Study Vacation and Marking Conversions

In the land of Aussie institutions they have the most marvelous invention…It is called a study vacation, or “STU VAC” for short. Basically, it is a week after the last week of classes that enables students to study before exams commence. Why in the world doesn’t UCI have a student vacation? I think that the concept is brilliant, and it allows the students that have more than one exam to spend time to thoroughly prepare. Exams take place over a two week period, and the schedule and seating charts are released on the Uni website in May.

However, the fact that I just had my last week of classes is amazing to me! I clearly remember my first week. Where has the time gone? Week 13 has come and gone and now it is time to study full force for my Legal Profession exam (which is worth 100% of my final mark for the course…). I really enjoyed all of my classes and I actually miss attending them. Three out of my four courses do not have a final exam during the exam period; instead, I had in-class tests and papers due to account for my final mark. It is quite nice only having to prepare for one exam! Especially because my exam is about the Australian legal profession, which is completely different than the US legal system.

In regards to grading at the University of Sydney, they have a different grading scale than UC. First of all, grades are called “marks.” Secondly, the University marks are out of a 100 point scale, but they do not use letter grades such as A, B, C, etc. Sydney Uni marks are in categories including High Distinction (HD), Distinction (D), Credit (CR), Pass (P), and Fail (F). For the University of Sydney, the conversion to UC grades is generally as follows…

***The first number is the points/percentage from Sydney Uni
Next, is the Australia mark
Last, is the UC grade

>85 = HD = A+
80-84 = D = A
75-79 = D = A-
70-74 = CR = B+
65-69 = CR = B
60-64 = P = B-
55-59 = P = C+
50-54 = P = C
45-49 = F = C-
40-44 = F = D
<40 = F = F
So do not fret if you receive a 75! That is an A- at UC! It is often difficult to receive a HD. A majority of the class receives a CR. I have used this chart throughout the semester to convert my marks to the UC grades that will appear on my transcript.