Looking Backwards And Looking Forwards

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From the end of Coronavirus restrictions to beginning to sit real exams again, the year has already been an eventful one and doesn’t show signs of slowing down. With a long summer ahead after an already busy year, we have many things to both look back at and look forward to.

So far…

The first six months of 2022 have certainly been chaotic. To begin with, in January, Coronavirus cases had reached unthinkable numbers, with a total of over 300 million cases worldwide. This was later met with an end to all restrictions in the UK, having discovered more about the new Omicron variant. Things then seemed to get remarkably worse, with the start of the Ukraine crisis in February. Throughout the year, we have seen several protests as well as calls for donations and support in response to these events. On a more national level, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee was celebrated in June - a once in a lifetime experience. 
 
Despite an incredibly difficult year, there are many exciting events coming up as we enter summer. There is a lot we can look forward to and many things we can hope for and have the potential to change.

What’s coming up?

With summer beginning and a new academic year just a corner away, we have a lot to look ahead to. For many, there is the start of NCS, with two to three weeks of incredibly exciting activities for participants. Alongside NCS, such a long summer means the start of free time. Some of you may be participating in summer schools, attending open days or preparing to complete a university application in September. Others of you may be looking forward to receiving your exam results, hanging out with friends or visiting potential colleges. As the weather gets increasingly hotter, this also means the start of barbecues, holidays, festivals and more. An exciting year also awaits current year 12 and year 11 students, with many beginning work, apprenticeships, or college, and university applications. 
 
Although this can be quite a stressful time for many, the year offers us a lot to look forward to. With so much prepared, we can all look forward to relaxing after a significantly long period of exams and beginning a new stage of life. 

My year…

Taking a more personal perspective, it has definitely been a largely successful year so far. At the beginning of the year, I received results that I was greatly proud of after weeks of hard work. I was also able to complete a week of work experience in a law firm, which ignited my passion for law more. I was also accepted into a few amazing outreach programmes, allowing me to complete another work experience and further my knowledge in different areas. As the academic year reached its peak, there were many more successes awaiting me. Having utilised May to study, June marked the beginning of ‘end of year exams’ or ‘mocks’.. Receiving my results was possibly a highlight of my year and allowed me to feel more confident about entering year 13. I also had a great opportunity to participate in two different summer schools, giving me further insight into law and my aspiration to study it at a higher level. 
 
Despite having an amazing year so far with a lot of successes, there has been an equal amount of failures. In February, I no longer had a job due to the end of Christmas contracts and had to search again. While the amount of free time I had certainty felt like a success to me, I quickly realised I was losing out on the opportunity to save funds for future needs and also consequently had to think about budgeting much more. While I managed to resolve this problem relatively quickly, there was still stress involved in this. Additionally, I began to encounter problems with my grades and homework when I started working again. With the stress and pressure of starting a new job alongside participating in so many new programmes, I struggled to maintain my routine, which resulted in my grades being less than I had hoped. This drop in my grades could have also been a reflection of another prominent problem - a drop in my mental health. It is definitely important to recognise that many students, especially as exams approach, experience quite a significant amount of stress, anxiety and even depression. While this is most definitely not a failure and is something we should discuss more, it is a reflection of something I could have done better this year. Mental health issues are unavoidable, and so it is important to take a step back when you are beginning to feel overwhelmed! 
 
Overall, this year has shown me that it is always important to focus on yourself - it will never take away from your ability to have a successful year, however that looks to you.
 
The past six months have given us a lot to think about. Although the year may have been unsuccessful and chaotic to some of us, we have all succeeded in some way this year - whether that was attending lessons, focusing on yourself, participating in activities, making new friends, getting up, or being kind to yourself. There is definitely much more chaos ahead, but also much more excitement and enjoyment.