Preparing for Results Day

Hey!

I must say I wish I could write every post with this view....

I am currently on a Greek island with my family enjoying blissful weather and lots of relaxation. Is there really a better place to write a blog post?!

With Results Day fast approaching, I was thinking about my biggest worries this time last year about going to Uni. Mainly it was 'Am I even going to get in to Uni', along with 'What if I don't make any friends', 'What if I don't like my flatmates', etc. Worries which literally everyone will have.

People around you will no doubt use the usual cliches; you've tried your best, there's nothing you can do now, or the worst: try not to think about it. Which only makes you think about it more. But a lot of what people say is true- If you get in to your first choice Uni, amazing, and if you don't, you are pretty much guaranteed to have just as good of a time at a different Uni, or even staying at home and doing something completely different.

I distinctly remember going to the park the day before Results Day with my friends last year, with all of us totally on edge for the next day. When we started talking about it, one of my friends fell to the floor and didn't move until we stopped talking about it (Which was extremely funny in hindsight...)

The pre-results breakdown

Emotions (and sicky feelings) are sky-high on Results Day, but for me it turned out to be an amazing day (I never expected that later that day there would be a TV crew at my house filming me for the news that night!). Also I actually found out that I had gotten in to Sheffield before I got my results, so I went to school feeling slightly calmer. So as much as the words 'Results Day' might fill you with absolute dread, be confident knowing that there is a very big chance that it could turn out to be a pretty fab day, and pave the way to a very exciting future.

To sum this all up, here are 3 top tips on how to make the day as painless (and hopefully enjoyable) as possible.

1. Check UCAS before you collect your results
2. Be confident
3. Breathe (always a good one to remember.)

Ps you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month here!

Pps if you'd like to read last year's Results Day post, you can do here.

Anna x

Blogger of the Year(!)

HELLO FRIENDLINGS!

I won the Blogger of the Year competition!!! EEEEEK! Okay, maybe I'm being a bit hasty. Make a cuppa and I'll tell you the story. So, after nervously waiting for what felt like a LIFETIME, I finally found out on September 1st, when my brother and I were sat in a bar in Majorca enjoying a spot of free Wi-Fi. Naturally at the moment I decided to open the email from UCAS, my phone decided that it was a brilliant time to have a momentary meltdown. Not good.

Anyway, after a few painful seconds, I read the email and danced around the bar happily knowing that my often meaningless ramblings WON ME AN IPAD! How crazy is that?! I'm not blogging off my iPad right now (but that is a definite must-do...), instead, I am blogging off my new laptop for Uni! Very exciting.

I also got to my Dad's house today to this surprise...

From Red Bull to One Direction plasters (don't ask), this lil box is filled to the brim with absolute essentials - Yes, oreos are essential. 

One week today I'll be in Sheffield! I've found all 9 - yes, nine! - of my flatmates and I'm suuuuper excited to meet them all. If you're going to Uni next week like me, or if you're already there....HAVE FUUUUUUN.

See you in Sheffield,

Anna x

AUGUST 13TH

HELLO! Here is the start of a blog post I wrote on the night before Results Day...

Results Day. Those two, simple words are enough to frighten teenagers (and parents) all over the country. *See example. Safe to say, I'm terrified. Suddenly, this year Results Day means SO MUCH more. It doesn't just mean "Will I get an A in History?" or "I hope I get in to Sixth Form". Just the fear about grades is enough. But add in the fact that Universities are involved, and that's enough to tip me over the edge (or run away to a far away place). 

*Example: Earlier, I was out with my friends and one of us said "Results day is soon", and one of my other friends literally, DROPPED TO THE FLOOR. This is not a joke. She curled up in to a cocoon shape and muttered "Results day, results day...", like a crazed person.

I stopped there as I promptly fell asleep. It was about 1am, soooo. ANYWAY. Upon reflection, I didn't reaaaaally need to worry. I'm absolutely OVER THE MOON...I got A*AB. When I woke up this morning, I felt SO sick, as I'm sure thousands of other teens across the country did. But, I checked on UCAS before I went to school, and spent a good few painful minutes deliberating over whether "Congratulations, you have a place at the University of Sheffield!" meant that I was in or not. TURNS OUT IT DID, so lots of screaming/crying ensued.

At school, Harika and I nervously opened our results only to find that we got the exact same grades. YAHOOOO! All my friends did so well...I am crazily proud of all of them. Thank you to all of my besties and my amazeballs family for being the best support system ever during two years which have often been incredibly stressful.

I also told my Dad my results live on the radio this morning on his show...you can listen

here! After that aired, East Midlands Today heard it so rang me to ask for a TV interview! It was totally surreal having a film crew in my living room asking me about my results...If you want to watch it, I'll be on BBC 1 at 6:30 tonight, or Sky channel 960. I also went out for dinner earlier only to get a phone call from the Sheffield Star, asking if they could do an interview with me too...what a mental day!

Congrats to everyone who got their results today. Whatever your 'next step' may be, I hope it is an amazing, crazy, exciting one. Enjoy it. I'm off on my hols now, so have a superb summer!

Anna xxx

(As always....click here to vote for me as Blogger of the Year if you haven't already this month. THANKS.)

When Annie met Sally

Hola!

Firstly: I'M REALLY SUPER EXCITED TO BE BLOGGER OF THE MONTH AGAIN! Thank you so much to everybody who voted...Keep going because Blogger of the Year competition is coming up in August (this is basically a total of all the votes since we started blogging); VERY exciting. Ta daaaaa: www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/voting

Last weekend my friend from Wales, Sally, came to stay so I finally have something Uni-related to blog about. YAHOO! I met Sally in France when I was 15 and she was 14..so, being a year younger she's currently looking at different uni's and writing the dreaded personal statement. She wants to study Chemical Engineering (I attempted to understand what this is but my brain just couldn't hack it. Chemistry was never my subject. Or biology (or physics)). ANYWAYS, she came to see me in the wonderful land of Derby (no sarcasm intended) after an open day at Loughborough University, which she really liked. We spent the weekend attempting (and failing) to ride a tandem, having a massive picnic, and eating lots of ice cream.

Overall, Sally's visit made me realise a few things...

Firstly, although at the time of writing them, personal statements seem like THE. BIGGEST. DEAL. EVER, they're really not. Don't get me wrong, you can't spend two minutes writing it and produce 42 lines on how your passion for eating pizza can help you get to University. HOWEVER, predominantly I learnt that as long as you CRAM it with experience, along with a mega-enthusiastic passion to study your particular course, you're personal statement will be WONDERFUL. I spent hours changing teeny words and stressing about things like "DO I USE A COLON OR A SEMI-COLON??? THIS WILL DETERMINE WHETHER I GET IN OR NOT". It won't. Give yourself a slap in the face (or alternatively take a stroll) and remember that this is just another small step towards getting to the University you want to go to.

Secondly, enjoy it! Amongst all the stress, deciding what you want to do with your life is kinda a little bit exciting. Make your decision wisely and do what's best for YOU, not your parents, your friends or your great-auntie Hilda. Definitely not your great-auntie Hilda.

Speech over.

In other news, I started ACTUAL-UNIVERSITY-PREPARATION yesterday! My brother and I made home-made spaghetti and meatballs for tea, along with orange flapjack for pudding. I'm getting there right?

P.s After somebody pointed it out, I am starting to realise that I have a slightly extreme obsession with brackets and capital letters. I LOVE THEM. There I go again.

P.p.s Like the ingenious film reference?? Anybody?

Anna x

"That's your life sorted then!"....Really?

Hiya!

I better keep this short as my mountain of school work is metaphorically building as every second goes by. 

More importantly, approximately 6 minutes ago I made Sheffield my firm choice on UCAS! I am probably the most indecisive person on ever, so clicking that tiny mouse button was a BIG deal which involved a LOT of deliberation. This is mainly due to UCAS telling me that "Once you have made your decision, you cannot change your mind"...Thanks for that, NOT SCARY AT ALL.

But regardless, I clicked that button with confidence -maybe- whilst Dad cheered "That's your life sorted then!" I wish.

Overall, a daunting and exciting few seconds which certainly required their own blog post. All round YAY's.

Just to prove that this isn't one big conspiracy..honest.