• Question: which one do we prioritise: work exp or grades?

    Asked by mynameisjeff to vediacan, Richard, Lesley, Laura, Alex on 18 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Richard Prince

      Richard Prince answered on 18 Jun 2015:

      Hi Mynameisjeff,
      That is a very hard question to answer. For example, some of my second year students who are trying to get industrial placements give up, because they realise that it is hurting their coursework spending time doing all the applications and interviews. The same thing happens with job applications in final year: many people now are saying they are going to have a year off because they haven’t got time to revise AND to look for a “proper” job after graduation.
      I guess what you have to do is strike a balance. You need to think about what grades you need to get where you want to go (miss out on the minimum requirements and experience won’t count for much), and then decide how much time you can afford to spend getting work experience. If you decide to concentrate on the grades now and perhaps take a gap year to get work experience, that is fine, but make sure you have a proper plan. It’s easy to drift through a year off and not enhance your CV.
      Although it’s perhaps a step ahead of where you are now, this Manchester site offers some advice about work experience during your degree.
      http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/experience/
      Good luck!
      Richard

    • Photo: Vedia Can

      Vedia Can answered on 22 Jun 2015:

      Hi Mynameisjeff,

      I think it is best if you have a good balance between the two because employers look at good grades but the added work experience makes you stand out from the rest of those students/ graduates/ job seekers that already have good grades. So, there is no priority between one or the other; there is only a balance (50/50).

      Hope that answers your question!

      Best Wishes,

      Vedia

    • Photo: Laura Newton

      Laura Newton answered on 22 Jun 2015:

      Hey mynameisjeff!

      To get into uni, I think grades are the most important. Every university will have a cut off of grades that you need to get for them to give you an offer. But even if you have the grades they might not give you an offer, especially the more prestigious ‘top class’ universities. Here is where having extra work experience can help. Usually if you don’t have the grades you definitely won’t get an offer anyway.

      At university you should have time to get some extra work experience through the summers and you can focus only on your work during the term times.

      Best wishes,
      Laura 🙂

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