It’s uni results time again! I’m going to give you a Kit-esque breakdown, because I know you need it so.

SCMP322 - 88 (High Distinction)
Consisted of mostly the planning and execution of our final grad concert. However, that only accounted for 20% of the mark (which was assessed through a journal). The other 80% came through 20% for reflective reports, one a week, on guest speaker presentations, and 60% for a research essay, abstract and literature review. I must have done fairly well in the essay because my marks were sitting around the late 80s mark before the essay. I’d actually like to get it back at some point and see the comments and mark.

SCMP312 - 87 (High Distinction)
Having only 12 (or so) weeks to come to terms with writing music in cSound (click for description), with a class of a huge range of computer literacy levels, there was certainly a serious challenge to overcome. My experience with basic code languages like HTML and CSS was a big help, but it was still a bit of a weekly struggle to get the thing to do what you want. Not entirely a bad struggle though, as it appeased my love of puzzles and problem-solving, and I’m certainly happy with my mark.

SCMP302 - 77 (Plain ‘Ol Distinction)
The first half was a free-for-all, the second half we created Audio/Visual works. My first composition was a seriously rushed job, something I would have liked to have spent weeks on but didn’t have the time, and my mark suffered a little from it. Due to the assessment criteria, I only really had one chance to redeem myself. I got 80% for the second composition, even though the entire comment from the lecturer was “Excellent. This is a very tight piece on a conceptual and technical level.” I enjoyed this class the most, but got my lowest grade for it. Oh well…

BUSS110 - 88(High Distinction)
This was my commerce subject, Introduction to Business Information Systems (or some variance on those words). The assessment criteria was extremely forgiving. If you turned up to the tute every week, listened to the notes, and did the simple exercises, you were score 5 whole marks per week. They were very cheap marks and I squeezed out every mark I could. I ended up doing a major load of the group work. For three of my group members, english was their second language, including one who never once contributed. In the end it was worth it as I went into the exam sitting on 94.5%. Even if I scored the lowest pass mark in the exam (40% in this case), I would have walked away with a credit. Doing the maths now, as long as they didn’t do any scaling, I got just over 78% in the exam. Pretty nice considering I didn’t turn up to a single lecture!

Like Kit, I calculated my Music average for the three years. Unweighted, it sits at 84.72%, which is shamefully close to a HD. Now using Kit’s patented Hundred-Level Weighting system (in which 300 level, third year subjects are worth 3 times first years, second years 2 times), it works out to be 84.69%, which basically means I’ve been pretty consistent grade-wise over all the years. Finally, adding in my commerce electives, my average drops to 83.95%.

It’s a nice feeling to know that I don’t have any more classes of music to take. I think it’s also safe to say they got their moneys-worth out of me scholarship wise (and they can’t take that money away from me now!). Now for another six months (at least) of commerce! I’m going to take just three subjects to lighten my load next semester. It’s all I need to graduate from music, and I’ll be really busy with theatre stuff.

Having had a few busy days (and a few more busy days to follow), I rarely had the chance to eat something more substantial than a tin of baked beans. In most cases it was more like a vegemite sandwhich or two, so when I got home last night and opened the fridge to find a giant bowl of spaghetti bolognese, I almost fainted. I dished myself up a sizable portion, zapped it in the microwave while making myself a cup of peppermint tea. I scoffed it all down and soon found myself moaning and groaning and rolling around. It seems my stomach wasn’t used to having a real meal in it, so it had a hard time adjusting. It eventually sorted itself out though, and I collapsed in bed.

Today was all study, study, study. I’ve finished my revision notes now, but I need to work through those with the textbook. The exam is all multiple choice, which might sound easy, but isn’t when they fill the exam with “trick” questions. Questions which rarely have the *right* answer, but force you to guess which of the wrong answers is “more” right (which of course, isn’t subjective at all, right?). I did the sample questions, and on a few I got wrong I actually disagreed with the “more correct” answer. Multiple choice is such a demented way to test people. Short answer is the way to go, because the examiner finds out exactly what the person knows rather than the guessing game that is multiple choice. And just for the record, it is NOT cool to have 6 answers, the last two being e) All of the above and f) None of the above. If you’re going to do multiple choice, it’s FOUR choices! Those are the rules.

The exam is tomorrow, and marks the last of my uni commitments, although I can’t shake this feeling that there is some impending doom lingering over my head. I think it’s just uni. Next week we start work on a new theatre project, and I can forget about uni for several months.

Oh yeah, and the whole turning 21 thing happens on sunday.

My last essay (for the year) is in, and with only one exam, thursday week, to go, I’m glad to be seeing the last of uni for a while. I’m a little sick of the people, the attitudes, the institution. As a classmate said, “Let’s burn it to the ground.”

This is going to be the Summer of George Tyson. Just watch.

As I was working on finishing up my last essay for the year (done now, yay!!), this burnt sun glazed the trees outside and left a bright pattern on the wall behind me.

I love the quality of light. You can stand in it and it becomes you, it hugs you but you can’t touch it. I also think light is our best metaphor for beauty; just as beauty is a trick of the mind, light is a trick of the eye and is one of our greatest joys.

Copy and paste.

http://www.everygoodboydeservesfruit.com/2006/05/24/in-this-essay-i-plan-to-divulge/

I wish the essay were that easy.