A Final Farewell

Finishing my A-Levels and the end of my time at school has all been a bit of a blur over the past few days. Exams ended exactly a week ago, and waking up every morning knowing that I don’t have any revision to do is the best feeling ever, but also the weirdest. To stop working after 8/9 months of continuous studying took a bit of time of getting used to, so this week I ended up touring Central London with friends and staying glued to the television. But perhaps what I’d like to share is my experience at both school and sixth form. Since year 9 onwards, I attended an all-girls independent faith school, before that a normal state comprehensive school. I don’t think that I’ve been open about my schooling to anyone, other than the fact that this year was completely horrible.

Disclaimer: Before I proceed, I would like to stress that what I’m writing about is my experience of attending a private school. I know that this is a sensitive area for many, and what I would like to say that I’m not speaking on behalf of private schools or my own school, just my experience with no intention of boasting or anything of the like.

Although the school I attended was private, it wasn’t of the typical sort with a vast prestigious history, high rankings and excellent university entrances. It was certainly no Eton or Westminister. In all honesty, there were some people from privileged backgrounds, very few which would be classified as snobby and very few that you’d consider posh. It wasn’t particularly academic either, or at least it wasn’t known for it. Just scrapping by Ofsted standards my school was average, just.

Years at school were definitely crucial in my development as a person. It bared witness to my period as a shy introvert hesitant to speak to anyone or participate in any discussions in class, but then I started to grow more and more confident. The atmosphere of a state and private school are completely different, particularly for me transitioning from a mixed atmosphere to an all-girls one. It was definitely weird, and took a lot of time of getting used to, but after finally combating this stage, I felt more comfortable. I started to speak more openly and confidently, which eventually landed me the role as Head Girl in year 11. Then came the stresses of GCSE’s in which after results were published, I managed to come on top of the year which was entirely unexpected.   

What made school more enjoyable was the amazing people I met which I have the privilege of calling friends. From watching The Big Bang Theory on some random movie website to playing musical chairs (yes, musical chairs). I shouldn't forget our rendition of Gangnam Style, it just made it ever so more painfully obvious that dancing really isn't our forte. We also attempted to do the Harlem Shake- once again ending in catastrophic disaster. The end product was viewing myself replicating a '60s retro disco move. Not nice at all but absolutely hilarious. We also ended up on YouTube for a brief moment for some competition we decided to enter, again ‘dancing’ or rather jumping on the same spot again and again which what it turned out to be.

After all the positives do come some downsides which I have spoken about far too much on this blog. At the beginning of the year, I really wanted my final year to go well, but that didn’t happen clearly. And it also just so happens that I started blogging when things were starting to go pretty badly. However, I'm actually alive? I’ve finished my A-Levels which has been one heck of a ride.

It’s definitely been a mixed five years. I’ve become much more open-minded and wide eyed. My passions for issues like politics, feminism, history and religion grew considerably. Full of highs and lows, my years at school have definitely shaped me as a person, and the most amazing leavers dinner last night really concluded these five years for me. It’s fairly obvious that I’ll miss everyone a bit too much (even those annoying teachers which expect you to remember things from year 7?!). I'm even going to miss ridiculous things like waking up at 5 am and running onto a crammed train during rush hour. It’s just so strange to think that everyone will go their separate ways living in different parts of the country for the next few years. For now, and probably for the years to come, we’ll all be known as Class of 2014!

xx

May the good times roll...

Yes, we meet exam season once again.

By taking subjects that are predominantly essay based, I can get away with only having six exams over the coming weeks, the first of which I had today, my English exam. No comment on how that went, but let's just say that I'm so so relieved never to take or write a literature essay ever again in my life. So goodbye to Gatsby's delusion, Fitzgerald's overuse of patronising poetic descriptions and Rossetti's constant talk to betrayal. I have to admit though, it may have driven me insane but I enjoyed studying literature. I think that I'll just stick to reading now, rather than analysing books to it's bare bones.

After the unpleasant experience in the exam hall today, I decided to take a stride in the park, which I apparently needed!

I think that it's important to realise from time to time that it's okay to take a break from revision, stress or whatever you're occupied with. Just taking time out and letting loose actually makes so much more of a difference, and once you start whatever you were doing again, you feel rejuvenated. I certainly feel that way now and decided to take the whole day off, so that I freshly start tomorrow.

I have 5 exams left now all of which are in June, and these exams are the most important ones that determine which university I go to. So yes, no pressure at all. And also, to help avoid my motivation to falter, I've made a Tumblr account so that I can keep on track.

Best of luck to anyone taking exams this season. May the force be with you!

 

Getting yourself organised!

I’ve recently joined the #StudentBloggerSelection and this week’s theme is ‘showcasing your skills’. Since exams aren’t that far away anymore (my first one begins in 7 weeks time *gasp*), I thought that I’d share some of the ways I organise my academic work which will hopefully be of some use, particularly during the next few difficult weeks.

image source

Number 1: Organisation is extremely important.

Yes yes, you’ve probably heard of this already, but honestly, an organised folder makes revision and life heck of a lot easier. Revision is definitely a time where you don’t want to be going through useless pieces of paper, or notes that aren’t in the correct order etc, so by organising everything in accord beforehand really does you favours in the long run. I personally abhor disorganisation because I know for a fact that my revision won’t be as efficient as it could be, and really, I just think that it adds on unnecessary stress that you obviously don’t want!

Number 2: One folder per module

This is something I highly recommend. I started doing this last year where I had one ringbinder per module, but as the notes and notes started to pile up, the folders got pretty full! That led to some of my essays to go missing (not the greatest thing in the world) and some of the sheets starting to rip out. So this year, I decided to invest in leaver arch files and it suited me great! Everything is neatly put into place according to topic, so no complaints!

Number 3: Putting your notes into place

The first thing that should really go into your folder is the exam specification. To put it simply, this is your friend over the next few months. Exams won’t contain any questions that haven’t been in the specification, so really, it does save you time from learning irrelevant information. After that comes my hand written notes from the textbook, then notes from the revision guide. I do both because the textbook seems a lot more detailed than the latter but it does contain so information of no use sometimes!

After that comes the handouts my teacher gives out. These again are directly from the textbook so I just highlight the most important pieces of information. Then comes the answers to questions in the textbook.

Number 4: Separate folders for revision?

I never really did this, until now. My folders always contained past papers, practice essays and the lot; but now since my folders have way too much irrelevant pieces of paper, I decided to invest in extra folders purely for revision.

Some will contain past papers only, and others will contain revision material and timed essay practice.

Number 5: Make a checklist

Make a checklist for all your subjects then tick off all the topics you’ve written notes on. This way you’ll keep on track to see how much you’ve got left to cover.

Number 6: Make to-do lists.

Again this is important. You will be on track with your revision and see what you have left. Some diary planners my already have this (I have a Filofax which contains these to do lists), but making your own won’t hurt.

These are all of the ways I organise my work, but it does change from time to time. The more you discover the ways to organise things the better!

    

Must Stop Procrastinating.

The one thing I’m always guilty about is procrastinating – particularly when I’m painfully suffering through an essay crisis. Although it may seem like a mini break (and by mini I mean every 5 minutes) in between tasks, I end up producing pieces of work that doesn’t reflect my capabilities – which obviously isn’t great.

Since one of my September Resolutions was to get rid of procrastination completely, below are some of the steps I’m taking to help myself achieve this ridiculously insane target!

1.       Write down a list of assignments that I need to complete.

So these can be essays (90% of the time), textbook notes, annotating articles and making presentations. A typical example would be: complete chapter two annotations for The Great Gatsby, make notes on viruses in Biology, complete a past paper for History etc.

2.       Prioritise!

Do the most important and huge tasks first, then focus on the little ones. This way, more time will be devoted to pieces of coursework that will contribute to my final grade.

3.       Have focused revision sessions rather than long tiring ones.

I’ve decided to create a timetable comprising of 30 minute slots with 5 minute gaps in between. This way, as well as being focused, my mind will be refreshed allowing me to absorb more information efficiently rather than doing one hour and gaining nothing. Another thing, actually following my timetable.

4.       Find an accountability partner and report progress weekly.

Although doing certain tasks individually can be beneficial, I find that undertaking things like studying collaboratively can be a huge thumbs up.

5.       Reward myself after a day’s hard work.

Yeah…I need to start doing this.

6.       Remember, short term sacrifices for long term gains!

If I’m going to have any hope of applying to my dream university next year, one thing that I will undoubtedly need is kick-ass results. The only way I can get that is by working really hard – which means NO procrastination. 

The A* Grade Challenge Nov Update: August Decrees, Competitions and the Oxford Union

Well hello there. Some of you are wondering who I even am? Due to my absence from this space for some time, I give you permission to blast a Justin Bieber song (oh dear)…

Anyway, apart from sleeping on buses every morning due to late nights, it’s been a fairly positive November.

One topic I’ve been studying in my History lessons is the August Decrees. Just some quick background info: before 1789, France was ruled by an absolutist monarchy. The rich (the nobles and the clergy) widely practiced tax evasion, placing burden the poor – a segment most of the population were classified under. The monarchy increasingly became very anti-French (weird huh?) and disillusionment grew amongst laymen so they decided to revolt. Many exciting events took place (apart from people dying which obviously isn’t great), and one of them was the August Decrees. This marked a significant end to the ancien regime and paved way for a more democratic France that lifted the burden from the poor and nationalised the Churches. If you look at it as a short term occurrence, it was very very successful. The ‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen’ followed, but of course, conspiracy theories came along.

Alongside academic work, I’m participating in some national competitions which I’m pretty excited about! First up is the British Biology Olympiad which is open to all post 16 students who have a particular interest in biological sciences. After some persuasion from my Biology teacher, I’ve decided to give it a go. Second comp I’m taking part is The Julia Wood Prize, a history essay writing competition held by St Hugh’s College, Oxford. For my dissertation, I’ve decided to focus on a period of British history I haven’t studied before. I’m going to be writing about Oliver Cromwell but I haven’t yet concluded on a specific aspect of his time in power to focus on.

    

To make my study breaks more productive, I’ve decided to listen to some debates held at the Oxford Union by subscribing to their YouTube channel. The best thing...it’s free! No actually, the best thing is listening to intellectuals who know a heck amount about their field, and in the end, you completely change your perspective of that particular topic. Quite fascinating really.

That’s it for November, strikingly hard to believe that there’s only one month left till the end of the year. Where did all the time go?!

The A* Grade Challenge October Update: Gatsby, Fundamentalism and Motivation

Rather than rambling on and on, I'm going to go straight to the point.

I've decided to adapt to a specific structure. I'm not going to focus on every subject for all updates, I'm just going to pick out specific topics that I've learnt. Not only will it make it short and snappy- you won't lose interest in my everlasting sob stories either.

So this month, the novel that I've been focusing on in my English lessons is The Great Gatsby. It's pretty hard to believe that this novel wasn't a breakthrough when it was first published. It went to the extent that this work of Fitzgerald's wasn't even mentioned in his memoir. Now it's considered to be one of the most unparalleled pieces in American modern literature.

As you can probably guess, I absolutely loved the novel. Whether I enjoy writing essays about it is something else, but I'm getting there! Imagery and symbolism are in adundant supply which I think makes this novel simply amazing. I hope to watch the film so enough, probably during Chirstmas, and perhaps write a lot more [maybe?].

Another great topic that I studied [and still studying] is religious fundamentalism. This has always fascinated me. For those who don't know, fundamentalism is a term given to a concept/idea that expresses an extreme viewpoint regarding a religious matter. Truth is that fundamentalism isn't just about religion. You can be fundamentalist about anything, but nowadays its associated more with religious activity. This is quite a huge topic so there's lots to learn! But so far, I've focused on the origins and nature of fundamentalism and I was surprised to find out that the movement started when Darwin's very divisive theory of evolution came into prominence. It contradicted the theory of creationism stated in the Book of Genesis . It went to the extent that the State of Tennessee completely banned schools to teach evolution in science lessons- but of course, there will be that one person that's rather rebellious. If you're interested, then find out what happened here.

Apart from schoolwork, I've been focusing on increasing my motivation. I'm not going rewrite a sob story [I'm pretty sick about it], instead, I'm going to be positive [for the first time ever!].

Anyway, I've been finding some methods to help increase my motivation. After having a meeting with my Head of Year, I finally accepted the fact that failing ONE exam isn't the end of the world and actually, I finally acknowledge the fact that I'm extremely lucky to have a second chance to put things right. I've identified my mistakes and now it's all about moving on. So in response, I've created much of a wall.

Firstly, 100% credit goes to Amy who suggested this tactic to me! It's honestly helped so much and I can't express my gratitude enough. Just thank you. Thank you thank you thank you!

Also, this may work for some of you, but try to always think about results day. Think about how joyous you would be when you see your dream grades written on, what arguably is a very important sheet. This has motivated me so so much and it's made me pretty determined to get the grades I need/want. There's only one thing left though, hard work!

Rather than this being expression in August:

I want it to be like this:

   
Hopefully, positivity will prevail over the coming months!

The A* Grade Challenge Update: September

First months over…ALREADY!

If I was to summarise the state of my endeavour to discover the slippery terrains of the ‘A* grade challenge’ during September, it would have to be the one and only CLUELESS. Yep that word precisely. And here’s why.

I had a ridiculously long reading list to complete over the summer holidays and this is probably a BIG first *cue drum-roll*…I didn’t do it. Not one book, play or poem did I read. But it doesn’t matter though, and as you read on you’ll find out why.

OK- let’s focus on the positive things first.

To keep myself on track, I decided to stick all these fancy colourful posters up near the study area in my bedroom. The great thing with these is that when I become bored or I just cannot be asked to do any work, I can just stare that them rather than counting the amount of dots there are on the ceiling.

Also, I doubt this should be classified as a positive, but I missed three university open days this month due to travel issues and being ill (YES, my immune system crashed AGAIN!). I was planning to visit Oxbridge and KCL- but nicely enough, Newnham College, Cambridge sent me their prospectus through the post which I though was incredibly sweet of them actually. Entirely unexpected, but I can arrange an independent visit sometime during the year.

Now- the much dreaded negatives.

Firstly, it’s worth mentioning the fact that I absolutely DESPISE disorganisation. I cannot stand anything that isn’t organised properly- and over here, I am ranting about my lesson timetable (so please excuse the capital letters, I’m practically shouting).

Rather than using slang jargon to describe the disgusting state of it- it’s diabolical. I haven’t got enough lessons for THREE of my subjects, one of which I STILL haven’t got a teacher for (good ol’ History) and one where I have to start all over again- and that’s English. Doing the EPQ didn’t work out so I’m back with Biology since I did pass last year and RS is the ONLY subject I can see myself passing in.

Firstly, History. My schools sixth form is quite small, and since no one is interested in History (shockingly), it isn’t offered. This means that I have to teach myself and the AS is self-teachable. It’s heck of a lot harder than GCSE, but you can teach yourself. The A2 however, it’s tons more difficult and this time round, coursework is inserted into the lovely equation.  I don’t even know where to start. Unit 3 is going alright I suppose you can say. I’m studying the French Revolution and never before in my life did I think that the French could be so scandalous. Apart from executions using the guillotine and wealthy people avoiding tax- it’s incredibly entertaining and I’m just spurred on to find out more about the controversies that surround this period of French and early modern European history. If anything, this is the subject that I want to get an A* in the MOST since I’m planning to study it at university. But also, I have an incredible amount of passion for history; some people may find it strange and boring but I find it incredibly fascinating. But not having a teacher IS KILLING ME.

Now, English. I’m going to try to condense this tragic soliloquy because you’ll just be bored as hell by the end of it.

Ok, I didn’t do well at AS. I had (and I’m trying to think of the nicest way to say it) a useless teacher quite frankly. Once again, I had to self-teach. Although English is far easier than History, you NEED a teacher. You need someone to guide you along, particularly the essay technique. Anyway, after much hard work from my part, and zero from the teacher- I got a D. I did really well in the coursework- but FAILED the exam. Obviously, this was extremely gutting. I was just so so so devastated, and still am, but not as much. So we got a new teacher, and said that we have to do a new spec now FROM SCRATCH. In other words, do both AS and A2 in a year. I did AQA Lit A last year, and now I have to do Lit B.

So here’s my question for you English?

This isn’t my concern- I’m literally going to die in the end but it has to be done. The worst thing is the fact that I have ONLY 2 lessons of English a week?! Seriously. I’m not even kidding. You’re probably thinking OMG what the hell is going on, or even worse maybe. There’s more to this story but I really don’t want to go through it now, I’m just way too frustrated to even care. Watching Made In Chelsea isn’t making me feel better either. To all Lit B students out there, I may need your help if you don’t mind of course.

After all this, getting A*s in all my subjects seems impossible.As mentioned before on this blog, I’m taking a gap year. Having said that, three of the universities that I want to submit an application to require me to get A*AA. Quite possibly, the American dream.

But then again, this is just the start. After all, you can’t have a rainbow without a little bit of rain.

 

x