let's harp on this 3rd c thing again.
like its a guitar we should play. lets strumm its strings some more.

i don't know why universities have this 3rd rate system.
it's utterly detestable.
you can't do master's with it.
can't get a job with it
get lots of stigma with it
need to improve it.

but does anybody just wake up and go thru 4 / 5 years of school
always knowing right from year 2 that theirmaking 3rd c grades??

well in my case not so.

infact--- i believe the feedback system of schools are so poor
that some people got the poor grade by suprise.

on the other hand, if there's a grade lower than fail some body will
aspire for it. paradox - right.

but if you got it bad , third class , pass.

did you know you'd always be bagging it. no lie here.

@OP,
I couldn't help but laugh at this your post.
I started school with a 1st class GPA, and ended up with a 2.2. It was so bad that one semester I was even below a point.

In fact, I had to step on the gas midway through school, when it began to look like I would close with a 3rd class. Lucky for me I did a 5 year course.
The truth of the matter is . . . haba! How can you not manage a 48% (2.4/5) average, which is what the 2.2 threshold is? Schools might as well start admitting P7 and P8 into the university. Whichever way you look at it, if you had a 3rd class, you screwed up. You weren't in school for just one semester. And that's the way it is.

Not to say that it is the end of the world though. It is just a grade after all, you can still find your way past it. But I see no point in crying about it. Just be ready to rectify your mistakes and move on nonetheless.

if i said lets talk about how you made a first class may b sb would have been tempted
to blab.
hmmn, so whats it not to talk about a failure - for one the deed has been done
nd you survived it.
didnt kill you .
actually , talking about it ,reviewing it shows where the fault lay.
@ ajanleko
you might want to support such a claim that a person who made a 3rd class is ultimately responsible for his failure- i dont think so.
i beg to disagree ,not to justify myself but cuz it just aint so in real life except in
motivational books and thats just for marketing purposes.
in my brief experience at school , i've come to the conclusion that - information drives
success and can cause failure. information first,then action later.
so many students ,yeah they played around, but some didnt get to know they were going under cuz the information was 'nt published in tme. kinda like your car speedometer telling you tht you're doing 40 mph when really you're doing 180 , and you don't know till its too late. you could blame the driver here but in a way, all his action and confidence was influenced by the information he received.
i accused my school of these problem in their still manual information system,
but they'll never admit to this side of the story. they'll quip the stale lopsided mantra
everybody wants to believe .
so if you made a 3rd class - hey,the worst is over - who was to blame? don't lie if you
were the one screwing it up.

usetime:

if i said lets talk about how you made a first class may b sb would have been tempted to blab.

Hehehe . . . considering that nobody really wants to discuss failure I can safely say that's understandable.
Now let's treat your argument.

usetime:

@ ajanleko
you might want to support such a claim that a person who made a 3rd class is ultimately responsible for his failure- i dont think so.
i beg to disagree ,not to justify myself but cuz it just aint so in real life except in
motivational books and thats just for marketing purposes.
in my brief experience at school , i've come to the conclusion that - information drives
success and can cause failure. information first,then action later.
so many students ,yeah they played around, but some didnt get to know they were going under cuz the information was 'nt published in tme. kinda like your car speedometer telling you tht you're doing 40 mph when really you're doing 180 , and you don't know till its too late. you could blame the driver here but in a way, all his action and confidence was influenced by the information he received.

Nice argument but thoroughly misplaced. I used to also blame my school for not publishing results on time, when I was at uni. But that never concerned me, I just kept on playing away my time.

All of a sudden I saw my results in 400 level, and it was a very rude awakening, my guy. But guess what. All the way from 200L to 400L I never cared. It was when I saw the very real possibility of graduating with a third class or pass that i jolted myself back to reality. I changed my lifestyle radically, dumped membership of the prestigious club I joined, shenked my friends, and basically became a recluse. I jacked like my life depended on it.
At the end of the day, I escaped - only just - into the 2:2 zone, producing excellent semester results three times in a row. I didn't settle anybody, I just kept it real, went to class, worked my ass off, and moved my grades from Ds and Es into Bs and Cs, with a few As in between. And I made it at the end of the day. Sounds like something right out of a motivational book, abi? Well, it's very true.

At the end of the day, dude, I have nothing to blame anybody for. Just the same way that if you fail or succeed in life, it's mostly as a result of what you did or didn't do. If you make up your mind that you don't want to graduate with a 3rd class, you won't, like I did. But if you choose to blame someone else, then you will keep getting 3rd classes, not only from school, but from life itself. Whatever mistakes you have made, summon courage to blame yourself and walk away. It's life, my guy, don't waste your time and energy blaming the system for your bleep ups. Rather, work the system well, and reap the benefits. That's all I have to say.

failure?
hey common , failure teaches success so lets talk about it .
my theory is that information cause kneejerk reactions not the other way round.
lik we were taught to go to school and study hard and make good grades.
i'm thinking go to school,study, department processes your grades,
gives you feedback ,everyother action is a response to the feedback,
e.g in your case , you were lax until 400 level ,not because u were
intellectually deficient but because - u were getting NO feedback,
in the absense of feedback, u based your action on wrong information - ASSUMPTIONS , when you verified your assumptions with true feedback,
in 400 level the action took care of itself.
so i think, how many people got hit cuz of late,poor feedback.
if the student had recieved continouos feedback and still failed then
its a noda matter. but like i see nobody wants to talk about "failure"
. big deal. if the thing don happen ,e don happen, me i talk about it.
cuz i've learnt from it - e.g this pseudo theory of mine - information drives success cuz action or motivation its a reaction to information
not really to be focus of effort,the effort should be on getting the timely information-u notice first class and 2.1's got more frequent feedback?
anyway,see how this works in modern life,like sms alerts from banks
gives you up to date status of your account,
sms messages are more instant than snail mail,
ditto for email, what's the outcome - better feedback leads to
better action. in traditional universities the burden is on the student to
get the feedback , then those who are lax in this regard use ASSUMPTION which may be disastrous, but if the burden fell on the departments to generate the feedback for the students ,much like the banks do,ur car speedometer does,etc. i bet they'll be mor phenomal successes.
e.g sombody seing a 4.5 gpa in year 1 will strive to keep it or push for 4.8 or 5.0

i mean 4.5 gpa sms alert disseminated electronically by his department , 1 to 2 weeks after he took the exams (probably while he's on holiday lounging on some beach in hawai)
if he slips to 4.4 he'll know (by alert,email) - instant feedback like pain is gonna dog him , do you think such a one could unknowingly slip to poor levels?
but sometimes in naija uni's - the task of even seeing one's result is
hindered by protocols. on the other hand how come nigerian's abroad seem to fare better ? maybe the information systems over there are more efficient.

@usetime and Ajanlekoko, i feel both of you. When i entered uni, i had no proper feedback/info. I and my friends mentality was to just do enough to get a 2.2. i rocked the whole first year ( entered thru A levels and so did only 3 years) just doing enough to get by. In my third year it dawned on me that i needed to move up into 2.1 ( i now had info/feedback that had gingered me up). i had a classmate (a married woman NCE holder) who kept preaching to me about getting good grades but i just didn't pay enough attention. I spent the last year swotting like crazy . My grades left me a 3 points short of 2.1. so i ended up with a 2.2. i still kick myself about it cos i have seen my missed opportunities with my 2 eyes. I'm still doing fine professionally but i still wonder how better it could have been with the 2.1.
Usetime has a point, unis need to properly induct students and give them real time feedback on their results/scores so they can make informed decisions. Some might argue this point that even if you have no feedback you are mean to study, that is another discussion. I had a friend who found out he would graduate with a 3rd class. rather than go home to face the wrath of his dad ( a lecturer ) he opted for an extra year to improve his grades. He didn't tell his dad he was in 3rd class oh just that he had a carry over. His dad wasn't happy but he finally got a 2.2 and all was well that ended well . You don't know how embarrassing it is to have a 3rd class agree till you start job hunting

marjo:

I had a friend who found out he would graduate with a 3rd class. rather than go home to face the wrath of his dad ( a lecturer ) he opted for an extra year to improve his grades. He didn't tell his dad he was in 3rd class oh just that he had a carry over. His dad wasn't happy but he finally got a 2.2 and all was well that ended well . You don't know how embarrassing it is to have a 3rd class agree till you start job hunting

That was a smart friend. I remember I used to say the same thing to people- I dont see the point of graduating with a third class. You might as well spend an extra year and boost your grades. There's nothing out there for a 3rd class student to rush out for

actually our standard of education in naija contribute in no small way to 3rd class mess .BT we av to agree that most students also contribute majorly to this 3rd class mess . so my opinion is that even though the system is bad, u should still blame ur self for the failure cos many people are still graduating with 1st class , 2.1 and 2.2, against all odds without manipulation

Yes,i graduated wit 3rd c & i strongly believe that d paper will not determine my future.Its just a mere paper.

Typical for us to play the "blame game" and transfer responsibility for our misdemeanor to others. No doubt, the feedback mechanism at our Universities is not at par but I am of the opinion that we eventually decide the grade that we want to graduate it. One vital point that we are all missing is that the decision to finish with a particular grade is not one made overnight but rather it is a process consisting of several "elements" including effective feedback included herein. The truth is even with feedback,some people will still finish with a third because they are some that quite frankly don't care or realize the true position of their grades a little too late.

I know people who graduated 3rd class but now have very successful careers. One of the chaps was quite lucky to earn an internship with Sony Ericcson in Sweden after graduation in 2002.. He applied with a telecoms company in Nigeria whilst we were overseas and he told us he was heading back home for this job offer. He is presently doing quite well in the company without revealing names and he graduated with a 3rd class?. We place too much emphasis on degrees or educational qualifications.

Vacora: I know people who graduated 3rd class but now have very successful careers. One of the chaps was quite lucky to earn an internship with Sony Ericcson in Sweden after graduation in 2002.. He applied with a telecoms company in Nigeria whilst we were overseas and he told us he was heading back home for this job offer. He is presently doing quite well in the company without revealing names and he graduated with a 3rd class?. We place too much emphasis on degrees or educational qualifications.

Did he get the job while in Sweden without attending assessments in Nigeria? That is one very lucky dude. Nowadays, most naija companies still want people to attend assessments in naija, no matter where they are studying.

Well, in 2002 the craze for foreign degrees was still madly high. Unfortunately times have changed. Too many foreign degree holders. Your former colleague's unique story is not rampant again.

T22

Depot: Yes,i graduated wit 3rd c & i strongly believe that d paper will not determine my future.Its just a mere paper.

+1 here bros!

I think the feedback thing is necessary, this will aid performance evaluation and in turn initiate the taking of neccesary actions to retract from deviations pathway.

For example, when i was in school, i couldnt access my results for two sessions, that reduced my level of seriousness, when i later got the results, it was something else, thank God it was that of years two and three, the remaining years sha later helped me.

Basically, it is about one's level of seriousness coupled with the educational system that affects one's performance. But, its easy to scale through since there are still firstie students/graduates even with the bad educational system.

I blame the syatem for lack of feedback but I blame the student more because they are also very negligent. I have someone very close to me who finished with a 3rd class and it was because her results were never released at the right time. She graduated 2008 and was told they couldn't find some of her results. She stayed back to take those classes and then in 2010 when they mobilised her for service, they said they had found the old results and there was no need for the new one and her to whom it may concern conveyed that she graduated April, 2008. While I agree that not releasing results as at when due was part of the reasons but I believe if she had been more serious, she would have made more better grades rather than assuming she should have very good grades since she claimed they usually posted the list of students who failed each course.

Its always good to test failure, atleast once so that you can have a feel of what other ppl feel.
I considered myself an intelligent student in school .Infact, when i see ppl dat made pass in waec, i tell myself that those ppl are not serious in life. "even if they cant make A, why not make 50?" My first year in school, was very ok - on 4 point in a 5 point scale. Then sumtin happened in my fisrt semester in second year- I saw an F in a course i was very good at. Ppl dt i taught the course made B's. My course adviser told me to leave her office, infact, she asked me how many outstandings do i have. I feel into shock.I stopped attending classes, even if i attend, i wont hear wat d lecturer was saying. I cry under my dark shades. Being sumone that was very lively, my friends noticed my recluse and when i told them , they told me to go back to the course adviser.
On getting to her office the second time, she then opened the raw file and found out my Lab result was missing and in my school, no lab result returns F as ur score. Luckily for me, i was the leader of my group for that Lab and other members of the group had their Lab results out. I went to the departmet, it happened that Lab result was there, but that sumone failed to transfer it to the score that went to the dept. During all these period, i dont attend lectures ooo. Blah Blah Blah, it was finally resolved....I had an A.

What am i trying to say, i may have ended up with 3rd class if that singular issue was not resolved cos the course was a four unit counse, and was prerequisite to two other course (7 units ) ,so automatically , i would had had an extra year from year 2 and that alone would have made me loose interest in classes. Infact, as at the time i saw that F, the ppl in lower year have finished practical of that course, so it amounts to another F in the course

Course advisers have a big work to do on their students. Its not just computing results. They should take interest on the result of their students. Results should be published on time. If a student has an F , counsel him or her. Know if he or she has a problem and if you can help. When i started pursuing my own grade stuff, about 7 classmates that had F and already accepted it, checked their results and found out that it was just missing practicals.

^ I totally blame the supposed Course Advisers.

In all cases, not just yours.

I also think all universities should have a dedicated and functional Guidance & Counselling unit (since our secondary schools seem to lack that).

The idea of appointing busy (and sometimes frustrated) lecturers as course advisers is just so wrong.

yamakuza: ^ I totally blame the supposed Course Advisers.

In all cases, not just yours.

I also think all universities should have a dedicated and functional Guidance & Counselling unit (since our secondary schools seem to lack that).

The idea of appointing busy (and sometimes frustrated) lecturers as course advisers is just so wrong.

You are completely right on this, most advisers doesnt do the job required of them, rather, they keep shunning students due to their busy schedules and at times unwillingness to attend to them.

^^^^

What are they busy doing besides teaching what they have been teaching for some time...It is not that most of them are busy doing ground breaking research O. It is just the idea of 'you students, don't disturb me'. Some of them even walk students out of their offices for no just reason.

One of the duties of a course advisor is to attend to students. He shouldn't be too busy to do his own job, the job that puts food on his table and salary in his account. But hey, humans can be selfish. That is life!

T22.

Seun: - I don't have first class
- I don't have second class upper
- I don't have second class lower
- I don't have third class
- I don't even have pass - I don't have a degree!

But there is hope for me because I am willing to create my own job. Perhaps you all should try it?

This guy inspires me a lot.

^ So Seun, the owner of Nairaland, is not a degree holder? You must be kidding!!!
I thought it was only in the US that tech guys are drop-outs.

usetime: let's harp on this 3rd c thing again.
like its a guitar we should play. lets strumm its strings some more.

i don't know why universities have this 3rd rate system.
it's utterly detestable.
you can't do master's with it.
can't get a job with it
get lots of stigma with it
need to improve it.

but does anybody just wake up and go thru 4 / 5 years of school
always knowing right from year 2 that theirmaking 3rd c grades??

well in my case not so.

infact--- i believe the feedback system of schools are so poor
that some people got the poor grade by suprise.

on the other hand, if there's a grade lower than fail some body will
aspire for it. paradox - right.

but if you got it bad , third class , pass.

did you know you'd always be bagging it. no lie here.

Wrong. Did masters with mine. Got my dream job with mine.

^
In Nigeria or abroad?

yemmy_ma: ^
In Nigeria or abroad?

UK

Sky-walker:


Wrong. Did masters with mine. Got my dream job with mine.

You did a PG Dip, right?

AjanleKoko:

You did a PG Dip, right?

No.. i did a dipoloma in NIIT before i finished my B.sc and did a couple of professional certifications.

Sky-walker:


No.. i did a dipoloma in NIIT before i finished my B.sc and did a couple of professional certifications.

How were you able to do a masters with 3rd class in the UK? That NIIT diploma wouldn't subsist.

^^^^

There are universities that accept 3rd for master's in the UK. Northumbria is one. I know this because a third class graduate of mech from naija came there to complete a master's degree in the same mech. Today, he works for a MNOC in North America.


T22

AjanleKoko:

How were you able to do a masters with 3rd class in the UK? That NIIT diploma wouldn't subsist.

I applied to different schools online. most turned me down but some did not.when they asked me for my qualifications, i sent all of them. I remembered i had a school in Canada Saskatchewan or so.They accepted me also but their process was too much stress for me. I did all my applications online back then. i think now,people use agencies or so but i am not sure. this was 2009. There are good schools which are not too bothered about the class of degree you have but your zeal.i remembered writing an email to the school that i would even prefer to do B.sc if they wont accept me for masters but they did. Besides getting a job here in UK is not about degree. its about experience and how you can prove you are good for the job.

Sky-walker:


I applied to different schools online. most turned me down but some did not.when they asked me for my qualifications, i sent all of them. I remembered i had a school in Canada Saskatchewan or so.They accepted me also but their process was too much stress for me. I did all my applications online back then. i think now,people use agencies or so but i am not sure. this was 2009. There are good schools which are not too bothered about the class of degree you have but your zeal.i remembered writing an email to the school that i would even prefer to do B.sc if they wont accept me for masters but they did. Besides getting a job here in UK is not about degree. its about experience and how you can prove you are good for the job.

I guess you're an IT person, right?

Sky-walker:


I applied to different schools online. most turned me down but some did not.when they asked me for my qualifications, i sent all of them. I remembered i had a school in Canada Saskatchewan or so.They accepted me also but their process was too much stress for me. I did all my applications online back then. i think now,people use agencies or so but i am not sure. this was 2009. There are good schools which are not too bothered about the class of degree you have but your zeal.i remembered writing an email to the school that i would even prefer to do B.sc if they wont accept me for masters but they did. Besides getting a job here in UK is not about degree. its about experience and how you can prove you are good for the job.

Hmm.
I wasn't referring to job. Even in Nigeria, job is not really about class of degree.