Doom’s day

Or, as some of us youngsters call it, result’s day. This might sound like I’m being overly dramatic, but for some of us, this is a pretty big deal. 

Don’t get me wrong, I know life isn’t all about grades. We live and we learn, and as I mentioned before, we improve thanks to our mistakes. Sometimes, however, it can be terrifying to think that just a “stupid” letter or a number on the screen can decide your fate at this point in time. Sure, there are retakes and gap years, but the anxiety still lingers in all of us who are getting the results.

I’ll be a bit controversial here and say I’m pretty young. Yes being 17 might not allow me to say it out loud anymore, but this is the Internet and no one actually hears me talking (unless you’re FBI, in which case hello there!).

I just received my IGCSE results, which are important for they’re a part of my uni application. Well technics,lay I’ll receive them in a few days’ time but I’m writing it beforehand and I guess it’s kind of complicated… Let’s stop before my head hurts. Anyway, my IGCSE results are pretty important to me, and saying I’m not stressing out (even after getting them) would be a total lie. Because I am stressing out. If you measured my heart beat it would be equal to the one of a marathon’s runner right after the finishing line, no joke. Though that might have something to do with my lack of exercise – go figure yourself.

Back to the results. See, I always believed that letters should never define us. These results you’re going to hold in your hand are such a small part of you that they don’t even count as a part of you. Whether your results are amazing or not, it’s not the letters or numbers that count. It’s you who counts. And I want more people to be aware of it. 

Personally, I always set the bar high for myself. My family was always supportive and never pushed me to always get 100% on tests or anything crazy, since they always wanted me to be happy. As long as I was ready to stand behind what I achieved, they were happy too. Your family might not be like that. They might shout, tell you how disappointed ft hey are because you missed your uni offer, and how the money they put into you was just a waste. In that moment, I would like you to step back.

This might sound ignorant, but make this about yourself. Don’t let anyone try to belittle your achievements and your scores, no matter how close they are to you. You know you did your best at the time, and dragging yourself for “not doing that extra hour before the exam”, and thinking “I should’ve started revising earlier” will not help you either. Who you are as a person is so much more than a letter or a number on a screen, as these don’t show your personality, your character, your love and passion for some of these subjects. All they show is how you adapted to the standardized testing. Nothing more, nothing less. 

And please don’t think I’m trying to drag the whole education system (some parts do need improvement, but that’s beside the point). What I’m trying to tell you, whoever you are, is that this day and the results you get don’t define you and your future. There are so many different ways you can achieve your dreams. 

Whatever you get when you open that envelope or log in on the website, I want you to know it’ll be alright. 

Because if plan A didn’t work, remember the alphabet has many more letters. *

Good luck, and embrace the moment.
* Depending on where you live it can be quite a lot!
Obsessed