Results Day Worries

Hello everyone! I am soon approaching my university results day to find out what grade I will finally graduate with and I’m sure many of you will also be stressing over university, GCSE and A-level results days while you anxiously await your grades.

Months of hard work and sustained focus coupled with the pressure of having to make crucial decisions about the immediate and long-term future can leave students feeling overwhelmed. Stress is a natural survival response that can enhance performance at optimal levels, but it can have a negative impact on your health, performance and well-being. I feel that having completed my three years as an undergraduate at university I have learned a lot about managing my own expectations and stress levels so that I can now use it to my advantage to stimulate my learning and revision rather than it being detrimental to my studies and this is a skill that all students and people will learn through experience during their lifetime. Once you have completed your final exams, give yourself the opportunity to celebrate this achievement and reflect on all the great things that you have managed to do in the run-up to your results rather than dwelling upon any negative feelings or doubts you may have about how your exams went.

Furthermore, once you have completed your final exams and assessments you have done all that you can to work towards the grades that you want and you must try to think positively despite your lack of control during the often daunting and excruciating wait between your last exam and your results day. Try not to panic and stress as the chances are that you will have done as well as you need to in order to progress onto the next chapter in your life, whether that be going to college, university or a starting a career. If you’re struggling to keep your mind off results day while you wait then try to keep as busy and occupied as you can, surround yourself with your close friends and family while enjoying your summer and time off!

On your actual results day, if you can’t bear to collect your results before knowing if you have secured your place at your chosen university, check UCAS Track when you wake up on results day as this will give you confirmation if they have accepted your offer but you will not be given your actual grades through this website and will still have to collect them in person from your school. Don’t forget that if things don’t quite go the way you had planned, there will be plenty of other options, opportunities and things you can do to try to get back on track. If you’re an A-level student, get on the phone straight away to the university that you want to attend to see if they will accept the grades that you have achieved and you may still be offered a place from your insurance choice as well as the option of clearing, resitting some exams or exam reviews and appeals if all that falls through. For those of you who don’t know, clearing is the process by which universities and colleges fill any places they have remaining on their courses and this could be an ideal solution if you don’t manage to get the grades you need.

Most importantly, stay calm, don’t panic or stress, and try to think positively (or not at all) about your exams and results before your results day; it’ll all work out in the end!

Thanks for reading, Kristie