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

Finally Done

After two years of blood, sweat and a lot of tears, I have finally finished my A-Levels! I never ever have to take an A-Level exam ever again in my life…aaaaahhhhh! *jumps frantically* All of course, at the expense of not watching a single match of the French Open and missing out on a week of the World Cup. 

I only had 6 exams this year spread out in the space of over a month, so I had some time to revise between them, but events of the past few weeks have clearly indicated to me that I’m not great at handling stress. Particularly knowing that these exams pretty much determine where you will be heading for university, pressure and expectation does become overwhelming. To the point where you just end up crying, waking up feeling as if you are about to throw up and thinking that your life has ended. Exams have been a mixed bag, but I’d rather not speak about them. Knowing that my hopes and dreams are in the hands of examiners right now is a very daunting thought, and I’m certainly not looking forward to 14^th August, but until then, it’s all about celebrating!

Perhaps the most amazing thought to come out of finishing exams is that I’ve finished school forever. I mean, that’s so so crazy! I just started sixth form what seems like yesterday, but now I’m done. It really hit me when I was returning my sixth form ID yesterday, and the date I started happened to be 5/9/12, and honestly, these two years have gone by so so quickly!

This year especially has been if not the worst, the toughest year yet. A lot of things have happened from the start like anxiety, depression, academic difficulties etc which I don’t want to expand on too much because I’d like to do separate posts on them, but I survived. I like to think that I’ve come out of this experience stronger and much more aware of things. I certainly don’t want anyone, anyone to experience what I went through this year because it certainly wasn’t pleasant but hey, it’s finished. It was just a bump in the road. Great thing is I can apply to university with extenuating circumstances.

Anyway apart from that, I took part in this year is Sanam's A* Grade Challenge. It's been amazing being a part of it. I think that it's wonderful to be able to share advice with students who have the same mindset as you. It makes the learning experience much more easier. 

I definitely enjoyed the subjects I took! I studied History, English Literature, Religious Studies and Biology, and they’ve been difficult but I’m so glad that I had chosen them. They’re all amazing and I really do recommend taking them. Not only did I learn awesome stuff, my writing skills have improved so so much. Before I sat my final exams, I remember reading back at the essays I had written right at the beginning of A-Levels, and seeing how much I’ve improved makes everything worthwhile. I feel like I’ve learnt so much in such a short period of time, and I cannot wait to learn my one true love at university (hey history!), I’m so so excited! But until then, its relaxing and celebrating the end of what has been an eventful two years!

Congrats to everyone who’s finished their exams and school! Celebrate your hard earned freeeeedom!

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.

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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!

    

The A* Grade Challenge Mega Update!

It has been some time since I did an update about the A* grade challenge.

Well my academic work has been a real rollercoaster ride over the past few months. As explained before, I was facing a lot of difficulties with many personal issues and it did have a major knock-on my studies. As a result of this entire bonanza, my motivation hit rock bottom fast and I couldn’t get out of that mindset for some time. Situations at school seemed to make life much worse for me.

Due to the fact that I didn’t want to work at all, I had 9 weeks’ worth of work sitting at my desk when the Christmas holidays came around, and I just remember thinking “how on earth am I going to get through this in just two weeks??!?! *heart attack*”. Resultantly, I worked at my wits end during Christmas – which meant that I didn’t get to watch Home Alone or any other Christmassy movies that come on, which I have to say, is pretty sad. I may have been ambitious with my work plans over Christmas, but I managed to get on top on 70% of the work that I had to do! Some of that work that took the majority of my time was writing 5 English essays, writing up detailed biology notes on 6 chapters. By the end of it all, I was completely burnt out and I seriously wasn’t, in any way shape or form, ready for another term of school.

Due to all of the difficulties I had faced during these few months, I’m currently in the process of emailing universities to see whether I’m eligible to apply with extenuating circumstances later on this year.

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Now, let’s move on to the great things that have been going on:

·         For my Religious Studies Unit 4 mock exam, I managed to achieve 60/75, which is 4 marks of an A*! I was absolutely elated when I received this mark and it really did start to display that all the effort I was putting in was starting to pay off. I really wasn’t expecting to do this well, but it’s motivated me so so much more to hit that A* in the actual exam. To add, it’s also my strongest subject thus far, which explains my determination to excel in it.

·         I’m starting to get an A grade in my History essays. I was initially really worried that I was writing the essays in a completely wrong way as I was just writing them the way I did at AS. Seeing as I want to study this subject as university and eventually become a historian (my ultimate dream), I would absolutely love to get an A* in this subject as I’ve said many a time, as it is a subject that I hold immense passion for. The technique is quite hard to grasp at times since I self- teach this subject, but I’m getting there, gradually.

·         Biology is also going great as I’m finding the topics so much more interesting than last year. However, I need to start attempting past papers so that I can check my progress.

And last but not least…

·        English. The subject that has made me cry so so much. I have to say, I am improving. I’m finding this year’s specification a lot easier than last year and the essays are a lot more simpler to write. I can see that the quality of my essays and ideas are becoming better.  Since I’m just doing AS the highest I can get is an A, but will I get it? That is the question. I’m currently on a B- grade but I still have a long long way to go before I hit that A.

After all this, I’m so much motivated to get up and work towards my dream grades. The minimum I need to apply to universities is A*AA and I'm absolutely determined to achieve them all, and better if I can. 

So that's my update for now. Hopefully positivity will prevail over the next 3 months I have left of A-Level craziness.    

Visiting Cambridge

A little over a month ago, I went on a school trip to visit the University of Cambridge.

Cambridge is a collegiate university, meaning that the university operates under a number of independently run colleges which make up the university as a whole. 

The college we went to visit was Gonville and Caius, but to get there, we all decided to venture through Kings College for a little while as it certainly captured our attention the moment we left the coach!

Now, due to the atrocious weather, I was unable to take decent photos of Caius, so instead, I'll tell you some facts about Kings (which I took a lot of photographs off!)

• The College was founded in 1441 by Henry VI, the same man who founded Eton College 
• It's sister college is New College, Oxford
• The College lies on River Cam and faces out onto Kings Parade, which is right in the center of the city, within close proximity to Caius (just a 5 minute walk)
• It has an international reputation for it's own chapel, where every Christmas Eve a service named 'A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols' is broadcast to millions around the world
• It also happens to be (quiet obviously), one of the most beautiful buildings throughout the whole university
• It's alumni include: novelist Zadie Smith, poet Rupert Brooke and the first Prime Minister of Great Britain Robert Walpole  

Bodley's Court

Front Court of Kings

Back Court of Kings, featuring The Gibbs' Building

Scotts Building

After striding through Kings, we made our way to Caius, where talks about the admissions process and all things academic proceeded. We then met current students at the college who spoke about their experiences about studying at Cambridge and had an extensive tour around the College itself. The visit was a real eye-opener, as the University usually has a lot of misconceptions attached to it, but with all myths dispelled, it certainly made some of my friends a lot more confident about applying.

All in all it was a great day! Apart from the horrible rain, I managed to find out a lot more about university life in general.

Long Time No Blog

So it seems that I've re-entered the realm of blogging?

I’ve been absent for 2 months due to some personal circumstances. I won’t delve into great detail for obvious reasons but in January, I finally found out that I was suffering from anxiety which explained pretty much everything that I was going through for seven whole months. Since then I found it immensely difficult to cope with certain things, which is why I decided to stop blogging all together until I felt ready. The reasoning behind this was that I didn’t want my posts to sound as if I was ranting or having a good old moan or whatever, and although I am known to many people for being an absolute pessimist, who would want to read negativity all day?

This is habit I was, and still currently am, trying to break.

Now, two months on, I’m feeling much better. I still have days where I feel completely worthless, however, I’m recovering. I’m learning to appreciate the beauties of life, and even though I’ve been going through some hardships, there are so many other people out there who go through experiences much worse but are still happy. Through hardship I’ve realised that I’m pretty lucky. Now I’m much happier and grateful.

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About my blog. I’ve made a few changes. At first, I started blogging with the intention of writing random things, but as the months progressed, I realised that most of my posts were revolving around the subjects of student life and studying. Therefore, I’ve decided to change the blog url/name to ‘A Students Confessions’ and as you can probably tell, most of my posts will be about student life. Apart from that, I’ll be writing some book reviews, and just random opinions of mine.

That’s all for now really. I’ll try to blog when I’m not drowning under an interminable ocean of coursework prep and the like, evidently trying to test out the ‘work and life balance’ notion. Let’s hope that it works out!

Rahma. xx