Looking back at my Uni journey in 2026.

6 Units, 2 Semesters, and a 6.67 GPA: Year One in Review

​Starting my Bachelor of Business Administration wasn't just about adding a qualification, it was a conscious decision to step outside my comfort zone, build my confidence, and sharpen how I look at business.

​Looking back on this first year, jumping straight into the deep end with four units in my first semester, balancing two in my second, and finishing out with a 6.67 GPA, it’s clear just how much my perspective has shifted.

​Coming from a background rooted in regional Qld, and an agriculture centric life, I didn't want business theory to just sit in a textbook. I wanted to see how it applied on the ground.

​While Semester 1 was rolling by, work was in full swing with the cotton harvest. Managing live data tracking through the John Deere Operations Center (Ops Center) as the cotton was picked provided a direct, practical backdrop for what I was studying. Watching real-time yield and harvest data come together gave concrete meaning to management frameworks, accounting principles, and operational strategy.

It reinforced that business is never just about isolated numbers, (untill its analytics and then it really is about the math before the meaning) it is also fundamentally about the people, systems, critical thinking, and understanding the real ripple effects decisions have on operations.

​The Daily Reality of Balancing It All

​This year hasn't been about neat study schedules; it has been about pure discipline and non-stop momentum.

​My typical Monday started before the sun came up, loading my two youngest kids, school bags, sports gear, and laptop into the car. The routine meant driving 70 km to work, getting the kids to school, picking up the milk and mail for the office, and powering straight through a 6-hour workday, all while keeping up with family logistics across the board, from supporting my middle child away at boarding school to keeping in touch with my two oldest who have moved out.

​From work, it was a dash to the supermarket for dinner supplies, to get to the house by 3:00 PM, and logging straight into a live class workshop by 5:00 PM around swimming and football runs. Once the house quieted down and the kids were in bed by 8:00 PM, the second shift began: studying, writing assignments, and reviewing course material until my eyes couldn't focus around 11:00 PM.

​Having access to local study hubs like the Country Universities Centre gave me that dedicated space to lock in when I needed it most.

​What This Journey Has Taught Me

​Finishing this year with high marks while managing that schedule has taught me:

​To trust the process: Progress isn't always obvious day-to-day, but every late night and completed unit adds another piece to the bigger picture.

​To ask sharper questions: Moving past just absorbing information to actively questioning how strategies apply to high-pressure, practical operations.

​To build steady momentum: Staying resilient through harvest season, endless highway kilometers, handling heavy assignment loads, and keeping the end goal in sight.

​Looking Ahead

​Closing out these first six units with a 6.67 GPA gives me a solid, proud foundation for the rest of my degree. I’m excited to keep building on this momentum, taking what I’ve learned into the next chapter, and seeing where this pathway leads.

​Here is to continuing to learn, grow, and unlock potential—one unit at a time.

I will add some of my work to my blog, so you can see a glimps of what I have been up to.

Stay tuned

Samantha