Check your phone. Have a biscuit. Oh, and a cup of tea. Watch Netflix (whilst checking your phone). Cuddle your dog. Snap a picture of him for Snapchat. Have another biscuit. Listen to some music (whilst checking your phone). Make another cup of tea…. Does that sound like your procrastination routine? Like many students, if […]
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You want to study. You really do. But you find it so difficult to motivate yourself to do so. Instead of getting home from school and having a quick snack and drink before you hit the books you procrastinate like crazy. You watch an episode (or two) of your current favourite series on Netflix. You browse […]
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One of the things that I get really fed up about is grown ups (yes, I know I’m one) banging on about how social media is a disaster for students’ grades. Yes, social media has it’s down sides because when it’s used badly it can be a massive distraction and time suck. However, social media […]
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When you apply to Oxford or Cambridge you expose yourself to the very great risk that you will be rejected. The ratio of the number of applicants to the number of places means that you’ll probably be in the 75% or more of applicants who are rejected. Some will have their hard work and intelligence […]
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It sucks. Teachers schedule mock exams every January. That means, if you’re a conscientious student, that you need to spend the Christmas holidays revising. However, you don’t have to let revision ruin your Christmas holidays. Here are my top tips on stopping revision from ruining the most wonderful time of the year. How to stop […]
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I often talk about how important it is to do further reading, over and beyond the demands of your GCSE and A-Level courses. It’s vital because: Further reading will be the foundation of what you write about in your personal statement It allows you to deepen and broaden your knowledge of your subjects, making you […]
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I walked into a room packed full of people I didn’t know. The sight of them all stopped me in my tracks. For a second my courage left me and I felt like shrinking into a tiny ball or just turning around and leaving. But I didn’t. I reminded myself why I was there with […]
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It’s the final hurdle. You’ve written a stellar personal statement, sent off your very best work, taken the aptitude tests and now you’re going for interview. But, this is the trickiest, scariest part of the process because of all the stories that surround this mysterious meeting. Today, I’m going to show you how to prepare […]
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I often get emails from my blog readers asking me how to write an EPQ essay. It’s a big project and can be quite daunting. However, I think this type of independent academic research is incredibly important in preparing you for the kind of work you’ll be expected to do at university. Having just finished […]
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Ugh! What a nightmare… You’ve spent hours writing your personal statement, brainstorming everything you’ve done that makes you the perfect candidate for your course, crafting an opening sentence and tweaking your words. However, you’re way over the 4,000 character limit that UCAS puts on personal statements and you have no idea what to cut […]
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