The Day Before Results Day
To say that I was nervous the day before I could get my A-level results would be an understatement. I felt more like I was filled with a cold dread. Even though I felt like my exams went well, and I didn’t really need incredibly high grades to get into university, I was still really scared that I was going to open that envelope and feel really disappointed. It didn’t help that for the whole of the two years I’d spent at college, every single teacher had told me almost continuously how important these exams are, both to my life, and too my immediate future.
As always my family are as supportive as ever, and keep on telling me that I’ll be absolutely fine tomorrow, and they’ll be proud of me no matter what, even though they know I’ll have done well – but what my teachers kept on telling me keeps swimming around in my head, no matter what.
I keep on distracting myself throughout the day, getting through a few books by trying to do anything but think about picking up the results tomorrow. At the time of writing this part of the article, 8pm, I just want to fast forward to the morning, when I can just collect my results and know how I’ve done.
But only time will tell, I guess…
Here’s hoping I can get a few hours of sleep, at least.
Results Day
Thankfully I managed to get a few hours of sleep on the night before. I did wake up at 5am though, and was unable to get back to sleep before I had to get up at 7am to get ready to leave to pick up my results.
I was still incredibly nervous, and kept on doubting the fact that I’d even answered the questions on the exams properly, even though I knew, logically, that I’d done the best that I could and definitely answered the questions properly, because I reread them so many times and worked so hard when revising that I felt all the exams went well when I left the hall.
But the same doubts kept rushing around my mind as I made my way to my college to collect my results – probably because of all of my nerves and anxiety. I just couldn’t wait to get the results and know how I’d done.
Thankfully, because I got to college at the earliest time we were told to get there (we could collect our results from my college between 8am – 11am, and I arrived at exactly 8am). There wasn’t too much of a wait in the queue that had started forming in the building that had a ‘Results Collection This Way’ sign outside of it – our JCR and canteen. And it was nice to see a few friends, excited about either getting their results or officially getting their uni place, who all wished me luck as I nervously waited in the queue.
Then I actually had my results in my hand, and there was the even more nerve-racking drive back home, because I wanted to open my results in front of my family and in privacy, because I knew that whatever the outcome, I was definitely going to cry.
But I finally got home, and I opened them up. I didn’t check UCAS beforehand, even though friends had told me it had updated with whether we had been expected into our firm or insurance universities – I don’t know why, I kind of felt like it was cheating – so I went into it completely unsure of what I was going to find. Was I going to get my predicted grades? Was I even going to get into university? My hands were shaking as I tried to open up the envelope that had my A-level grades inside it.
But then saw my grades, and immediately burst into tears. In my wildest dreams I hadn’t thought that I would do so well – I ended up with A*BBA*, and got into my firm choice university to study my two favourite subjects, English and Creative Writing.
My family rushed to hug and congratulate me – they’d been telling me since I started the courses that I’d well, because I worked so hard, but I never fully believed them, mostly because of my anxiety – and there was a lot of ‘I told you that you’d do well! I’m so proud of you!’ That morning.
It was an incredible feeling to have all of my hard work and dedication pay off – I got way above my predicted grades, and would be officially attending university, something that I’d dreamed of doing since I was a kid, as well as being the first in my family to do so.
Then there was all the celebrating – including a lovely cooked breakfast, gifts and lots of hugs. That was my A-level results day, and I’m so grateful for all the love and support of my friends and family, as well as the fact that it actually turned out way better than I ever expected!
And now I’m going to start a new chapter of my life – my first year of university in September, and I can’t wait!
How did your A-level results day go? Let us know in the comments!
