Emily (16) has some advice for young students!

During my time in secondary school I realised that teachers want what’s best for you. However, there are also many things that they don’t tell you which I now know. I am now in Year Twelve (Sixth form) and wish to share some of my findings with you.”

Firstly, exams aren’t as big and scary as teachers make them out to be. Do you remember SATS in year six? Everyone was terrified of these tests at the time but now they seem like nothing. They paint the exams as a monster to encourage you to revise but they aren’t as bad as they seem! Of course, you should always try your hardest to do well but if you don’t pass something it isn’t the end of the world. Try not to get stressed before every single test!

Secondly, you don’t have to be perfect. I spent so much time at secondary school trying so hard to complete all my work and be a perfect student that I forgot to see my friends and enjoy myself at school. Even while you are busy doing your GCSE’s, A-Levels or university studies, there should always be some time put aside to enjoy yourself and relax for a moment.

Making new friends is not as hard as it may seem. It’s important to reach out to people, ask them their name and get to know them.

At the beginning everyone seems confident but the truth is that nobody is.”

People will really appreciate you making the first effort and starting a conversation. This is what I realised when I moved to take my A-Levels at a better school. It was the first time I had ever moved school since I was a child. At first I was terrified but I made an effort to talk to people around me in my classes and pretended I was confident until I actually was.

It can also be difficult to manage both your social and school life.”

Teachers are likely to give you a lot of work and assume you will find the time to complete it. Sometimes you may feel like you have to choose between your social life and your education. This is not the case! With a bit of organisation, you can find time for both. When I was younger, I left my work to the very last minute and then often panicked and did it all in one go.

However, I learnt from my mistakes and realised that the best way to stay on top of it is to do a small portion every day. This may seem annoying for procrastinators like me but it will stop the work from building up into a mountain of uncompleted essays and practise questions. It may not seem like it at first, but this will give you way more free time because you won’t have to use a large chunk of your time completing all the work you haven’t done.

I wish I knew all these things sooner but they can still be applied in the future for things such as A-Levels, university and any other studies.