Comment: After A Levels – The period between results and first day at university

The hard work is finally over (for now) and the period of collecting your results in technically the hardest examinations that you will ever do, has finally arrived.

It’s a great feeling, the anticipation of arriving to either school or college to find out where the next educational pathway will take you. I recall it very vividly indeed. I was working for Warwick District Council as a playleader (summer job) for the Playscheme at Acre Close in Whitnash.

Results day on August 17 that year was a boiling hot day and we had opted to take the children down to the local brook between Whitnash and Sydenham; they enjoyed a fabulous afternoon. We returned to Acre Close and it was home time for the children. Parents of the children, very kindly, wished me good luck as they knew I was going to collect my results at this point. Minutes later my mum and dad arrived to give me a lift from the community centre at Acre Close to Warwickshire College to collect those results. The journey felt like a lifetime. We arrived at the college and I felt a juxtaposition of both nervousness with some slight optimism.

I walked into the college, up the stairs and along to the main office to learn of my results. It was good news, I had passed my A Levels in English, Sociology and Law and had achieved the grades which would allow me to accept one of my four conditional offers either at Chichester, East Anglia, Lampeter or Sunderland University. It’s here though, that the real challenge of choice and organisation really becomes important.

When considering this there are several key factors and this definitely helped me at this time, hopefully the following will help all of you who are about to embark on the most exciting and memorable period of your life. It’s really helpful to possibly ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I want to stay relatively close to home or is it time to go further afield?
• If I haven’t already been to visit, could I perhaps do a visit or two in the next few days prior to accepting my offer?
• Is it a small or a large university that may be better for me?
• Will I be wanting to come home regularly or am I happy with just two or three times a year?
• Shall I go to a town or a city?
• Do I have any affinity with any of the places that I have been offered?
• Do I want to go to the same university with existing friends or is it time to make a complete break and become totally independent?
• Course and living wise, is this going to be the right place for me?
• What are transport links like between home and university?

There are other potential options to consider too, however, these are, in my opinion, fundamentally the most important areas.

From a personal point of view, after considering all of the above, I opted for Sunderland University. Interestingly I was the only person from Warwickshire College, out of 596 entries, to higher education that year to go there. Did it tick all of the boxes? Initially, I would have liked to have been a little closer to home rather than the distance of 223 miles, however, as time went on, this became less and less of a factor. In terms of everything else, it was the best thing I ever did.

That first time away is always a bit challenging. It was a real change! I was on my own and Sunderland and the North East was vastly different to what I was used to in Leamington Spa. This, however, is only temporary and within a couple of months it is the norm and, before you know it, you’ll feel a real part of it, you won’t want to change it, you’ll be established and you will feel like you have been there for years!

The big choice really is: Where shall I go? Don’t ever worry that you will make the wrong choice, you won’t, wherever you go, there will always be various things that will make this the most memorable and enjoyable time of your life. However, always bear in mind that three to four years is a long time, so it’s important to go where will make you happy. It’s a change and this is always a challenge but this is only temporary. It’s difficult to put a time frame as to when that day comes where you are ‘completely settled and at home’ but, I would say, this takes around four to six weeks. This is when the reality of your university life really kicks in.

The next key steps for you to have a great and really positive start are:

• Have discussions with friends and family and decide as to where you will go. Ultimately you have to make the decision, there will always be that one place that stands out for whatever reason
• Accept your place, get in contact, confirm and then the university can process your place and the contact can become more regular as you prepare for the big day of departure
• Sort out your accommodation nice and early (you’ll get support from them with this, however, be early and proactive). That way you will get offered the best halls of residence, etc. Get some recommendations. I would strongly recommend halls for your first year, this is where you meet some of the best friends that you will ever have throughout your time as you strive together to achieve that common goal
• Don’t worry if you haven’t managed to visit or see the university prior to actually starting. I never saw Sunderland University until the day that I started but then spent the next four years absolutely loving it
• Try to do some research on the student union, bars, nights out, key places to go, what is on, where and which night, etc
• Don’t, of course, lose sight as to why you are there though!!! There are going to be some fabulous times ahead for you, this will be juxtaposed with those challenges which come alongside all the academic study as you aim for the highest goal and achievement and, ultimately, a very successful career.

There is no doubt that, leading up to your day of departure, you will experience a whole range of emotions, this is entirely normal. It’s a strange feeling, particularly if you are going away from home, in the days leading up to it. Thoughts such as:

• I’m not going to see my friends for a good while
• I will really miss my family
• I’ll miss my pet or pets
• It’s going to be a long time away initially
• I am going to have to fend for myself and won’t have the creature comforts of home.

These feelings are entirely normal. It’s a massive, but very exciting, change in your life and, yes, things will be very, very different but please be reassured that time will play a great part and you’ll get used to life at university relatively quickly, before you know it, it will be the norm and you can’t imagine life any other way. Whilst there are things and people to get used to, it will get easier as time goes on. Try not to dwell on what you have left behind in the short term, focus on what you have now. This experience will remain with you for a lifetime. Remember, those who are close to you and care about you, all want to know that you are happy and enjoying your new life.

It may feel like a ‘lifetime’ before you get home again. That first term might go quite slowly at times. It did for me, I started in September and didn’t return home until Christmas. Like most things though, may the absolute best of it, the time will fly by as your university life progresses.

Always remember:

• You will be home again
• You’ll see all of your friends at home again
• And, in terms of you’re loved ones (pets included) you WILL be together again.

Don’t ever lose sight of the fact that all of your loved ones are incredibly proud of your achievements. Well done, congratulations and enjoy the next few weeks on making that key decision now that you have the passport and qualifications to go onto higher education. Congratulations, good luck and enjoy/embrace every minute.

In my next feature, I’ll talk about the day of departure from home and the day of arrival at university.