Anyone get a Degree in Biology based science?

[Padma]

I double-majored in Biology and Chemistry (Bachelor's) with a 3.0 average. My first job following graduation was as a nuclear weapons maintenance officer. Since then, I have been a professional computer geek.

(Not much help for you, but it's the way things worked out for me....)

 

[Masquerouge]

Are the UK and US grading system synchronized? Meaning, does having a 75% on an UK test mean the same thing as having a 75% on an US exam?

 

[MrCynical]

Are the UK and US grading system synchronized? Meaning, does having a 75% on an UK test mean the same thing as having a 75% on an US exam?

I doubt it. UK marks aren't even that synchronized between different exams. 75% would be a good mark (top grade) at university, but 75% is only a B at A-level, and is rather mediocre at GCSE.

 

[Mise]

They're also not the same across all courses, or universities. 75% in Surf Science from Plymouth Uni probably isn't as good as 75% in PPE at Oxford.

 

[Abaddon]

I don't even know what PPE is so take a guess at Newcastle Uni's values

 

[MrCynical]

I don't even know what PPE is so take a guess at Newcastle Uni's values

It stands for Politics, Philosophy and Economics. It's an interdisciplinary degree that's offered at quite a number of places now (but first showed up at Oxford). Traditionally a coice for those wanting to go into politics.

 

[Brighteye]

Are the UK and US grading system synchronized? Meaning, does having a 75% on an UK test mean the same thing as having a 75% on an US exam?

Students I know from some American universities come here and are given betas or gammas and get very upset because they expect As. The senior tutor then converts Oxford marks into either an ungraded reference or better grades, appropriate for the student's university.

 

[Masquerouge]

Students I know from some American universities come here and are given betas or gammas and get very upset because they expect As. The senior tutor then converts Oxford marks into either an ungraded reference or better grades, appropriate for the student's university.

Yeah, that was pretty much my whole point. We had that same issue at my college where grades are from 1 to 20, good luck converting that into A's and B's. Even a conversion to a grade on 100 is not simply multiplying the grade by 5...

 

[PaperBeetle]

There was also just a "pass" grade, between Fail and 3rd class, at my uni. I think it's 30%, but I dunno.

Yup 30-40%, at least it is at Warwick. I got a pass; I was either just short of getting a third, or just clear of failing, I can't remember which now. It's really annoying, most people haven't heard of it, so you have to go to some length to explain what you mean when you say you got a pass. And that process just emphasises how badly you did. How humiliating. Often I wish I had just failed (or switched to Computer Science, which modules all scored me about 80%, but that's another story).
For what it's worth, I think that the terms "first", "second", "third" refer not your actual degree (which is just pass or fail), but to the honours which the university attaches to your degree. Hence you can get a "Mathematics degree with first class honours". And the equivalent way of describing my pass degree would be a "Mathematics degree with no honours". Bleh.

 

[GoodGame]

molecular biology


protein research