From BAD to AAAaa---A student's tale

Hello. If you are reading this, you have either a) come across a file on my secured computer without my permission or b) come across my blog/journal, which I have published online and/or on paper for your reading pleasure. I am going to commit fatal error and presume beyond peradventure that you suit the latter category. If I am correct, please grab a sweetened yet cool drink, and allow me to introduce this journal.
As an ‘average’ (by national standards) GCSE student, scoring only 4 As, 5 Bs, and 2 Cs, I felt myself more-or-less just equipped to reach, at the very least, good grades in four mountainous A-levels. These were Mathematics, English Literature, Computer Science, and Physics. My English Literature was meant to be Further Mathematics, but, due to reasons which I am loath to type , I could not find myself studying that expansion of Mathematics (at the start of the year, by any account). Thus, I was a student of both Mathematics and Literature, which caused some—shall we say—remarks, from other students who were, ironically enough, resitting their first year of Advanced Levels due to sheer failure. Anyhow, as an A Grade Literature student at GCSE, I thought nothing could go wrong! My teachers who would guide me through the course were nice, and helpful when required. My Mathematics teacher was of great use to me, and massively helped me in that course. One of my Physics teachers helped me as much as they could, however I simply could not/cannot fathom electrical circuits’ mathematics. Therefore, I felt Physics crumble beneath my feet.
Skip a year, and now I sit, typing this journal. I opened my results envelope, and the results spelt out ‘BAD’. A B in Mathematics, an A in English Literature, and a D in Physics. This, to me, is not good. I am henceforth changing this ‘BAD’ to ‘AAAaa’. Where did the other two ‘a’s come from? I hear you ask. Allow me:
My Mathematics teacher approached me, and offered Further Mathematics AS level to study during Year 13 (Hoorah! said my Year 11 self). I graciously accepted. As a cause of this, English Literature had to leave. Bye-bye. Go. Exit. I got the A grade in AS, and I didn’t intend to cock it up and get a C or a B at A2. I was learned enough in Core AS Mathematics to understand the Further Pure module with ease, for which I am already studying.
I digress. I have been verbose in my introductory soliloquy, so I shall move on to the ‘main part’ of this text. For sake of this, I will outline a few things: I worked for the summer at Software Europe. I got grades BAD at AS level. I am going to study Further Mathematics AS level and drop English Literature. I got a D in Physics which makes me sad. I didn’t sit the AS in Computer Science. I want AAAaa. Let’s do this!

Reply 1

TobyReichelt

01/09/2016
Today has been…okay. Somewhat melancholy, being the penultimate day of my adventures in Software Europe, but productive and satisfying, making this day ‘okay’. It is the first of September, and my college days start four days hence. I am currently in possession of many text books, from which I am revising prematurely for my studies. The centre of this is Further Pure Mathematics (the big orange one with cones on it). I have noted to myself and learnt and fully understood the modulus-argument form of complex numbers.

I think I understand complex numbers very well, and I have done enough to learn them before we start the year. I think if I can manage to FULLY cover complex numbers for MEI's specification then I will be well equipped.

update us!

Original post by TobyReichelt

Your English is good :holmes:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 4

TobyReichelt

16/11/2016
For somebody whose nature is not to forget (and it is, unremittingly, in my best interests), I had completely forgot my thread, journal, and TSR 'update-a-thon' which I told myself to commit to at least bi-daily.

Nevertheless, here we are.

16/11/2016 happened to be a rather fruitful day, shifting away from matrices in further maths, which we have completed, to complex numbers, which I had already learnt in the summer holidays. Therefore, my skills were already deft in doing the early exercises in MEI's text book, and I was satisfied to power through the questions, reaching the final few questions with the array of stars down the left edge. I managed to apply my skills gained in Core 4 and Core 2 to further maths by comparing 'coefficients', however loosely the term 'coefficient' can be used (I in fact equated reals and imaginaries, but the principle is the same).

In mathematics A-level, we did more partial fractions. They were fun. I somewhat enjoy them, but I don't enjoy binomial expansions. Combination of the two topics resulted in me being completely impartial (get it?) to the questions, and almost lethargic to write out the full expansions. Alas, I feel like I have benefitted by doing more exercises.

I also began to conduct my studies for STEP, by making an attempt to complete an assignment set by the university of Cambridge. The STEP questions are hard, and gruesome, and I can't wait to sit the exam in less than a year.

Other than that, this day was mild. I received an offer from Exeter to read MMath Mathematics, and I need only to achieve ABC to get in---which is nice, as their usual offers are AAA-AAB as per their website.