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Hogwarts Express-My journey to AAA*






Hey everyone!

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Introduction to AS

I'm Kye :smile: and I've recently started my first year at A-level where I'm currently learning psychology, biology and English.

Unlike most of the people here on the student room I did not leave my GCSEs with full a*s or anything like that. In fact compared to most people on this website I think I did fairly poor. However I'm hoping to change all that for 2018. I want to leave A-levels with AAA*.

Me

So my biggest dream is to go into psychology. I've been into therapy and the majority of my family have had some mental illness or other and I think it's safe to say that I don't think a single one of us have actually received the help or treatment that we desperately need so I hope to be for others what myself and my family have needed.

That's one of my biggest revising and getting the grades I need. Not only this but I'm not exactly the most financially stable either. It's quite difficult at home and I wish to be able to have a future with a career good enough to be able to provide for my family in ways that I never had. And it might be difficult but I'm determined to get what I want.

Apart from that I'm a slytherin and a possible ENTJ (not 100% sure I agree with that though). I love reading and playing guitar.
I think doing GYG will possibly help me cause I feel that I'm not doing enough revision and by publicly showing how much I've done I'll feel a hell of a lot more pressured into doing it. Also it's fun ya know :smile:

My subjects

AQA Psychology topics- social influence, approaches, attachment, memory, psychopathology and research methods

AQA English lit and lang- handmaids tale, streetcar, Carol Anne Duffy and a Paris anthology

AQA Biology- OMG too much content for me to write down


Why I'm doing a blog

I'm not even gonna lie but I am genuinely completely clueless about whether or not I am revising the right way. I'm not even entirely sure how much revision I should be doing. At the moment on a school day, I'm doing 3 hours a day with one day in the week off. As for holidays gosh I have no clue. And even on school days I have to frantically juggle between homework and revision and honestly I'm not even sure whether I am balancing it. Therefore I feel like this blog would be pretty good for my own personal reflection as well as a way to show to others how to learn from my mistakes.

A well as this I think it's a good motivation for doing revision (I'm terrible for procrastination) cause I hate more than anything looking stupid.

What I'll be uploading in my blog:

1.

Revision techniques

2.

Exam results

3.

Any tips I've thought of along the way

4.

Lists

5.

Useful resources

6.

ETC.



Anyways that's all about me for now. I really hope you enjoy this blog and stick around :h:

Love Kye
(edited 6 years ago)

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Reply 1
Hi again

I thought I'd start my first real entry with what I'll be doing today for revision. To start off with I created a list of things I need to do:

Complete Research methods past paper

Finish off biology notes

Annotate Paris anthology

Practise writing English essay for recasting and commentary

Organise your folders

Finish answering the apply it questions in the psychology/biology text book

Memorise bio and psychology notes

Draw mind maps for bio and hang them up on wall.


By the way that isn't just for today. It's just so I'm able to think throughout the week of things to do that'll help me revise without wasting time.

Today my main aims are to just to finish off the biology notes and biology apply it questions. If I have some spare time I might go over some things to do with English but in all honesty I'd rather just go over biology as much as I can because it's definitely my weakest subject. Cause it's new years eve I'll be spending a bit of the day with family (just having a bit of a buffet, chatting and watching maybe a movie or something till it becomes midnight and we can watch the fireworks on TV) so I'll have to make up time tomorrow.

So far I've already started my notes and apply it questions but I've done them on my laptop (as it's so much faster and I have no time :eek:) Anyways will keep you all updated!
Reply 2
Sorry again but guess who's back!!:biggrin:

Just wanted to say look what I found on my phone that I totally forgot about!!

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Guess I'll be starting that again just to prove I'm actually doing my revision (Will start uploading properly tomorrow now though I've seen some people who've done something stupid like 18 hours in one day and I'm too intimidated now with only 7 hours left of the day :s-smilie:).

As well as this I think I'm gonna upload like a vid just to prove I've actually done the apply it questions and notes cause damn I better get some recognition for writing out all of that XD (ngl I bet someone thinks its nothing and that I've totally wasted a day). If not I'll upload tomorrow.

See ya for now I guess

P.S. Just wanted to be clear I have not only done 20 min today I only just started using the app again and have only used the app for 20 min
(edited 6 years ago)
:woohoo: I love this blog, please keep be updated.:biggrin:
What is the app called? I'm really enjoying this blog so far :excited: feel free to tag me in posts :smile:
Reply 5
The app is called Forest. It's actually really good you should totally get it! The more you use it the more trees you can create for your forest. If you leave the app though you'll be left with an ugly,dead tree that will completely ruin your beautiful hardwork. My Forest from last year ->
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Also Thank you :h:
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 6
01/01/18

So anyways today I might totally have gone off track from my list but it has been quite productive nonetheless. :banana2::banana2:



I was a bit scared that I'd been focusing too much time on Bio so I spent the most of today doing psychology (although I still did a bit of Bio XD)



At the moment I'm actually petrified at the thought of my mocks coming up really soon :s-smilie: so I've been trying to memorise my notes. I've been:

highlighting all of my notes,

reading it then trying to see how much I could remember

asking family members to test me

rewriting all the things I kept forgetting again and again

I used a recording app on my laptop to record myself saying all my notes (which all sound completely cringey btw) and then reading along with what I say.




The last revision method actually worked pretty well. I would say along with being tested on it was the most effective in helping me memorise. Reading it again and again was the least helpful.

After that I did a few mind maps for psychology and Biology. And did a past paper on research methods (my worst section in all of psychology). Will upload pics now.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 7
IMG_0014.jpg

My mind map on the studies involved in my psychopathology section. Underneath are my two mindmaps for Bio for the Elisa model and Lipids
Reply 8
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An A3 mindmap on the immune system
Reply 9
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My voice recordings of my notes on the approaches section in psychology
Reply 10
Also tomorrow I will try as hard as I can to continue posting but I have a feeling I will not get time. I'm not being lazy or anything it's just that it's my cousin's birthday tomorrow and I promised I'd go shopping with her. I'll try to slip in some time to revise (I'm going one the train to meet her there anyway so I'll try to get some done then). If I don't post tomorrow I promise to commence writing the following day.

Ta Ta For Now! :biggrin:
Reply 11
02/01/18

Today might not have been as revision focused as yesterday :s-smilie: however it was such a good day I'm not even going to complain.
My cousin had a great time, we bought loads of stuff (clothes, books, lush stuff, stationary, Etc.) and we ate at wagamamas. :h:

To be honest with the amount of stress I'm under about mocks I sooooo needed a day like today to just relax. I think it gave me some time to further think about what I need to do so that I'm able to prioritise everything on my list. Tomorrow I'll wake up early just to continue with my list.

Now about revision, it's not like I did absolutely nothing. The train journey there was 40 minutes there and 40 minutes back! Thankfully though this gave me some time to go through my notes as I had an hour and 20 minutes with my mum ,who had the time to test me. We went through all the apply it questions I wrote out on my laptop (that I printed out this morning) and then when we went through all that she asked me questions from my psychology book and I explained to her everything I remembered about each section. Surprisingly I knew so much more than I thought I did. The apply it questions I got all right and I remembered the psychology book almost word by word! And even on some of the sections of the book (like the biological section- which I had a bit of trouble remembering) I now know what areas I need to focus on.

I also went on the bus twice (both lasting about 20 min each) and I had spent the morning recording myself saying out loud my psychology notes so in those 40 minutes (also including waiting for the bus) I choose to listen to those recordings. So while I didn't do as much as I did before I would still say that today has been quite an eventful and productive day :biggrin:
Reply 12
03/01/18

After my break yesterday I decided today I had to make up that time by working hard today so I finished all my notes off for biology and I'm three quarters through completing all the apply it questions for every topic I've learnt. :biggrin: So that's almost two things off of my list!

As well as this I thought of how I can focus a little bit more on English (a subject which I haven't been spending much time on recently) so I created a set of flashcards of literary terms.and their meanings.

However I'm not going to lie to you, with my mocks coming up so soon I'm not really that positive. In fact I'm actually terrified. No matter how much revision I do I never feel completely ready and I always feel like everyone is so much more prepared than I am. Tomorrow I'm going to be waking up earlier (My worst habit in terms of revision is sleeping too much and waking up late) so that I can do more hours. Tomorrow I hope to do 7 hours by waking up at 9 (I know that's not early for some but for me it's actual hell XD). That way I can do 2 hours straight, have a break for 20 min and so on and so forth, Tonight I'll just be doing things to help me revise for tomorrow without being so tired that I'm just revising for the sake of revising without actually learning anything.

So yeah I'm actually soo unbelievably scared. I'm worried that everyone else will do well and when they ask me how I did I'll have to tell the truth and show how bad I did especially with them knowing that I actually tried. I think that makes it worse. At least if you don't try you're just seen as being lazy or uncaring or whatever but you'll do better next time. If people know you really did try hard it kinda makes me feel stupid. So yeah not happy at all but hoping it'll get better.

I might call my friend up tomorrow to see if she's willing to do some group work. That'll definitely make the 2 hours straight slightly more bearable.

Anyways be seeing you all soon!
Reply 13
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The aftermath of my floor after a day of revision
Reply 14
Does anyone realise how close mocks are? HAHA, Or how even though we're getting closer I'm NOOO where near ready

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No? Oh well bye friends it was nice knowing you all
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Bamble
Does anyone realise how close mocks are? HAHA, Or how even though we're getting closer I'm NOOO where near ready

tumblr_mjfkm8CYZ61qc5qv5o2_500.jpg

No? Oh well bye friends it was nice knowing you all


:laugh: I'm loving your blog!! It is so cute :biggrin: Your mind maps are really pretty..
Mocks start in 3 days for me :tongue: and I'm not looking forward to them.. AT ALL!!
PS. Ghibli fan??
Reply 16
AWH thank you @nyxnko :h: Also oh my gosh that's soon!!! Mine start in 11 days but I'm still panicking XD
And yes how can't you be a studio ghibli fan! I'm a complete weebaboo in general tbh :lol:
Original post by Bamble
AWH thank you @nyxnko :h: Also oh my gosh that's soon!!! Mine start in 11 days but I'm still panicking XD
And yes how can't you be a studio ghibli fan! I'm a complete weebaboo in general tbh :lol:


lucky you!! I wish my mocks started later... I'm completely unprepared (or at least I think I am)

Yayyy!! :hugs: which one's your favourite?? mine has to be my neighbour totoro!! it's so cute
I'm a weeaboo too!! it's like my greatest wish to live in Japan. nothing against Tokyo but the countryside looks so.. idk.. peaceful and idyllic... especially in anime

btw, are you learning Japanese??
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 18
i'm sure you probably know more than you think :h:

Oh I love my neighbour totoro as well! But I think my favourite would have to be spirited away (just because it was the first studio ghibli movie I ever watched).
Oh and same!!! I've always wanted to go to japan! I'm trying to learn Japanese XD but I don't know much though tbh. I'm learning Fench as well and I'm much better at that so I thought it'd be better to continue that
Original post by Bamble
i'm sure you probably know more than you think :h:

Oh I love my neighbour totoro as well! But I think my favourite would have to be spirited away (just because it was the first studio ghibli movie I ever watched).
Oh and same!!! I've always wanted to go to japan! I'm trying to learn Japanese XD but I don't know much though tbh. I'm learning Fench as well and I'm much better at that so I thought it'd be better to continue that


i probably do.. hopefully...

my neighbour totoro is my childhood movie. I spent my childhood watching that although spirited away is quite special as well. I think my least favourite one would have to be the wind rises. I just didn't like it. it was good but not really my cup of tea. do u have one u don't particularly like??

:laugh: I relate. I started learning the alphabet 6 months ago and started some grammar at the same time and then just left it there :tongue: Now, I'm trying to get back into it. you should continue with French. I'm trying to learn some other languages as well but let's just say that I haven't really been the most committed of linguists.

PS. you missed the underscore at the end of my username so I don't get the notifications when u reply :frown:
(edited 6 years ago)

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