

Hanley

cronos wrote: »

It depends on how you have been doing on all your projects during the semister. You can study most modules in about 3 - 4 days if your putting in 12 to 16 hour days and get a high B. But if you missed out on marks during the semister that makes it though.

How have you been doing in projects?

TROOF!!

I don't do much during the year but spend 8-10 hours a day 5x a week in the library for the two weeks before my exams and usually end up doing quite well.

OP, I'm actually friends with a guy who suffers from dsylexia and he's doing quite well too, 2.2 I think and a job secured and everything for next year witha pretty promising growing firm.

So if you're prepard to put at least a moderate amount of work in this semester, go to class next year and then spend maybe 2 or 3 weeks in the library, there's no reason you can't do well.

BuffyBot

a third class honours degree does tell an employer that I do the bare minimum but that really is the way i am and i would love to change it but its just the way i work.

What bull. Put some effort in. "Just the way I work" will do sod all for you in the real world, and employers aren't going to give you jobs because you "do the bare minimum".

Phaetonman

If you are aiming for a 3rd I would leave college now. Far better served starting a career somehwere now with no degree than doing the same in a few years. Actually a 3rd is generally considered worse than no degree by employers.

theone

Phaetonman wrote: »

Actually a 3rd is generally considered worse than no degree by employers.

thats a pretty far out statement I hope your joking, so no degree is better than a pass degree, have a think about it.

I don't think that statement is far off - some of my relatives have their own businesses and won't even look at anyone with a third class degree. They'd actually prefer someone who didn't go to college at all and built up work experience or internships, showing a work ethic and drive, than someone who went to college for the sake of it and never did any work and scraped a third. Who is going to employ someone with your mentality? It's hardly difficult to get a 2:2 in most subjects, if you put in a little effort, so why are you content with the minimum possible classification? Why are you bothering going to college at all if you can't even be bothering TRYING to get good grades?

oh and also how do the degrees work?? 1.1, 2.1, 2.2 or what???

You should have known this before even starting college - go and talk to a lecturer! And why on earth are you studying accounting if you're not good at accounting or maths? You said to set up your own business but if you're not good at it and have no interest in it, I don't understand why you're doing it in college. If you just want a basic knowledge you could do a night course or just read a book.

Sorry if I'm being a bit harsh but I can't understand someone going to college to do something they don't like and aren't good at, who has no idea how degree classifications work, has no idea what the starting salary of careers would be and has no intention to do anything other than scrape the minimum grade. Based on what you've written, it seems rather pointless, and you don't seem to know why you're in college in the first place? It's a bit strange!

nesf

cronos wrote: »

It depends on how you have been doing on all your projects during the semister. You can study most modules in about 3 - 4 days if your putting in 12 to 16 hour days and get a high B.

It depends completely on your course and your ability. A very good person can get a first from said study, a poor/middling student might struggle to get a 2.2. It also depends on what the average person in your course is like and where you are in it in relation to everyone else.

nesf

amtc wrote: »

and perhaps learn basic spelling and punctuation!

And perhaps learn some manners before commenting on this forum? His posts are readable with only the odd few mistakes, there's no need for the dig at his spelling in fairness.

ImDave

wow i really never thought my spelling was that bad until now but i never understood punctuation so that wasnt a shock. Well guys business is the route I want to go down. Either that or music. I play in a band and the money from that is putting me through college and also have been setting up businesses with my friend since we were young, the first being an interactive cd of our town, for tourists. We won awards for it. And i reckon we are the only people on our whole business course who are currently running a business. We are working on a part-time jobs website just for students which should be up and running by the summer and also registered our first limited company the other day and are about to become the main distributor in ireland for a new product that won time magazine coolest new product of the year last year.

Surely on a c.v it would look good to have actually gone and taken a hands on approach to business during college. I mean there are people who will be coming out of our business course with a 1st class honours degree but at the same time they never had the balls or interest to actually go out and make business a part of their lives while they were in college.

And when people are saying no degree is better than a 3rd class degree are you serious?? or is that just for some jobs?

nesf

EI-DAV wrote: »

Surely on a c.v it would look good to have actually gone and taken a hands on approach to business during college. I mean there are people who will be coming out of our business course with a 1st class honours degree but at the same time they never had the balls or interest to actually go out and make business a part of their lives while they were in college.

Yes and no. Ideally a person can balance both academic and non-academic interests and excel in both. Most people can't so there's some trade off between the two and really it depends on how you come across as a person and the role you are going for.

EI-DAV wrote: »

And when people are saying no degree is better than a 3rd class degree are you serious?? or is that just for some jobs?

In some areas where academic success is highly regarded, definitely (you ain't going to get into a graduate program on a 3rd normally etc). The point would be that no degree would be about as useful as a 3rd class degree in such an environment ergo why bother getting the degree at all? But in general you're better off with a degree than not, and really after a few years for most jobs no one is going to care what you got in college. There is no point in just settling for a 3rd though. Seriously, just put in some work and try to get a better degree. You'll be far better off with non-academic interests and a 2.2 or a 2.1 than just settling for a third. You might as well do something with your time in college and improving your degree just a little bit wouldn't be a bad option.

cronos

EI-DAV wrote: »

wow i really never thought my spelling was that bad until now but i never understood punctuation so that wasnt a shock. Well guys business is the route I want to go down. Either that or music. I play in a band and the money from that is putting me through college and also have been setting up businesses with my friend since we were young, the first being an interactive cd of our town, for tourists. We won awards for it. And i reckon we are the only people on our whole business course who are currently running a business. We are working on a part-time jobs website just for students which should be up and running by the summer and also registered our first limited company the other day and are about to become the main distributor in ireland for a new product that won time magazine coolest new product of the year last year.

Surely on a c.v it would look good to have actually gone and taken a hands on approach to business during college. I mean there are people who will be coming out of our business course with a 1st class honours degree but at the same time they never had the balls or interest to actually go out and make business a part of their lives while they were in college.

And when people are saying no degree is better than a 3rd class degree are you serious?? or is that just for some jobs?

It depends how successful the business is I suppose. If its not that profitable and it stops you from doing your studies then perhaps you should put your studies first. Also your approach will end up costing you more time if you have to repeat subjects durring the summer. You could otherwise have spent the whole summer on the business.

cronos

nesf wrote: »

It depends completely on your course and your ability. A very good person can get a first from said study, a poor/middling student might struggle to get a 2.2. It also depends on what the average person in your course is like and where you are in it in relation to everyone else.

Thats true but to be fair his exams are on tuesday so I dont see the point in telling him that its impossible to get a reasonable grade. He still has a chance but he just has to start putting in the work from today till the exams.

Supercell

I'd disagree about a 3 degree being worse than no degree, it is useful.

Just put on your CV that you have a degree in xyz.
I was more interested in the nurse I was going out with than the course my parents made me attend..the result was inevitable

I've never ever had an employer ask me if its was an 1 or a 2 or a 3 ..
These days my degree isnt even asked about as I've moved on from there - a bit like the inter or group cert isnt asked about after you do your leaving. I've got in the front door and my experience is now more valuable to my employer than anything else.

OP even if a 3 is on the cards just finish the damn thing, it will open doors for you..

nesf

cronos wrote: »

Thats true but to be fair his exams are on tuesday so I dont see the point in telling him that its impossible to get a reasonable grade. He still has a chance but he just has to start putting in the work from today till the exams.

Very true.

Hanley

I hope the OP is not replying cos he's studying....

Just to give a frame of reference, I've my last ever financial accounting exam at 10am tomorrow. I was in the library at 10.30am this morning, left after 8pm. Took a break til about 10.30pm and I'm just finished up now. My alarm's set for 6.30am to get me in for 8ish so I can get some more work done.

I'm putting in that sorta work because not only is the grade in my degree important to me NOW (I need at least a 2.1 to hold onto my grad position but I REALLy want to finish up with a first), it'll be important years down the road if I want to do a masters or perhaps even an MBA. Those sorta things might not be important to YOU tho. Even if they're not, don't go into the rest of your college life with the "I'll just do the bear minimum and get out of here" attitude. You might regret it years down the road.

I've found that if your successful in one area of your life (as you've been in music) you need to try and find some way to relate the skills from there to your college work. It might not seem realistic, but just find SOME way to compare them (for me, I compete at an international level in weightlifting, I spend alot of time training and wouldn't leave the gym without hitting all my target weights and pushing to beat previous limits. So in college I try to transfer this over and I'll stay half an hour longer than I was gonna, or redo a question I've already done a few times).

Chances are your results won't be spectacular this year, but since next year and the one after has a greater weighting, there's no reason you can't pull yourself up to a 2.2 or even a 2.1.

So yeah, there's my motivational talk for the night. I'm off to bed to pray to god that our lecturer doesn't screw us over tomorrow!

lemon125

I got a third class honours degree from UL, I was only asked once what type it was in an interview.
Sometimes I wish I worked a bit harder to get the 2.2, I got the third class honours just out of laziness. Four years later I have moved into management over a team of 5 and have passed out a few more of my class who got better results. alot of this was down to luck and hard work.

Anyway, its always in the back of my mind that its only a pass degree. Is there anyway that I can up my degree from a pass to an honours?

cronos

lemon125 wrote: »

I got a third class honours degree from UL, I was only asked once what type it was in an interview.
Sometimes I wish I worked a bit harder to get the 2.2, I got the third class honours just out of laziness. Four years later I have moved into management over a team of 5 and have passed out a few more of my class who got better results. alot of this was down to luck and hard work.

Anyway, its always in the back of my mind that its only a pass degree. Is there anyway that I can up my degree from a pass to an honours?

I think after enough years of work you can get considered for a place on a masters course. Dont think you can do anything about the degree though.

Out of interest when were you asked what type of degree it was and did you get that job? Was it an entry level job or was it when you went for the manager job?

lemon125

I got asked what grade i got in my final exams in one interview in an entry level postition, which I went for becasue it would have meant a move back home. I didnt get it, because at the time the company wasnt going well and they ahd to lay off a few staff, I think they may have improved a bit since. I have also went for interviews for management jobs and they didnt ask me either. I didnt get those jobs (2 interviews)!
But at the minute I got the management role due to internal promotion, so i'll stay another while longer.

ixus

With a couple of years work experience, you will get into most full-time courses if you apply in the right manner i.e. speak to the course director and explain why you're looking to go back to college etc. Make yourself stand out, not just your qualifications

Also, with experience, you will get into the majority of part-time courses.

Another, higher standard course is the only way to improve your qualifications. You can't "fix" your previous results.