I still remember clearly the day I got my own school exam results back. I was a sleepy teenager and I’d only just woken up when the postman delivered the results (honestly, it was pre-2004, back when there were still early morning post!) My mum had lain a knife on top of the big brown envelope, stamped with the SQA postmark, to help open it, but still being sleepy I didn’t take note of the knife, and it fell off the envelope and narrowly missed piercing my foot! That alone was a rude wake up call!
Getting exam results at any stage in life is a daunting experience. It’s often the culmination of hours, days, weeks, months (sometimes even years) of study and learning. Working in an educational establishment, you continue to go through the highs and lows of celebrating successes and grieving the difficult times as students pass through the College. We understand the full range of emotions that exam results can bring. As we continue to research and learn, we ourselves, still have to put our ideas out in the public domain to be tested, which can be an uncomfortable and daunting experience at times!
I remember after getting my school exam results deciding that, despite concentrating on science in school and applying to engineering, I wanted to try something different at university – eventually I changed my university application late in the day to go on to study Law. Somehow I’ve ended up in Theology via Marketing! Your school results don’t need to define your course for the rest of your life – many people change their direction several times before settling on something they enjoy. (Although, obviously we’re biased and think everyone should come to study theology at SBC!!)
I also remember well the transition between school and university – I didn’t do it too well. Socially I felt isolated, and academically, I was doing subjects I’d never even contemplated before. I failed my first ever university assignment, a Criminal Law essay, which was a difficult adjustment for me, but rather than giving up, it give me the motivation to keep trying to do better. Maybe today you’re sitting with exam results that weren’t as good as you’d hoped – it’s not the end of the world, though it may feel like it at the moment. There are plenty of ways to move on from your results and continue to chase your dreams. Don’t let a setback stop you from dreaming and believing. Some of the greatest achievements are forged in the crucible of adversity. Of course, maybe you’ve managed to get exam results better than you’d expected (congratulations!) – use them wisely and well to keep on moving forwards.
All of this has helped shape and form me for today – the achievements, the direction changes, the challenges. I bring them into my own experiences in the present. Whatever your results today (or in the past, if school is a distant memory!), if you’re hoping to study theology at SBC, then do get in contact with me and I’ll help advise you as best I can about taking the next step.
Whatever your results, or wherever you find yourself today, keep putting one step in front of the other, and know that your self-worth comes from so much more than your exam results.
Graham