Whatever results you get today, remember that they do not say everything there is to know about you, writes columnist James Williams. A levels, BTECs etc are all measures of “you” but they do not define you as a person. You won’t get a grade for your kindness to others or your happiness.
There is no exam question on the joy you spread among your friends and family. Although in some ways I am lucky to have had a long career in education , it wasn’t all easy and predictable. My O levels – the old equivalent of GCSEs – were not spectacular.
Neither were my A levels. I missed getting into my choice of university course and ended up, through clearing, in a similar course at another college in London. However, life has a funny way of working out.
I did get into my first choice university, King’s College London, to complete a Master’s degree. So if things do not work out for you today, don’t panic. There are, for example, over 200 courses in clearing at Sussex University including childhood and youth, art history, data science and international relations.
Very few universities are not in the clearing process, eg Oxford and Cambridge, so there is plenty of choice. If you did better than expected, you can also think about moving to another university that has higher entry qualifications but remember you may well have chosen your course not just on the university reputation, but after visiting and seeing what else it has to offer – especially where it is located. A .