Results day preparation

[Everyone] Welcome back!  

[Kelly] Before we start… CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING YOUR VERY FIRST ONLINE SEMESTER!!!! It really has been one heck of a ride.

[Rebecca] So we wanted to make this a special episode and have all four podcasters today. Rachel, Kelly, Avi and myself, Rebecca.

[Avi + Rachel + Kelly] Hi everyone

[Rebecca] Hi, I can’t believe we’ve reached the end of this semester’s podcast series already. How are you guys feeling after your assessments and exams?

[Rachel] I am so happy that we wrapped up the semester and I’m keen to see how I’ve done in my exams!

[Avi] I’m a bit nervous because I’m not too sure how well I’ve done.

[Kelly] Pretty excited. I’ve made plans for my break! And... I’m a little nervous for Monday the 13th of July as that is results day.

[Rebecca] Don’t worry! We’ve got you all covered. In this last part of the Exam Series, we’re talking about Results Day Preparation Plan.

-----[3 seconds] Music break-----

[Rachel] Results day will happen on 13th July but before that happen, how are you preparing yourself?

[Rebecca] Often I’d have a rough idea of what I’ll get from the assessment marks, and to combat nervousness, I’d add up all my marks together, tell myself I’ve done the best I could especially in this semester.

Don’t forget your marks will be assessed differently this time around. If you receive a ‘Fail’ grade with a final mark between 35 – 44, your grade will be changed to ‘Withdrawn’. If you receive a final mark between 45 – 49, you can either attempt a centrally-conducted supplementary exam or faculty-based supplementary exam, depending on your situation. Not sure what your grade status is? More information about marks and grades will be listed in the FAQ page linked below.

 

Stress and how to deal with it

[Rachel] I'm trying not to be pessimistic, but I think it's likely that the marks I get aren't going to be as good as I'd hoped. I'm trying to remember that it's been a really chaotic semester and I'm proud of myself for how well I did cope with everything

I actually remember feeling really stressed out during my online finals since it was something I wasn’t familiar with. For that, I made an agreement with myself not to obsess over the marks I’ll be getting. As many of us on TikTok have been saying “it is what it is”, we tried our best and whatever is gonna follow, will follow.

What we experienced during Autumn 2020 has been new, stressful and out of the blue so let’s give ourselves some credit and not worry about whether we have achieved the HDs we had in mind.

[Rebecca] That’s right, I used to stress out so much nearing the Results Day but I find talking to friends and organising other activities really helps take my mind off the stress of doing not enough for the exams and assessments. For me, it’s meeting up with friends over food and taking pictures around, what about you guys? We’d love to hear what your plans are in the comments section on our Instagram page.

[Rachel] If you think that you won’t be able to cope with the pressure of seeing your marks, you can always reach out to UTS Counselling who will be more than happy to hear you out :)

Improving your next semester performance with your results

See what went right and what could have gone better

[Kelly] Results are out on Monday 13th July, whether they are good or bad, next semester, starting on the 27th of July is going to be another rollercoaster ride. It is natural to be sad about marks which fall short of our expectations and get hung up over them. But what about after that? My answer is to shift your focus to next semester by setting out a rough plan by figuring out what went well and not so well this semester. You can either focus on a specific area to improve in or be general.

[Avi] Where do we start making this plan? Start by asking yourself questions such as,

• What helped me gain motivation back when all I wanted to do was take a nap?
• What did I do when I did not understand something?
• What helped me make the most of my time?

For my plan. I am focussing on making more use of my free time across uni, work. I noticed I never really gave myself a proper break during the semester. So my plan is to leave some time to work on my hobbies and staying fit.

[Rachel] Very good point Avi! I’m also planning on taking the time to relax and do the things I couldn’t do before like watch Netflix shows minus the guilt. I notice that a little bit of self-care really does make a difference before a new semester starts.

[Kelly] That sounds AMAZING Rachel! Keep in mind this is a rough plan which means making sure your plan is flexible as we cannot predict future events. It is ok if this rough plan does not end up working, revise it, keep things that are working and try again. It is really important to be able to adapt and learn when being thrown into new environments, especially as we are living in unprecedented times. Once again, extra resources are listed below to help you get back on track.

University campus reactivation plan

[Avi] Our last bit of excitement today is UTS’s campus reactivation plan!

[Rebecca] I was worried about that actually. I like the benefits of studying whenever I want from home but I still reminisce about the times when going on campus and meeting everyone.

[Avi] You can do that next semester Rebecca. From the start of Spring session on July 27, all campus buildings will reopen, and many learning activities will return to campus in face-to-face mode.

[Rebecca] For friends that are still overseas, online study options are available. Some on-campus facilities like the gym and library are going to be opened as well. I’ve always studied in the group study rooms before the closures happen, knowing that I can do that again soon is very reassuring.

-----[3 seconds] Music break-----

[Kelly] And that wraps up UTS Student Hacks for the 2020 Autumn session! I hope these podcasts have helped improve your uni life. Remember, your results do not define who you are and it is better to focus on improving from where you are currently.

[Avi] Just a heads up that results day is on Monday 13th of July.

[Rebecca] Spring session will start on July 27. Thank you everyone for supporting us thus far.

[Rachel] Until next semester,

[Everyone] stay classy.