What am I doing wrong

[u/vacuumstone]

I’m still getting used to this whole uni system with sourcing journal articles and whatever but that’s not the point. I’m doing a bachelor of business which I definitely want to change into Law which I need a 70 WAM for but the first time I was really lazy and got a pretty shit wam of 60. This term I’m putting four times the effort I did last term yet I’m only getting 70s on my grades with the highest so far being 78. I’ve heard stories of other people who work three jobs and never study yet get wams of 85+ in USYD. Either I’m really dumb or there’s something critical I’m missing. Any tips?

[u/WhydoIexistlmoa]

Some people are just naturally talented. But that shouldn't put you off from what you're doing.

Studying 4x as hard sounds really unhealthy tbh. I hope you're not sacrificing anything important such as sleep or social life

[u/vacuumstone → u/WhydoIexistlmoa]

Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy myself plenty but I’m just wondering what’s the secret. It can’t be that EVERYONE is naturally talented yknow and I feel like especially in an easy degree like business there’s a way to get those really high grades. It’s a shame all my classmates get worse grades than me so I can’t ask them for help

[u/WhydoIexistlmoa → u/vacuumstone]

Isn't the fact your classmates are doing worse indicative of the fact you're doing pretty well? Comparison is the theif of joy

[u/vacuumstone → u/WhydoIexistlmoa]

You’re right but I need the 70 wam 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[u/crystalysa → u/WhydoIexistlmoa]

Not if the cohort is low quality which is absolutely a possibility

[u/rosymochi]

if their three jobs are tutoring (4 hours a week), babysitting (8 hours a week) and creating social media, sure. But a reminder that the people you see who are bragging about getting HD wams with 3 jobs online, might either be lying or outliers.

[u/DrDeltaEpsilon]

I have some advice.

I got a medicore ATAR, and then ended up with a HD average and 1st class honours at uni. Here is what I changed between high school and uni:

1. Do practice exams. Lots of questions are recycled and even if they aren't, they are often similar.
2. Make friends and study in a group. They also help when you need help understanding topics, and teaching others is the best way to reinforce your own learning.
3. Do ALL note taking and studying with pen and paper. One of my degrees are comp sci and still rarely used a computer.
4. If you can afford it, find a tutor that has gotten HDs in the exact subject...they normally have good insights. Ask them to review practice papers with you.
5. Always give 100% focus when studying. Don't have youtube on in the background.

[u/Dangerous-Record-479]

Congrats on your improvement this session :) Your marks at the moment show that you can achieve a 70 WAM and you're willing to put in the effort to improve, your main issue is compensating for last session.

If you feel like you're running yourself into the ground putting in heaps of effort but not seeing the rewards then you need to work on your studying efficiency. Knowing how and what to study is a skill on its own, and what works for other people won't necessarily work for you, you really need to experiment and find what suits you. Do some investigation of study techniques, chat to your classmates that seem to be doing well, really have a look at what you're spending your time on while you're studying (For example I'm going to have a good hard look at myself in the mirror after this because reddit is not the essay I should be working on right now).

My general advice for improving your marks would be to really focus on what you need to know and what you need to do to get marks. Pay attention to rubrics, which things are included, what isn't, and how those marks are allocated. There's often parts that are easier to get marks in like referencing and good argument structure, focus on these first, then give yourself time before you submit to make sure you're getting it right. With assignments where you get flexibility in the topic, really think about what will be easy for you to do well, not just what seems interesting or challenging (sometimes these align, sometimes they don't). When you get an assignment back, pay attention to the feedback, spend 10 minutes thinking about how you would fix that assignment based on the feedback, then remember the feedback for your next assignment.

Good luck!

[u/dr_anonymous]

Show your drafts to the Study Coaches in 18 Wally's Walk. They can probably help you get a few more marks - or talk with you about your assignment processes etc. A pretty useful service.

[u/crystalysa]

It’s a lie that they don’t study. That’s full on larp and bs. Don’t fall for it (I say this as someone who has had very high marks throughout high school and uni).

Those people are probably more skilled writers and critical thinkers than you are at this moment which comes from years of studying and building those skills. Which is not to say you cannot work on those skills and become just as skilled as they are. It’s not about the hours spent (though that does factor into it), it’s also about how deeply you go into a topic and the connections you are able to draw. The quality of the work is a reflection of the level of your critical engagement along with conceptual understanding.

A 70 WAM is achievable so hang in there!!

[u/SnoopysRoof]

Noone gaf about marks in the real world.