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Asked by anon-253766 to Yewande, Swetha, Sinead, Lindsay, Lidia on 7 May 2020.
Question: Hello, I hope you’re keeping yourself safe. I was wondering how you dealt with all the pressures and stress in sixth form or college? and if you believe that a triple student has more advantage at A-Levels. Thanks in advance.
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Sinéad Ryan answered on 7 May 2020:
Hi Linda, keeping safe and I hope all is well with you and your family.
I’m from Ireland so I didn’t do A Levels but I can relate to the stress of doing exams and applying for uni. I found this pressure really overwhelming at the time as I was the first in my family to go through it so my parents didn’t have a clue. The best things I did were keep a routine which allowed me to get study and work done but gave me free time to relax and get away from the stress. I didn’t do any sports in school but as I got older I found that exercise is brilliant for the mind, even if you just go for a long walk I find it clears the mind. Best of luck with your A Levels!
Comments
Candice commented on :
Hi Linda! I went to sixth form and I didn’t do triple science at GCSE (it wasn’t offered at my school until a couple of years later so I did double science). I still took Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths at A level without triple science so it might be an advantage to give you a headstart for the A level to have had more time to study each subject in more detail at GCSE but you can do fine without it too. Studying for A levels is very stressful I agree! I agree with Sinead, keeping a routine is very helpful. Your teachers will have broken the information down into manageable topics, focusing on these topics one by one rather than thinking about everything you need to know by the end all at once can be very helpful and taking time out from studying will help. Also seconding that exercise is one of the best things for stress! If you haven’t already try to find a sport/type of exercise that you really enjoy, I find this makes me much more motivated to do it regularly and even look forward to it. I know most school sports are quite limited in choice which is a shame but at university I took up fencing and it is so much fun you usually don’t realise it is counting as exercise when you’re doing it!
Ariana commented on :
Hi Linda,
I am not from the UK but I did do A levels and had Biology and Chemistry as my main subjects. I remember studying for my A levels and thinking there was no way I could cover all of it and keep it in my mind. Inevitably, there will be topics you will prefer more than others (I remember loving digestion and hating plant biology for example!). It is quite common for everyone to do better at the topics we actually enjoy learning about. Other areas you find you struggle with you can always research more on (that’s where the internet is most useful!) and ask your teachers for extra help with / to answer a couple of questions.
I totally agree with the exercise advice above. My other bits of advice would be to keep up with your studies as you go along – a little bit everyday is much better than cramming it at the end. And if you are struggling with a topic or a particular lesson as I said above do not be afraid to ask for help or further clarification – your teacher would actually appreciate that. It’s also very important to have fun and do something you enjoy every day!
Kim commented on :
Hey Linda 🙂 I get to write a more thought out answer here, so I thought I would ~ It’s reasonable to acknowledge that the more you learn, the more advantage you have. However, the phrase ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint’ applies incredibly strongly to doing science, especially in a university setting. Imagine, if you can for a moment, finishing your A level science study. No matter what grade you achieved, any science you learnt at GCSE will contribute much less than your A levels to your abilities and knowledge as a scientist after school. From personal experience – the same effect is felt when you go from A level to university science, and then even the graduate degree after that! There’s just way too much science out there to learn!
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I know thinking that far into the future seems a bit abstract, but I hope it illustrates the point I want to make. I have no reservations whatsoever in saying that you will be able to study A level sciences very successfully, if you personally (and not parents/teachers etc.) want to. You may have to compensate with a bit more passion and interest, and it may be tough at the start, since A levels are not easy for anyone.
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As an A level chemistry tutor, and if I were an A level teacher, I would care a lot more about how interested in science a student is, rather than whether or not they have double vs triple science. In the long run, I do not think a triple science student should have significant advantage over a double student. Other factors, namely your interest and how hard you work during A level, are far more important, to my mind 🙂 Please, do continue this conversation in the comments or ask more questions, if you wish to chat about this further or I’ve been unclear about anything 🙂
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I’ll answer your other questions as well ~ but the others have done so nicely already 🙂 Coping with stress at school is a tough problem, and one that everyone (they’re lying if they deny it) has to deal with. For me – I dealt with stress by trying to do as many fun things as possible. Mostly this was hanging out and chatting with friends (I was fortunate to have some good ones by then) and playing in music groups. I also really enjoyed studying with others – that always made it more fun, if a bit less efficient! They’ll find some things harder and some things easier than you, which is interesting. Try to leave time for yourself though to unwind and do things you enjoy yourself (reading/ Netflix/playing video games for me). We all literally spend our whole lives trying to work out how to cope with stress (usually with all sorts of other responsibilities!); it really is a tough nut to crack.
Shaline commented on :
Hi Linda,
I hope you are also managing to stay safe and well during this time. You ask a great question, and one that we have all been through at some point, so it is not unnatural for you to feel this as well. Everyone above has written very eloquent answers, so here comes my version.
When I was in sixth form there were many times where I felt very stressed and anxious, particularly around the time of mock and real exams. I found it very useful talking to other people in my year, particularly those who weren’t necessarily doing the same subject as me as that gave me a very different outlook on what was happening. I also had some teachers who were very helpful and managed to calm me down. Whenever possible, I would try to do some exercise, either a sport or just going out for a walk. I used to do this after finishing homework and setting myself an achievable goal for the day and then rewarding myself in the evening. Watching something funny on TV, or reading a book was also a great way to get away from the stress of sixth form. Something I began doing when I was doing my GCSE’s and actually still do today was to write a manageable bitesize “to do” list for the day which would allow to break things down and just crossing things off a list can really help to ease the anxiety.
With regards to your question about double science versus triple science, I don’t think it there is an advantage to doing one or other at A-level. I knew a lot of people who did double science, unlike me, and then at A-level we ended up in the same science class, and I wouldn’t say I had more of an advantage by having done triple science instead of double compared to them. I would say the main difference between the two was the depth that you went into with certain topics, which if at that age you knew you enjoyed science, I think triple might have been better, but more for the general interest, rather than providing an advantage. I think the most important thing to remember is that if you are passionate about science, you will find a way of gaining all the information that you need to feed your desire, no matter whether you did double or triple science.
I hope that has helped 🙂