hi there… it’s been a while! i’ve been really busy being depressed about my exams but i got all their results back!!

chemistry: A

biology: B

maths: A

possible predicted grades: AAA

i’m really happy with these grades! i thought i’d fail these exams LOL. i got the minimum grades to do medicine in most unis in UK, which i am really happy about ! 💋

but im not going to back school and honestly i cried at what she said

i know it seems dry but i know her and she's upset and that just makes me sadder im literally gonna miss her so much

also i didnt immediately reply to her because i didnt know what to say tbh and she texts one of my classmates like "Can you check if she's coming back to school or not?. She's not replying"

she was and i swear one of the best teachers i have ever had in my entire life and i will never find another teacher like her

I was known across school as her "daughter" because one of my classmates spread the rumor that we were related (we look similar) and instead of debunking it, she just accepted and ran with it. So she would just call me daughter all around school and half the school was confused whether or not i was actually her daughter lol.

I passed AS level because of her and I give the credit solely to her.

Her classes were the only ones I ever looked forward to. While the other teachers were bullying me, her classes were my safe space and I was honestly happy when there would be a double lesson because it meant I could spend more time with her.

She acted like a mother to all students but she was MY mother. We from different nationalities but I looked EXACTLY like her niece that we joked that she's my long lost relative that stayed back during the border partition and she was like ask your grandmothers because she fr believed that too.

To my Year 13s and/or 12s, I hope this blog will help you gain some clarity into university applications, and give you comfort in knowing what should be done. xoxo

1. UCAS Personal Statement

By the holiday of Year 12, you should be ready with what you want to pursue in university. With that said, holidays will be the best time to start your Personal Statement, now you could always postpone this close to your submission date, but it wouldn’t give you enough time for a proper review. 

So, at the very least, plan your Personal Statement during the summer holidays, and read through lots of examples of personal statements under the course you want to study. Remember, you’re not just reading for inspiration, but studying how successful students have presented themselves through their essays.

Quick Tips for what to include in your Personal Statement:

Study your intended course. Not just what you’ll be learning, but learn what is being taught. Ok that’s a bit vague. An example would be Mathematics, learning beyond the A2 curriculum, watch online lectures on university-level maths on abstract algebra or analytic geometry. Read beyond the bounds of the curriculum to show your interest and curiosity in the subject.

Tie experiences to your intended major. Now, if, let’s say, you’re a prospective Veterinary student, you don’t necessarily need to have experience working at the vet. Perhaps you participated in Debate and advocated for animal rights, or you were in Media and began taking pictures of stray cats to spread the word for adoption. If you have none of these experiences, tie everyday activities to your major by showing the values they have taught you. Perhaps being on MUN taught you how to collaborate, or working as a school event medic allowed you to experience the rigours of the field. 

Show ambition. Aside from how you’ve been doing at school, or overloading on your co-curricular list, use your essay to list out the aspirations you have while at university and after. Talk about how you’d use your future education.

2. References 

Timing and choice are very important with this one.

Make sure you ask your teacher, at the very least, a month prior, or even better, two months prior. You want to give your teacher ample time to write you a stellar reference. With that said, make sure you hint to your teacher about certain values you wish they’d show. Be subtle about it, you could say: ...since you’ve seen first hand the progression of my grades over the years or ...like when I’d been a leader for the competition. 

References are out of your control, so make sure you have a teacher who can not only show academic excellence/improvement/perseverance but also values that are highly valued in a university environment (collaboration/initiative/leadership).

3. Oxbridge

Oxbridge will need you to submit by October 15th. Make sure if you are applying to one of the two universities, that you don’t miss any supplemental examinations required for your intended program.

In Biomedical Sciences, you’d need to take the BMAT examination. Make sure to get this done long before the intended due date, in case anything goes south. 

4. Rest of the Universities

Whether you’re applying to Imperial or King’s, if you’re done with your personal statement by now, all you need to do is focus on your grades. 

In my other post, Keeping Up with AS/A Level Schedule, I told you that the first semester is vital. First, and foremost, it’ll be the foundation for your A2 predicted grades, you must do well in it. 

The first time I attempted AS Levels (a pretty big deal scholastically), I failed. I also remember it as the day my Pizza John t-shirt arrived which gave me slight consolation though it didn’t stop me having to repeat the year.

The first day on my second go at the year, I wore Pizza John on my chest. That was the day that I started my trip out of a year long depression, the day I met my future girlfriend, who fell in Nerdfighter-like with me, and I with her, the day I wore my failure-- symbolised by a multi-award winning author’s love for pizza.

In that year, I read all of John books, listened to all of Hank’s music, and took on as many of the messages woven through their work as possible. I took pride in being a nerd and a Nerdfighter. John and Hank built a house for happiness within me that they still help to upkeep every week. They allowed me to make many friends, they exposed me to new ideas and new ways of looking at the planet and the people living on it, but more importantly they helped me believe that overall the human race is a good thing. It is capable of so much evil but it is the good that outshines the dark and the Vlogbrothers add to that glow.

I am a happier, mentally healthier and Nerdfighter-liked up individual and it’s all thanks to these wonderful human beings.

Also, they were fantastic when I saw them in London.

Thank you so much for everything. DFTBA.