how many of u had 1st class honor degree, and how does it benefit to you in real life? will that become an "advantage" in the real world?

Hi there,

Just to share some experience. Well im 2nd class lower btw.

having a 1st class honor degree is definately is an upperhand but then again communication skills is pretty much important.

A lot of companies does put the degree results as one of the important, but as a fresh grad do take some time to do presentations in class and start communicating well. Try a few jobs before settling to one, especially when you are new most important thing is to learn. once the job is routine then get a more challenging job.

actually as long as you are willing to learn i see no problem on getting a job. But ofcourse even if you are 1st class degree dun get over your head and expect a big salary on your first few jobs. Experience counts. by the time you are having 2-3 yrs experience belive me paper doesnt really count. Job experience counts.

So watever the results are learn as much as you can while in your job. once you see no prospect/routine then move on.

btw getting first class does get you better jobs for a start. So study hard & smart, communicate!!!!

Good luck!!
-redfella-

Higher starting pay, around RM300 more in some companies.
Boss will have higher expectation of you though, but if you're good you'll become the "go-to" guy really quick.

While many companies use your results as a barometer for a persons potential, it may not always help. It all depends on how smart you study/learn and work. If you are found to be weak in that position you wont last long regardless whether you got a 1st class or not.

1st class awards are reward for a students effort in university and should not be seen as the ultimate goal of higher education hence you miss the point of the education itself.

How "does". How "does"!

it improves your position when competition is huge. some company actually prioritize first class graduates initially at the screening stage.

I heard that First Class Graduate can enter straight to PhD,is that true?

Good, reputable universities won't allow that. Unless of course your IQ is freaking high.

Irzani, yes, first class honours (H1) allows the student to "jump" to PhD in many universities, although it also depends on how your honours year was conducted. Some also allow (though more difficult) H2A applicants.

Cambridge offers PhD with entry requirements being first class honours degree. So you're saying Cambridge isn't good or reputable enough?

My former university, (Monash) and Melbourne uni also offers the same. I'm intending to do the same jump (1st class hons to PhD) but had to defer applying for PhD cos of time & financial constraint.

Essentially, a proper honours year should contain a research component which the student has to complete as part of the assessment and write a dissertation on it.

So as long as you get 1st class hons and in your hons year you wrote a dissertation, you are eligible to *apply*. Whether you are accepted into entry is another thing altogether.

This post has been edited by djspinnet: Feb 29 2008, 04:35 PM

what is the requirement to get 1st class honor?

requirements for first class honors are:

i. the degree u're taking is an honors degree.
ii. scoring atleast 3.70cgpa.



on its potentials for PhD, nowadays most schools in the UK adopts the MPhil/PhD format. MPhil is a masters, so intakes are from degree level. MPhil requirement is 2nd class upper (2:1) or 3.00cgpa. after u've finished ur 2 year MPhil, u could opt to convert ur research into a PhD. conversion means u will not graduate ur MPhil, but straight to PhD instead.

is this applicable to all Degree in malaysia, including UK franchise degree program?

what is applicable? the honor system? or the MPhil/PhD?

for the Degree honor system, is it all malaysian degree using this system? (CGPA 3.7+ for 1st class)

This post has been edited by jubina: Feb 29 2008, 05:48 PM

Got a first class is alot better than 2.1 of course...My sister lost her job interview to a 1st class (while she was 2.1)...Her CV is alot mroe colourful than the other guy.

But...If u wnana look for a job in UK...THey look forward to ur UCAS point as well.U muy have at least 320 UCAS poiont to meet the requirement of interview which is 2A and 1 C in A levels. EVen u got 1st class but get 5 Es in A level...Bye bye...

Getting Phd from degree??? wad is really so good bout Phd...alot UK companies didnt need phd students coy they dun wanna pay high salaries but unable to fully utilise their potential...yea...getting phd may make u a lecturer at the end of the day or u cna oso join WTO...is kinda wasting...and if u specialise at something not really important in phd...u cna hardly get a job becoz there is a minimum salary to masters holders and phd holders..not sure about phd holders but minimum wages for master holders are 3.5k pound a month which makes it 35k pa excluded superior high year end bonus (sometimes year end bonus is even higher than ur salary pa).

I think better take masters and see wad the employers want before step in further.

ok, first of all, dont confuse urself of what honors mean. wiki it to find out better. honors is part of a degree title that indicates a higher level than a general degree. it doesnt mean extra excellence, except for australian degrees. in malaysia, the UK and the rest of the world, u can start a course knowing that ur degree is a honors degree. in australia, u only opt for an honors degree during the final semester. if u score, u add another year and earn an honors degree.

it literally means that u could earn a 1st class degree without honors. why? bcoz the degree does not offer a higher level. honors is also an indicator of professional qualification status. i'll give an example for architecture. to become an architect, u need two degrees:

i. bachelor of science in architecture (3 years)
ii. bachelor of architecture (honors) (2 years)

the honors title carry the professional qualifications. earning the bachelor of science does not qualify u to become an architect. but u can still score a 1st class. u want 1st class honors? go make sure ur degree is an honors degree in the first place, then score.

guys... a question here....
i've been really worried about my cgpa...from what i've heard...a first class honor really matters....even a second upper will not be sufficient as bosses nowadays demand more is that true?
im really worried of not being able to get a job next time...

if bosses demand more, it's not necessary he will GET more.

however, it is always a good motivation for u to score, isnt it? why would anyone score 1st class if there's not benefit for it?

first class always fare high in the eyes of potential employers. no doubt about that. but first class arent that easy to come by, so frequently employers are "forced" to settle with the lesser 2nd upper heheheh.

sometimes employers prefer those with 2.1s over firsts. it doesnt matter in the long run, but obviously its preferable to perform well.

So,those honor degree is still better than usual degree? Anyway, I've went to academic centre to ask about the honor thing. I try to tell them those bachelor from Computer Science is not an honor, but they laugh to me and said, both are same. This is what I'm getting confuse ..is it true?

1) Bachelor of Electrical (Kepujian)
(Kelas 1)

2) Bachelor of Computer Science
(Kepujian Kelas 1)

Both are same?

This post has been edited by Irzani: Feb 29 2008, 09:00 PM