[Guitarmaniac86]

I graduated last year with a BSc in chemistry. I achieved a 2ii (58.5%) which was not a massive shock since I went from a high first to a 2ii in second year and couldnt make the drop back up in final year.

I was on course for a first/2i but I failed to hit the target. I actually had to leave uni in my first year after three months due to illness. A year later they re instated me and I got a first. I was so happy, but when second year hit, I got ill again, panicked and started re learning first year material. By doing this I neglected a lot of second year revision. I was so scared of losing my good high grades I tried to learn everything at once.... And I got a 2ii. Final year went by ok but illness struck again. I went from a 64% average to a 58% average. Had I kept my 64% average I would have left with a 2i and a lot happier. I have felt like a failure ever since.

I have currently enrolled onto an MSc in drug discovery and have spent the past year saving up for it. Also, the past year, I have been re learning all the Organic chemistry I can.

My career plan was simple. Obtain 2i or first at BSc. Get onto a PhD in the field of orgaic chemistry.

Then I had to re think and find an MSc then a PhD, but I really do not think I will get anywhere with that 2ii hanging over me. My lecturers tell me that I am a good strong student who has had a run of bad luck and it will all work out. All I have to do is stay positive. Two organic lecturers were impressed with my knowledge of organic chemistry.

But Im finding it hard to stay positive because of this over bearing feeling of failure, especially since some people whom I graduated with obtained 2i's with very little work (Most of them crammed at the last minute and I spent months revising and still got a 2ii... It angers me that I am either too stupid, and they are better than me). I feel I made mistakes with my module choices. I took the hard modules and only the top students took those. I feel like I over shot my ability and I should have taken the easy modules to the 2i.

Should I give up on my goal of obtaining a PhD and just settle for any old job that comes my way? All I have ever wanted to do since A Level was become a synthetic organic chemist. Nothing else (apart from maybe analytical chemistry) interests me enough to want it as a job.

[enahs]

I am not really sure what a 2ii is. Could you compare all these to a Grade Point Average (GPA) with a 4.0 scale?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_%28education%29#United_States

I had a ~2.7 undergraduate GPA, which was bad. So I did the MS and brought my grades up and then got into an amazing PhD program.
It is possible.

PhD programs, at least in the US and UK look a lot more at your research/work history. So do any research you can, get any publications or posters, etc. Not only will this allow you to get recommendation letters from the people you work with, but they can be good strong ones because they have experience with you. Not just a long version of "he/she was in my class and I thought they were smart".


Over here, typically we do not pay to get MS or PhD in science, the schools pay us to get the degrees! When you are looking into PhD programs you might look abroad then because of that! You can always move back.

Where are you from?

[Guitarmaniac86]

According to that chart my GPA lies between 0 and 1.99... Ive never used that classification before. In the UK a first is 70% or above, a 2i is 60%-69% and a 2ii is 50%-59%.

According to lecturers with my BSc grade and an MSc I should be able to get on a PhD but its very unlikely apparently.

[enahs]

Well, right now, when the economy is in bad shape, lots of people go back to school, so yes, it is hard to get in right now.
That is a low GPA, yes.

The thing with averages is that bad grades bring them down fast. Are there a few classes you can retake? Calculate what it would do to your GPA/% system thing you use.

But a MS will bring your GPA up and increase the MANY other important aspects of your application.

[Dan]

Your 2ii is probably more like 3 if converted to GPA (conversion link - scroll down to the conversion guide at the bottom).

You can get on a PhD program with a 2ii - I have a good friend who got his PhD at Manchester following a 2ii. If you can get the interview then you have a chance to prove you're better than you might look on paper. References are good for this too, and it sounds like you'll get good ones.

Is your MSc a research masters or a taught one? A research masters, especially if you publish, would strengthen a PhD application enormously - everyone knows that exam results do not always correlate with practical competence. A taught masters still strengthens your CV, but see if you can get an extended summer project in a lab at your university.

Funded positions are quite tight at the moment, but apply to anything you find fairly interesting (because things can look much more interesting when you discuss them in person at interview). Keep an eye on jobs.ac.uk, and if you are prepared to move abroad for a few years you will have a better chance of getting what you want. Do you finish the MSc this summer?

[Guitarmaniac86]

Thanks for the reply Dan. My MSc starts this September. It is both taught and research bases. There is a massive research project that I have to do including 8 taught modules. I can choose a synthetic organic project, where i'd synthesize drug molecules or a natural product project where I'd synthesize some natural product... The previous year, two people got on to PhD courses.