Almost every day in Year 13 (and at least twice a week in Year 12), our teachers reminded us that we are the new generation, the world is our oyster...and so we should work very hard in order go to university or get an amazing job, cure cancer, find an alternative to fossil fuels and generally save the world before bedtime. For all of this, we need A level grades.
Those three (or four, or more) subjects, which were our lives, which we loved to hate -or just hated -and took up so much of our time, energy and brainpower, now are just three (or four, or more) letters on a piece of paper. For me, this thought is quite calming, as in the end, they really are just some letters, and without my grammar school head on, I know that they are not the be-all and end-all of life.
It seems almost deliberately nerve-wracking that it is possible to find if you have been accepted by your two choices of universities.on the UCAS website. Of course, technology is wonderful, but I can't help imagining that with half a million people logging on at 8 am, the site is sure to crash, causing more stress.
I can barely remember what being at school was like, let alone how my exams went. I have pushed the subject firmly to the back of my mind and focussed on enjoying the summer. I can't believe that it has come round this quickly and now I really have to face the somewhat daunting prospect of My Future.
It seems to me that there will be many inevitable situations. To lighten the mood, I have devised a game I like to call Results Day Bingo! See how many you can spot.
1. Young people glued to computer screens, frantically pressing refresh on the UCAS website from midnight, giving themselves RSI in the process
2. Horrendous items on breakfast TV when a group of politically correct and racially diverse teenagers open their results live on camera. (Why they were persuaded to do this, I really don't know)
3. Gridlock around schools
4. (Particuarly applicable at a girls' school) Nervous screeching as people work each other up into a frenzy
5. White-faced teenagers and lost-looking parents
6. Increased sales of waterproof mascara (Got mine.)
7. Panic-inducing articles in the press about how many millions haven't got places, how many thousands applied this year, how the increase in fees has affected results, how many gazillions of A* and A grades there were etc etc
8. The all-important envelope
9. The attempt to work out why the teacher who knows your results is smiling at you. Is it pride, or pity?
10. The awkard moment where you see friends/classmates and you have to ask each other how they did.
11. The compulsory reports about child-geniuses (Geni? Genii?) who got seventeen A-levels in maths, further maths, extra further maths and have been accepted to Cambridge aged 4.
12. The journalist/spokesperson who says that A levels are getting easier (grrrrr)
13. Screaming/tears of joy/jumping up and down
14. Photos of this the next day in cringey articles local newspapers
15. Engaged phonelines to universities
16. Pubs and clubs full to bursting point on Thursday night
I also found this in a frantic internet search for reassurance. I hadn't considered a lot of these things, so take a look.
Good luck everyone!
