Undergraduate Results & Impact on Apps

[laurenn42]

Hi!

I would like to preface that overall I did achieve a 2:1 at undergraduate from a very good RG in Accounting and Finance. However, I will provide my grade breakdown and it will immediately become apparent how much my grades fluctuated, much more than the average person's would.

The reason for this post is that I have been attending a lot of events with different firms and two firms including Travers Smith and Willkie have stressed the importance of consistent undergraduate results. Willkie in particular takes undergraduate results into account much more than postgraduate. I have completed the PGDL, the results of which I have also disclosed.

This is honestly kind of distressing because I feel like I am going to be discounted immediately because of the level of fluctuation in my grades. Does anyone have any insight into firms which have said either similar or have made contrary statements to Willkie etc, or does anyone have any advice on what to do.

@Jessica Booker I feel like you would be able to offer valuable insight as well. I do not want a sugarcoated answer if I'm honest, I need someone to be completely truthful about my prospects based solely on my grades.

First Year
Economics – 76
Business Law – 64
Financial Management – 80
Management Accounting – 49
Statistics – 76
Analytics – 40
Financial Accounting – 83
Foundations, Skills and Debates – 66

Second Year
Economics – 68
Financial Reporting 1 – 56
Financial Reporting 2 – 40
Finance 1 – 48
Finance 2 – 60
Business Law 2 – 67
GEB – 65
Entrepreneurship – 65

Third Year
Economics – 58
Equality – 68
CIM – 67
Company Law – 68
Law for Entrepreneurs – 67
Mergers and Acquisitions – 63
Accounting for Sustainability – 80
International Trade Law – 61

PGDL
Contract Law - 75
Tort Law - 79
English Legal System & Con Law - 79
Criminal Law - 73
Law of Organisations - 83
Land Law - 83
Equity & Trusts - 81
Ad Law and Human Rights - 81

I had mitigating circumstances in my first and second years of undergrad, the latter of which was marked as severe by my university's exam board.

 

[laurenn42]

I am applying for VS only.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Your module grades are overwhelmingly strong and you have mitigating circumstances that your university have determined were severe.

Given these two factors, I don’t think there is anything to worry about here - even highly competitive firms are going to look much more at your strong 2.1 or above grades and particularly your GDL grades and see there is enough evidence of academic consistency outside of the period of time you had extenuating circumstances.

 

[WillkieGemma]

Hi @laurenn42 I hope you don't mind me jumping in here, but your undergraduate grades here are very strong, with a clear 2.1 in each year. We're all allowed to have blips here and there, especially with mitigating circs. You've got a couple of lower marks but the vast vast majority are good. My message about consistency is more about when candidates do have the majority of marks in the 2.2 bracket (excluding those with mitigating circs of course) which isn't the case here.