Exams and Results

With A-Level results day mere hours away, I'm sure I'm not the only one with exams on my mind. Tomorrow morning students all over the UK will be picking up a little piece of paper with numbers and letters on it that can determine their fate. Although I'm not in the category of those finding out whether or not they will be able to continue their studies to university, I will be picking up results and the letters on that piece of paper could determine which universities I apply for, what subject(s) I study or even just what I do from here on.

I've been thinking for a while about the exam system. The more exams you do, the more you get used to them which is brilliant. You develop techniques that work for you in coping with exam stress and you learn which methods of revision work for you etc. The annoying thing about exams, however, is that the more of them you do, the more important they become. Last year I was incredibly nervous to pick up my GCSE results and this year I'm just as nervous, if not more so, to pick up my AS results and I have no doubt that next year that nervousness will be doubled. Nothing weighs too heavily on my results this year, but if I want to get in to the university I have in mind when I apply in a few months I need to have reached what I wanted to reach. Although if the results are lower than I'm expecting I will be able to apply to a different university with slightly lower requirements, I would be very annoyed at myself for making that happen.

Like I said, I know that next year I'm going to be far more worried than I am currently and, to be perfectly honest, the thought that the day where I will find out which university I will attend is only a year away terrifies me.

If you're picking up A-Level results tomorrow, particularly A2 results, I wish you the best of luck. If you do get the grades you wanted, congratulations! If you didn't, remember it is not the end of the world and as is often said on the internet, you cannot be defined by a letter on a piece of paper. That being said if you're feeling really down about your results don't hesitate to contact me for a chat. You can either leave me a message on here, tweet me, send me an ask on tumblr or head over to my facebook page and send me a private message on there. I'm more than happy to talk to you. 

Lucy x