Sydney Life

During exam period, students tend to transform into creatures from boring land with nothing to talk about except split ends having split ends. Summer plans may feature in a conversation, but more often than not the student is really just concerned with passing exams.

There are those honourable and ambitious students who outright state that they are in it to win it. They conquered the 151 page course reader and have moved on to supplementary material before stu vac begins. Whilst these university medal candidates can be nice, charming and even attractive, it's best to stay away from them as they will only make you look and feel pathetic.

The rest of the pack usually have noble intentions of simply passing. Miss LH calculated that she only needs 36% in this morning's exam to pass. The dichotomous distinction between a pass and a fail is somewhat of an obsession for some. Technically speaking, it's also what counts in the real world. Pass = job, fail = visions of the dole. Although scholarships, further study prospects and competitive careers throw that equation into disarray. Failing is just really a big inconvenient pain which can also prove to be costly and timely. However, failing in university is also more common than failing in high school. Failing doesn't automatically categorise you as a dim-wit. A more probable explanation is that stu vac was spent at the beach by day and the pub by night. Moral of the story is that failing happens but everyone wants to avoid it.

I have a sneaking suspicion that although majority of students claim to be content with just a pass (confirmation of a somewhat intelligent status), a credit or above is the real objective. This sneaking suspicion is really just based on my own thoughts, and also by observing students taking a furtive glance at others' results on the notice board. The want for a credit + is not about mum and dad having fodder for the ritual dinner party boasting. I guess it has something to do with that competitive gene in me, or in humans in general. I don't tend to study just to pass. I study to the best of my ability, well at least before distractions kick in. (The other day I acquired a couple of metres of bubble wrap which made me lose 2 hours of my life and gave me sore thumb muscles, but was such utter bliss.) Back on track, a pass is nice, but a credit + is nicer.

Like every rule, there are exceptions. I have once walked out of an exam room thinking that my clean slate of no fails has just been jeopardised. That group assignment which no one wanted to take responsibility for also doubted the possibility of anything but a P (and that was if I was lucky!) to appear on my transcript. But alas, I have not failed a subject to date. (This is where I would touch wood if I believed in superstitious rituals.)

The magical number of 50 will allow me to practise physiotherapy next year, but the even more magical number of 65 + will allow me to sleep at night knowing I have attempted to care about my academic studies. Just a tad cheesy, but what more would you expect from a self confessed dag!