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Adam Montgomery: Serial Failure
Friday, 19 December 2008
NOTE: This blog became orientated around maths, specifically the maths of university degree, in the middle. Continue at your own peril.
If there was ever anyone guilty of making the same mistakes, it's me. Oh boy, yes it's me.
In fact, today I was subjected to the same speech I've heard every few weeks for roughly the last 6 years of my life. It's generally something like: "We both know you can do this, so why don't you just do it and stop yourself being the failure there's a fair chance you'll end up being if you don't?"
*sigh*. Oh, I'm completely grateful for everyone who's cared enough to tell me this, by the way. I really am. I'm actually just in a huff with myself. Every time I hear it, it's just a nice reminder that I've failed to achieve properly again.
The thing is, University is my last chance, I wont be in education after this again. I'll have to get a REAL JOB and work hard and stuff. So, I can't say "Oh, I'll do it next time". My degree is the culmination of what I've done so far in life, so I really can't just f**k it all up for the sake of not doing 10 hours work on some essay.
I've shot myself in the foot now, too. I can't afford to make much of a mess-up from now on. The second two years of your course are what count to your degree. That's a total of 12 modules. Going into the Christmas break of the first of those years, I've completed a total of 3.5 modules. 2 of those I'm looking at a rubbish 45-50% grade. In the half module I'm currently looking at roughly 50%. The final module, Law, I got a jolly pleasing 61% for my first assignment. Then I screwed it up by doing barly any work for the second assignment, probably a mark of 50%. Still, at about 55% average, that's my best mark. Which is a huge shan, obviously.
Now, basically my worst module will be chopped off my degree, for whatever reason they head-honchos who devise the University results formulas decided. That's Radio Broadcast gone, then. Which is silly, because it's also the one I was most capable of getting a good mark for. Waste.
So currently it looks like I probably have marks of 47%, 50%, and 55% so far. The situation's not dead yet though. That 50% is only predicted if I handed in work of similar quality to what I've done so far for that module. If I, say, bucked the trend and handed in two pieces of around 70% quality, that module will come out at more like 60% -- making the golden threshold of a 2:1 degree. The 55% is not far off. The 47% is still just a huge shan, however.
Right, now I don't claim to understand the degree results formula, nobody does. But, using all information I've gleaned, my results predictions, and by employing MY HUGE CALCULATING BRAIN, I've deduced the following:
If one module's chopped off, there's 5 modules this year, each constituting 20% of my mark for the year. So, Radio's out as it's a rubbish mark.
The 47% for PA we'll round down, meaning I have 9% towards my total mark for this year from that. The predicted 50% from multimedia, which can change if I put effort in, mind you (or go down if I don't), is 10% more. Total of 19% towards my year two degree. My 55% we'll round down again, adding 10% more to my degree, for a total of 29%.
Now, lets make the target 61%, for a safe 2:1. So, I need to pick up a total of 32% from my remaining two modules, which have a maxium value of 40% if I got a perfect mark for each (do keep up).
Now, using my keen chart-reading skills, I've discovered that those remaining two modules are Television (exciting!) and something like "News, Current Affairs and Debate". Which, actually, I'm sorry to say, is clearly just Ethics for year two students. However, Ethics is a dos. I attended two of the lessons last year and got a mark of about 59% anyway. Television's a new discipline, so it's still a bit of an unknown quantity, but lets be positive and realise how amazing I am and say I can do it.
The brainy among you will have realised that means I need to get 16% from each of these modules to make a 2:1. That means I need to get marks of about 80% in both modules. Damn.
Right, if I do well in Multimedia over the rest of the year, however, I can get a mark for that module of 60%. If we take this back to the mental drawing board (I'm quite impressed with how much information I have on there), then that means I can gain a total of 2% more to my mark for this year. Which means I then only have to aim for 75% in those modules. Which is still a bloody tough target.
If I continue to rationalise though, I'm aware that year two is worth less then year three for your degree. It's more like 45%-55%. So, say I worked well and only got 65% for each of the remaining modules, that's a total of 28% more towards my year two mark, giving me a grand total of 57% for year two. That's a 2:2 shan, right there. That 57% mark in year two is worth 45% of my whole degree, though, meaning if I get the attainable mark of 65% for year two, I can pull my overall degree comfortably to a 2:1 classification. Success!
*phew*. I'm tired after that. Basically, I need to work really hard. Really really hard. Like I probably should have done at some many other points in my life.
I'll probably drop IO, I think. I'll have to, I can't be editor when I've got such problems with my degree. I'll get it going over Christmas, with some sessions with Tony, then I'll have to hand the reigns over to someone else.
Just who though? I have a name or two in mind. Bear in mind, I'm a fan of the idea that the editor of IO is installed as deputy head of IP. The Informer should be one whole thing, it shouldn't have two seperate parts, just two closely linked, inseperable components. The current divide is why there's such uneven effort between the two. Anyway, the one particular name I have in my head is based on that concept. But, I wont be deciding anything. It's up to you lot, I guess. I'll just be a forgotten name by then (cue sad music). Although, my radical ideas so far have made IO work for the first time ever. So lets be sensible and listen to me, eh? lol
I should do more work for Shorthand, too. I rarely do anything outside it, but if I did I could really make a go of it, I guess. That I'm doing well now is either some unaturally long lucky streak, or some underserved natural talent, I guess. I should work harder on the NCTJs though, as a high ranking result from those exams will be a protection if my degree mark is a low one.
Right, PANIC OVER.
Oh, and it's the Christmas break. You know what that means? I'm going on that time-stealing invention called Football Manager. Ah, it's good to have time off.
Thanks to everyone, particularly the course leaders and my uni mates, you've been good, as usual. You can help me stop being an idiot just a little more if you show me this blog every time I don't do any work xx
PS I love 2Pac right now. That is all.
Entry by Adam
Comments (1)
Since Friday, 19 December 2008
Malin Nyberg
19 December 2008 at 15:07
wow man you are a math genius, i bet u feel better now! told u it was all going to be fine! cant wait to next year, but first Addy; LETS HAVE SOME REST, we all totally deserve it. Yes, even you, you hard working little IO hitler. lol xx
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