✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧ 2 0 2 1 + B E Y O N D ! ✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧
Hey guys,
After some thorough reconsideration, I decided that it would be best to stay in my current state (Queensland) rather than travelling interstate for university. While the current state of COVID-19 in NSW was considered to be a factor in my decision, for the first time, I actually listened to what my gut feeling was telling me (which is scarce in itself). I'm not usually one to take risks - I'm usually the type of person who just follows the lead of others, but when I was reconsidering my decision to move interstate, I realised how passive my thought process and mindset was.
Instead of thinking about what would be best for me, I ultimately decided to pursue the thought process of "if my sister is able to move overseas for university, then I can too" which is entirely false by the way. Regardless of whether I like it or not, I'm still overly dependent and attached to my parents even as a nearly-adult, "coming of age" and maturing woman. My current feelings of transitioning into adulthood are extremely daunting to admit on a public internet forum, so please bear with me as I do have to confess that I'm scared of growing up.
Personally speaking, my desire to "never grow up" may have been due to some underlying fear or anxiety about who I am as a person or whether I'll ever be good enough to make my parents proud. For some reason, I often imagine my fear of growing up to be similar to the physical and metaphorical journey of all of the characters in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Regardless of their current mindsets, dreams or desires, each and every character in Peter Pan were shaped and influenced by some form of conflict, setting or even those around them - protagonist or antagonist.
If you wanted, we could compare our lives and how we learn and grow from past mistakes to the structure of a bildungsroman - a genre that focuses on not only the psychological and moral growth of an individual from youth to adulthood but also focuses on how the individual has changed or adapted over time. But my point is, before I ramble on for too much longer, is that similar to the characters in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, I was also shaped and influenced by not only my gut feeling but also, the advice of those around me. Without their advice, I would be stuck in a continuous loop of self-doubt, insecurity and anxiety, so I would like to thank them greatly for their help.
So without further ado, below is my edited and more-thought out version of my previous start to my University Journey Journal, which I hope enables me to consider my future choices wisely and live my life the best that I can:
If you don't know me already, I'm Darcy Dillon (also known as s110820 on the forums) and I'm officially a graduate of the QCE Class of 2020! As a QCE student, I studied Biology, General Mathematics, English, Modern History, Literature and Digital Solutions (which was the subject I dropped in Year 11 because of reasons). I did also try to start a QCE Journal a little while ago but it never really went anywhere so I was hoping that maybe this university journal could motivate me just a teeny tiny bit more.
As the title suggests, I am currently dwelling in the limbo-like feeling of anticipation and uncertainty as I await my final results, my ATAR and my university acceptances. I have also rethought what I would like to do with my life and how I should live my life by changing my preferences to what feels best for me, and not any other external pressure. As of now, my current QTAC preferences are:
1. Bachelor of Education (Primary) - QUT
2. Bachelor of Education (Primary and Special Education) - ACU
3. Bachelor of Educational Studies - ACU
4. Bachelor of Education (Primary) - ACU
5. Bachelor of Education (Primary and Secondary) - ACU
6. Diploma of Social and Psychological Science/Bachelor of Social Work - Griffith.
I have also received an offer for what was my first preference, the Bachelor of Educational Studies (ACU), during the first offer round which I have conditionally accepted just in case. However, I'm hoping that I can receive an offer for the Bachelor of Education (Primary) - QUT, during the January 14th offer round (which also happens to be my birthday which is kinda daunting when I think about it).
Similarly, to K.Smithy's amazing University Journey Journal (please check it out if you haven't), my University Journey Journal may also be a very long journal as I'm planning to do two undergraduate degrees (yes, you heard me right). Do I know anyone who has studied two undergraduate degrees other than Waleed Aly? Nope. Am I totally crazy for planning to study two undergraduate degrees? Probably. But as I said before, I would like to live my life to the fullest and for me, learning and growing as an individual (especially through education), is what matters most to me.
So, you may be wondering, what would this look like?
Bachelor of Education (Primary): 4 years.
Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology)/Bachelor of Social Work: 5 years.
Master of Education (Inclusive Education Specialisation): 1-1.5 years (Full Time) or 2-3 years (Part-Time)
Doctor of Education (QUT): 3 years (Full Time) or 6 years (Part-Time).
It may sound like a lot, but I'm willing to put in stamina, effort, grit and determination to be where I want to be and be who I want to be in the future. Similarly, when I was younger, I always dreamed of studying abroad somewhere in Europe, maybe even for a Doctoral degree to broaden my horizons. The two places I had in mind were Finland, which is notably one of the best countries in the world in terms of education or England, where I fell in love with the idea of going to Cambridge or Oxford University.
Yes, despite my slightly-average ATAR results, attending Cambridge or Oxford university may have been a bit out of reach for me in terms of an undergraduate degree and coincidentally, the pandemic. But I'm hopeful that one day, maybe someday, I could pursue my dream of attending either of those universities. It's definitely an ambitious dream of mine, but I'm sure that if I prioritise my health, try my best and work as hard as I can, then my ambitions can be achieved.
Overall, I'm pretty excited to start the next chapter in my life but at the same time I'm also still pretty anxious about growing up and learning to be more independent from my parents (whom I love dearly, but I also don't want to seem like a parasite to them). It may be a bit of a long journey, but as I said, I'm sure I'll get there.
But of course, if you do have any questions, queries or concerns, please let me know!
See you guys next time :)
Darcy Dillon.
Hey guys,
This isn’t really an “update” per say, rather it’s more of an outline of the goals that I would like to achieve before, during and after my first university degree:
Academics:
During my Bachelor of Education (Primary), I would like to achieve and pursue:
* In terms of grades, I would like to achieve at least a credit (65-74%) to a distinction (75-84%) but of course, it would be my absolute dream to achieve a high distinction (85-100%) at some point during my degree. If you have received distinctions or high distinctions throughout your university degrees, I would love to hear some advice from you guys :)
* The Executive Dean’s Scholars Program (Education).
- The program is designed for undergraduate students who have satisfied course requirements to the end of year 3 of full-time study in education.
- What I’ll receive:
- recognition in the form of a certificate,
- $100 book voucher,
- access to the Library’s Researchers’ Centre,
- invitation to Faculty of Education Research seminars and events.
- The benefits of the program:
- expanded understanding of various disciplines,
- develop and expand academic networks.
- first hand experience in a research environment.
- Eligibility:
- Must be currently enrolled in Bachelor of Education (Primary)
- Have completed three years equivalent study (288 credit points).
- Have passed every semester of study from commencement.
After my Bachelor of Education (Primary), I would like to achieve and pursue:
* The QUT Rhodes Scholarship.
- Requirements: have an indicative expectation of a GPA of at least 6.75/7, a weighted average mark of 80%, or equivalent in my degree.
- Meet the entry requirements for your proposed course at Oxford University.
- The selection panel also look for applicants who demonstrate:
- academic achievement and excellence, ambition for impact, clarity of purpose and intrinsic motivation,
- a commitment to make a difference in the world, contributing to the greater good,
- the courage and skills required to lead with a wider desire for the public good.
- As part of the application, I must submit:
- a completed academic form
- declaration addressing the eligibility criteria
- birth certificate or passport
- official documentation to prove your citizenship or residence status.
- academic transcript.
- CV (curriculum vitae) of not more than three A4 pages in length.
- personal statement.
- your proposed course of study at Oxford.
- the nomination of five referees that address the scholarship criteria (three academic referees and two other referees).
- The selection process:
- successful candidates will be invited to attend an interview.
- If in doubt, refer to this link for more info: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/achievements-and-recognition/rhodes-scholarships-queensland-applications
If life doesn’t go to plan, have a plan b:
- If my QUT Rhodes Scholarship application is unsuccessful, then look at other options such as...
- Apply for my next undergraduate degree (social work and psychological science) at QUT or
- Apply for a QUT exchange program either in England, Finland or Sweden (must research Unis there)
- Apply for a postgraduate degree at Oxford or Cambridge university.
* Gain work experience nationally and internationally
- In the second year of my course, I can receive credit when participating in a short-term international program by taking elective EUB011: Community Engagement in International, Rural and Remote.
- Semester exchange program in either England, Finland or Sweden (not sure how these processes in QUT work so I’ll keep researching it and I’ll update this thread with the relevant information and stepping stones to achieve my goals).
Those are all of my academic goals for now, but I’ll definitely update this thread if anything changes. And I do understand that these goals are extremely ambitious, especially as it’ll take a lot of hard work to achieve my dreams, but I’m willing to put in the effort and the energy. But of course, I’ll also definitely be prioritising my health as well, as I neglected to do so last year.
If you have any questions, queries, concerns, tips or tricks, please let me know as I would love to hear your thoughts and your words of wisdom!
Have a nice day you guys :)
Hi there,
Glad to see a positive update and hope you get the grades you desire.
Oh my, if I added up the hours correctly, you are planning to work 30 hours per week (that's almost full-time work!)
Not sure what your University recommends, but UoM tells us our degree should be treated like a full-time job and we should expect to spend 40 hours per week on uni (although for many of us, this time is more).
In my opinion (which ofc you are welcome to disagree) I think 30 hours might be too much, not sure what your financial situation may be, but I am currently working 20 hours per week as a tutor, and even I find that too much (I actually underloaded this semester, and did a subject)
Since I can't underload next semester (last semester b4 graduation :P) I decided to reduce my hours (currently tutoring five days, planning to drop to 4). It is important to look after your mental and physical health and as well as keeping up with your uni load I think you may struggle with your current working hours (this is just me speaking from experience).
I would assume compared to tutoring, working as a waitress would be more physically demanding (I used to also work at a restaurant before tutoring full time) so I would try to see if you could potentially reduce your hour as a waitress (or possibly quit altogether) but maybe just ask to reduce your hours (to prevent having any double work days, i.e. don't work at the restaurant and tutor on the same days). This might be a good idea and may ensure you have a more manageable load (at least in my opinion).
Another possible option could be underloading if you need to work the number of hours that you work for financial reasons, however, if you can afford to reduce your hours I would recommend doing so.
Something else to consider, your current working schedule may reduce your opportunity to attend social activities in uni, as a first-year, it also important you that explore what uni has to offer socially, and ofc you could always attend an event after work.
But considering all most of your tutorials are on Wednesday, I guess you don't really have a reason to go to uni on other days of the week, but if you ever want to go out for dinner with uni mates, it hard to do so if you have to tutor every night (at least this happened to me and I had to cancel a lot of plans because I basically tutored every day, which makes socialising hard).
Just something to consider, first year is very important for both the uni content but also your interpersonal and intrapersonal development, so it is up to you, I know some people who did work similar hours and didn't burn out, but they had to sacrifice other opportunities (social events/ gatherings, university career events etc)
In the end of the day, it is totally up to you and your situation but I think 30 hours might be a bit much, but if you think you can handle then go for it, in the end every degree is different and I can only speak from my experience in biomedicine.
I hope this was helpful, please take this as a grain of salt, but I hope my insights can help shape your final decision.
Looking forward to future updates,
T&S
Spoiler
P.S I have been following your journal but never realised you got a tutoring job, not sure if you ever mentioned it but congratulations! I know how hard you worked to get a tutoring job, and you did it! Wishing you all the best :)