The Student Room Group

So much competition in the World!!!

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Reply 20
Original post by 3.14159
i don't even have a chance trying to compete with the absolute army of supergeniuses that China and Japan produce every year. They are so disciplined and focused and it makes me just hate the british education system more:mad:

Super-geniuses or excellent androids?
Original post by najinaji
Super-geniuses or excellent androids?


Well you can't really blame them. This sort of things has past on from centuries by the Chinese and other asian communities. Each child has some sort of factor which gets them going. For most, its the parents. Who want their child to bring them out of poverty maybe. Or to excel and not be laid back or even to make their country proud. This happen espcially with Chinese, Indians.
Reply 22
Original post by Future_Dr
Its making me scared. :eek:

I mean my alevel, I wan't to enjoy doing them, not be pressured to be the best.
I mean my career choice, become a good doctor by passion, not compete with students who want to be dr for the sake of it.:s-smilie:

Tell me about your life and how competiton has ruled the final words.


Sorry.

You cannot afford the luxury of not being in the competition, unfortunately unless you are a multi-millionaire you never will because that is the foundation of capitalism.
supply and demand gap
Darwin ~ Survival of the fittest's, if you think becoming a doctor is too tough, life allows you to go into other subjects/professions.
Original post by llys
Unfortunately it'll just get worse from here on.


No, it really doesn't. If anything, it gets far better. When I was doing A levels, I found the whole thing to be ludicrous. Teachers were teaching for the majority - they were dynamic and engaging, and tried to keep kids entertained and so the minority who were actually pretty clever didn't understand what was going on.

The stress of exams, the panic of university offers, choosing the degree, being clumped with a hundred other people in your position who constantly remind you of how you're not doing well in X or how they're really good at Y... it was atrocious.

I wish someone had told me that A level's really don't mean as much as you think they do. I mean fine, they're the tools to get into university, yes. But even if you don't get A*A*A* or something stupid and you end up at say, Exeter or Kent, or somewhere that's distinctly "average", you can still pull yourself up, get a 2:1 or above and then go do a masters at a really good uni.

Even if you don't want to do an MSc, the degree itself will rule your A levels out. As far as graduate jobs and applications go, they're stupidly competitive because nobody knows what to do and it feels like the 'logical step' - GCSE -> A levels -> Uni -> Graduate job, right? Wrong. There are loads of employers who will see your degree, as long as you do well in it, and ask you for an interview.

Don't want to continue after A levels? Still doesn't matter. Spend the next 3 years working your way up in office positions, get some professional qualifications and bam, your A levels are once again sitting there as a certificate, and nothing more.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't worry about your A levels, far from it. I'm saying your degree is waaaaaaaaay more important, and A level grades don't mean much in the real world. Hell even at degree level they mean nothing. I got ABC at A2 and there are people who got AAAA who are struggling to keep up with a 2:2. It's a whole different ball game once your exams are over.
Original post by 3.14159
i don't even have a chance trying to compete with the absolute army of supergeniuses that China and Japan produce every year. They are so disciplined and focused and it makes me just hate the british education system more:mad:


Be focused yourself?
Reply 27
Maybe TSR have deluded you. People on here seem to be far removed from reality.

All this A-level > degree stigma is absurd and really needs to stop. I assume the people with a mentality like this are those still in school/college doing their A-levels. I don't recall a grown adult ever saying 'A/O-levels/GCSEs ruined my life'.

Life really isn't as tough as you think. You're living in a country where opportunities are handed to you on a platter. It's just up to you whether you want to seize them. In your case, medicine will ALWAYS be there. Always. You can apply an infinite amount of times until probability favours you and you get a place.

Stop over-thinking the woes of life, that will frighten you. Take baby steps. Enjoy your courses, do your best and most importantly, persevere.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by 3.14159
i don't even have a chance trying to compete with the absolute army of supergeniuses that China and Japan produce every year. They are so disciplined and focused and it makes me just hate the british education system more:mad:


Its all hot air to be honest. There are a lot more than the 60 million in the UK, ~4 billion in China and India!

I mean come on they only need 1 in 60 million to be better than you and they win! Of course there are hordes of them.

It doesn't matter though - you can still win as they are only human! Just work hard and do what you enjoy!
Reply 29
Original post by 3.14159
i don't even have a chance trying to compete with the absolute army of supergeniuses that China and Japan produce every year. They are so disciplined and focused and it makes me just hate the british education system more:mad:

Comparing yourself to others will discourage you from being where you want to be.

Focus on yourself. Other people do not concern you.
Reply 30
Original post by wanderlust.xx
No, it really doesn't. If anything, it gets far better. When I was doing A levels, I found the whole thing to be ludicrous. Teachers were teaching for the majority - they were dynamic and engaging, and tried to keep kids entertained and so the minority who were actually pretty clever didn't understand what was going on.

The stress of exams, the panic of university offers, choosing the degree, being clumped with a hundred other people in your position who constantly remind you of how you're not doing well in X or how they're really good at Y... it was atrocious.

I wish someone had told me that A level's really don't mean as much as you think they do. I mean fine, they're the tools to get into university, yes. But even if you don't get A*A*A* or something stupid and you end up at say, Exeter or Kent, or somewhere that's distinctly "average", you can still pull yourself up, get a 2:1 or above and then go do a masters at a really good uni.

Even if you don't want to do an MSc, the degree itself will rule your A levels out. As far as graduate jobs and applications go, they're stupidly competitive because nobody knows what to do and it feels like the 'logical step' - GCSE -> A levels -> Uni -> Graduate job, right? Wrong. There are loads of employers who will see your degree, as long as you do well in it, and ask you for an interview.

Don't want to continue after A levels? Still doesn't matter. Spend the next 3 years working your way up in office positions, get some professional qualifications and bam, your A levels are once again sitting there as a certificate, and nothing more.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't worry about your A levels, far from it. I'm saying your degree is waaaaaaaaay more important, and A level grades don't mean much in the real world. Hell even at degree level they mean nothing. I got ABC at A2 and there are people who got AAAA who are struggling to keep up with a 2:2. It's a whole different ball game once your exams are over.


That's a really good post.

I would just like to clarify that I was basing my statement ("it'll only get worse") more on the thoughts that
1) decreasing options = more stress and
2) increasing responsibility = more stress
In that sense I think that time spent at school is the least stressful, because right after GCSEs/A-Levels you will probably have the most options you'll ever have in your working life (like you say, even if your exams don't go that well), and no or very little responsibility for others.

Once you've got to juggle employment/unemployment/family/mortgage though, I personally really do consider that a LOT more stressful than school/university exams...
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Casshern1456
Darwin ~ Survival of the fittest's, if you think becoming a doctor is too tough, life allows you to go into other subjects/professions.


I not saying that. I am just saying in general the amount of competition is immense. And that applies everywhere. Whereas my road into becoming a Dr, I am coping well.
Original post by Future_Dr
I not saying that. I am just saying in general the amount of competition is immense. And that applies everywhere. Whereas my road into becoming a Dr, I am coping well.


Well, if you think about it since the dawn of life, there has always been so much competition ~ a small comfort, the very fact your here is because you have triumphed through all of it. :tongue:

Don't lose hope.

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