MOCKS ARE OVER!!!

I got through mock week guys!!!

After surviving a 2½ hour English exam I feel like I can do just about anything. After surviving mock week I feel like I can do just about anything to be honest. Mock 'week' lasted 3 days for me, with a History and English exam on Monday and a Psychology exam on Wednesday.

I'm soooo glad that all the exams are over because there is a weird pressure that comes with mock exams that doesn't really exist when you have real exams. I don't know if it's the realisation that exams will be happening soon (well soonish) or just the general feeling of being unprepared but everyone gets incredibly stressed and it's generally quite a gross atmosphere. But they're over now and we managed to trudge through them with a few funny videos and packets of biscuits-yay!

I feel like I should spurt out some advice today but I'm not really too sure about school based advice. I think my main realisation since the year has started is 'DON'T FORGET TO ENJOY YOURSELF'. Like I said in my post at the start of the school year make the most of every moment.  I have been trying to exist in the moment, focus on the present, enjoy spending time with   people (friends and those I haven't really spoken to before) and just LOVE my last year at school.

I tend to isolate myself from people during school/exam period and although in some respects it helps me focus, it gets really lonely sometimes so I am trying to work around that, so I work hard and still spend time with others (any advice from those who have gone through A-Levels would be appreciated- comment below and I will share it in my next post)

Well, this was just a catch up on my super interesting school life; hope you all have a wonderful week.

Keep Smiling!

Itunu x

P.S Vote for me as Blogger of the Month!!! (Click here)

My First Week Back

Happy New Year Amigos!!!


The Christmas Break was the most necessary and wonderful break EVER. I managed to relax and get work done; had a lie in pretty much every day and ate loads of food and I honestly think that THIS is the key to greatness and maximum productivity. (Food, Relaxation and BEAUTIFUL SLEEP)

 

So being back at school has thrown me off balance a bit because I have to wake up early in the morning and the times during the holiday where I would have been stuffing my face with food, I'm now learning about Abolitionism, Sonnets and watching Zimbardo talk about Aggression. (I don't actually know how I survived this week now I look back at it)

 

Surprisingly, however, it was a really lovely first week back. Although the thought of mock exams, which are starting on the 18th, has been looming- I have tried (key word-tried) to revise. I am finding it a bit difficult to do the whole 'being in school and also revising’ thing but I'm attempting to keep calm and be more productive . 

 

One thing I learnt this week (and it wasn't on the curriculum) is that happiness is a choice. Instead of being miserable because the holiday was over, I was resolute that I was going to start the term being positive. I was going to be in the moment, actually LISTEN in my lessons and enjoy my break and lunchtimes and not spend all my time panicking about school OR wishing I was at home watching Elf.

 

Following through with this made me feel so much happier, the week went quickly and relatively smoothly and I could actually tell you what I learnt this week in quite a bit of detail (yay me!).

 

So bring on WEEK TWO!!!

 

I hope you all had a lovely first week back and I hope that if you didn't (even if you did in fact) that you have a wonderful rest of the term. Block the negativity, Keep Positive and Eat Chocolate (and maybe an Apple or something).

 

Keep Smiling!

Itunu 

TO BE HONEST...

Where have you been Itunu? Everywhere. I have been up and down and really really down and up again. First of all let me start by saying sorry guys, I haven't blogged for over 2 months which is even surprising to me because I was really excited to start blogging about Year 13, that's until the pressure kicked in.

Year 13 has been difficult so far. I started the year optimistic about having a fresh start. I had already done a lot of research about my course, Politics and International Relations, and also the Universities I wanted to go to. I spent summer writing a few drafts of my personal statement and was really motivated to do well. So I was pretty much sorted right? Err not quite. A few weeks into the new school year I started second guessing myself BIG TIME. Do you really want to do this course? Are you ready for University? Do you even know WHAT ON EARTH you are doing? Instead of voicing my fears, I kept them to myself. When the conversation about applications started I was all ' UCAS, Applications, Exams, Responsibility, Life *manic laughter*' it was bad.

After a while, I realised that my secret panic was not doing me any good and spoke to my admissions tutor who told me , *I'm paraphrasing*,to keep calm, stay positive and complete my personal statement. After getting it checked over and doing a lot of editing my personal statement was done. Then it was applying. OH MY GOODNESS. There are so many Universities out there doing my course and picking 5 was hard. I finally got my final 5 and now it was time to apply. Again, I had another secret panic/hesitation before I finally hit the send button and was able to breathe freely for the first time in about 3 months.

I have got 4 of my offers so far but I am still a bit scared about everything; getting the grades I need, making the most of my time and coping at University. Wait let me rewind, I am really happy about my offers (don't want to sound like the girl who's unhappy because she got Evian instead of Voss) but I'm more freaking out than smiles. I guess that's why I didn't want to blog because 'fear is for the weak' and all that jazz buuuutttt if I want to blog about Year 13 I have to be honest don't I? And to be honest, Year 13 has been a whirlwind of emotions. The work load hasn't been greater for me but the mental strain has been GIGANTIC because for the first time I am working towards something that I really really want.

I decided to stay at my secondary school after GCSEs and was pretty certain I would get back in because, why wouldn't they want me *flicks braids*. But in all seriousness, since I didn't move school for 6th form this is the first time in my educational life (is that a thing 'educational life'...ahh well it is now) I am working for a tangible goal and it is mad scary. Sprinkled on top of that I'm leaving my friends, my school, and the comfy 6th form area with the paninis and sofas and I don't know if I'm ready for that change.

There is a lot of pressure because there is a constant reminder of not letting yourself and your loved ones down. There is also such a strong feeling of 'If I mess this up, I am going to ruin my life', 'if I mess this up, I will have failed myself' and then you hit a brick wall where the constant narrative is 'look at my grades/motivation level/brain activity I am failing, why do I even try?'.

I have always believed that school shouldn't make people sad,like it's really not that deep (or, rather, it shouldn't be). For the past few months however, I've come to understand why school can become a place where you have to muster up all your strength to go there every morning. It's difficult. It becomes a fight between wanting to grow up and leave school now and wondering if you're ready for independence and a new academic experience.

There's a quote that says 'enjoy the journey between where you are and where you want to be' and I guess we're all in the 'in-between' stage and it's important to work smart and be positive. Now, this is not a brush off form of motivation, where I go back to my perfect grades and life, I am in the trenches too, I am freaking out too but I know how important it is to think positively in order to get what you want.  

I am working to get through this with more smiles and less tears and I am encouraging, in fact URGING you to do the same because we're all worthy of happiness as we work towards getting through the jungle that is Year 13.

I wish you all the best in your Year 13 journey and remember we're all in this together amigos.


Plus I'll try and start blogging more often than once every few months :)

Itunu x

P.S Click here to vote for me as UCAS blogger of the year :)

Make the most of every moment

This was originally written for my other blog 

A lot of the times we do not enjoy things because we have already set ourselves up to fail, to be scared or simply not enjoy ourselves.

Starting my last year of school I had already set myself up to feel stressed. I had scared myself into thinking, once I stepped into the building I would feel stressed by all the implications of being in my last year of school; exams, uni applications, head girl duties, leaving the school I have become really emotionally attached to. It was not a surprise that despite all the hugging and smiling, I felt really weird about being back at school.

I took a moment to reflect and think; if I continue in the vein of being ‘pre-stressed’ I will spend my whole year stressed for no reason and unhappy. Sure there are a lot of things that I have to do, there are a lot of people, places and traditions I have to eventually say goodbye to, but I still have months until all of that.

The focus now is on being present and making the most of every moment. We rob ourselves of happiness when we walk around thinking rigorously about all the things we haven’t done and will have to do in the future.

Instead of thinking about what is going to happen in the next ten minutes appreciate the moment you are in, so that the next ten minutes will feel great, instead of feeling like an obstacle when you finally get there.

I read in a book that you should focus on the 24 hours ahead of you, and make sure that you make the best of every single moment in those 24 hours. Now, this isn’t just a pretty concept it really works! I took this concept and applied it to my life last year, and I felt so much happier and more fulfilled, but like the silly human being I can be I stopped doing that and let the worry pour in (BAD MOVE ITUNU).

Focusing on the 24 hours ahead of you helps you to appreciate the moment you are in. You can sit in lessons and focus on what is being said, rather than organising what you will be doing in the next few months, or worrying about all the things you haven’t done.

I know that there are tons of things to think about and there is a main goal or goals we all have in mind but by focusing on the 24 hours ahead of us (and keeping our goals in mind) days become so much happier.

Keep Smiling!

Itunu :)

Click here to vote for me as blogger of the month

Brontë and Blogging

This was originally written for my blog https://voiceofthemaverick.wordpress.com

Hello All !!! I made a deal with myself that until I finished reading Jane Eyre I would not blog  (I don’t know why I didn’t think of that earlier because I whizzed through the rest of the book). So here I am, free from Brontë and back to blogging yay (I will do a Jane Eyre review soon) !!!

In February I had the amazing opportunity to start writing as a student blogger for UCAS. (Click here to view my UCAS blog)  UCAS stands for Universities and College Admission Services and ‘it is a UK-based charity whose main role is providing the application process for almost all British universities’. (thanks Google).

Having the opportunity to blog for UCAS was amazing because not only was I writing on a huge platform I was also blogging about school; full of all its highs and lows and sharing advice about dealing with the jungle, that is school life.

In September I will be starting Year 13, my last year of school before University.I have had the opportunity to continue blogging for UCAS during Year 13, where I will be starting the University application process, getting really stuck in to my role as Head Girl and bidding farewell to the school I have been at for 6 years (ahhh the emotions). So keep on the lookout for my posts throughout the school year.

This is where you come in. I need to gather as many votes for title of UCAS Blogger of the Year before embarking on blogging during Year 13. I have had so much fun being part of the blogging community, both on WordPress and as a blogger for UCAS, where I have been able to reach out and help many students across the UK.

 I would LOVE to win the title (and left it quite late to gather votes *cringes*) so please click here and vote for me (itunu).

Keep Smiling (and vote!)  :)

6 STEPS TO DEALING WITH RESULTS DAY

1. Be honest about how you feel about results day

If you're scared, say that you're scared. If you're confident, say you're confident. It is important to acknowledge how you are feeling about results day. If you are feeling very negative about it spend the rest of today channelling happy vibes and don't dwell on the negative feelings.

2. Open your results away from your friends

Now, everyone opens their results differently, so this is just my opinion. What I do is go away from friends, open the envelope, take in the grades (call my loved ones and let them know my grades) and then go back to my friends. For me, this has been the best way because you are able to take time to look closely at your grades and think about anything you have to address, instead of getting wrapped up in the grades of those around you.

3. Look at your results carefully

There is a tendency to look at your main grade and just accept it, however on your results sheet there is a breakdown of what you received on the individual papers. So if you get lower than expected in a certain subject look at the breakdown because it may be that a lower grade in a certain paper has brought your main grade down. If you think that you should have got higher in a subject, speak to a teacher or exam officer, because you may find that you were only a few points off the next grade and you could consider getting your paper remarked.

4. Don't compare your grades to other peoples

You can be happy about your results regardless of what good grades look like to those around you. If you worked hard for that C, be proud of yourself. Same thing goes for if you got a B but you really wanted an A, you are allowed to be annoyed but again don't dwell on it- it's not the end of the world and remember you've still done very well. You know how hard you worked, you know what grades you wanted, so don't compare your results to anyone else's because everyone expects different things.

5. You don't have to tell everyone your grades

If you want to tell people your exact grades, that's 100% fine but remember you don't have to. You can tell people you are happy with your grades, or that they weren’t as good as expected but it's onwards and upwards. Don't feel pressured to broadcast your grades or even your feelings about grades on social media or to those around you. They are YOUR grades, so you can do what you want with them. (However, I would advise that you tell someone your grades, don't keep them to yourself especially if you aren't happy with them, and remember: a problem shared is a problem halved).

6. Whatever grades you get it's not the end of the world

Right, I say this as a complete drama-queen about everything so you can trust me: you have several opportunities to improve your grades in 6th form and college. Don't let your grades define you. If you do worse than expected let that motivate you to work harder, if you do better than expected let that also motivate you to continue working hard.

All the best for tomorrow GCSE guys! If you have any questions leave them in the comments section below and I will try my best to answer them.

Keep Smiling

Itunu :)

Thinking about University

'You're going to University next year'.

'No, next year is...YES I AM'!!!

I'm sure many of you can relate to this, that sudden realisation that in September you're going to be in Year 13 and next year you will, if it's in your plan, be going to University. There have been many changes over these past few years forcing us to look beyond the walls of the sixth form common room and think about the future. Although, thinking about the future is quite frightening the great thing about A Levels and IB is that you do less subjects so possible university courses, to an extent, are narrowed down. Now it's all about finding the appropriate resources to help you on  your search  of possible future careers.

So here is my fabulous list for all things University that will make you super organised before you start Year 13:

WhatUni-   What Uni is a great tool and it's free! It guides you along the way, from showing you what career paths people have followed with your subject choices and grades to University reviews. It also monitors your progress e.g. alerting about when you need to start writing your personal statement, this makes What Uni an amazing tool if you have absolutely no idea where to start.

The Student Room - From advice about University Courses to personal statements Student Room is the hub for all things University. All you have to do is login (it's free) and search to your hearts content. If there is a specific thing that you want to find out you can always start a discussion thread and get responses from the other students on the site.

Fast Tomato - Complete with information about the job requirements, salaries and different career paths Fast Tomato is also brilliant for career advice. It includes questionnaires about things such as your working style and personal interests, both of which are essential when making your University choices. Unfortunately Fast Tomato is not free but possibly if you talk to your school they can sort out logins for you(fingers crossed).

Morrisby Test- The Morrisby Test is also another great tool and although you have to pay for it, it is very useful if you have no idea where to start. The Morrisby Test  'assesses various factors including abilities, aptitudes, interests and motivations' and provides you with a detailed list of possible career paths that are best suited to your abilities and interests.

The Internet and Social Media- Google is your friend, as is YouTube and Twitter. Research anything and you will definitely find information. I have a habit of looking up Universities on YouTube because some Universities have student vloggers who talk about their Uni experience and their chosen course; which I find very insightful (and great when I can't be bothered to read). You should also sign up for emails or follow Universities on Twitter so you can get updates about open days and taster sessions.

Talk to people- Career advisor, current year thirteen students, university students- anyone. I have found talking to people about my ideas post year thirteen to be extremely useful, as not only do they suggest options that I would have never thought of- they also bring to light other factors that I should consider when making my University choice e.g. whether I want to be close to or far away from home or go to a campus or city University etc.

Apply for Open Days- Find out the dates of the Open Days of Universities that you like the look of and apply for them. Some just require you to sign up to show your interest, others need you to book for a place- so ensure that you research carefully. If you are completely clueless on where to start try researching the best Universities for the course you are interested in and pick a few Universities in the Top 20 to have a look at. (I say Top 20 because the lists tend to be really long- but obviously if you prefer widening or narrowing your options, do that instead). Also it is important to treat University lists with caution because they are not always completely accurate- The Guardian University guide is said to be a good one.

So, there you are, my fabulous list. I will try and add to or elaborate on the list in the near future. Feel free to add any additional advice in the comments below.