MY NCS STORY!

Hey guys, so today I'm going to talk to you about my experience on NCS and what I have learnt from the experience!

NCS = National Citizenship Service - it's a great way to meet people close to your age and to do something worthwhile in your summer. NCS is open to 15-17-year-olds and also looks fab on your CV which makes you more employable. Win win!

My experience, in general, was great. The first week was inevitably the hardest. I'm pretty much a home bird and rarely stay anywhere other than my house (except for sleepovers). This meant that the week residential away from home was super hard. Don't get me wrong I loved the activities with my team and my mentor was really supportive but I just missed home. Also, I was in a team with 14 people that I didn't know but I realised that everyone is in the same boat so I made a few friends. I'm no social butterfly though!

Week 2 was a lot better. I stayed in University accommodation which was really fun! Also, the girls in my flat were all lovely. On the first night, we had a Come Dine With Me evening where 3 groups of 2 had to make a dish and I really enjoyed going to the shops with my 'flatmates' and choosing what to make. Unfortunately, I had to leave a day early from this week so I missed the First Aid course with the army! I was gutted.

I much preferred week 3. My team and I met at a nearby college and planned our social action project. This meant that after each day I could go HOME! The social action project is where you and your team set a weeks worth of fun events in order to help raise money for a charity. We chose Newlife as the money raised is used closer to home. I also ran all the social media aspect of our campaign so most of my work was done at home.


Week 4 was by far the greatest. On Monday we bag packed at large superstore and I loved it. The customers were very generous and I loved the whole idea of giving something back to the community. Tuesday was a great night we hosted a party with two other teams and had a whole lot of fun. Wednesday was Super Sonic Boom which is an event for teenagers - we held an awesome bake sale. On Thursday was the sponsored 10-mile walk - we raised over £200 alone on this event. On Friday, however, we had planned another bake sale but the rain came  and threw us of our plans. Our mentor, however, said that we had all done our 60 hours and let us have the day free.

Overall I've learnt social skills as I didn't know any people in my team and now a few are very good friends. I also learnt that giving back to the community is such a rewarding feeling!

If you live in the UK and are aged between 15-17 sign up now for next summer! What are you waiting for?

Find out more: http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/

Thanks,
Amber
xx

MY GCSE RESULTS!

Sorry pals that this one is a little late, i've just been caught up in the whirlwind of results!

I didn't get what I expected to get nor what I hoped for. I have been a little down the past 24 hours but that's normal - results do not determine your life.

I know that some people got a billion A*'s and I can honestly say that I am happy for them. Considering all the things that I have been through the last year (hospital related) I am pleased with myself. I do however feel as though I could've put more hours in the prep for each exam.

I am getting 2 papers remarked as I was one of the A - I'll point those out down below!

Religious Studies - A
Economics - B
English Language - A*
English Literature - A
Maths - B
Media - C
History - B (one of the A)
Science - A
Additional Science - B
Geography - B (one of the A)
Statistics - A
ECDL - Distinction (equivalent to an A)

All in all : 1 A*, 5 A's. 5 B's and 1 C

However if the remarks work in my favour I'll have 7 A's and 3 B's (fingers crossed)!

So those are my results - i am thankful that I passed all my subjects!

What did you get if you opened your results for any exams!

Thanks,
Amber

If you would like a post on how i feel I could've done better on some exams and how I achieved the grades I did then comment below!

GCSE RESULTS DAY TIPS! ARGHHHHHHH!

JUST FINISHED NCS (it was ok, but I really wanted to do a post on this topic so bear with me)

So many of you in the UK may have already opened the dreaded brown envelope the Thursday that has just gone. However the majority of you may have the anxious wait until the Thursday that is coming up. I am one of those who are anxiously waiting.

Thursday 25th August: GCSE Results Day and to be honest I am bricking it. I know that in family that there is no competition but my brother set the bar quite high. And as I am from an Asian background I feel as though the pressure is on me. However my parents are not like most (stereotypical) Asian parents. They are not expecting anything from me, like my brother. They said that they would be happy with whatever I get.

The pressure I feel though is not from my immediate family it is from others like aunties in particular. I feel as though they are expecting less from me because of a) my brother and b) my past health issues!

I am determined to prove them wrong but all of that proving lies in the brown envelope. I need 6 C's or above to get in to the college I want to which I want to believe I have achieved.

I know that I will be super nervous when I open my results BUT remember that grades don't define you at all! Just keep that in mind when you open the envelope.

Here are a few tips I think will help you survive results day:

1) BREATHE - it's not the end of the world if you don't get the grades you wanted there are options to re-take and re-mark your papers!
2) DON'T BRAG - I remember one of my old friends coming in to school showing of her older brothers grades and I just stood there and didn't say a word because it's not for the whole word to know what my brother got. I think if someone asks you what grades you got you should tell them. Also don't start asking people who look really upset what they've got with a big grin on your face. Instead comfort them.
3) DON'T COMPARE - People are different, you've probably learnt that through your whole life. This then leads on to the point that some people may have done better/worse in the same exam. WHO CARES! It's what you've got and that all should be focused on, so what if Sally down the road got an A* and you got an A.

Breathe, stay calm and GOOD LUCK!

Also I hope the people who did open their A-level results on Thursday 18th August got what they wanted!

Lots of love,
Amber
xx