You Got an Offer! Now Work Your Hardest!

When you’ve been made an offer by the university you impressed, you then need to knuckle down and work hard. Now I would recommend quitting volunteering and prioritising your studies over anything else. You may have a part time job, and this isn’t a problem at all. Just make sure you find that perfect balance.

You worked so hard to write your personal statement, get interviewed, get chosen and been made an offer, don’t blow that chance!

Now you need to revise like you’ve never revised before. A-Levels are not like GCSEs at all. GCSEs you could get away with revising three weeks before an exam. A-Levels are completely different.
Please give yourself plenty of time to revise. Prioritise your A-Levels over everything and make sure you master your revision technique! Use as many websites as possible…be videos….be long Word documents from GetRevising... whatever! I would also recommend using your teachers until they break! Challenge them with questions you have about the course or exam, make them review past papers you’ve completed and just ask them questions when you get stuck. Past papers are the main key, use a combination of old spec and new spec to work out your progress. Don’t waste Mock Weeks as they are the most “close” representation you’ll get to the exam.

Never give up. I struggled with all of my A-Levels, there’s no hiding from it! I’ll be honest with you, my results were never perfect through A-Levels – they were shocking. In Year 12, my AS results varied from a C all the way to a B in Biology and Maths (and finished with an A at Maths AS). In Psychology, I got Bs and Cs throughout the year and finished with an A at Psychology AS. Chemistry was the worst! I achieved Us, Es and Cs all through Year 12 and Year 13. This was roughly my progress throughout Year 13 – not once did I reach my offer of AAA:

My grades from Christmas 2016 to Summer 2017 (basically Year 13).

As you can see, there is ALWAYS time to pull it around. What did I change? I prioritised everything after my A-Levels and dedicated all my evenings to staying in my room, sitting at my desk and just revising. I didn’t do anything but. I spoke to my teachers about my course and what I struggled with, and found myself eventually enjoying what I learnt once again (as I did at GCSE). I found loads of videos and support on The Student Room, YouTube and GetRevising, which gave me an additional boost. Do not give up at all, just keep your aspirations high and you’ll do great!