First class
It was a week or so ago that I discovered my degree result. I’d known for a long time (since our course is assessed to a large extent on coursework, and I took several exams in January) that I was on the boundary between a 2:1 and a first class degree, so I was rather chuffed when I found that I’d come comfortably inside the boundary for a first.
Without wanting to sound big-headed, I’m especially pleased because, as I did at school when I got four A-grade A-levels, and prior to that straight A/A* GCSEs, I worked hard, but not too hard. I guess I’m very lucky that I can do well academically without putting in an extraordinary amount of effort. I’ve spent a large part of the last three years doing things other than uni work (not too much of the typical student drink/party/watch crap TV thing, but a lot of other stuff that I found fun, like volunteering on average ten or more hours a week for St John Ambulance, and going to work abroad). I decided a while ago that having a 2:1 degree and a lot of other good experience would be much better than getting a first class degree but having no life away from uni work. Happily, I’ve managed to get the first, and still have a life away from uni (and I’m fairly sure that I succeeded at my job interview because of the things I’ve learned that aren’t related to my degree course, rather than because of my academic achievements).
In some ways it feels a little like I’ve cheated the system (traditionally I guess one is supposed to go to university to become engrossed in one’s subject for three or four years, studying constantly; whereas I treated uni as a “day job” with added perks like lie-ins and student discounts, and got on with other things the rest of the time). However, I suppose isn’t one part of being smart the ability to get the results you want without expending any more cost or effort than is necessary?