Early School Leaver Dominates at University Going From Credits to High Distinctions in One Semester

There is one core belief that differentiates those who learn and succeed, and those who don’t, and that is the belief that every failure is an opportunity to grow, not a measurement of your limited ability.

The colloquialism that claims, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is indeed a myth. The mind is characterised by lifelong plasticity; it has the capacity to continually grow and rewire itself. Even if you stumble and fall, time and time again, the power of a growth mindset will always prevail.

Don’t believe us? Well, here at A Team Tuition we’ve formulated a program that guides and mentors primary, secondary and tertiary students to adopt a growth mindset, and we’ve seen firsthand, the tremendous success that can result.

This mindset and the capabilities it unleashes is essentially the reason that we exist.  It is our mission to help liberate every student from their self-constructed constraints and lead them to that illustrious ‘A’ grade, or in the case of a university student, a High Distinction.

For 39-year-old A Team Tuition client Maddy Graham, the Creating 'A' Students Program equipped her with the skills to do just this. One might never predict that a student who sat in their high school maths exam, arms crossed, refusing to put pen to paper, would achieve the highest possible grade amongst a cohort of intelligent scientists. But she did, and she has gone on to do it more than once.

This is a result of the accumulation of strategy, determination, personal growth, skill development, drive, learning and support. Here at A Team Tuition, we know that adversity breeds strength. Maddy Graham unequivocally demonstrates this.

The true transformation here does not merely lie in Maddy’s jump from a credit to a high distinction, but in the shaping of positive beliefs that allowed Maddy to become a resilient, independent and self-motivation individual determined to exceed limitations.

Maddy moved from the United Kingdom to Australia and completed her Advance Diploma in Media as her Year 12 Equivalent. However, it had been over 20 years since Maddy had picked up a textbook when she enrolled in a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology.

In 2016, Maddy reached the realisation that her grades were holding her back from achieving her dreams. So, she sat down with our CEO and Founder, Hayden McEvoy, who in one sitting, walked her through the modules that form the CAS Program. That three-hour sitting lead Maddy to jumping from credits to high distinctions within one semester at university.

Maddy recalls that jumping back on the band wagon was no easy feat, but receiving tips and advice from her whole support team (the accumulate efforts of Hayden McEvoy, Hannah Jeffs, Molly Parker, Tori McGeary and Melanie Cusso), Maddy was able to find what worked for her and what didn’t.

"At first I didn't believe that I had the capabilities to do well at university, but it was everyone's belief in me and support that kept me going. Once they showed me how I could do it and then when I received my first HD, I felt truly unstoppable."

Before long, her head was no longer bobbing just above water; she was gaining strength with each stroke. She found out that she was primarily a kinaesthetic learner and retained information better when it was transcribed through movement. Thus, when studying for exams, Maddy would handwrite all of her revision questions and through rote learning, was able to remember concepts verbatim.

Maddy found her niche in her Neurobook and used mind maps to comprehend scientific theories and colour-coded text to compartmentalise information. Most importantly, she identified what was failing her before; a lack of assignment structure, comprehension of the task at hand and unsurety in her capabilities.

What allowed Maddy to really practice what the CAS Program preaches was the development of a growth mindset and self-belief. She knew that developing positive beliefs would shape her goals, which subsequently shaped her actions and results. As a result, Maddy achieved every goal she ever set. She self-directed her own learning by planning her university timetable around her study. Her Academic Personal Trainers were just her autocorrect, spellcheck, personal dictionary and Wikipedia along the way. They helped with the academics, but the foundation, the fostering of a ‘YES’ person was all Maddy.

Maddy has demonstrated the embodiment of our program; that persistence at perfecting academic strategy is the secret to an ‘A’ (or a HD) grade. To top this epic transformation off, Maddy received 100% in her latest university assignment and has now defuncted the ideal that intelligence stems from birth.

Maddy knows no limitations. This newfound outlook is leading Maddy down the path of completing her Honours before becoming a registered psychologist. Not only has Maddy been able to use the lessons learnt from the CAS in her own experiences, but she will soon be entering an appropriate field to help the next generation!

Maddy is a testament that success does not start off as a towering tree. It starts as a seed that is planted, watered, fertilised and maintained while it grows until eventually, it becomes a forest.