Is it true that only third/final year marks matter in uni?

[slothpomba]

Uni is so much better than full-time work. Sorry if that's depressing, but it's true.

I like how you're proving its better by saying theres something even more shit around the bend.

---

Theres no real way to cheat them seeing your grades. They do all matter but in the end, it is up to the dude hiring you, they might not even care about grades all that much. They're not some robot, they're a human who will take into account other factors aside from your grades.

Theres another reason as well, for some degrees, third year is really when you get down to the actual nuts and bolts. I did no pharmacology units in first year (all really general stuff "biology" "chemistry", etc), a single, very introductory one in second year and now only in 3rd year am i doing 4. So, if i was applying for a job heavily related to pharmacology or especially honours (or pharmacology masters) my 3rd year pharmacology marks would concern them much more than anything i did in first year and certainly if i failed 1st year french or something.

---

ou need to pack everything you want to do into the week and somehow make it all fit together. If there's on piece of life advice I will give you guys it's this, get off the facebook and casual posting on forums and start fitting everything you want to do into your life. I guarantee you in your later years of uni you will regret not using your free time more effectively.

Oh God, this. Definitely.

Only in third year (aka now) did i actually do things at uni. I live pretty far away and its quite hard to fit in but i managed to fit in some sports at uni and i'm loving it, despite the time sacrifice. It's just like the advice i give out to year 12s on this forum, it isn't all work, try to make it at least enjoyable or not super intense. You only get one life afterall.

That said, everyone has different goals, different wants and defines waste in different ways. So, people will have different opinions and they can all be right, because its really up to the individual what counts as a "waste" or a "goal" or a good use of time.

Reminds me of a quote (which is plastered up on my wall) "A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life" - Charles Darwin

This is the wrong attitude. Uni gets much much harder as it goes on.

I don't know about *much* harder but theres less babying and everything else, its all very direct and you're expected to be on the ball (this is true for uni in general but by 3rd year even more so).

[brenden]

Is the start of first year Uni usually intense? I haven't really found it a big shock or extremely difficult. I did get 68/100 on my first Lit assignment though. Felt like vomiting hahaha.

[b^3]

Is the start of first year Uni usually intense? I haven't really found it a big shock or extremely difficult. I did get 68/100 on my first Lit assignment though. Felt like vomiting hahaha.

It will depend on the course as well. I put a heap of effort and time into yr 12, just to find uni was a large step up from that (talking multiples of the amount of effort in half the time). Travelling may have played a part in it too.

[simpak]

For the 1% who want to do PhDs at Princeton/Yale/Harvard/Oxford then, ofc they want to aim higher.

:3

[tao]

:3

I'd say my statement is fair, less than 1% of MelbUni students have an average greater than 85 after first year.

[simpak]

I'd say my statement is fair, less than 1% of MelbUni students have an average greater than 85 after first year.

That wasn't why I :3'd!

[Greatness]

I've heard this a lot as well. But what I don't get is when we apply for grad positions (Comm 3 year deg) at the beginning of 3rd year, you will only have results for your first 2 years. So they will cull applicants from those results... So in fact, your first 2 years do count to get through the initial screening stages. I guess, by the time there are interviews or whatnot they would require a full academic transcript and you might have your semester 1 3rd year grades by then - although I'm not sure how long it takes for them to get to those stages.
Regardless, from what I've read and hearing from other people's experiences a 70+ ave is sufficient for most jobs other than the really competitive programs such as IB, law, consulting etc.

[tao]

I've heard this a lot as well. But what I don't get is when we apply for grad positions (Comm 3 year deg) at the beginning of 3rd year, you will only have results for your first 2 years. So they will cull applicants from those results... So in fact, your first 2 years do count to get through the initial screening stages. I guess, by the time there are interviews or whatnot they would require a full academic transcript and you might have your semester 1 3rd year grades by then - although I'm not sure how long it takes for them to get to those stages.
Regardless, from what I've read and hearing from other people's experiences a 70+ ave is sufficient for most jobs other than the really competitive programs such as IB, law, consulting etc.

lol, grades are the slowest way imaginable to move up the corporate ladder. You just need to be competent. A great piece of advice a CEO of a company called Baulderstone once gave me whilst still at high school, 'Working hard 9-5 in the hope someone will notice your good work one day is for chumps.'

[Greatness]

lol, grades are the slowest way imaginable to move up the corporate ladder. You just need to be competent. A great piece of advice a CEO of a company called Baulderstone once gave me whilst still at high school, 'Working hard 9-5 in the hope someone will notice your good work one day is for chumps.'

of course they are, they don't even matter once you get that first job. I never mentioned anything about career progression, but to get that first job you'll generally need to have decent grades especially in commerce - this is subject to how appealing you are overall though of course i.e. leadership, EC, experience. What employers want is someone who is competent, motivated and a good fit for the firm.

[MJRomeo81]

Grades definitely matter. I don't know why there seems to be this idea that those who score over 85 have no life. The two conditions are not mutually exclusive.

It's well documented that people who have 4.0 GPAs / crazy WAMs study smart. Grades are an indication of hard work. If you can't even manage to sit down and dedicate yourself to achieving some decent grades throughout uni, what is that projecting to a prospective employer?

People at the top end are usually those people who are leaders, competent, etc. Now as for experience, that's another issue in today's job market...

[eeps]

The notion that you need an amazing HD average to get a job is course-specific in my view. Especially in Commerce or Business degrees, you can have the best GPA among all the applicants - but not get offered a graduate job. Nowadays, employers look for more than just academic grades. It's also the activities and things you do outside of university that can make the difference. I can't speak for any other disciplines.

People at the top end are usually those people who are leaders, competent, etc. Now as for experience, that's another issue in today's job market...

And that's why some faculties and companies offer leadership and development programs etc. which aim to get you out of your comfort zone and become engage in different activities and situations. I think it's about grasping the opportunities that are available or if not, taking the initiative to find ways to get that experience (through researching etc.).

[Russ]

Do you need a good average/WAM/GPA to land an interview? No, but it sure makes it a hell of a lot easier.

[Thu Thu Train]

In addition, when I took English 120, we had to submit a paper each week. In that class, we had a requirement that the only way to get an A on a paper was if the professor thought it was good enough to be published in a professional literary journal. I did actually get published in a literary journal and was paid $200 for it, but I still got an A- on that paper. Some departments are very easy to do well in though (*cough*religious studies*cough*political science).

Ermahgerd. What's the title? As someone from the shitty Australian Tertiary Education System I'd like to at least try to understand it! I don't get many 90s without studying so I might struggle :/

Anyway, time to write another paper...

I can't wait to read this one either!

[brenden]

You guys know nothing. Try Arts at Monash. This 400 word assessment is worth 10% of my grade. 10-fucking%. Do you know how hectic this is? DO YOU?!

[simpak]

Do you still do a BEd Brenden?  I haven't spoken to you in literally weeks, because I haven't been studying I've just been partying and that's why I haven't been online at all.  You know how it is!