A beginning is a delicate matter and perhaps no beginning is more important right now than a transition to A-Levels, once the Cambridge International Examinations O-Levels results come out.
Four questions all students are asking: what are my results, what school will I get into, what subjects should I take in A-Levels, and how will this school and these subjects prepare me for university (in many cases a university abroad)?
We thought we should ask an expert on the subject about what other concerns or questions these students should be considering. We sat down with Zainab Khan, the head of an A-Levels section at one of the top schools in Karachi and asked her to comment in-depth on this topic.
What would you advise anyone who is not really sure about his or her direction and what subjects should be taken after completing one’s O-Levels?
First of all, you must keep a real focus on your goals and interests and not follow the crowd for the ‘cool’ subject or extracurricular. Otherwise you will over commit yourself and may miss out on the opportunities that you are really interested in. It is important to have a few friendly conversations with the A-Levels seniors of a school. They are an excellent source of advice, and should be cultivated. Avoid the tempting trap of getting stuck in a clique even if it’s the coolest clique in the school.The biggest advantage of A-Levels is the mingling of students from different backgrounds, different schools. Be confident! Reach out. Meet different interesting people.
You have to believe in yourself and you must trust that you will make it. And this belief is not the impractical ‘pipe dream’ type of confidence that I am talking about, but one built on real knowledge, real facts and real information — tap into the resources early — go meet counselors, get advice, support, information about subjects and universities, and social adjustment concerns.Most students tap into this much too late. Early on in their A-Level career, they are either too intimidated or they think they can handle it themselves. Be wiser, ask for help early.
What would you say to students who are thinking of college already?
When you think about it, A-Levels represents two very short years of your life, yet it is a very intense life and career altering milestone, which heralds adulthood — your mind is zinging with questions, ideas, and your attitudes and opinions are being formulated at this point. Many times students sign up for multiple extracurricular activities because they think it will look good on their resumes, but my advice to you is to do things for the right reasons, the deeper reasons. A university admissions’ counselor will always be looking for more quality than quantity. Trust your passions, your engagement, your real reasons for doing something and it will shine through.
Another common mistake that a lot of students make is that they very quickly become fixated on either one university or one location. It is important for them to explore with an open mind. In other cases, students feel as clueless at the end of the A-Levels as they did in the beginning, while they see their fellow students run around with defined plans for the future. It is important to understand that it is quite acceptable to apply to college one year after A-Levels, if one needs that extra time to figure out who one is, and in the long run one year does not make a lot of difference and does not take anything away from your life’s journey.
What should a student do if he or she feels lost among the confident types who look like they have it all figured out?
One of the ways you can divide up A-Level students is by those who over-claim and those who under-claim. Another aspect of being a newcomer is that as you look around you will see a lot of kids who are very ambitious, very loud and who proclaim what they do on campus. It is very important to not get left behind in your shyness. Stand up for the work you do and stand up for your engagement. Another important adjustment is for those students who are coming from a single gender school to a co-educational programme. Socially boys and girls can end up wasting a lot of time trying to feel comfortable talking to the opposite gender. Even if you do not feel confident, put on a persona of confidence — don’t be reserved and shy for too long.
Should one listen to one’s parents about which direction to take and what to do when one cannot decide on anything on their own? But what if the parents take the wrong message and start interfering too much?
Families play an important role in terms of your identity and support network during these years. A-Level becomes the point where a lot of students are trying to articulate an identity for themselves, which is separate from their families. And it is perfectly okay to do that. But do not do this at the expense of distancing yourself from them because they are not as ‘cool’ as you would like them to be. There is also the other extreme — where parents can be too pushy during A-Level years — it becomes about their dreams not yours. Voice your opinion, become yourself — while respecting their love. Give yourself time to adjust.You are you and so you need to have a realistic sense of what you are capable of. Give your best, try your hardest, don’t stress on how much smarter someone else is but also do not get complacent about how smart you are. Challenge yourself against yourself. And if you are having trouble in school — being bullied or ostracized — then share it with your family, and get help from your tutors and counselors.
And how can a counselor help?
Another good reason why counselors are important is that the more information you are able to gain the more you will understand that there are many college options to explore abroad and that there are many ways to work your way around financial aid. Do not remain in the prison of what your friends know, but explore, get the facts and you can find the way to your dream.
What’s an ideal number of subjects to take in A-Levels?
You have to balance this exploration with focus; some students go crazy by taking too many subjects in A-Levels in the hope of improving their chances of getting into better colleges. Do not over-stretch yourself. Five is the absolute maximum number of subjects you should take at the AS Level and then you need to cut them down further for the A-2 year.
What is the best piece of advice that you can give to a student who wants to study abroad after doing his or her A-Levels.
The important piece of advice I would give to any incoming A-Level student is to get in touch with your counselor, get information about what are considered ‘core’ subjects for your area of interest, what are the international exams you might have to face when you are considering a particular country or field to apply to. With regards to application counseling it is very hard to offer standardised one rule of thumb advice. It is better to do your research and apply to a maximum of eight to 11 schools when you are considering international admissions. Gain a real understanding of who you are and what you want to do and then generate eight really powerful applications. It is important to research each one carefully so that you compile a list of eight first choices — eight schools that you would happily go to, not because of a brand name, but because you know the details, the professors, and the ethos of that school and you can happily imagine yourself there for the next four years, because university life is another delicate beginning.