Most of the exams you gave possibly don’t matter in life, but when you get to O Levels, it suddenly does. A piece of paper which can really dictate the trajectory of your life. From applying to university and qualifying for scholarships to getting a job one day.
These were all the thoughts going through my mind after quitting school for private coaching for O Levels preparation. This was me starting my O Levels preparation.
Take this as your MEN vs NATURE of surviving O Levels. This is my first reality check experience.
I started my O Levels preparation in 2021, one year ahead of my peers. This was an advantage as it allowed me to finish O levels faster in 2022. However, let’s not underestimate the grunt work that went behind. Self-study is crucial and no GREAT teacher with a portfolio of A* students can help you transcend without it. Moreover, O levels class are generally filled to the brim, so it is imperative you ask acutely specific questions to get the most out of your mentor. This will expedite your study and QNA session.
Now, studies are not the entirety of life pursuing O levels. The transition from school, an institute-based education to private education is half of that of Mike Powell’s 8.95m world record. From social circle to daily routine, all aspects of my existence were altered. The only thing kept me sane was having a long-term goal, and drawing my life around achieving that goal. Then, I used the couch change amount of spare time to learn other salient life skills, in my case, writing and freelancing. Although to keep matters rooted, you must feel a sense of urgency, just know this much if you think you have time, think again, you really don’t. John F. Kennedy said this the best – “we must use time as a tool, not as a couch”.
Amongst all the right things I have done during my ‘O levels Era’, I have also been in between questionable situations. For instance, I was reportedly over-optimistic, and was a victim of setting unrealistic goals that did not follow the SMART method. Additionally, I was too focused on the results and getting into a good university, I was frequently living in the future, which inevitably resulted in high levels of anxiety and affected my preparations. Furthermore, due to break off from my old friends, it took a while for me to get over my social anxiety and get my new set of friends. Therefore, the whole year I kept to myself and displayed all the typical antisocial behaviors. This maybe underrated, but not working-out enough can lead to bad mental and physical state, most commonly for students’ brain fog and bad back are prevalent. Lastly, I might be calling out an entire generation of people, but spending too much time on social media and mindless scrolling can be detrimental to your young, malleable mind. This habit will most definitely impact your attention span and memory health. Fun fact: dogs have an attention span of a minute, while humans have 8.25 seconds!
And that’s been my life from 2021 to 2022. Few things to keep in mind is that ‘you really don’t know everything, even if you think so’. Also, it’s better to commit to anything you want to do even if it’s extra-curricular rather than pondering in between. Truth be said, most of your learning will be from doing, so don’t be afraid to take action and make mistakes.
Shaikh Ahsan Jamee is an A Levels student. He can be reached by e-mail at: ultraalfagates@gmail.com
