Thoughts on the Exams

Thinking back, I opened a Pandora's Box of endless awkwardness. It wasn't exactly the best card I played, considering how weird the aura felt for me in both classes and the impact of the papers. I know I should be thankful that Criminal Law and Constitutional Law papers were not in two consecutive days, but my head has caved into the pressure. I'll be candor; when I chose the tutorial times, it dawned on me that there was a chance the chap and I'd clash in one of the courses, but I brushed it off and figured that it won't be that coincidental.

Yet, we clashed in both seminars, lol. #maximumawkwardness



It reads 'I'll know if it was a good choice to have swapped crim law with the arts elective during the winter break' and it was posted on March 18 on my Twitter.

I knew what I was jumping into when I swapped the courses around, but what I didn't foresee was the amount of stress waiting to embrace me. Let's face it, the prospect of me attaining credit for Criminal Law is highly unlikely - and I should be contented with a pass now.

*hides in a corner and breathes, unwilling for the tears to flow*

This was the course that I wanted/needed to excel in - yet I'm faced with the prospect of having my heart broken over my inability to score. Sure, practical is more important, but passing the theory is also essential. I'm unsure how in the world I am going to achieve the goal of being a criminal barrister now and, let's face it, my hopes of attaining a distinction or high distinction in any one of the remaining courses are fading as we speak. (Don't ask me, I've no idea what happened. I wasn't like this in CPU. Back in college, I was able to achieve most of the academic goals that I set before me as a senior Monster.)

I couldn't help but panic at the sight of the exam notes that the peers brought. Yes, I know that the most important is our ability to apply the legislation and common law cases to the facts before us, yet it still made me feel that I didn't prepare enough. Their notes were really condensed! For the last 1/3 of the exam, I felt myself letting go of the rope and working on faith and determination alone to answer all of the questions. An answer is better than an unattempted question. As if it couldn't have been worse, I was suffering from a faint bout of headache. I instantly knew that it was my psyche's sign that the stress was shooting straight into the brain.

So yes, inasmuch as I'd like to think that it was a good choice, it wasn't. I've exposed myself to unnecessary stress and I'm paying the price for it. To be honest, if Criminal Law wasn't the prerequisite for DRE and Evidence, I'd have taken Criminal Law at the final point instead - but that's what it's going to be.

What's done is now done. The only thing I can do is take a deep breath, regain my footing/confidence and continue with the arduous journey up the mountainous path. *sighs*



I don't even want to describe the feelings that I have over the Constitutional Law exam. Come to think of it, it was indeed a blessing that this was a take-home exam - because I'd mentally break down if I have to complete it in the pressure cooker of Wayville. The 3 hours that we had to spend with Criminal Law is good enough to scare us off the place for the weekend. I'm sure that those who are doing these two courses concurrently would be relieved too, although the 9 hour timeframe given may speak otherwise. It took me 8 hours to bash the words and ensure that it didn't spill over the word limit, and that was because I started on it the moment it was released.

On the bright side, I treated myself to a plate of Italian pasta but with my favorite coffee after submission. I needed it because it's been one hell of an academic rollercoaster and to motivate myself to endure until the final paper.



Flat White from Atlas Continental



Spaghetti A'Vongole from Lucia's Fine Foods

I'm unsure as to why the course coordinators divided the exam paper into two. It'd have been much better if we were allowed to complete it in one sitting, especially since we had a while to deal with it. To be honest, I'd be much happier and relieved if it was a 24-hour deadline, but it is what it is, sigh. With only an hour to bash the answers for the paper exam in Wayville, I was racing against the clock to ensure that I'm able to write as much as I possibly can while having a logical answer. My wrist is aching - and I'm supposed to meet my college best friend tomorrow morning (great! I'm hoping that after some good night's rest, it'll be alright).

Although I'm officially done with the exams, I'm not a 100% confident about Criminal Law and the eventual grade. I can't afford to let the mere pass yank my GPA any lower than it already is.

It's off for some relaxation before facing the fear of supplementary exams.