coping with A Level results day in a pandemic

*a thread*

every results day there’s always a real mix of emotions. there’s always that one set of twins on This Morning who got 6 A*s each.

but this year is going to be tricky, so here’s some ideas for how to prepare yourself

THE NIGHT BEFORE

keep yourself busy and stick to your normal routine — try to go to bed at the same time as you normally would

normality will help put your brain at ease and help you sleep better

take time to have a proper think about what grades YOU would personally be happy with

it’s hard to avoid comparison on results day, but it’s all about YOU, not your friends or cousins or mum’s friend’s aunt’s son

focus on YOUR results rather than comparing them to others

ON RESULTS DAY MORNING

open your results where you feel most comfortable, whether that’s with your family, with friends at a distance, or alone

again, it’s about YOU. open them wherever will be best for YOUR headspace

it’s a lot to take in and quite overwhelming at first

if all goes to plan, results day is over in 5 minutes.

make plans for the rest of the day so you have other things to look forward to and focus your mind on

also, make sure you celebrate! you FINISHED YOUR A LEVELS! you DID THAT! you survived!!!! in 2020!!! congrats!!!

remember that everyone is on their own ~journey~ and has their own expectations

to one person a C grade is best case scenario, for another person a C grade is worst case scenario. irrelevant. focus on YOU.

be sensitive, be empathetic, be kind (to yourself and others)

CLEARING AND ADJUSTMENT

clearing = when you don’t get your grades and other universities have space to take you

adjustment = when you over perform and can take a spot at a university with higher entry grades

you can do this by phoning unis, so maybe prep the numbers in advance

UNI ADMISSIONS IN A PANDEMIC

universities are businesses. they need you to study there and pay your tuition fees so that they can make money. they have been (and will continue to be) impacted by COVID. this makes them VERY likely to be a) understanding and b) generous this year.

it’s very very likely that universities will lower their grade entry requirements this year, and they’ll be much more flexible if you don’t hit your target grades

(they do this anyway, but the pandemic will mean they HAVE to be more generous as they need your £££)

it’s going to be a weird day, and stressful not having the control you’re used to

pls remember that every uni / employer EVER will know about the pandemic and respond accordingly. they’ll know class of 2020 were in a sticky situation and couldn’t take their exams

but you are going to be F I N E

believe in your sauce, remember that adverse situations have solutions and companies/universities will have no choice but to adapt

and GOOD LUCK, you’ve got this!!

also shameless plug but I wrote a whole university survival guide called the uni-verse which is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uni-Verse-Jack-Edwards/dp/0008365644/ref=nodl_

it includes everything you could need to know about uni, written by a student for students