by Imani Sabir , 1st Dec 2022
Trying to navigate that creaky bridge between your teen years and adulthood can be tough, right? I’m sure sixth form students across the country are feeling that same stress and pressure to perform, to make whoever it is you want to make proud, even if it is just yourself. And whilst getting caught up in the conundrum of academic life, you tend to forget to look after yourself. These final years of secondary school can be tricky and I empathise greatly, so, here are some key lessons (& maybe some hard truths) that I’ve learned that may help you along the way. 1. It’s okay to be selfish. While it’s perfectly admirable to want to help your friends & your peers, getting too lost in that helpfulness will start to become a problem. Constantly accepting to offer your support to others can mean that you forget about your own needs, even neglecting them completely at times. Now is the time where you get to write your next chapter; I definitely advise being selfish and putting yourself as a priority since you’re the only one in charge of your own future and what you do with it. 2. Failure does not make you inadequate. If you’ve just completed a test and didn’t get 30/30 on that essay, or you didn’t complete that graph question correctly, don’t panic. Especially in the beginning, it is expected that you won’t nail each task from the get go since it is such a big jump from GCSEs and KS3. After all, A-Levels are called Advanced Levels for a good reason, it takes a lot of practice and mistakes before you perfect the skills for when May comes around. It’s the bridge between secondary school and university, so don’t be disheartened if you don’t achieve perfection as quick as you’d anticipated. 3. Everything is what YOU want. Still wondering what lies next for you after sixth form? A word of advice; it’s what lies ahead for YOU, not the people around you. A lot of people tend to let their parents influence their chosen route, be it university, work, travel, a degree apprenticeship or anything else. And most of the time, they end up completely regretting being swayed to pick something that doesn’t align with what they can truly see themselves enjoying and thriving in. So, make sure, when you do make that choice, that you know it’s what’s in your heart, not just what’ll please everyone around you. 4. You don’t need to know who you are yet. The human brain doesn’t fully develop to its full capacity until you’re 25 years old. That should be a clear indication that it’s okay if you’re still learning things about yourself, even grown adults that I know learn more about themselves every day and are still growing as people. A life plan does not need to be definitive and definitely does not even need to be made at this stage, all that matters is living in the moment and doing yourself justice the way you see fit. 5. Don’t be afraid to let people go. Some people are cemented in the idea that their secondary school friendships will last forever, especially when that time is coming to an end and you’re thinking of when you’ll see them again. And while you may have an amazing group of friends, it’s natural for people to drift apart from each other. It’s not always worth trying to solidify who your friends are when you’ve still got a full life to live and you may meet even more amazing people down the line. You’re still growing and realising what you really want. You may become a new version of yourself that might want to surround yourself with different company, so don’t be scared to let those changes happen. 6. If it makes you happy, it’s not a waste of time. You can often get caught up with the immense workload you’ll receive once you start sixth form, probably feeling like there shouldn’t be time for anything else. But, it’s so important to have a balance. Particularly in Year 12, when you don’t make time for what you enjoy & what helps you unwind after stressful periods, you’ll only end up with one thing: burnout. And trust me, the last thing you want is burnout when you’re trying to stay motivated. It’ll only drag you down and de-incentivise you to do anything productive. 7. The only person you’re in competition with is yourself. Nobody cares if you’re not the smartest person in the room. If the person next to you is getting full marks and you’re missing that 100% by a few, that shouldn’t dampen your day. Comparing yourself to others will only deepen any insecurities you have about your own worth as a student. The only thing that should matter is whether or not you’re improving your own work and seeking academic validation from yourself and your teachers; even then, your teachers may suggest something to you that may not always work. So, only worry about what you’re doing, you’re not in a race with anybody for first place. 8. You can, you will. If things start getting difficult and you feel like you have to regroup, sure, you can set things aside and come back to them when you feel calmer. But, pretending like your priorities don’t exist and escaping from what you need to face at hand will only increase your hardships. So put yourself at ease, and have faith in yourself because all of your efforts will not go in vain if they’re consistent and you persist. You can and you will, do it. Hopefully, reading these resonated with anything you’re facing at the moment and were able to alleviate some of your worries, concerns or doubts with some words of support. These 8 things helped strengthen me as a student in the last couple of years, 2021-22 especially, and I’ve learned a lot from this. If you have any more questions you’d like to air out to me, you can drop me an email, LinkedIn message or comment down below! @[email protected] http://linkedin.com/in/i-sabir
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