How to get a first class degree at University or College

Before I went to university I wanted to find the ultimate guide to achieving a first class degree. I wanted that magic formula or step by step guide that was written by someone who had been there done it and achieved that high level qualification. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find one at the time so I persevered through my degree, learned what worked and what didn’t and finally achieved that first class degree I had always hoped for.

Ever since I completed my degree I have always wanted to help other people achieve the same by giving them the precise strategy they would need to follow to guarantee success in their studies.

So here is the magic formula, the guide, the 11 steps to achieving a first class degree. Follow these principles and I guarantee your degree will say ‘First Class’ at the end of your course.

1. Always know what is being asked of you – This is the number one point on the list because it is the most important. One of the main reasons I achieved a first class degree was due to always being able to take an assignment or exam question and determine what was REALLY being asked of me. It is very easy when you get an assignment to jump straight in and think about the completion of the task. As your thought process and creativity start to flow you have already worked out the best possible structure, what research you’re going to do and how it’s going to feel when you get that awesome grade. However, what you haven’t noticed is that you haven’t paid enough attention to the question and you have mentally researched and answered a different question to what has been asked.

I have seen this done by others many times and have almost fallen victim myself on occasion. The key is to ask yourself the following when you look at your assignment or exam question :

·         · What have I learned on this subject so far

·         · What will I need to demonstrate I have understood from the course content I have received

·         · What details will I need to research to show I have expanded my knowledge

·         · How can I demonstrate I have used course content, research and practical assignments as a basis for the conclusions in this piece of work.

·         · What can I add to this work that will show I have gone above and beyond the expected standard ?.

Master this method and your assignments and questions will always be high quality, relevant and worthy of that first class degree.

2. Make friends and collaborate – It’s going to be a difficult and lonely road if you don’t make friends on your course. Aside from companionship, a collaborative group will improve the quality of your work. Why ? I hear you ask. The reason is that you could be the smartest person in the world but chances are someone else is going to think of an idea that you wouldn’t have. If you are in a good group you will realize that you are not competing against each other but you are trying to reach an academic standard, and as long as you can agree on what is being asked of you (see above) and not plagiarize each others work, you should develop a collective foundation that each individual can build upon with their own work.

A final note on this subject, if you want to increase your odds of gaining a first class degree, make sure you surround yourself with good, committed and hard working people.

3. Always give 100 % - Some people take the view that they will coast through the first couple of years and then really turn it on in the final year when it matters most. This is not the path to success. If you want a first class degree you SHOULD TREAT EVERY ASSIGNMENT LIKE IT WILL BE THE ONLY ONE YOU EVER GET GRADED ON. By putting 100% into every assignment or exam you are not only increasing your average grade score you are also developing the key habits that you will need in the later stages of your degree. These habits will be the vital ingredients that your fellow students will lack when it comes to the crucial final year and it will show in their results. So start early in year 1 and always give 100% to everything you do.

4. Limit the leisure – University can be fun and exciting but if you are serious about getting a first class degree you will need to limit your leisure time so it doesn’t encroach on your studies. If you are continuously missing lectures because you are hung over or not working on assignments so you can hang out with your friends then things are probably not going to turn out well for you. Remember no-one with a first class degree ever wished they had partied more, but most people with 2:2s wished they had studied more.

5. Have a good enough ‘Why’ and make it personal ? – When you have four deadlines looming, you’re tired, overwhelmed and your employed friends have all the money and time in the world you will ask yourself - “Why am I doing this”. The standard reason is “to get a good job” but this isn’t very compelling especially if it is 3 years away. Another common reason is “because my sibling went” or “my parents wanted me to go”. Again, these are not good reasons because they will not give you the personal drive required in difficult times. It would be wrong for me to advise what YOUR personal reasons should be but I based mine around challenging myself everyday to become a better person and develop habits that would serve me well in the future. For me gaining a first class degree wasn’t about bragging, job prospects, a piece of paper or a funny hat it was about being proud of the person I had become in pursuit of my goal.

6. Hardwork vs Difficulty - A first class degree is difficult to achieve, not impossible but difficult. This is a good thing. If they were easy to achieve everyone would have one and their value would go down. Therefore, imagine that the first class degree is on the top shelf and your hardwork is the ladder. I am not a genius, I wasn’t privately educated, I wasn’t even in the top groups at school but I was willing to do whatever it took to overcome the challenges the degree threw at me and that was the key to success. So embrace the difficulty, counter it with hardwork and always keep in mind that ‘you can’t fly without gravity’.

7. Beware of group work – I mentioned earlier the importance of a being in a good group but sometimes the group members are selected randomly and this may not work in your favour. Like with any group situation there will be a mixture of temperaments, agendas and ability. Your job is to make sure your work is the very best it can be to compensate for others that aren’t as conscientious. Also if you volunteer to be the person that consolidates everyone’s work into the final project it also gives you the opportunity to amend or add to the weaker members work to improve the grade. I know this isn’t fair on you but you may want to take the hit to ensure a good grade. For more detailed information on group work check out my hub : How to managegroup assignments at University.

8. Check you are on the right course with your lecturers – At University you are expected to work many things out on your own. You will be given an assignment, allowed a few questions after the lecture and then sent on your way. As a rule lecturers want to offer as little guidance as possible even if it means some students produce poor quality work. After all the pay is the same whether you succeed or fail.

As the master of your own destiny it is your responsibility to book time with your lecturers and make sure you have interpreted the question correctly and are on track with your research. This extra effort is viewed favorably by lecturers and will be rewarded. They may not give you the answers but they may give you some pointers that will save you some time and allow you to maximize your results.

9. Focus on what you don't know - Some areas of study will be easier and more interesting than others and you will have a tendency to focus on these and know them inside out. However, I can guarantee you that what you have procrastinated on and failed to learn WILL be in your exam. It is in that moment that you will learn two very valuable life lessons :

1. Ignorance is NOT bliss

2. What you don’t know WILL harm you.

Remember the more difficult the concept the greater ‘points’ you will score for being able to understand it. If you want a first class degree you will have to demonstrate that you understand the simple and the complex. In summary, if you have holes in your knowledge, get them covered.

10. Time management – I almost feel uneasy about using this title as it conjures up images of rigidity and discipline. When I was at university I took a more flexible approach when it came to time management. I kept very strange hours. I would get up late and work late. Some days I would just go to lectures and not work on assignments at all and then some weekends when my friends were partying I would work solidly.

This may not sound like the textbook (best) approach that you should follow, so what is the underlying time management tip that earned me a first class degree that I need to pass onto you?. Simple.

Always allocate enough time to get the job done !.

Some people can treat university like a job, work 9-5.30 and have perfect balance in their life, others feel inspired at 3am and won’t stop writing until 8am. Whatever your style is if an assignment requires 10 hours of work - give it 10 hours, get it done and don’t worry about the ‘How’.

11. Meet deadlines

Deadlines are extremely important in many parts of life but they are crucial if you want to achieve a first class degree. At my University the penalty for late work was a 10% reduction in your grade so everyone avoided it like the plague. Call in favors, burn the midnight oil whatever it takes but make sure you get it in on time – every time.

If you liked this article or would like to share your experiences or tips, please leave a comment.

How to manage group assignments at university or college and get a good result

For a conscientious and hardworking student, group assignments at University or College can be one of the most challenging elements of the course. With normal assignments you can put in as much or as little effort as you like and you know that you will be rewarded accordingly, however, with group work you very quickly realise that your success (and part of your degree) depends on the efforts of others.

When I wrote the hub ‘How to get a first class degree at college or university’ I included a section on group work but felt that it was such an important (and potentially difficult) area that I needed to elaborate and provide a specific guide. When I was at University some people had highly intelligent, highly motivated and hardworking friends in their group so they probably didn’t need a road map to achieving a good grade as ‘many hands made light work’. However, my experience was different I had a mixture of people in my groups from the highly conscientious to the guys that would go AWOL only to turn up on hand in day with half a sheet of paper to their credit.

You don’t go through years of frustration, graft and ‘herding cats’ without learning a thing or two, so here is the ultimate survival guide to dealing with group assignments at university and college.

Understand the beast – This isn’t going to be easy. You will be working with people from different backgrounds who have different ideas, temperaments, motivations and agendas. You may be busting a gut for that First Class degree but others may be there just to keep their parents happy or pass the time. Therefore, their commitment and ability may also differ. The key here is to not dread or fight this, you just need to accept it and work towards getting the best grade possible.

Strength in numbers – The first task to complete when you have been assigned a group is to find out who the good, hardworking and conscientious people are and align yourself with them. Let them know that you are also like them and want to achieve the same result. This will not only benefit you but they will also realise that it is in their interest to get to know you. If you get this right you will establish the ‘core’ of the group. These ‘core’ individuals will be the people that are going to have most influence over the quality of the assignment/project. You need to be part of this foundation and the foundation needs to be good.

Identify and cover the weak – Once you have identified the strong members and built your alliances it is time identify the weak. In this context the term weak is not a derogatory term used towards a person’s character, it simply means that there are some people that are more likely to produce poor quality work that will inevitably drag your overall grade down.

Thankfully, these people are fairly easy to identify. They will be the members that look bored, say they need to be somewhere else, are fooling around or are happy to sit back and let everyone else do the work without offering any input.

Distribution of tasks (Damage limitation) – If you get this stage right the chances of securing a good grade increase dramatically. Hopefully by now you have established a core group of hard workers and identified the deadwood. Now it’s time for a little common sense. GIVE THE HARDEST MOST VALUABLE TASKS TO THE HARDEST WORKERS. Seems pretty simple but it is often overridden by the fact that no-one wants to do tasks that are boring, hard to understand and the most difficult. Unfortunately, these are often the tasks that carry the most points so you don’t want them in the hands of your deadwood. Someone is going to have to take the bullet from the core group.

When I was at university I always took the hardest tasks that no-one else wanted to do. For a few reasons :

1.    I knew I would put in maximum effort and do a good job

2.    These tasks often made up a large part of the overall grade and I felt more comfortable if I was responsible for it.

3.    The harder the tasks the more knowledge I gained and this would serve me well in future exams and throughout my degree.

4.    I couldn’t bring myself to offload it onto someone else.

5.    It opens the door to making you the leader of the group and as the leader you have more influence over the outcome of the assignment.

6.    It makes you look like a hero………………….a hero that is going to be working harder than everyone else, but still a hero !.

So if you prioritise the tasks by number of marks they carry and you take the hardest, the only thing left to do is distribute the remaining tasks to other members starting with the core group and ending with the least significant tasks being granted to the deadwood.

Won’t the deadwood be offended by the lesser tasks ?. No, not at all. They will think it’s their lucky day because they get to do less work than everyone else. Also, don’t be surprised if they still hand it in late !. Which brings me on nicely to my next section….

Allow two days for collation – Agree with the core group to get everyone to submit their sections two days before the deadline. As I mentioned before there is strength in numbers so hopefully the deadwood will feel obliged to try. The reason I suggest two days is to account for any late submissions from group members and allow for any ‘amendments’ that need to be carried out.

Amend for success – It may be that once the core group sit down with everyone’s submissions they find that there is little coherence between the individual sections or worse some of the sections aren’t quite up to par. This is decision time, do you re-write someone’s work for the betterment of the grade or do you say “I’ve done my bit” and submit work you know is substandard ?.

I have always chosen the former and worked alone or with other people to improve some group member’s work before final submission. Yes, it was unfair as I had already worked hard enough on my own task but at least I could sleep easier at night knowing that a reasonable standard had been achieved.

Don’t overlook the lesson – Group work is meant to be challenging. People will talk over each other, go off on tangents, not listen, complain, not contribute and some of your good ideas will get shot down. Believe it or not this is excellent training for the real world and your working life. It is one thing to be the master of your own destiny but you will soon learn that you won’t get far without the co-operation of others. Negotiation, persuasion and assertiveness are all key skills in the business world so learn the lessons early and build a great foundation for your future.