So, today is Wednesday. And university is all but past tense. He says with his fingers crossed, for Friday we find out if I actually have to do a viva next week. Which if I do then there shall be 30 minutes of hell next week on Tuesday or Wednesday but then it should all be over.
For those not in the know, a viva is essentially an interview where they ask you questions from any topic that you have studied in your time at university. Typically given to students that are borderline candidates (ie 59%), to determine whether you are actually worthy of being bumped up to the next grade boundary. So potentially a very stressful procedure.
Realistically, I should have comfortably have obtained my 2:1. However, that cynical part of my brain worries. And worries a lot. For my PhD placement is conditional to my getting a 2:1, without I will have no funding and thus be unable to do it. So it’s a dilemma.
But, the ending of exams passed without a hitch. Surprisingly so. Anticlimactic if anything. The last exam was a barely a 2nd year module about machines that I’ve been using for over 4 years now, 6 in certain circumstances. One of my essay questions was even on mass spec, the same topic as my entire Masters project, so if I haven’t done well there I need shooting.
However, some would seem to have done less well. Lady E for example, claimed that she could not turn on her calculator; causing a panic attack and thus spending an hour on the first section (which took me under 20 minutes). Tash refused to talk to me after the exam and went storming off, with only a huff as an acknowledgement. Which is a shame for I believe her to not be going to graduation and so that could well have been the last time I see her. But then that summarizes her mentality for the last 4 years, considering how after the previous exam she stayed at the pub with us all afternoon and had a giggle.
So, a return to Nottingham on Friday or Saturday (haven’t decided yet) from Manchester as she’s not going to the 2nd week of work experience. God knows why really. If she knew she had a viva next week then I’d understand, but as it stands we’re going back for no other reason than escaping Manchester. I suppose, she wants to spend all the time with me that she can before graduation. Which I can understand as after graduation, I don’t know the next time I’ll see her, when she’ll get a job or where. But that’s another post for another day.
This page previously appeared on morganbye.net[^1][^2]
[^1:] http://morganbye.net/2009/06/nearly-there) [^2:] http://morganbye.net/uncategorized/2009/06/nearly-there
By
