Hi! My name’s Annabel and I’ve just finished my first year of studying English here at York. Here is my results day story:
What are your top tips for preparing for results day?
I found the lead-up to results day to be super nerve-racking. Having already waited months to find out how I’d done in my exams, those last few days seemed to drag out! But I found that keeping myself as busy as possible really helped. I spent the day before results day having a fun day out in Manchester with my boyfriend, and we avoided the topic of results and uni as much as possible.
One mistake I did make was leaving myself with last-minute worries. I realised that the living costs at my back-up uni were a lot more than I expected, and started manically researching other unis. If you think you may have worries like this then try and do some research ahead of time, rather than googling things on your phone at 3am on results day, like I did!
What happened on results day?
My college was unusual in that they released our results online at 6am. I made sure that I knew how to access these ahead of time and set my alarm for 5:50am (OUCH!). Of course, the servers went down for half an hour so I sat waiting anxiously until they appeared. I was completely shocked that I’d exceeded my offer for York and was so, so chuffed with myself.
If your college doesn’t release online results, it’s worth checking UCAS track before you go in to collect them. Sometimes your first choice will accept you even if you’ve not made the grades. Checking this ahead of time can make opening that envelope a lot less scary!
To celebrate, my mates and I headed straight to Spoons for a much-deserved brunch. Most were really pleased with how they’d done, and those that weren’t are now really happy with where they are.
Why did you choose York?
I chose York because their English course is so innovative. I love that the department is called ‘English and Related Literature’ as this reflects how the curriculum acknowledges both the roots of English and its influences in foreign texts. Getting to study everything from Sophocles to Atwood keeps the course fresh and interesting.
The city is also gorgeous and you’re never short of anything to do. Whether you want to wander around the Shambles market or have a chill, cheap cocktail evening, York has it all.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you had to go through results day again?
I wish I’d gone to bed earlier, and not stayed up worrying about not making the grades I wanted! It’s important to remember that you’ve done as much as you can. If you worry, then you suffer twice. Getting a good night’s rest means that you’ll be equipped to deal with any possibility.
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