Self-care Is Not Always Pretty.

Notes —> Revision

I love whiteboards. They make me feel smart!

This was an intro to inorganic solid state synthesis and was essentially just a bunch of information that was handed to us. It’s rare that this type of thing happens in a chem degree... we are normally far more problem-solving than that. This reminds me more of GCSE or A level where we had to know a bunch of advantages and disadvantages for different processes and describe how they work. Hated it then, hate it now!

I love bees!

save the bees🐝

Me: The main problem isn’t necessarily the volume, it’s the dissonance

a neurotypical: if you have noise sensitivity why do you listen to loud music?

me: one loud noise is easier than 20 loud noises all at once.

Cambridge NatSci Admissions Test 2018

Oh dear Lord I’ve never felt so inadequate.

I didn’t realise the second paper was a calculator paper and was given a really crappy 50p one by school, which slowed me down.

I lost so many marks on being genuinely dumb. I just blanked.

I didn’t get break time today so I was sat on my own in a room (with an invigilator obvs) for two hours hungry, stressed and with a massive headache.

It was so much harder than the practice papers I did.

I’m sorry for the rant - I just need to get my feelings out so I can focus on thinking positively and put it behind me.

Anybody who sat it - good luck to you, fellow soldier. I wish you all the success in the world.

I finally have a usable desk lmao

I have three days’ worth of labs to do and I’m super excited for them! One of them is recycling PET water bottles - I’m planning my procedure before I do it on Friday:)

To any GCSE/A level students who have to teach themselves because of the coronavirus outbreak

Everyone is very much focused right now on Years 11 and 13, whose exams have been cancelled, but Years 10 and 12 will more than likely have exams next year that aren’t - and this time off means you’re losing a lot of teaching time. Whatever measures end up being taken for you next year, it’s important that you are still preparing yourselves for the eventuality that every exam goes ahead as normal. Even if it doesn’t, it’s better to be over prepared than underprepared. I imagine you’ll have been given resources to help you with this, but it’s not the same as being at school/college/sixth form.

So, if you need help with chemistry, French, German, biology or maths, I am happy to answer your questions. I took these subjects at A level and achieved A*AAAA, and I achieved 11 A* grades at GCSE. I am now doing a chemistry degree at a Russell Group university. I taught myself the A level maths course in a year, on my own - I know how difficult self-teaching is and I know that there will be people who will struggle more than others with this. I’m not saying this to brag at all; I’m saying that I am more than qualified to give you some tips if you would like them!

I have no doubt that your teachers will be doing their best to help you as well; I am just offering to do what I can because these are unprecedented circumstances. Nobody knows what next year will look like, or even if we’ll be able to return to our respective institutions in time for the new academic year. The best thing you can do for yourselves is to keep your heads down and do the best you can to keep learning, ready for your eventual return.

I know you probably feel a bit lost (or maybe you don’t - lucky you!) without a teacher in front of you to guide you, but if I were in your boat - and to some extent I am, because I still have to think about standing myself in good stead for next year - I’d be looking to do all I could to minimise my disadvantage.

(Obviously I am busy with my own work as well so I won’t be able to respond immediately, but wherever I am available I will try my best to give you a different perspective on a topic, or perhaps point you towards some new resources if I know of any!)

Good luck guys.

You are exceptional.

Thank you for existing.

I feel like so many people need to hear this because this message is getting lost in the noise of dismal politics and the aesthetics of everyone else’s lives.

P.S.

You do not need straight A’s to be exceptional.

You do not need to spend 24 hours a day making aesthetic notes to be exceptional.

You do not need to have your shit together all the time to be exceptional.

You do not have to be in an amazing mood 24/7 to be exceptional.

08/10/18 - 26/100 days of productivity

My brother gave me another cold, which is even worse than the last one! Which means I struggled to concentrate at home - especially because he stayed home, too. We also had a spectacularly placed fire drill right at the start of my first lesson of the day, which was mildly irritating. That said, I am currently revising AS Stats to prepare for starting A2 and have done all the homework I’ve been set. I also FINALLY finished L’invitée!

I started on the 13th June 2018 with Pure Maths. I finished Pure Maths on the 26th July. And I finished Stats and Mechanics today after taking a few weeks off to rest. This feeling is what makes it worth it.

22/2/2020

We love tutorials! Photo is a bit bad but it’s late and I feel bad for neglecting this account haha