Part of the new year resolutions should be the process that help us know if we have opportunities to make them real.
During the last years my resolution of having a First degree seemed to have more opportunities than at this time but all of them were thrown out of the window by different situations: a sudden illness, allegedly a norovirus, during M364 and M359 exams gave me a Grade 3 and Grade 2 respectively, instead of the two Distinctions I was going for and last year I couldn't make it better when an 81% in the M363 exam gave me another Grade 2, reducing drastically my options as only around 4% of people achieve a Distinction at the project module.
My current situation is as follows:
M263 only seems to have an impact in my final degree if I do really bad in M362 and TM470. A 2:2 result probability will be reduced to 6% if I achieve at least a Grade 3 on it. Having a Distinction on it would remove the options of having a 2:2 from the table after June 2013 (reducing the table to the first column, with 90% possibilities for a 2:1 and only 10% possibilities for a First).
If I achieve at least a Grade 2 in M362 this year (an option that looks very feasible to me now, as I will try to get a Distinction on it) that would make M263 result totally irrelevant for my degree classification calculation (providing that I pass it).
A First Class degree is only possible if I achieve two Distinctions at third grade (as I already knew), any other combination will be a 2:1 or 2:2 at the moment. So a First Class degree is at this moment unlikely, only a 10% probability, curiously the same as having a 2:2, the remaining 80% probability is for a 2:1.
Good point is that if I achieve at least a Grade 3 in M263 and M362 this year but don't get a Distinction in M362 there will be no pressure for having more than a 40% in the project module. The need to have just a 40% is a big margin for a project module.
In summary, I just need a Grade 3 in M263 and M362 to have a 2:1 so in case problems managing the two modules workload would appear I should focus all my efforts in M362 that is the only module that will be able to boost my degree result and keep my opportunities for a (now unlikely) First degree.
Anyway providing that I pass both of them this year, in December 2013 I will have a very clear picture of how hard should I work during my project module.
For now my new year resolution would be at least a Grade 3 in both modules. Focusing on having a Distinction in M362 if possible. That give me some margin to maneuver :-)
