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Scared of going to a grammar school for A level because of my gcse results

I recently got into a grammar school that I had been dying to get into for years... its kinda been like a dream of mine lol. I got into the school because my gcse resuts were good enough (yay) however when I actually got to the school to enroll i was soooo intimidated. Everyone was saying how they got 5A*s and 8A*s. Up until that point I was happy wih my 8As and 2Bs.. but after that day ive been so scared. Everyone seems like a genius! I still want to go obviously but im worried ill be the dumbest in the class or something lol
Reply 1
just show them from day 1 how smart you are :wink: maybe start preparing for your subjects?
Original post by amarsthecat
I recently got into a grammar school that I had been dying to get into for years... its kinda been like a dream of mine lol. I got into the school because my gcse resuts were good enough (yay) however when I actually got to the school to enroll i was soooo intimidated. Everyone was saying how they got 5A*s and 8A*s. Up until that point I was happy wih my 8As and 2Bs.. but after that day ive been so scared. Everyone seems like a genius! I still want to go obviously but im worried ill be the dumbest in the class or something lol


I go to a grammar school (since yr7) and athough yes people there are generally more compettitve i know people on results day (GCSE) who did amazing and people who didn't and the majority aren't 11A* students. New people are joining my school too in september so don't be intimidated, if your grades got you in you deserve to be there as much as anyone else who has been there for 5 years :smile:

Good luck :hugs:
Reply 3
Original post by amarsthecat
I recently got into a grammar school that I had been dying to get into for years... its kinda been like a dream of mine lol. I got into the school because my gcse resuts were good enough (yay) however when I actually got to the school to enroll i was soooo intimidated. Everyone was saying how they got 5A*s and 8A*s. Up until that point I was happy wih my 8As and 2Bs.. but after that day ive been so scared. Everyone seems like a genius! I still want to go obviously but im worried ill be the dumbest in the class or something lol


8As and 2Bs is really good, even for a grammar school. Sure, you're not going to have the highest grades there, maybe not even top half, but it's by no means the worst grades in the school (I say this having been to grammar school that was and still is consistently top 10 in the country).

You won't be the dumbest in the class, and if your school is anything like mine was, the teaching style and freedom will allow your grades to improve, so that your confidence will grow and you'll recognise that you have earned your place there and you really can compete with the best of them!

You'll probably find as well that a lot of people joining for 6th form (where entry requirements tend to be higher) got exceptional grades (hence you met them at enrolment) but those staying on didn't do quite as well across the board, so even if you've yet to meet someone who got no A*s, there will be plenty of people like that who didn't have to turn up for enrolment because they're just staying on.
Original post by amarsthecat
I recently got into a grammar school that I had been dying to get into for years... its kinda been like a dream of mine lol. I got into the school because my gcse resuts were good enough (yay) however when I actually got to the school to enroll i was soooo intimidated. Everyone was saying how they got 5A*s and 8A*s. Up until that point I was happy wih my 8As and 2Bs.. but after that day ive been so scared. Everyone seems like a genius! I still want to go obviously but im worried ill be the dumbest in the class or something lol


I'm actually in a pretty similar situation, I got into a grammar school that I've always been excited to go to. I'm also a little bit scared but I always remember what my teacher told me.

'It's always better to be the dumbest of the smartest.'

It sounds kind of weird, but I'm going to assume you were above average in your current school so suddenly feeling 'less smart' will really push you to work harder. It will be much better than being smarter than everyone else, you'll have that extra motivation. Remember, humans are naturally competitive.
Original post by amarsthecat
I recently got into a grammar school that I had been dying to get into for years... its kinda been like a dream of mine lol. I got into the school because my gcse resuts were good enough (yay) however when I actually got to the school to enroll i was soooo intimidated. Everyone was saying how they got 5A*s and 8A*s. Up until that point I was happy wih my 8As and 2Bs.. but after that day ive been so scared. Everyone seems like a genius! I still want to go obviously but im worried ill be the dumbest in the class or something lol


Those are very good grades and absolutely fine for a typical grammar school. I know people who went to a grammar who did worse. Frankly, no one talks about their GCSE grades in 6th form (at least in my experience) - if they do they're a bit sad. There's bigger fish to fry.

Congratulations on your results and getting into the school - work hard and enjoy the next two years! I changed schools for sixth form and I loved it. :h:
(edited 8 years ago)
Here is what u do, first day u knock out the meanest looking kid and walk to lessons like u just **** urself. It works all the time
Honestly, you just need to do you. Don't be intimidated by others, just do as well as you possibly can and try your best not to compare yourself to others πŸ˜€


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I'm sorry if this comes out as arrogant and smug but I thought grammar schools requested for higher grades? I always thought they wanted 8+ A*s tbh :s-smilie: I just find it rather 'low'...
GCSE grades don't really have any value in comparison to A level grades. So you can end up getting 12A*'s in your GCSE's and then get 4 B's at AS, you just need to work really hard this year and get those 4 A's because you're capable of getting them and you're in no disadvantage compared to the other smartasses in your grammar school. Everyone is on the same stepping stone at AS because all of you guys are learning new stuff which is the perfect opportunity for you to impress your teacher e.g. by reading ahead of the class. Also, people who have grade like yours usually come out with the top grades, that's exactly what happened at my school this year :wink:


Finally, just chill.
Original post by amarsthecat
I recently got into a grammar school that I had been dying to get into for years... its kinda been like a dream of mine lol. I got into the school because my gcse resuts were good enough (yay) however when I actually got to the school to enroll i was soooo intimidated. Everyone was saying how they got 5A*s and 8A*s. Up until that point I was happy wih my 8As and 2Bs.. but after that day ive been so scared. Everyone seems like a genius! I still want to go obviously but im worried ill be the dumbest in the class or something lol


Those grades are great, probably better than at least half of my year (which is a top grammar school). Although many people do get large numbers of A*s, there are more that get majority As and Bs, so your GCSE grades would put you at average, if not above in a typical grammar school. Secondly, cleverness will only get you so far for a levels - if you want to do well, you have to work hard (unlike at GCSEs where you can get away with basically no revision). What you may even find is that you manage to do a lot better than people who got all As and A*s at GCSE, because they assume they can fly through another set of exams on no work and it just won't happen. I wish you luck in your A levels (I'm sure you'll be absolutely fine in your new school, but good luck for that as well!)
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Imperion
I'm sorry if this comes out as arrogant and smug but I thought grammar schools requested for higher grades? I always thought they wanted 8+ A*s tbh :s-smilie: I just find it rather 'low'...


Most grammar schools want all Bs...they're still state schools and therefore every student=funding, so although they are selective they're not ridiculously so
Besides, so much can change in 2 years you can go from all Bs to 4 A*s - or all A*s to 3 Bs
Reply 12
Original post by cakeislife
Those grades are great, probably better than at least half of my year (which is a top grammar school). Although many people do get large numbers of A*s, there are more that get majority As and Bs, so your GCSE grades would put you at average, if not above in a typical grammar school. Secondly, cleverness will only get you so far for a levels - if you want to do well, you have to work hard (unlike at GCSEs where you can get away with basically no revision). What you may even find is that you manage to do a lot better than people who got all As and A*s at GCSE, because they assume they can fly through another set of exams on no work and it just won't happen. I wish you luck in your A levels (I'm sure you'll be absolutely fine in your new school, but good luck for that as well!)


thank you!
Reply 13
Original post by RayApparently
Those are very good grades and absolutely fine for a typical grammar school. I know people who went to a grammar who did worse. Frankly, no one talks about their GCSE grades in 6th form (at least in my experience) - if they do they're a bit sad. There's bigger fish to fry.

Congratulations on your results and getting into the school - work hard and enjoy the next two years! I changed schools for sixth form and I loved it. :h:






Thanks
Original post by cakeislife
Most grammar schools want all Bs...they're still state schools and therefore every student=funding, so although they are selective they're not ridiculously so
Besides, so much can change in 2 years you can go from all Bs to 4 A*s - or all A*s to 3 Bs


Ah okay, thanks. Didn't even know they're funded :lol:
Reply 15
Original post by amarsthecat
I recently got into a grammar school that I had been dying to get into for years... its kinda been like a dream of mine lol. I got into the school because my gcse resuts were good enough (yay) however when I actually got to the school to enroll i was soooo intimidated. Everyone was saying how they got 5A*s and 8A*s. Up until that point I was happy wih my 8As and 2Bs.. but after that day ive been so scared. Everyone seems like a genius! I still want to go obviously but im worried ill be the dumbest in the class or something lol


Those grades are pretty good, there's nothing to worry about :biggrin:
What grammar school did you get into, by the way?
Original post by Imperion
I'm sorry if this comes out as arrogant and smug but I thought grammar schools requested for higher grades? I always thought they wanted 8+ A*s tbh :s-smilie: I just find it rather 'low'...


It depends on the grammar school. I know at least one (well-regarded) that only requires a B/C average in your best 8 GCSEs and generally a B in a subject to take it at A level.
Reply 17
Your grades are amazing. Well done and don't worry you'll be fine


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