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Home Study A-levels

I'm in Year 12, and having troubles at school.
I find that I do not engage in class, teaching is sub-par, slow pace and feeling run-down by homework and timetable structure. I do not get home until 5am or later, and usually do not have enough time to revise or self-study after completing homework.
Life at home is also quite hectic, I live in a flat and share my bedroom with my brother, and my parents are always arguing and I do not have a good relationship with them. I often cry my way into sleep on most days, and procrastinate and am sleep-deprived, and on weekends I crash from the crazy schedule.

This has impacted my AS grades in January and GCSEs, and would probably impact my future grades too. It's time for a change. I have renewed aspirations to attend Oxbridge/Imperial, and top-institutions in the US for post-graduate. However, I have little hope of getting in with my current downfall, and I want to prove myself and better myself to get to the top schools, aim for a 1st and aim for Ivy League, as you only get one life anyway. I want to make something of my life seeing as I want to leave everything and everyone behind when I get to university (even my parents, without going into detail about that situation).

To escape the onslaught of current life, I've decided it's best to self-study A-levels (the sciences, maths and further maths) at home. This will allow me to fully understand the course, and develop it outside the curriculum and not bound to the crap formal education that deprives creativity (like Einstein and many others believed). This should also allow more time to prepare and read around my chosen subject (Engineering/NatSci), and continue this hard-working ethic to university and aim to be the top student, as well as more time to develop extra-curricular required for US schools. Also, the ability to do more worthwhile GCSEs (just as self-betterment even though it's not needed). I believe this is the only way I'd truly be able to aim high and succeed to get where I want to.

I came here to ask for support and advice. Thanks! :smile:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 1

611941

I think thats a great idea, you sound like your hard working and driven to do well becuase of the bad experiences you've had, I wish you luck!

Reply 2

Blackberry rocks

"home studying'" is way harder than you might think it is. Everything can and will probably distract you.
think well before taking any decision, it's not for everyone :smile:

Reply 3

RedCasino

Original post by Blackberry rocks

"home studying'" is way harder than you might think it is. Everything can and will probably distract you.
think well before taking any decision, it's not for everyone :smile:

I realise this, and this was one of my concerns. I do procrastinate the way it is now, but I feel that's usually because of the reasons mentioned above. However, I've found I'm a lot more productive when doing things alone, such as when I was retaking a GCSE Science module, I scored full marks all in a week of dedicated study.

Plus, because I know that failure is worse if I self-study (not having any teachers to fall back on) and myself to blame, I will take up the responsibility. Plus, in the mornings when no-one is at home would be my most productive day therefore avoiding the distractions in the evening.

Reply 4

CODKING

Original post by RedCasino

I came here to ask for support and advice. Thanks! :smile:

I don't have experience of the scenario you are describing but I can certainly recommend having a tutor. Even if it's just for an hour per week, you work very hard and make sure your work is quality. Why? Because there's no place to hide!

Good luck

Reply 5

RedCasino

Original post by CODKING

Thanks, and yes this was also in my plan. Also go to school teachers if I'm stuck on something.

Reply 6

Cappuccinoes

I hear you completely. I left college a few months ago and opted for self-tuition because the teaching I was receiving at the college was beyond poor. I found that most of the day was taken up by waiting for the lessons to actually start and when they did the teachers didn’t cover half of what we really needed to know for our exams. We seemed to be spending all day doing absolutely nothing and then I’d have to spend my evenings doing what really needed to be done. I’m a couple of years older than you as well and I was a college returner, so I wasn’t going there to muck about. I genuinely wanted and needed to get some good qualifications.

The only thing that concerns me about your plans is you haven’t mentioned how you’re intending to sit your exams. If you’re thinking about not attending classes anymore but still sitting your exams at your current school/college, make sure you check this is possible beforehand. When I asked my college if I could do this they said no because if I didn’t attend classes they’d lose their funding from the state to pay for my exam entry fees. Also bear in mind that sitting your exams at an external private centre can be extremely expensive. This is what I’m doing now and it’s costing me £90 per unit for Biology and Chemistry, £350 per practical exam (I’m doing four of these in total!) and £150 per unit for Psychology.

Reply 7

RedCasino

Original post by Cappuccinoes

The only thing that concerns me about your plans is you haven’t mentioned how you’re intending to sit your exams. If you’re thinking about not attending classes anymore but still sitting your exams at your current school/college, make sure you check this is possible beforehand. When I asked my college if I could do this they said no because if I didn’t attend classes they’d lose their funding from the state to pay for my exam entry fees. Also bear in mind that sitting your exams at an external private centre can be extremely expensive. This is what I’m doing now and it’s costing me £90 per unit for Biology and Chemistry, £350 per practical exam (I’m doing four of these in total!) and £150 per unit for Psychology.

Hi, yes I have this somewhat sorted. I am 17, so I'd only pay about £12 for each module compared to your more shocking fees and I am planning this at my previous school, whom I have good connections with (and teachers in the science department know me). They sit almost similar boards to my current school, except for one which I need only learn from textbook (and they're quite similar in content anyway).

My options were to either pay and don't attend, or don't pay but have to attend (until the Sixth Form Head wrote my PS then I could just "drift" off).

So how did it go for you, are you still at college or have you completed it, any challenges?