First week: When you might drop out and how to persevere

So you’ve made it through your first week of STEM A-levels. Congratulations! It must’ve been tiring, but you got through it. Everyone’s first week of A-levels is different. Some schools may decide to take it nice and easy whilst others may subject you to the nitty-gritty of things as soon as you step through the doors. Either way it can be quite overwhelming and a lot of important decisions are usually made within the first few days. It may take one Maths lesson for you to decide that you’d rather be studying English.

So what do you do if after a few physics lessons you become so disheartened that you want to leave? What if you convince yourself maybe you just can’t cut it? Do you give up? Tell yourself you’re probably never going to get it or do you carry on? Of course, here at BLOSSOM, we highly encourage you to carry on. But we also know that you might have the highest amount of willpower ever known to humankind but after jumping the huge gap between GCSE’s and A-levels, this can easily dwindle. So what to do if your willpower is slowly getting chipped away? Here are some common doubts:

1- This is so hard! I can barely understand the first week, how am I going to get through two years of this?

You bet it’s hard. But one thing you need to know is that no A-levels are easy, unfortunately that’s just the nature of them. However another thing you need to know is that it gets easier. This is your first week, you’re not supposed to be an expert yet that’s the whole point. In fact we’d go as far as saying that if you did understand everything; you’re probably doing something wrong. You are student that is here to learn, by definition you’re not supposed to know everything yet. Understanding takes time, learning takes time and nothing is supposed to click in the first week.

2- Why does everyone seem to understand this but I don’t?

Comparison will not help you in the first week of your A-levels or any week to be honest. We’ll let you in on a little secret. The majority of people in your classes are thinking the exact same thing as you but are just trying really hard to hide it. I’m sure if you asked them, they’d say something along the lines of ‘Phew! I thought I was the only one who didn’t understand what was going on!’ There are very few people that like to admit that they don’t understand something, especially when it comes to STEM subjects, so trust us, not everyone gets it they’re just suddenly very good actors. And if they do, they can explain it to you. Even better!

3- I’m pretty sure if I’d chosen Art or English I’d be having a much easier time.

Wrong! First of all this is just plain rude to people taking Art or English. These subjects both take a lot of time and effort and should never be seen below STEM subjects. So reject this idea that they are ‘easier’, it’s just that most people are scared of trying out STEM subjects because they’ve convinced themselves that they’re too hard before even giving them a go. You have a brain so you can learn maths as much as you can learn art. It’s not some rigid choice, it’s not like you can’t have one without the other. And let’s say you were less challenged, where’s the fun in that? Also, unfortunately in the society we live in today it’s much easier to stick it out with the sciences and then later on in life turn to art rather than start with the arts and switch to the sciences.

4- I’m too stupid for these subjects. My brain just isn’t wired for STEM subjects.

Excuse our language here but this is complete rubbish. In our humble opinions, there are no such things as wired brains for certain subjects. We all have brains that can take in information, some of us may be more creatively or logically inclined but this has nothing to do with how stupid we are. If someone can think it up, somebody else can learn it. It’s really that simple. Anyone telling you otherwise, is either making you feel stupid so that’s something they have to personally deal with and it’s none of your business or they’ve managed to categorise people into two sections: the logical and the creative. Hence, cutting out whole sections of opportunities they could’ve obtained if they hadn’t convinced themselves that such rigid barriers exist which are actually just in their minds. In conclusion, you’re not stupid, no one is. We just learn things at different paces, and faster doesn’t equate smarter.

5- My teachers aren’t giving me that much support. I’m pretty sure they want me to fail.

It’s your first week, in most cases your teachers don’t even know who you are yet. And if they do and they really aren’t showing you that much support, guess what? A-levels are the beginning of independent study! Of course nobody wants teachers that aren't supportive - especially if you have to see them day in day out – but this is the point in your academic life where things are in your hands and bad teachers are just an obstacle that you’re going to have to get past unfortunately. You have classmates, family and others you know that will provide the support you need. Plus, you don’t want to close the door on so many great opportunities just because a teacher didn’t believe in you. We don’t want to sound corny but sometimes you really just have to believe in yourself even if you're the only one cheering you on.

In conclusion, you’ve got this, you’ve got 100% track record of surviving your first week of school and nothing good came easy, so stick it out and just know it will pay off!