Vice-Chancellor's List Award Night

Hi again everyone! I know I should be more regular writing on this blog... but studies just continue to eat up most of my time each day! I am considering researching into the possibility of 48hr days just to have time to do more things ;)

Anyway, there are definitely lots of positives from studying so hard! I got a surprise letter at in March informing me that I am in the top 1% of undergraduates across all disciplines at my university! and that there will be a presentation to all students who have achieved this honour on the 22nd of April. Needless to say I was very excited to receive the news. However it did add a little more stress to my studying - as before I had no clue about this award, so was just getting high marks because I and only I had a deal with myself to study the best I could and see how high I could score. Now there is extra pressure in the form of these awards! I am a goal-driven person so I just know the next 2 years will be all about studying keep my place in the top 1%! :P :D

April 22nd came around and Mummy, Daddy and I drove to Perth for the presentation ceremony. Each top one-percenter was allowed to take 2 guests and surprisingly for me my parents both jumped at the chance! (note: this was surprising because they would have expected me to be this good, so I was just like, lets get this award mailed to me so you don't have to come and watch it being presented... except they said 'NO! this is so amazing! we'll come with you' )
The presentation was due to start at 6pm, and everyone was informed that they had to arrive by 5.40pm. The students receiving awards were all allocated seat numbers in the order they would be presented with their prizes. I got an awesome seat number: K9 ! (read that out and see what word it sounds like! :P apparently it's a famous sci-fi character's name too!)

I went into the HUGE lecture theatre where the presentation was going to be held and saw a huge mass of people all getting seated. WOW. there was SO MANY PEOPLE! I quickly found my seat, and the girl sitting in K8 started chatting with me. We discussed what course we were doing (she was doing physio) and then did what the other 100 or so students were doing - sat open mouthed staring and people watching at everyone streaming into the theatre.

Fairly soon the presentation started and they announced students alphabetically, starting with those who had made the top 1% for the 7th time!! I think 3 or 4 smart-ish looking guys were the only ones on the 7% list. I immediately calculated how many times more I could make the list in the course of my degree.. and worked out if I am top 1% for my remaining 2 years (including this semester) and top 1% for my honours year (if I elect to do it) I too will be a 7x one-percenter :P (ahhh the glory of that title! ;) )

Students were announced to the audience by their full names, so the presentation of 50 or so students before me was very interesting. Some observations I made were:

1) These people would be stereotyped as 'geeks' and 'nerds' - but at least 90% of the girls could have been models!!! (I didn't check the guys, to me all guys look the same. tall and just .. well like guys! that is unless they are Indian! then I might like them ;) )

2) ALL of the students had what are considered as normal, conservative names. No 'hammer's, 'jayshayn's or 'summerbreeze's here!) And yes, readers, sadly some people are named like that in Australia!

3) I was second smallest person there, behind an Indian girl called Minal (as told to me by my Mummy! the first thing she said after I received my award was "Mary! you were the second smallest! you are tiny!!" :P thanks..... :P )

4) There was 3 girls who received awards who I knew from childhood (the last time I saw them I would have been less than 11 years old.. so 1/2 lifetime ago)! One from junior theatre (we acted in plays together), one from gymnastics or ballet (I can't remember which!) and one from piano competitions.

5) The event organisers asked students with difficult surnames how to phonetically pronounce them - I was asked too, so they pronounced my surname correctly (yay!) but unfortunately stumbled over my middle name! :S

Time for some photos of the event!

The assistant vice chancellor presents me with the award

After the presentation