Question: what grades did you get in school?

Hazel Gibson answered on 5 Mar 2018:

I had a very mixed bag with grades at school and at University, I bounced back and forth quite a lot. For my GCSE’s I did 10, and got five ‘A’ grades and five ‘B’ grades. I did three A Levels: Geography (which I got an ‘A’ for), Art (which I got a ‘C’) for and Physics (which I got a ‘D’ for). I also did Chemistry (‘E’) and General Studies (‘A’) AS Levels and it was lucky I did otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten into University. My University experience also bounced up and down, but I was heading for a pretty good grade until I tanked my final dissertation project getting just under the bar for a 2:1 (an upper second class degree) meaning I finished with a 2:2 (with honours). I was really mad at myself for this, so instead of going to work I joined a masters programme, determined to prove I could do this! I ended up with a Distinction (the highest grade you can get with an MSc) and finished second in my class. So I guess what my experience shows is that the grades you get are not the be all and end all of your education. I almost didn’t get into Uni, then got a middle of the road BSc and I now have a PhD, the job of my dreams and have worked all over the world. It’s more about you figuring out how to get what you want, and not giving up.