Aiming for the A*&#x27;s! ((Can I make Cambridge?))

OP

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Original post by BryonyG98

Wow, good luck and congrats on the Cambridge offer. What are you hoping to study?

Thank you! I'm hoping to study Medicine :biggrin:

Reply 4

BryonyG98

3

Original post by fdstudies

Thank you! I'm hoping to study Medicine :biggrin:

Wow; that's an even greater achievement! I wish you the best of luck (:

Reply 5

brainzistheword

22

Good luck, I wish you all the best

Here's mine if you want to take a look :smile:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3897511

Reply 6

OP

Okay, end of the week update. I got my English Lit coursework in (just) sat my bio mock (badly) and did my piano exam (oh please let me scrape a pass). I am so relieved to have got to the end of this week you can't believe. I took a day off yesterday and slept and social media-d and went to a bonfire and just generally had a break which was just delightful and super necessary.

Goals for this week~
I sacrificed a lot of general schoolwork last week trying to prepare for my exam, and had to take two days off school for illness and said exam, so I've got a lot of bits to catch up on. I also have a chemistry mock which I feel not at all prepared for so gotta get on that revision schedule asap. So, lots to do but I'm just so relieved I can take piano off the to-do list and start properly focusing on my A Levels.

(Also, I was thinking of maybe trying to do a '100 Days of Productivity' on here? I started one on tumblr a while ago and it was pretty good, so it might be fun to transfer the idea to here)

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 7

OP

March Update (bcuz oops where did that month go ((in a lot of work that's where)))~
I passed my piano (HOORAY), but I also got C's in both my biology and chemistry mocks. Considering that I only did 3 days of revision for the latter and even less for the former bcuz of piano I'm reaaaaally hoping that with more revision I can bring them up in time for exams. However, more positively, I have been doing a lot more of my Ankidroid flashcards a day which I am so pleased with as I really notice a difference when I am disciplined with it. However I still have over a thousand new flashcards I haven't even seen yet so I need to make sure I'm keeping up with that.
(I also received 3 rejections from the other unis I applied to. So now I have a Cambridge offer and absolutely no backup. I mean, it was my first choice so I'm so grateful that out of all of them I got this one, but it is also kind of terrifying)

Also, as mentioned in my last post I was wanting to do a 'X days of productivity' kinda thing on this, so today is my first post of '30 Days of Productivity Challenge'. I really liked how I was able to look back and actually see what I have done (rather than just looking at the countless lists of things I still need to do) in the last one I did, so here goes.

30 Days of Productivity ~ {1/30}
I got out of bed at 9am and then actually started work at 10:30am (after getting wifi back for the first time after a rainy but lovely wifi-less holiday I've spent too much time online. I didn't particularly miss being online, but now it's here I can't resist. Bleh, I was so productive in the holiday without it. Gotta get that self-control together girl). I finished off a maths exercise on Integration, then did half of a Solids of Revolution exercise. I had been hoping to finish off the book today but I still have quite a lot of work left to do so bleh. I then walked 7 dogs which was not productivity related except that it gave me a break and meant that I got out of the house. Also spending time with the fam is always fun.
I got home and then spent a ridiculous amount of time filling in one of the forms I have to send off for Cambridge. I finished at 5pm and had it sent by 6pm. I started after lunch. Like I said, it was ridiculous. And it wasn't even a particularly long form, I just took forever and was doubletriple checking everything I wrote down. (At least it is now sent off and out of my hands.)
I then made notes on 2 Biology parts, which meant I met the number I've set per day but considering how many I've missed is not ideal. Still, I feel like I'm finally kinda understanding respiration which is fab. Also gave me a moment of 'I'm so glad my body just knows what to do and does it because if I had to think about all this every time I needed to move I wouldn't get anywhere' which always add another layer to revision.
Now I'm writing this, and then hopefully doing some English and then beddddddd.
Overall, okayish day. Not fab, but bits got done. (Also that form has been hanging over me for ages so it's a mAsSSIve relief that it's now done and sent off. I just rlly hope I sent it to the right place)

Reply 8

Jess992

Just stumbled across this and thought you kind of sound like how I was when I was revising just doing wee bits and pieces... might not work for you but I started making my own flash cards and literally SAVED MY LIFE. Not so much even using the flash cards but the process of thinking up questions for one side and then getting the correct answer down on the other REALLY helped. I tried like so many techniques and when I started doing my own flashcards my grades improved instantly. You can buy blank square cards at stationary shops (staples!) but when I ran out I just cut bits of A4 into 6 pieces.

Reply 9

OP

Original post by Jess992

Just stumbled across this and thought you kind of sound like how I was when I was revising just doing wee bits and pieces... might not work for you but I started making my own flash cards and literally SAVED MY LIFE. Not so much even using the flash cards but the process of thinking up questions for one side and then getting the correct answer down on the other REALLY helped. I tried like so many techniques and when I started doing my own flashcards my grades improved instantly. You can buy blank square cards at stationary shops (staples!) but when I ran out I just cut bits of A4 into 6 pieces.

Thanks for the tip- I do really love flashcards and actually that is what the Ankidroid thing is (it's just a flashcard app for your phone that does spaced revision and I just think it's fab) but my problem is just finding the time to do actually review them (ie I have so much spec to get through that all my time is taken up making the flashcards and then I don't review them enough). How did you deal with that or is it just that I have to carve out some time and dedicate it to that?

Reply 10

the-future-medic

Original post by fdstudies

Hiya all, I'm an A2 student with the following stats:

Subjects~
Biology, Chemistry, Maths and English Literature

Long Term Aims~
I've got an A*A*A offer for Cambridge that I'd really like to meet (or even exceed if at all possible). Right now I'm averaging C's across the board in my subjects so I need to step up my game a bit.

Short Term Goals~
I've got coursework, mock and Grade 8 Piano exam all happening next week, so preferably not failing them (with the focus on the CW and piano).

Plan?~
Erm, bye bye half term rest and hello work. Also, I've been feeling a bit ill recently, so also just looking after myself and making sure I get adequate sleep etc.

Good luck with your exams and hope you get your place at Cambridge :smile:

Reply 11

OP

Original post by the-future-medic

Good luck with your exams and hope you get your place at Cambridge :smile:

Thank you (and I hope so too haha)!
(Also your name suggests that you're wanting to do medicine- what stage are you at with that? I always find it fun to connect with people that are in the same boat as me)

Reply 12

alldaydreaming

You're doing the exact same subjects I'm doing! It's a really unusual combination :smile:

I'm in Year 12 at the moment. How are you dealing with the workload of 4 intensive subjects at A2? I'm hoping to carry my subjects over next year, any advice?
Good luck with exams and Cambridge! :h:

Reply 13

the-future-medic

Original post by fdstudies

Thank you (and I hope so too haha)!
(Also your name suggests that you're wanting to do medicine- what stage are you at with that? I always find it fun to connect with people that are in the same boat as me)

Yes i am hoping to do medicine in the future - not far with it yet.
Im doing my gcse's this year and i am also doing ncs in the summer.
Also trying to find some voluntary work or some experince in a hospital. How did you go about that?? I have been looking for ages but haven't been able to find anything. Might go to a conference next year.

Reply 14

OP

Original post by the-future-medic

Yes i am hoping to do medicine in the future - not far with it yet.
Im doing my gcse's this year and i am also doing ncs in the summer.
Also trying to find some voluntary work or some experince in a hospital. How did you go about that?? I have been looking for ages but haven't been able to find anything. Might go to a conference next year.

Sounds good :biggrin:

For volunteering I mostly just did some googling for local hospitals/hospices and then got onto their volunteering page and applied (the whole process does take forever though, so the earlier you start the better). For other opportunities I was quite lucky in that my school is pretty good at emailing round local opportunities (although you sometimes had to be a certain age for them) and I just applied to everything going and so I managed to get quite a few of them. If your school isn't so great, see if you can talk to other people who have been where you've been and utilise every connection you have basically :smile:

Reply 15

TheConfusedMedic

21

Wow! You are literally what I aspire to be like in 2 years :smile:

Congrats on the medicine offer! :biggrin:

Reply 16

the-future-medic

Original post by fdstudies

Sounds good :biggrin:

For volunteering I mostly just did some googling for local hospitals/hospices and then got onto their volunteering page and applied (the whole process does take forever though, so the earlier you start the better). For other opportunities I was quite lucky in that my school is pretty good at emailing round local opportunities (although you sometimes had to be a certain age for them) and I just applied to everything going and so I managed to get quite a few of them. If your school isn't so great, see if you can talk to other people who have been where you've been and utilise every connection you have basically :smile:

Thank you so much for the advice. :smile:

Reply 17

OP

Original post by surina16

Wow! You are literally what I aspire to be like in 2 years :smile:

Congrats on the medicine offer! :biggrin:

Haha, thank you :biggrin:

Original post by the-future-medic

Thank you so much for the advice. :smile:

No problem :smile:

Original post by alldaydreaming

You're doing the exact same subjects I'm doing! It's a really unusual combination :smile:

I'm in Year 12 at the moment. How are you dealing with the workload of 4 intensive subjects at A2? I'm hoping to carry my subjects over next year, any advice?Good luck with exams and Cambridge! :h:

Hiya, fellow english/sciencer :smile:

Continuing with 4 subjects was a decision I agonized over for ages. I hadn't been planning on it at all but then did unexpectedly well in the English exam and literally as I went to my teacher to drop the subject she talked me into thinking about taking four and long story short I ended up here. I am finding it quite tricky to balance everything, but it's not impossible so it really depends on you and how motivated you are with everything. Also maybe see how AS goes as that gives you a much better picture as to how you can cope. And thank you!

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 18

OP

30 Days of Productivity ~ {2/30}

Today was not great productivity wise. I have had what I think is an allergy-related headache for about a month now and some days it's a lot worse than others and I just spend a day unable to concentrate on anything except feeling sorry for myself. Today was one of those days.
Anyway, it did get a bit better in the evening and I was able to do >200 flashcards, a couple of chemistry notes that I've now stuck up on my wall and started a stats exercise, but overall it was a bit of a washout.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 19

OP