Fitties with firsts: A photoshoot

Most of us mere mortals are happy to settle with our 2:1s. They might guarantee us middling grad jobs and dull small talk on first dates with unimpressive Tinder matches, but they’ll never make us happy the way a first would. The only consolation is imagining that at least the weirdos with firsts don’t have a social life, at least they don’t have a good aesthetic, at least they’ll never be as fit as you.

But then these beauties come along, and your pathetic 2:1 has no defence.

Adam Payne, Literature and Politics at Liverpool

“To be honest it hasn’t really sunk in – it’s just an email for me at the moment. Come graduation it will all probably feel a bit more real. I did put a lot of effort in when it mattered so I’d be fibbing if I said I wasn’t chuffed. I’ve been taken out for a lot of meals as a result so I have no grounds to complain.”

Sofia Jassim, Architecture at Nottingham

“I’m still struggling to believe it. I never thought I was gonna get one so I let myself have more of a social life than most Archis.”

Laura Reid, PPE at Manchester

Natural beauty Laura got a prize from the Dean for outstanding achievement. She told us: “I dean see that comin’.”

Bobby Palmer, English at Leeds

Humble Bobby says: “The general consensus from relatives is the university must have made a mistake.”

Matt Roberts, History at York

“By getting a first i have proved to myself that I can consistently produce work of a high standard and form coherent and original arguments from a wide variety of sources.”

Shraiya Thapa, Spanish and Portuguese at Edinburgh

Keen Brazil fan Shraiya spent her year abroad studying in Rio. She said it feels “awesome” to get a first. “It was such hard work having to go to South America for a year.”