My first semester at QUT as an International student was a true nightmare.

I went to uni every day. If I didn’t have any classes, you would definitely catch me reading a whole load of IT stuff in the lab or struggling to get my written piece done in some badly lit library corner. At some points during the semester, you could even have seen me staying in the lab for the whole day and not returning home till 1-2 am. I used to sleep only 4-5 hours per day back then, cook for myself once per week and eat the same food for seven days in a row. I didn’t hang out much socially and barely knew anyone or any fun places. The place I spent most of my time was definitely in the lab, in front of the screen, alone. I knew that I was not living at all at that time and that my true personality could not be further from that girl hunched over a book, but it seemed that I had no other choices back then. Receiving a 25% scholarship for my tuition fee from QUT, I was under a lot of pressure to maintain a GPA above 5.5 to be granted the scholarship again for the next semester. I struggled a lot as a fresher in my IT degree while everyone seemed to know everything already. After an attempt to ask my tutor for in-class support and sensing his unwillingness, I kind of dropped off the radar. I guess this was one of the main mistakes that made me end up with a GPA of 5.25 in Semester One. I was supposed to lose the scholarship, but by some miracle the university decided to sponsor me for another semester. Even so, for the first time in my life, I saw myself as a loser. Throughout my time in high school, I always maintained the top GPA of over 90%, but why are things seem so different here? I was so depressed...

but I knew it was not the end of the world.

This second chance meant I had to try with every bit of me to turn the game around. What did I do to change the situation?I made a list of all the possible reasons for the bad results I got, and here’s what it looks like:

1. Thought that I was a lone wolf

2. Did not meet the requirement of the assignment

3. Did not use my time wisely

4. Did not set up a specific GPA target in the first place

5. Did not enjoy myself.

I realised the worst mistake I made was to think that I had to handle everything on my own. Because I wasn’t used to the way of studying here, of course I couldn’t perform as well as I wanted to. When things didn’t go to plan, I started to stress myself out and made things even worse.

The first thing I did to get out of this vicious circle was to contact ISS (International Student Services) and book a counselling session regarding my academic concerns.

The two-hour talk didn’t only help me to stay positive but also gave me a better understanding of the University and academic environment. Before semester 2 started, I planned out clearly what I needed to get the GPA I was hoping for, which meant doing a bit of research about the four upcoming units, joining some Facebook groups of IT students, asking someone who has done the unit before for advice. Coming into the semester, I tried to be more open with tutors and classmates. I didn’t hesitate to have a quick chat with my tutor about the assignment and send them my draft to make sure my work was on the right track. I also utilised all available support from QUT and the Science and Engineering Faculty. I visited the drop-in sessions via STIMulate and library Language and Learning drop-in session. While the first one helped me to catch up with IT background knowledge, the other could assist me with academic writing, researching and referencing (I know this is a daunting task, for many international students).

During Semester Two, the Library and the Lab are still my frequented places, but this time I was not on my own but instead, with friends. We gathered a small group to study together. Writing assignments was still a pain, but it feels so much better to have someone with you. I didn’t study as much as before. I started to hang out more, widening my friend circle. I even got a part-time job!

Things started to get better when I enjoyed what I was doing. Finally, I nailed it with a GPA of 6.75 for Semester Two, finding my name on the Dean’s list, which was amazing!

We, as International students, come to Australia to get the most out of the education system. We are under a lot of pressure regarding academic concerns, which is understandable. But it is important that we still enjoy ourselves while trying hard. At the end of the day, it is the memories and things we learn along the way that stays with us after we graduate from university—as well as our grades—that make the difference. There are many QUT services that you can access. The two that I found useful were the International Student Services and the Library Drop-in sessions.

This article was originally published on GlassMagazine here.

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