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🖥 Grow Your Grades 24/25 - A Nerd's Journey (iive) 🖥

🤩 Hi everyone, 🤩

I was planning to start a vlog channel but then kinda gave up with it, but maybe doing this will motivate me more.

About me:

A Levels: Mathematics , Further Mathematics, Computer Science and Psychology and I did my CyberEPQ (A*) last year

Predicteds: 4A*s (I got 2A*s in CS and Psych and A in AS Further Maths in my Y12 mocks)

GCSEs: 9999999998A

I like knitting surprisingly (blame my form tutor), also trying to get back into poetry


My goals:

Do my best in my A Levels

Pass Spanish Exam (this nov)

Get into dream uni 🎓 (and if not, find a place I will be happy with)

Secure an internship for next summer (because a girl needs to fund uni somehow)

Sort out personal drama

There's also some competitions I want to do well in (like National Cipher Challenge 👩*💻)

✨️ Live Love Laugh ✨️


Uni Options:

Southampton - Computer Science with Cyber Security - offer received

Lancaster - Cyber Security with Industrial Experience - offer received

Oxford - Computer Science and Philosophy - MAT done/pre-interview stage

UCL - Philosophy and Computer Science - acknowledgement received

Imperial - Computing (Security and Reliability) - TMUA done/waiting for response


I hope this motivates someone and people can use this gyg to avoid making the same mistakes I did and we can learn from each other!
(edited 1 week ago)

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Reply 1
Hi everyone,
I was planning to start a vlog channel but then kinda gave up with it, but maybe doing this will motivate me more. I currently study Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Computer Science and Psychology and I did my CyberEPQ last year.
My goals:
- Do my best in my A Levels
- Pass Spanish Exam (this nov)
- Get into dream uni (and if not, find a place I will be happy with)
- Secure an internship for next summer (because a girl needs to fund uni somehow)
- Sort out personal drama
- There's also some competitions I want to do well in (like National Cipher Challenge)
- Live Love Laugh
I hope this motivates someone and people can use this gyg to avoid making the same mistakes I did so we can learn from each other!
12th Sept 24 (Update till now):

I've officially been a Y13 for almost 2 weeks now and have had not a single moment of rest to be honest with you 😅.

First day back and my form tutor asked us to show us her personal statement drafts by next week Monday (and I having overbooked myself over the summer was now scrambling to get a decent draft version written 💀).

Timetabling wise I was actually quite blessed for someone with 4 subjects because I have at least one free every single day apart from one day (which I have both PE and PSHE on). I think this has helped a lot with making the school day seem less intense or if I need to fit some university prep stuff in, especially since we have just jumped straight back into content📘

Everything was alright until today where I think I kinda snapped and ended up crying in the middle of Psychology class 😅. I had so much personal stuff going on at home and at school that it just kinda built up and exploded. And no one should suffer through that especially in a year like this.

The good news is I went to pastoral but I kinda just felt numb after leaving, still kinda do now. I find opening up to people kinda difficult so completing this goal is going to be fun... but I was able to go on with the rest of my day (and do a maths test) so I would say not the best day but the important thing is that I'm still here and ✨️ working on myself! ✨️
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 2
Hi everyone,
I was planning to start a vlog channel but then kinda gave up with it, but maybe doing this will motivate me more. I currently study Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Computer Science and Psychology and I did my CyberEPQ last year.
My goals:
- Do my best in my A Levels
- Pass Spanish Exam (this nov)
- Get into dream uni (and if not, find a place I will be happy with)
- Secure an internship for next summer (because a girl needs to fund uni somehow)
- Sort out personal drama
- There's also some competitions I want to do well in (like National Cipher Challenge)
- Live Love Laugh
I hope this motivates someone and people can use this gyg to avoid making the same mistakes I did so we can learn from each other!

☀️Good morning ☀️

New day, new energy!

What I plan to do today is:

Finish the MAT Paper I started and then go over that one and the previous one I did

Personal Statement Redraft (v4)

CS Flashcards for unit 1.4.1 (which we've finished) and 1.4.2 (+Survive the Double)

Complete Exercise 11B

BENCH, DENCH, DODGE in PE! 🤩

Finish off some applications


I feel better after yesterday I did some corrections for maths then fell asleep lol 😂 Let's see how today goes!
🤩 Hi everyone, 🤩
I was planning to start a vlog channel but then kinda gave up with it, but maybe doing this will motivate me more.
About me:

A Levels: Mathematics , Further Mathematics, Computer Science and Psychology and I did my CyberEPQ (A*) last year

Predicteds: 4A*s (I got 2A*s in CS and Psych and A in AS Further Maths in my Y12 mocks)

GCSEs: 9999999998A

I like knitting surprisingly (blame my form tutor), also trying to get back into poetry


My goals:

Do my best in my A Levels

Pass Spanish Exam (this nov)

Get into dream uni 🎓 (and if not, find a place I will be happy with)

Secure an internship for next summer (because a girl needs to fund uni somehow)

Sort out personal drama

There's also some competitions I want to do well in (like National Cipher Challenge 👩*💻)

✨️ Live Love Laugh ✨️


I hope this motivates someone and people can use this gyg to avoid making the same mistakes I did and we can learn from each other!

heyy i do 3 of the same subjects as you (maths, fm, cs)! good luck for this year and congrats on your amazing results so far!! also i LOVE the national cipher challenge it's so fun!!
Reply 4
Original post by scar-the-queen
heyy i do 3 of the same subjects as you (maths, fm, cs)! good luck for this year and congrats on your amazing results so far!! also i LOVE the national cipher challenge it's so fun!!

Awww thank you so much and good luck with this year as well! and the NCC really is so fun, I can't wait for this year's competition 🤩 are you planning on entering?
Reply 5
☀️Good morning ☀️
New day, new energy!
What I plan to do today is:

Finish the MAT Paper I started and then go over that one and the previous one I did

Personal Statement Redraft (v4)

CS Flashcards for unit 1.4.1 (which we've finished) and 1.4.2 (+Survive the Double)

Complete Exercise 11B

BENCH, DENCH, DODGE in PE! 🤩

Finish off some applications


I feel better after yesterday I did some corrections for maths then fell asleep lol 😂 Let's see how today goes!

Happy weekend!

Yesterday I did not account for a late bus so wasn't able to get home until really late 💀 but it's ok, I still have the weekend to make up for it.

Weekend Goals:

11B, Mixed Exercises 9 and 10 (which Ive started, just need to finish)

Flashcards for 1.4.1 and 1.4.2 + CS Hwk

Psych Approaches Flashcards + Psych Hwk

Finish MAT Paper (2008) + practice one TMUA one if I have time

Work on NEA Analysis Section - Research

Start Psychology Studies Journal

Spanish Practice - Going over Holiday vocabulary & Grammar: tenses

Other bits and bobs for courses and DofE

Awww thank you so much and good luck with this year as well! and the NCC really is so fun, I can't wait for this year's competition 🤩 are you planning on entering?

Thanks! I'm not sure if I'll enter this year, it depends on my workload honestly!
Reply 7
Weekend Update!

I was able to get through most of the items in the list. I have a free today so I'm going to spend that finishing up the Flashcards. Will also continue with NEA Research after school 🙂
Weekend Update!
I was able to get through most of the items in the list. I have a free today so I'm going to spend that finishing up the Flashcards. Will also continue with NEA Research after school 🙂


hey, looking forward to following your journey :smile:

i’m retaking biology and chemistry i’ve just finished year 13, since i am not happy with what i got in the end, i have the exact same academic stats as you in terms of GCSEs and predicted grades, but unfortunately things didn’t work out for me on results day, i’m willing to give it another go and prove to myself that i can and i will
please PLEASE pace yourself this year, year 13 can actually be so awful at times i can’t even lie, and the step up is HUGE forget the year 11 to 12 transition, this is where the real work starts, but i believe in you, i wish i believed in myself more, but you have this in the bag, rooting for you!!
Reply 9
Original post by resitdiaries
hey, looking forward to following your journey :smile:
i’m retaking biology and chemistry i’ve just finished year 13, since i am not happy with what i got in the end, i have the exact same academic stats as you in terms of GCSEs and predicted grades, but unfortunately things didn’t work out for me on results day, i’m willing to give it another go and prove to myself that i can and i will
please PLEASE pace yourself this year, year 13 can actually be so awful at times i can’t even lie, and the step up is HUGE forget the year 11 to 12 transition, this is where the real work starts, but i believe in you, i wish i believed in myself more, but you have this in the bag, rooting for you!!

thank you for the advice and support 😊, good luck with your retakes!
🤩 Hi everyone, 🤩
I was planning to start a vlog channel but then kinda gave up with it, but maybe doing this will motivate me more.
About me:

A Levels: Mathematics , Further Mathematics, Computer Science and Psychology and I did my CyberEPQ (A*) last year

Predicteds: 4A*s (I got 2A*s in CS and Psych and A in AS Further Maths in my Y12 mocks)

GCSEs: 9999999998A

I like knitting surprisingly (blame my form tutor), also trying to get back into poetry


My goals:

Do my best in my A Levels

Pass Spanish Exam (this nov)

Get into dream uni 🎓 (and if not, find a place I will be happy with)

Secure an internship for next summer (because a girl needs to fund uni somehow)

Sort out personal drama

There's also some competitions I want to do well in (like National Cipher Challenge 👩*💻)

✨️ Live Love Laugh ✨️


I hope this motivates someone and people can use this gyg to avoid making the same mistakes I did and we can learn from each other!

Hey babe good luck with your exams Im sure your going to be amazing but make sure to not overwork and take regular breaks <3
Reply 11
Original post by Maximum-tragedy
Hey babe good luck with your exams Im sure your going to be amazing but make sure to not overwork and take regular breaks <3

thank you, I'll try not to!
Reply 12
Life Update: (18/9/24)

Personal statements for Early Entry are due in today 💀. Good news is that I've revised it enough times that I like my end result. Just going to do a final check with my form tutor before submitting it in.

The courses I'm applying to are:

Computer Science and Philosophy - Oxford

Philosophy and Computer Science - UCL

Computing (Security and Reliability) - Imperial

Computer Science with Cyber Security - Southampton

Cyber Security (with Industrial Experience) - Lancaster


Besides that, schools been alright this week. My psych teacher was nice enough to move our Approaches test to next week so that was a bonus. Still waiting for the result of my Maths test though. I'll probably use today’s free to finish up maths work or go through my psych notes.
Life Update: (18/9/24)
Personal statements for Early Entry are due in today 💀. Good news is that I've revised it enough times that I like my end result. Just going to do a final check with my form tutor before submitting it in.
The courses I'm applying to are:

Computer Science and Philosophy - Oxford

Philosophy and Computer Science - UCL

Computing (Security and Reliability) - Imperial

Computer Science with Cyber Security - Southampton

Cyber Security (with Industrial Experience) - Lancaster


Besides that, schools been alright this week. My psych teacher was nice enough to move our Approaches test to next week so that was a bonus. Still waiting for the result of my Maths test though. I'll probably use today’s free to finish up maths work or go through my psych notes.

It's such a weight of your shoulders once the personal statement is done!! Congrats on getting it done on time, most people at my school missed the deadline haha
Reply 14
Ikr! When was the deadline for your school because surely its still alright as long as you meet the UCAS deadline?
🤩 Hi everyone, 🤩
I was planning to start a vlog channel but then kinda gave up with it, but maybe doing this will motivate me more.
About me:

A Levels: Mathematics , Further Mathematics, Computer Science and Psychology and I did my CyberEPQ (A*) last year

Predicteds: 4A*s (I got 2A*s in CS and Psych and A in AS Further Maths in my Y12 mocks)

GCSEs: 9999999998A

I like knitting surprisingly (blame my form tutor), also trying to get back into poetry


My goals:

Do my best in my A Levels

Pass Spanish Exam (this nov)

Get into dream uni 🎓 (and if not, find a place I will be happy with)

Secure an internship for next summer (because a girl needs to fund uni somehow)

Sort out personal drama

There's also some competitions I want to do well in (like National Cipher Challenge 👩*💻)

✨️ Live Love Laugh ✨️


I hope this motivates someone and people can use this gyg to avoid making the same mistakes I did and we can learn from each other!

I hope you enjoy Year 13💙💙
And tell us more about your dream uni (if comfortable)
Reply 16
Original post by halfharry
I hope you enjoy Year 13💙💙
And tell us more about your dream uni (if comfortable)

Well I'm aiming for Oxford; it just felt right wondering around on the Open Day. Especially at New College, it was weird but it just felt comfortable? I like being surrounded by nature so their gardens was a huge bonus for me. In terms of academic rigour, the more I think about it the more I feel let down by the system? Like I never really got many opportunities until fairly recently to push myself beyond a school setting. Like I feel kinda dumb if I encounter a new problem thats not academic based 😅, like some grade machine. The more I read, the more I enjoy learning about computers and their usage in the world because we can never really reach that sort of thinking in a day-to-day class trying to fit in content in and this is from some who moved to a grammar school for that sort of challenge. I just see school as an obligation and step to something I want to do. I want that challenge from Oxford, I want that struggle so that I know I'm growing and not going to become complacent in life. My other choices are fine but I want to a) Ideally study CS & Phil (not many high ranking unis offer it hence why only 2 of my choices are CS; I like Cyber dont get me wrong (thats my career path) but phil has been really growing on me) b) See my choices at some point (haven't seen UCL or Lancaster yet and can't this year)

Sorry for the long post 😅, some of my friends were being kinda rude to me today and making fun of me for working so I got kinda triggered. I see their point but like what I am supposed to do? we're teens? I don't have the financial independence to go out whenever I feel like it? They don't invite me to anything? and I'm not brain rotting myself on TikTok so yeah...
Well I'm aiming for Oxford; it just felt right wondering around on the Open Day. Especially at New College, it was weird but it just felt comfortable? I like being surrounded by nature so their gardens was a huge bonus for me. In terms of academic rigour, the more I think about it the more I feel let down by the system? Like I never really got many opportunities until fairly recently to push myself beyond a school setting. Like I feel kinda dumb if I encounter a new problem thats not academic based 😅, like some grade machine. The more I read, the more I enjoy learning about computers and their usage in the world because we can never really reach that sort of thinking in a day-to-day class trying to fit in content in and this is from some who moved to a grammar school for that sort of challenge. I just see school as an obligation and step to something I want to do. I want that challenge from Oxford, I want that struggle so that I know I'm growing and not going to become complacent in life. My other choices are fine but I want to a) Ideally study CS & Phil (not many high ranking unis offer it hence why only 2 of my choices are CS; I like Cyber dont get me wrong (thats my career path) but phil has been really growing on me) b) See my choices at some point (haven't seen UCL or Lancaster yet and can't this year)
Sorry for the long post 😅, some of my friends were being kinda rude to me today and making fun of me for working so I got kinda triggered. I see their point but like what I am supposed to do? we're teens? I don't have the financial independence to go out whenever I feel like it? They don't invite me to anything? and I'm not brain rotting myself on TikTok so yeah...

Totally understand...I used to do sociologoy and my teahcer was an absolute marxist hed give us cartoons showing kids coming off a conveyor belt all looking the same and "stamped" with the same value (I'll see if I can find it)

he basically believed that the academic system was not teaching students what they needed to survive (etc..taxes, bills, and even some DIY things) but rather qualities of docile obedient workers

And yes it's a common feeling that people have of being let down by the school system...did you go to a non-selective state school by any chance?

I could write a whole essay about how the tripartite system reinforced the wealth, knowledge and education divide in the UK

Reply 18
Original post by halfharry
Totally understand...I used to do sociologoy and my teahcer was an absolute marxist hed give us cartoons showing kids coming off a conveyor belt all looking the same and "stamped" with the same value (I'll see if I can find it)

he basically believed that the academic system was not teaching students what they needed to survive (etc..taxes, bills, and even some DIY things) but rather qualities of docile obedient workers

And yes it's a common feeling that people have of being let down by the school system...did you go to a non-selective state school by any chance?

I could write a whole essay about how the tripartite system reinforced the wealth, knowledge and education divide in the UK


Yh I used to go to a non-selective school and did my GCSEs there before moving to a grammar for 6th form. It's even worse knowing private schools don't have to follow the national curriculum which just makes you question what even is the point?
Yh I used to go to a non-selective school and did my GCSEs there before moving to a grammar for 6th form. It's even worse knowing private schools don't have to follow the national curriculum which just makes you question what even is the point?


Hi! Your posts are very motivating hehe! I really hope that you achieve all the goals which you are aiming for :smile:
I currently attend a non-selective state school and I’m hoping to join a grammar sixth form next year, I was wondering if you could share your experience etc?

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