Stress Free Essays & Exams - Who Would've Thought It?!

Hey everyone!

Today's post is all about how you can get your school/college/university work done and done efficiently with minimum stress impact. Exams and essays without stress...is it possible? Yep!

We all know the consequences of stress; your immune system decreases, anxiety levels rise, nerves hike and let's be honest - a minimal amount of work actually gets done because you're too busy worrying and stressing over it!

In my own experience, whenever I have an essay, project or exam deadline coming up, I will go through different stages of stress but I have learnt to control it in a roundabout way. First I will go through some stress emotions I'm sure everyone experiences at one point or another:

1. The initial "when your teacher sets the deadline" stress. You know it's about a month away but you feel like you shouldn't be enjoying what free time you have because it's always at the back of your mind.
2. When you do your best to forget about the deadline but then a week or so later, it hits you again and you start thinking "I really should get started on this essay/project/exam revision".
3. When you actually sit down to start it and you find yourself sitting staring at the same blank page 2 hours later and you're putting more pressure on yourself to actually get something started but this pressure is preventing you from actually allowing yourself to write anything because all you can think about it the blank screen in front of you.
4. A week before the deadline and you've thankfully got something written down, whether it's a first draft or you're nearly ready to make the finishing touches and you finally start to feel a bit calmer about the whole situation and you can see the finish line.
5. You are now making the finishing touches and you're reading over your essay/revising what you've memorised and you realise you haven't properly answered the question/you can't remember anything.
6. This is the worst part because it's fight or flight - you either rectify it by making major adjustments and quickly/cram in lots of revision until you feel your brain can't take it anymore or you just give up and think "what will be will be" and hope for the best.
7. Then there's the after stress of handing it in and waiting for the dreaded result.

Hopefully, this doesn't happen every single time you have an essay/exam but don't worry - you aren't alone!

Now here's some tips I've learnt to stop the stresses above from happening again:

1. When you get an essay/exam date, spend the first day thinking about what possible options you have, what you could write about and how you plan to do it. Don't write anything down, just think about it!
2. A couple of days (maximum 3 days) make a plan. Even if it's quite rubbish. Jot down in bullet point form what you might want your first, second, third, fourth etc., paragraph to include. If it's for an exam: write what you need to know, how long you're going to need on each section (be realistic - this is why you've started early. Don't give yourself 2 hours for one topic, try and give yourself at least a day and a half/ 2 days on each section/topic). Writing plans, as geeky as it may seem, calm me down a lot. With a plan, I've got everything written down that I need to know and remember, so when you see it actually on paper I feel more at ease knowing I have some sort of plan. I always freak out when I don't have a plan because I think "what if I've forgotten something important", but having it written down stops you from making that mistake!
3. My biggest and best tip for you is this: Unless you really don't care much about your essays/projects/exams, you aren't going to not do it. At the end of the day, you will complete your essay, you will go into your exam knowing at least something. So whilst you're stressing now and thinking "I'm never going to get this done!" trust yourself enough to know that you aren't going to go in unprepared for it!

I hope this was helpful to those who are like me and go through all of these steps on a regular basis but I always try to remind myself of the tips I've listed above to stop me from stressing so much!

Let me know if this was helpful to you & if you also stress as much as I do when I get deadlines!

Thank you for reading!

Get in touch: 

Twitter: @ChloesConcept

Email: ChloesConcept@gmail.com

Tumblr Ask: http://ChloesConcept.tumblr.com/ask

Chloe x

Personal Statements: How To Guide

You might think getting started on your personal statement now is being a little premature. Is it though?

I remember writing my personal statement in the summer of 2011 so that when I started back to sixth form in September, I was more or less ready to send it off once I had my references from my teachers!

I remember sitting in my school library trying to actually start my personal statement, which I think is definitely the hardest part, much like any other task; starting is the hardest part.

I have a couple of tips on actually starting your personal statement:

• Jot down in bullet point or spider diagram form why you want to study the course you are applying for.
• Make another chart and write down why you think you're the best applicant and why they should accept you.
• Make another chart and write down some intelligent words to impress them (this will make you stand out from the rest, but make sure you know how and when to use these words!)
• Speak from the heart, if you are really passionate about the course you're applying for, make them understand your story and why you want it so badly (but don't go on and on repeating the same thing; be concise).
• Make a plan: Write down a brief summary of what you want to say in each paragraph, how it will flow etc., as this will only help you when you start writing it properly.

Like I said before, make sure you explain why you want it so badly, why they should pick you out of all the other applicants.

Another tip I have for you may sound strange but if you're struggling to start it or struggling to write it, try attempting it late at night before you go to bed. I don't know why, but I always seem to write a lot late at night! Don't forget to go over it the day after in case your tired eyes led to you making some grammatical errors!

Personal statements are overlooked sometimes and all of your focus is on your grades. Whilst getting the required grades is important, your personal statement could just about swing it for you. I know that in my case, I missed one of the required grades just by one grade, but I was still accepted and I think the reason for that was because of my personal statement.

I hope this post helps you and good luck with the whole UCAS application process! Keep onto your teachers in regards to your references! I hope you get your first choice!

If you have any questions, please ask away! My links are below:

Get in touch: 

Twitter: @ChloesConcept

Email: ChloesConcept@gmail.com

Tumblr Ask: http://ChloesConcept.tumblr.com/ask

Thanks for reading!

Chloe x

Getting Into University.

So you've just left sixth form/college and you're awaiting your A Level results which will determine what uni you get into! I've done a bit of research (as the dates change each year) and this year, as you'll likely know, the results day for the UK is the 14th August and the 5th of August if you live in Scotland.

It's a scary time, I was in your position this time 2 years ago and it only feels like yesterday! I stayed on an extra year in sixth form because I kept changing my mind on the course I wanted to do, even though I knew it was going to be media related! At the time, I wasn't happy that I was staying on an extra year when some of my friends were off to uni but I was so glad I did because I had time to thoroughly think about what I wanted to do rather than what I thought I should do!

After the long process of writing your personal statement, (which I'll be writing a post about in the next few days for those who are about to apply for next year!) getting your references and finally applying for the courses of your choice, you've got the long, terrifying wait which you're convinced your future depends on... I thought that too.

I worked so, so hard my final year of sixth form, resitting exams I had already done okay on just to get better marks to improve my chances, putting in what felt like millions of hours on coursework and assignments and taking an extra course to bump my qualifications up! I literally felt like whatever happened, I did my best and I could do no more... but that doesn't stop you from worrying.

Throughout school, I never got the best grades even though I worked super hard for everything...the results just never came. They were okay, just not what I wanted for working so hard!

Believe me, if you're bordering on getting the grade you need, don't worry. Universities take into consideration how stressful exams and coursework can be and how much stress each person is under. I was so worried that I wouldn't get the grades I needed but thankfully I did, all bar one grade which I missed by a fraction, but they make allowances. I can't stress this enough: if your personal statements and references are good enough and you miss the required grade by a bit, there's a really high chance you'll still get in! Take my word for it. I remember people used to tell me this when I was waiting to find out and I kept saying "but they said I NEED to get these grades or else I won't be accepted!"

Try not to panic as much as you are... I know it's easy for me to say, but I was in your position this time two years ago and I can even remember how I felt and what was going through my mind when I was finding out my results...

Try to enjoy your last bit of freedom because as soon as your off to uni, the hard work begins but if you've chosen a course you genuinely think you'll love like I do, I'm sure you'll actually enjoy doing the work for it! I know it sounds crazy to actually enjoy doing essays and assignments but trust me!

I hope this relaxes your mind a little bit! Good luck for your results and I'd love to know how you get on!

Remember, the most important thing is your health and strength and anything after that is a bonus :) 

Thanks for reading everyone! 

Chloe x

Look forward to starting back school in September!

End of term...

For schools across the UK, the summer holidays is fast approaching or may have already started for some!

This may be a blessing to those who hate school so desperately due to being a victim of bullying, feeling left out or maybe have no friends.

Today's post is all about using your summer holiday wisely so that when September rolls around again, you're not dreading starting back! I know you're probably thinking “I am dreading September” but that's okay. Hopefully by the end of this post, your feelings will have changed!

First of all you need to know why you hate school so much;

• Are you being bullied?
• Do you have any friends?
• Are you being left out?
• Are you struggling with school work?

Maybe there's a different reason, but as long as you know it, you can change your feelings towards it.

When I first started secondary school, I absolutely hated it but after about a year and a half/two years, my opinion changed. I did struggle with school work at first, I did struggle with friends and I would struggle to find anyone who didn't struggle with these things. You're not alone!

Are you being bullied?

First of all, if you're a victim of bullying please visit here where you'll find information on the campaign/platform I run dedicated to bullying, self-esteem, anxiety and body confidence.

I understand what you're going through and I know you are probably thinking “everyone says that!” but I genuinely do. I am only 21 so I'm not a teacher or politician who is trying to cut down on bullying. You know as well as I do how mean people can be and unfortunately it's extremely difficult to stamp out bullying altogether.

The only thing WE can change is how we let it affect us and how we deal with it. The problem here is with the bully, not you. The bully doesn't have anything personally against you, their just so bored with their own lives and like to feel powerful for the 5 minutes their bullying you. Trust me, in a little while (and I mean a little while, it will stop soon) the bully will get fed up of you and move onto someone else. I'll tell you when the bully likes to keep bullying you...when you LET the bully have an impact on your life. There's never a correct way to deal with bullying as each bully is different, so I will not tell you to confront the bully and I will not tell you to hide away either but what I will tell you is to tell someone. Even if it's me. If you've read the link I put above here, you'll understand that the whole reason I started this campaign/platform was to provide a different sort of support that I haven't seen anywhere else. I'm not a parent or a teacher or anyone in authority so to you, I am a friend.

On this blog, I will be writing lots of helpful posts (there's quite a few up already) on how to deal with bullying and I've posted a lot of interviews with bloggers who are people JUST like you, same age, same experiences, everything! They've spoken about their experiences and how they dealt with it, so I hope that's helpful to you! Please check the link above and I hope you feel better knowing you have support and a friendly face to talk to if you want to tell me about your problems, experiences, want advice or just want to rant! A problem shared is a problem halved!

Feeling left out?

Okay, moving on. Now we have “feeling left out”. So, you have a couple of friends or even a large group of friends and it feels as lonely as it would if you had none? Don't worry, we've all been there! I can't give you some trick that will instantly make you feel included but be assured that it's not your problem. You're not doing anything wrong. So what if they're all going over each other's house that day and didn't invite you? The likelihood in this situation is that you probably don't have a lot in common with these people anyway so why would you want to spend time with them outside of school? The best thing you can do is just count yourself lucky that you don't have to hang around with people who don't give much thought for your feelings. Yes, stay friends with them if you feel like it's better than not being friends with them, but just be wise and be cautious!

A little tip I do have for you though is:

Find something you love to do, whether it be swimming or reading or for me it's blogging and I also love trying new makeup, hairstyles, clothes etc. As long as you love doing whatever it is you've chosen, stick to it and be really, really good at it or at least be the best you can be. While everyone else is off over someone else's house or whatever, you're bettering yourself and that's something they can't take away from you. Who knows, maybe your hobby may turn into your career when you finally leave school and you'll be glad you weren't upset over feeling left out!

Again, if you want to talk about anything, the link above gives you all the details and I'll also be adding all of my contact links at the bottom of this post!

Dreaded school work...

You think of school as a prison where teachers are making you learn about things you know you'll never need in later life, and probably some of what you learn you won't! But that's the beauty of it, it's better to have general knowledge of all little things, than loads of knowledge on one main thing. You might know for certain what you want to do when you leave school (I know you're probably not thinking along those lines right now) and that's fine but if you're anything like me who changed their idea of a career about 100 times, it's best to keep your options open! If you're struggling with whatever you're learning about, ASK for help when you go back in September. Make it your new challenge to understand something you can't get to grips with. For me, I never could quite understand Simultaneous Equations in Maths. I went through months of getting answers wrong and tests wrong and I finally decided enough was enough and I finally asked for help. I had to stay in one lunch time for my teacher to explain it to me, but it was something I was glad to give up to have that feeling of accomplishment when I went home that day. Make a list of all the little things you've struggled with in your school work this year and imagine that feeling of accomplishment when you tick them off after you've learnt and understood them!

I hope this blog post helps you and remember, I am here to help! Please feel free to contact me on the links I will post below about anything you want to talk about, even if it's just for a chat!

Twitter: @ChloesConcept

Tumblr Ask: chloesconcept.tumblr.com/ask

Email: ChloesConcept@gmail.com

Enjoy your summer and take care!

Chloe x

Get Over Your Insecurities, Learn To Love Them & Feel Confident!

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend and the weather is as it should be for this time of year (...in the UK anyway!)


Today's post is all about self-esteem and ways you can boost yours and learn to love the things you dislike about yourself!

You probably dislike at least one thing about yourself, whether its your looks; maybe your eye shape, nose, tummy...you get the picture, or maybe it's personality wise; maybe you're stubborn or short tempered. We all have something we're not satisfied with and I'm here to tell you that that is okay.

Imagine seeing yourself as pretty much perfect, you wouldn't change anything about yourself; looks or personality wise. I don't know why, but to me I'd still be unsatisfied as I'd always be looking for something to dislike or want to change!

I want you to think of those things you don't like about yourself and turn them into a positive...here's my examples:

Personality: 

Let's say you have OCD like I have. I moan about it as it always makes me late when I have to check everything at least 4-16 times (I know, weird but those are my favourite numbers and it's got worse through the years!) but at least once it's done, you don't leave the house thinking "Did I switch my hair dryer off?" or "Did I lock my front door?" Always try to turn whatever you don't like about yourself, into a positive!

Appearance:

Okay so let's say you have small eyes and you hate them because you think they look disproportional to the size of your face. Look through some photos of maybe celebrities and look at their eyes and I bet until you look closely you wouldn't have realised they had small eyes until you purposely went looking for them. That's the same for you, people probably don't even realise the size of your eyes as they don't specifically just focus on them and so what? You may not like them, but someone else may think they make you look unique and suit you!

Here's something you can do everyday to start loving the things you once disliked about yourself:

• Look in the mirror at the thing/s you dislike about yourself. Are you going to let these little things define who you are? Are you any less of a person just because you dislike your small eyes or your thin lips? 
• Think about this and feel lucky to look the way you do and feel lucky that you are in better health than some people, don't take things for granted!
• Look hard at what you don't like and think "is it really that bad?"
• Remind yourself that no one else looks exactly like you, so you are unique!
• Think about when you walk past someone and think "they have lovely hair" but to that person, they might be feeling very self-conscious about their hair.
• Pick one thing you like about yourself everyday, whether it be your appearance or it could even be something in your personality or maybe an act of kindness you did that day...Keep the positive vibe going!

I hope this little post helps you to build your confidence back up and feel amazing about yourself because you deserve to feel great!

If you would like to share your tips to feeling confident, let me know in the comments!

You can also get in touch with me on any of these links:

Twitter: @ChloesConcept
Email: ChloesConcept@gmail.com
Tumblr Ask: http://ChloesConcept.tumblr.com/ask

Thank you for reading!

Chloe x