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GYG 2018/19: I got into University! Now what?!

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Reflective Diary Marks, New Music Modules and Exam Cramming

Haven't been doing daily posts because again, it's just been the same - alternation between past paper questions and procrastination :rofl:

This will probably continue for the rest of exams, and then for the gap between exams and the internship, I won't be writing much because obviously I won't be doing much work :lol:

Haven't decided whether I'll continue writing occasional updates during the internship or not - it may depend on how heavy the workload is and if there is anything interesting to talk about :dontknow:

But exam results come out on 11 June so I'll definitely post an update for that, and you should expect a Semester 2 review coming as well :yep:

On Wednesday the marks came through for our MU1004 (Making Music) reflective diary submissions, and I got 20 (on the St Andrews 20-point scale)!! :shock:

So that's brought up my overall average for the module to an 18/20 (solid first), and it now all depends on what I get for my composition :afraid:

Literally have no idea what to expect because I have no idea on how they'll mark it, but hopefully it won't bring my grade down too much :colondollar:

I shouldn't really be caring too much about what I get on this module because it has no effect on whether I get through to honours or not (they only take the average across my top 4 maths modules), but any decent grade is always a nice little confidence boost :yep:

I also found out that instead of the MU2001 Advanced Performance and MU3001 Concert Performance modules that I was almost 100% not going to do because I don't think I would be good enough to do a module that relies solely on performance and quick studies (I cannot sight read for the life of me :s-smilie:

), I was told that starting next year they're going to be replaced by MU2001 Making Music 2 and MU3001 Making Music 3, which have lower pre-requisites (14 on MU1004 as opposed to the 16 on MU1004 required previously), and allows you to major in composition rather than performance (both come with subsidised tuition every other week so I'll actually be able to learn theoretical stuff maybe? :gah:

), which is actually amazing, because after the composition concert I was telling myself how it was a shame that I couldn't study composition any more at university :shock:

The coursework still includes reflective diaries (and the essay on interpretation from Advanced Performance is scrapped which is good because I much prefer writing in the diary informally rather than writing formal essays) and so it would also be really cool to continue doing that because I think I learnt a lot from it this semester and it made my piano practice way more effective. There's also an improvisation component which is slightly scary but I think it would also be really cool, and it's good to be challenged :yep:

So technically, (I'll wait until I get my composition marks from this semester to fully decide whether I want to take the modules or not) I could still keep up music throughout the rest of my degree by taking those new music modules (and it also gives me an excuse to use the new Laidlaw Music Centre more often :gah:

), and if I take MU3001 (honours level module), it could contribute towards my final degree grade :woo:

So definitely considering taking those next year and the year after as it will give me a chance to escape from all the maths once in a while :lol:

Also I was slightly worried that not taking a music module in the upcoming years would mean that I would slowly forget about it and 'drop it' which would have been a real shame (due to the much more intense workload of honours modules, especially as I feel that maths comes slightly less naturally than music does for me so I'd have to spend much more time working at it and even though I chose to do a maths degree, there's a very slight chance that I would fully go insane without the break), so I'm honestly so happy that I found out about this :excited:

It makes me so glad that I came to this university because honestly I don't think I would have the same opportunities anywhere else :colondollar:

Yesterday we also got our marks back for the MT2505 computer project and let's just say it was definitely worse news :s-smilie:

I got 10/15 (although we were asked soooo many questions and the project could have easily been out of 30 like all the other computer projects), which was below the class average of 10.9/15, so that wasn't great :frown:

It was really annoying because there was only one marker who marked all the projects (must've been something like 150 of them) so they didn't give us individual feedback, so there isn't really any way of knowing what went wrong - the lecturer posted some general feedback of common mistakes but literally none of it applies to me, so I seriously don't know why I lost so many marks. It doesn't help that I'm not feeling too good about the exam so who knows what grade I'll get in this module :dontknow:

It's just annoying because it's the grade that I care about the most (since it's the maths module that I've probably enjoyed the most across both semesters, and it's the stuff that I'm really interested in and want to study further throughout my maths degree) :erm:

Today I've just been doing lots and lots of questions and realising how much I don't know for my MT2505 exam tomorrow but I'm going to try and still get some sleep tonight so posting this update now so I can just focus on cramming and going to sleep early :rofl:

Thanks for reading this! :hugs:

Tag List Please tell me if you'd like to be added/removed! :heart:

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(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 1541

Leaderboard

Original post by gcsemusicsucks

Reflective Diary Marks, New Music Modules and Exam Cramming

something

On Wednesday the marks came through for our MU1004 (Making Music) reflective diary submissions, and I got 20 (on the St Andrews 20-point scale)!! :shock:

So that's brought up my overall average for the module to an 18/20 (solid first), and it now all depends on what I get for my composition :afraid:

Literally have no idea what to expect because I have no idea on how they'll mark it, but hopefully it won't bring my grade down too much :colondollar:

something else

Yesterday we also got our marks back for the MT2505 computer project and let's just say it was definitely worse news :s-smilie:

something even more

Firstly, congratulations for reaching the 20s club (i.e a 20 in any component). It was only a matter of time really.

With regards to MT2505, I suggest that you contact the lecturer, who will be able to give personal feedback. I asked him for mine (even though he mentioned otherwise in the email), and the feedback I got was helpful.

P.S: "MT2001 Advanced Performance and MT3001 Concert Performance"

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 1542

furryface12

20/20

amazing news about the music modules for the next couple of years too! Sorry about the computing mark, can you email the lecturer? Worth a try anyway. Good luck the rest of your exams :smile:

Reply 1543

gcsemusicsucks

Original post by Leaderboard

Thank you - was really not expecting it tbh :lol:

Doubt I'll ever manage to get a 20 in a maths module though :colondollar:

Ooh okay I might do that then, thanks!
Took me ages to realise what you meant by that :facepalm:

Thanks for pointing it out - just shows how tired I am :s-smilie:

Original post by furryface12

20/20

amazing news about the music modules for the next couple of years too! Sorry about the computing mark, can you email the lecturer? Worth a try anyway. Good luck the rest of your exams :smile:

I probably will as like you say, it's worth a try :yep:

Thank you!! :hugs:

Good luck with yours as well and don't overwork yourself! :nah:

Reply 1544

gcsemusicsucks

Gloomy Weather, MT2505 Exam and Brain Refresh

It was super gloomy weather-wise today (as opposed to the past couple of days where it's been super sunny), so that didn't put me into the mood for cramming at all :colondollar:

The actual exam itself… as predicted, was not too great :erm:

The paper is out of 50 instead of the usual 70, which gave even less margin to lose marks in order to get a decent grade, and I must've lost at least 15 marks due to not being able to think straight/think back to the questions I've done previously/thinking of the concepts I could apply to the question :s-smilie:

And I don't think the paper itself was too bad, it seemed like an average paper and it could have been a lot worse (and all the people I've talked to about it so far said they found it nice), so this was basically all on me :s-smilie:

I feel like it went as well as the MT2504 (Combinatorics and Probability) exam went last semester (literally thought I wasn't going to even scrape a 2:1 because I left so many gaps), so I'm hoping I did okay due to method marks, but honestly who knows (and my coursework may bring it down even lower) :dontknow:

It's just annoying because like I've said, it's the module I've enjoyed the most across both semesters so it'll be almost embarrassing if it's the lowest grade I get across whole year :lol:

It's also starting to make me question if I do want to still go down the 'abstract algebra-ish' route through Honours :dontknow:

However, I still do enjoy learning it, and one exam is definitely not enough to push me to make any rash decisions just yet, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

On the bright side, I now only have one exam left, MT2507 (Mathematical Modelling) which I don't think will go as 'badly' as MT2505 because the typical questions are quite algorithmic in comparison, unless there are any surprises that catch me off guard. So I'll be focusing on that for the next couple of days, and then I'll be free from exams for the next couple of months! :tongue:

When I got back from the Sports Hall, I just caught up with the Italian Open tennis results (really hope Nadal wins because it's about time he gets a title after so long :dance:

), and then caught up with the Big Bang Theory :biggrin:

After cooking dinner, I decided to just take the rest of the evening off because I really need to give my brain a rest if I'm gonna still be working for the next few days (doesn't help that so many of my friends have already finished their exams and gone home for summer!). Posting this update now before I slowly get ready for bed.

Thanks for reading this! :hugs:

Tag List Please tell me if you'd like to be added/removed! :heart:

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Reply 1545

flaurie

Volunteer Team

sorry that you didn't find the exam as good as it could have been, but it's over now! :h:

good luck for any other exams and make sure you have a rest, it really does help! :hugs:

you can do it! :rave:

Reply 1546

wolfmoon88

Original post by gcsemusicsucks

The actual exam itself… as predicted, was not too great :erm:

It's just annoying because like I've said, it's the module I've enjoyed the most across both semesters so it'll be almost embarrassing if it's the lowest grade I get across whole year :lol:

It's also starting to make me question if I do want to still go down the 'abstract algebra-ish' route through Honours :dontknow:

When I got back from the Sports Hall, I just caught up with the Italian Open tennis results (really hope Nadal wins because it's about time he gets a title after so long :dance:

), and then caught up with the Big Bang Theory :biggrin:

Tag List Please tell me if you'd like to be added/removed! :heart:

Spoiler

Go Nadal ^^ :woo:

Reply 1547

username4487984

Hey, can you add me please :smile:

Original post by gcsemusicsucks

The actual exam itself… as predicted, was not too great :erm:

It's just annoying because like I've said, it's the module I've enjoyed the most across both semesters so it'll be almost embarrassing if it's the lowest grade I get across whole year :lol:

It's also starting to make me question if I do want to still go down the 'abstract algebra-ish' route through Honours :dontknow:

When I got back from the Sports Hall, I just caught up with the Italian Open tennis results (really hope Nadal wins because it's about time he gets a title after so long :dance:

), and then caught up with the Big Bang Theory :biggrin:

Tag List Please tell me if you'd like to be added/removed! :heart:

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Reply 1548

gcsemusicsucks

Original post by laurawatt

sorry that you didn't find the exam as good as it could have been, but it's over now! :h:

good luck for any other exams and make sure you have a rest, it really does help! :hugs:

you can do it! :rave:

That's true :yep:

Thank you!! :hugs:

Had a chill evening yesterday so feeling much more refreshed :yes:

Make sure you take breaks too :hugs:

Ahh you got this too! :woo:

Original post by wolfmoon88

Go Nadal ^^ :woo:

Yesss

Original post by AJRidders

Hey, can you add me please :smile:

Of course! :woo:

Done!

Reply 1549

gcsemusicsucks

Exam Prep, Final Push and Lack of Motivation

During the past couple of days, I've just been preparing for my final exam tomorrow, MT2507 (Mathematical Modelling) :woo:

It's been rather tedious because like I've said previously, the papers are rather algorithmic and repetitive, so I'm hoping this year's paper will be the same :crossedf:

But the more recent past papers have increasingly become a lot more challenging, and we have a different lecturer to the lecturer that's previously coordinated the module, so I think the paper will be slightly different/have emphasis on different things. Also I literally didn't notice until today that this paper is also out of 50 rather than 70, so again, there's less margin for error :afraid:

I've been struggling with focusing so much, because I know the end is so near, which makes me not want to work at all rather than push through the last couple of days :frown:

Also every night I hear people celebrating the end of exams (because a lot of them are finished), because McIntosh is right behind the student union, and it just kind of rubs in the fact that I haven't finished yet, and it makes me want to not work :lol:

So if I don't do so well tomorrow I honestly won't be surprised because I haven't been doing nearly as much revision as I should have been, especially today :erm:

But I'm hoping that now I know what to expect for semester 2 (in comparison to semester 1), I can plan workloads so that I don't feel as burnt out and unmotivated this time next year, which is when results will start to count towards my final degree classification.

But here we are, the night before the final exam of my first year at university :woo:

Crazy to think that this time last year I was doing A Levels :lol:

I'm just glad I don't have to go through that again, that was exhausting :teehee:

To anyone reading this who's currently also got exams, good luck - you've got this! :dumbells:

Posting this before I try to catch an early night :smile:

Thanks for reading! :hugs:

Tag List Please tell me if you'd like to be added/removed! :heart:

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Reply 1550

wolfmoon88

Original post by gcsemusicsucks

Exam Prep, Final Push and Lack of Motivation

During the past couple of days, I've just been preparing for my final exam tomorrow, MT2507 (Mathematical Modelling) :woo:

It's been rather tedious because like I've said previously, the papers are rather algorithmic and repetitive, so I'm hoping this year's paper will be the same :crossedf:

I've been struggling with focusing so much, because I know the end is so near, which makes me not want to work at all rather than push through the last couple of days :frown:

So if I don't do so well tomorrow I honestly won't be surprised because I haven't been doing nearly as much revision as I should have been, especially today :erm:

Crazy to think that this time last year I was doing A Levels :lol:

I'm just glad I don't have to go through that again, that was exhausting :teehee:

To anyone reading this who's currently also got exams, good luck - you've got this! :dumbells:

Posting this before I try to catch an early night :smile:

Thanks for reading! :hugs:

Tag List Please tell me if you'd like to be added/removed! :heart:

Spoiler

Good luck

my last exam is tomorrow and I lack motivation as well :sadnod:

Reply 1551

Coolkitkat23

may i be added? btw well done with getting into st andrews, its a new chapter now! :smile:

Original post by gcsemusicsucks

Welcome!

Now that people are starting to make their GYG and freshers blogs for the new year, I'd thought I'd hop back onto the bandwagon myself! If you'd like to catch up with how my A Levels went (including my pretty chaotic Year 12 story), check out my GYG from last year here! :nyan:

So I've been deliberating a lot over whether to start a new GYG or a freshers blog, but I considered my main aim for this year, which is to try my absolute best academically, avoiding as much procrastination as I can (unlike last year lol). So, I'm back here for another year, and I can just include all the freshers type things on here anyway :yes:

I feel like there's a lack of representation of university students in the GYG forum, so I'm hoping this will help people still at school learn more about what it's like being a university student from an academic perspective :smile:

I also kind of want to prove to myself that I can maintain a GYG blog throughout the year and that I don't have to abandon it completely :lol:

as my past experience would say otherwise… (Also, if I update it regularly, then maybe you lovely people won't have to scan through my ridiculously long essays, trying to catch up on all the stuff I've missed, like exhibit A lol)

Now for the juicy info!

_________________________________________________ :emog:

_________________________________________________

University

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GCSEs

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A Levels

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_________________________________________________ :bubbles:

__________________________________________________

Goals For This Year

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Important Posts

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Important Dates

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__________________________________________________ :lovie2:

__________________________________________________

Tag List
If you'd like to be added/removed, please tell me! :heart:

Spoiler

I'm going to tag the lovely people from my last GYG's tag list, just this once! :tongue:

Spoiler

Good luck tomorrow!

Original post by wolfmoon88

Good luck

my last exam is tomorrow and I lack motivation as well :sadnod:

Thank you!! :woo:

Ahhh good luck too we've got this! :rave:

So nearly there! :dance:

Original post by Coolkitkat23

may i be added? btw well done with getting into st andrews, its a new chapter now! :smile:

Yesss of course! :smile:

Ahh thank you :hugs:

Original post by furryface12

Good luck tomorrow!

Eee thank you!! :hugs:

Hope your exam last week went okay and good luck for the one this week :rave:

Reply 1554

nyxnko_

hope your exam went well!! :jumphug:

and yayy! they're now over!!

Reply 1555

niamhdoesmaths

Hope the exam went well, congrats on finishing first year!! :yay:

Reply 1556

gcsemusicsucks

Original post by nyxnko_

hope your exam went well!! :jumphug:

and yayy! they're now over!!

It went better than the last one so at least that's something :teehee:

Indeed!

Hope revision is going well and good luck for physics on Friday! :hugs:

Original post by Protostar

Hope the exam went well, congrats on finishing first year!! :yay:

Eee thank you! :hugs:

It's absolutely surreal :shock:

Good luck for exams! :hugs:

You'll soon be done too :wink:

Reply 1557

gcsemusicsucks

Final Exam of the Year

This morning I managed to get up for my final exam for this academic year, MT2507 (Mathematical Modelling)! It was a morning one, and although I generally prefer afternoon ones because I'm hardly ever awake in the morning, I just really wanted to get it over and done with so I could be free from revision in the afternoon. The sky was pretty sunny which put me in a great mood, and I did minimal cramming because I told myself that I know what I know, so there's no point making myself panic right before the exam by finding out how much I don't know :lol:

So yeah, I had some breakfast before walking over to the Sports Hall.

The exam itself… it was actually okay. It wasn't as good as my Linear Mathematics exam I don't think, but it wasn't as bad as my Abstract Algebra one so it wasn't a bad end to the year luckily :lol:

I managed to answer everything, even though I know I got some stuff wrong (e.g. I didn't get the right Fourier series for a 'show that' question and couldn't work out where I'd gone wrong, and I don't think I put enough detail for the wordy/sketchy questions/wrote what the examiner was looking for), but it could've been way worse and I'm just glad it's over to be honest :rofl:

Most people who came out of the exam were smiling/expressing relief so although the paper was pretty different in format compared to the previous past papers (due to a new lecturer), I don't think the paper was too bad itself - I guess we'll see how it turned out in a couple weeks' time :redface:

Afterwards I met up with my friend and we got Jannetta's - I tried out the Fife Strawberry flavour and it was so good :gah:

Here's that obligatory ice cream photo :lol:

But wow

I'm free from exams (until next year :tongue:

)

And more importantly, I've completed my first year at uni - it's absolutely crazy and I still can't get my head around it :shock:

I have the next week and a half to spend by doing whatever I want (I've made a to-do list of bits and pieces I want to do) before the Laidlaw internship starts, so I'll most likely be relaxing, packing and doing miscellaneous bits that I need to get done :yes:

I also still have my composition marks to get back for MU1004 - I'm not sure whether they'll post it when they release the exam results, 11 June, or if they'll do it slightly beforehand, but if they do it before, I'll do a mini post telling you what I got. Upcoming posts will also include a Semester 2 review and exam results, but other than that you won't be hearing much from me for the next couple of weeks! :tongue: