Why having a 2:1 degree can be better than a 1st

IMAGINE having put all that work into achieving a first class honours degree, only to find out that you would have been better off settling for less?

That’s the reality for students looking for a job at intellectual property law firm Stevens Hewlett and Perkins.

According to Sarah Perkins, patent attorney and partner at the firm, having a first class degree makes you arrogant and less likely to possess “soft skills” like communication and information processing.

Ms Perkins, who achieved a 2:1 in physics at the University of Edinburgh, said: “In all my years I have been recruiting, I have singularly failed to find a good candidate with a first class degree, so I choose to consider and interview people with lower classifications first.”

The 52-year-old said she immediately discards top degrees if there are no extra-curricular activities on their CV. She will only interview candidates with the highest classification if their additional work is outstanding.

She added: “I think academia can encourage people who aren’t strong in some areas to think they can do anything because they are clever but that’s not true.”

Ms Perkins blamed the “intense intellect and great knowledge” of first class students for the difference, stating that those who hold 2:1 degrees “are far more rounded”.

She said the one in five that are awarded first class degrees often assume they are a perfect fit for any job and talk down to her during interviews, making those with a 2:1 seem more appealing.

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