Written by Luke Gibson
What do marks really mean? Is chasing 100% about ambition, perfectionism, or simply the student mindset?
When I came back to Urni as a mature age student 12 months ago, I wasn’t sure how I’d perform, but I quickly learned that grades tell a much bigger story than a number out of 100.
Where it all started
Starting a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) in 2025, with recognition of prior learning, I had only 16 of 24 subjects to complete. Ultimately, I finished three subjects in 2025 so ‘only’ have 13 to go.
Session one’s final grade for ‘An Introduction to Research, Ethics and Reasoning’, was a credit. I felt this was a fair reflection on the work I had done during this subject. Starting Uni at my age feels akin to jumping on board a runaway train where you think you will never catch up.
My focus and commitment to what could’ve otherwise been clinical material was made engaging and relatable due to the excellent lecturer who was constantly approachable and extremely passionate. This alone can make the difference between a subject being interesting or feeling like a chore.
That semester I needed to apply for a late withdrawal for ‘Foundations of Psychology 1’, understanding I’d overcommitted.
In Session two, with ‘First Nations Psychology’, the assessments comprised a cultural immersion activity, an online quiz and a PowerPoint presentation. My eventual grade was a credit, and although I’d hoped for a distinction in this subject, I was fairly happy with the result.
It’s not always smooth sailing
However for ‘Health Psychology’, it was a different story. I sweated really hard on this one! My result was a mere pass and I was super disappointed. The mathematical calculation of effort equating to reward just didn’t marry up.
I was tripped up on the final assessment where we had to present an information sheet, on a health-related area of concern we choose from. Based on my feedback, it looked like I had got the whole thing completely wrong, and the mark of fail was a huge blow. Luckily my other assessment’s marks brought me up to the pass.
Three subjects completed.
Two credits.
One pass.
It’s important to see the long-term vision
Was this good enough for my own exacting standards? Definitely not. But was it something I could eventually accept as part of my university journey? The answer had to be yes, or I’d forever be beating myself up.
The fact is, our Year 1 subjects and electives (for me probably taking two to three years), I’ve been told by other students, don’t count toward our GPA and as much as I wanted to do better, I reluctantly accepted these results and have chosen to move on. This isn’t the case for everyone: actually most of the time your year 1 subjects do count towards your GPA. You can find more information on calculating GPA here and here.
Fortunately, there is access through Charles Sturt with suggestions on how to improve your grades via Academic Skills.
What I learnt
If Uni was easy, everyone would be doing it. But understanding my grades, taking on board the markers’ feedback and finally accepting these results, has been freeing. I was able to reframe the year and celebrate that I’d successfully completed three subjects at uni! I would never have considered such an achievement.
I accepted my study techniques needed streamlining and vowed in 2026 I needed to keep ahead of the game in each subject, rather than constantly playing catch up.
In 2026 I am looking forward to being on less of a wild ride compared to last year. I may even be able to hop on board that figurative runaway train and take a seat!
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
