Results day is a day filled with apprehension, anxiety and uncertainty. Your entire future depends on this day. Are you going to go to your dream university? Are you going to go to your back up university? Are you going to go to university at all or start thinking about a gap year, exam repeats or the anxiety of going through the clearing process? Will all your hard work over the last few years pay off? All those A*’s in your GCSE’s / O levels, all nighters, extra-curricular activities to supplement your perfect college applications - do they really matter? Let me tell you about my story when my English grade went up... |
...by 11 marks after I sent it for a remark and how ‘everything really does works out’ - cliche as it sounds.
For me, as an international student, my results day was even more nerve-wrecking because it was the day that I would know for sure if I would be moving away from my family, closest friends and a familiar city. Palms sweaty, heart racing and fear that the internet crashes so I won’t be able to access my results made my head hurt - I couldn’t focus on anything the entire week prior. I know what I’m going to say will sound generic, but it will work out. Whatever is best for you will happen. And my story is proof of that. The day my results came out, I was one mark away from meeting my conditional offer for Warwick. I was really upset because that was my dream university, and I contacted my teachers and IB co-ordinator, who told me it’s fine you still have a great university in the UK to go to, and if you’re not happy with that, keep trying. Retake your exams, get your papers remarked - if Warwick is really your dream then don’t stop at anything. So I made my mind up and noticed that I was 3 marks off a 7 in my English exam, so I sent it for a remark, praying with all my might that it would go up.
And it went up. Not by 1 mark, not by 2 or 3 but by 11 marks. The examiner didn’t mark an entire question and because of that my grade drastically dropped. They emailed me and the same day Warwick confirmed my position, and I was shook to my core - overwhelmingly happy, but shook. My point is, don’t worry if you don’t get the grade that you anticipated, it could easily be a mistake. Even if not, maybe your back-up university was much better for you, maybe the friends you make at that university will be so much better than at the other. You never know so instead of being disheartened that you were unable to get the best results, understand that it will be okay. You will still have the best few years of your life, and study what you’re passionate about. And after that, your A-level grades don’t matter, they become virtually insubstantial - contrary to what your counsellors will tell you, these don’t stay with you for your entire life. These don’t define you, you get to choose what matters to you and what you want to pursue. You are in control, you got this, you’re going to make yourself so proud. Wishing you all the best for your results!!
For me, as an international student, my results day was even more nerve-wrecking because it was the day that I would know for sure if I would be moving away from my family, closest friends and a familiar city. Palms sweaty, heart racing and fear that the internet crashes so I won’t be able to access my results made my head hurt - I couldn’t focus on anything the entire week prior. I know what I’m going to say will sound generic, but it will work out. Whatever is best for you will happen. And my story is proof of that. The day my results came out, I was one mark away from meeting my conditional offer for Warwick. I was really upset because that was my dream university, and I contacted my teachers and IB co-ordinator, who told me it’s fine you still have a great university in the UK to go to, and if you’re not happy with that, keep trying. Retake your exams, get your papers remarked - if Warwick is really your dream then don’t stop at anything. So I made my mind up and noticed that I was 3 marks off a 7 in my English exam, so I sent it for a remark, praying with all my might that it would go up.
And it went up. Not by 1 mark, not by 2 or 3 but by 11 marks. The examiner didn’t mark an entire question and because of that my grade drastically dropped. They emailed me and the same day Warwick confirmed my position, and I was shook to my core - overwhelmingly happy, but shook. My point is, don’t worry if you don’t get the grade that you anticipated, it could easily be a mistake. Even if not, maybe your back-up university was much better for you, maybe the friends you make at that university will be so much better than at the other. You never know so instead of being disheartened that you were unable to get the best results, understand that it will be okay. You will still have the best few years of your life, and study what you’re passionate about. And after that, your A-level grades don’t matter, they become virtually insubstantial - contrary to what your counsellors will tell you, these don’t stay with you for your entire life. These don’t define you, you get to choose what matters to you and what you want to pursue. You are in control, you got this, you’re going to make yourself so proud. Wishing you all the best for your results!!