We all knew that going into school after a six month break would not look normal. Schools and teachers are all doing their best to make things run smoothly, even when there’s an imminent risk of a class being randomly eliminated. It’s like coronavirus is playing a pac-man video game to destroy the education system completely. With weapons of hand sanitisers and one way systems, it looks like schools are putting up a good fight.

Although you may not have had to self- isolate at home, the thought doesn’t seem as scary as before. Hopefully, by now, you have seen many procedures to make a potential quarantine at home easier. Luckily technology has rapidly advanced from the last time schools have had to close a century ago. It’s promising to see an abundance of lesson resources to help students who are self-isolating readily available online if needs be. This can be beneficial even if you are not working from home, for example, lesson powerpoint  being uploaded onto your online portal for use in your revision.

Exams are cancelled because of the global pandemic.

That we know.

So what's happening with your grades? I'm sure you're eager to get a bit more clarity about your future. Well we've started to get some assurances from OFQUAL (Which is the abbreviation for the mouthful that is - Office of Qualifications and Exam Regulations). Their Chief Regulator Sally Collier has now issued a letter outlining how grades will be calculated and reassuring students these will be 'exactly the same as in previous years'. 

Procrastination can be a serious productivity killer. It can get you into all sorts of deadline troubles, leading to frantic keyboard tapping and energy drink fuelled all-nighters.

It’s not just you – besides the most diligent and proactive of us, we’re pretty much all in this together. Picture the High School Musical number, except none of us want to dance right now. Maybe later.

So when the Independent reported on a uni student who blitzed through her dissertation project in a single night, mere hours before her deadline, we can’t say we weren’t a bit awe-struck.

And incredibly stressed on her behalf. But still. Impressive. 

​Wherever you are, school’s pretty much out for Summer now. You might have another week or so, but no one really does anything with that time anyway. You’re on the home stretch.

So, how are you going to max out your time off?

First thing’s first: relax. Yeah, you heard us. You won’t get many more opportunities in life to bliss out quite like this. Sure, there are some big decisions looming, and maybe some important exams in the not so distant future, but that’s tomorrow’s problem. Today’s for chilling.
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Tomorrow though… it might be a good time to start looking for some part-time work to keep yourself busy. 

Are you heading down the uni highway?

This month you can officially start applying to uni for 2020 entry. UCAS opens its website for people to register on 21st May. 

Don’t worry, the deadline is still a while away, but the dogs are now off the leash.
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Hopefully, if uni’s for you, then your ideas on what you might want to study have been gradually solidifying. If you’re not quite there yet, have a look at our Which Course? section for some help on working out what’s right for you. 

Thought you were done with open days by this point? Think again.​

By now, you've probably heard from most – if not all – the unis you applied to. If not, don’t worry. They're supposed to let you know by 31 March, but if you just can’t wait until then, it won't hurt to give them a call.

Now, while we’re sure that you made an effort to see all 5 of your choices before applying, we also understand that sometimes life gets in the way and you might not have had time for them all (err... or any of them).

Oops.

If you’re thinking of going to uni in September 2019 and you haven’t got a shortlist yet, you’d better get yourself measured up for a thinking cap pretty fast.
 
Officially, you’ve got until January 15th to complete your application for most courses, but the deadline for Oxbridge, medicine and veterinary courses is only a month away.
 
Even if you’re not planning on applying for those courses, unis will start looking at and accepting applications from now, and so leaving it any later than the middle of November is cutting it fine. By then, the unis' firm 'yes' and 'no’ piles will be starting to grow. Some offers will already have been made. Some courses may be full already. Leaving your application till the last minute tells the uni you're not that serious. 

With over a year to go before you apply, the whole uni decision may seem to be approaching more slowly than a slug on a Sunday. But before you know it, that gross silver slug slime could be all over you. What with all the coursework, revisions, exams, holidays, birthdays/bar mitzvahs/weddings, nights out, time spent on social media and so on, it's never too soon to get focused.
 
Now is a great time to be thinking about two of the big questions: what do you want to study and where do you want to study it? 

Summer is well underway – we’ve broken into August now. You’ve had a heatwave (or six), you’ve had a long time to relax with the long academic year behind you now. Now’s the time to wipe the Mr. Whippy from your mouth and get yourself back into gear.
 
With not much more than a month left before schools and colleges start up again, you’re running out of time to make the most of your remaining freedom.
 
Take it from us: if you’re thinking of heading to uni, the best investment of your time is  to visit as many as you can in the upcoming weeks. These can be local unis if that’s the area you want to stay in, or they can be further afield. 

Do you know your bops from your balls? Or your CATS from your CUKAS?

Heading into the world of higher education can be like learning a new language – there's more jargon than you can shake a soc at. ​That's why we've created this handy glossary of all the weird and wonderful terms academics like to use. Let Push be your guide.

You'll need us. Honestly, it's a jungle out there. ​

Think you’ve missed the boat if you don’t head straight from college to uni? These days, that can’t be any further from the case. The stereotypical student may be late teens, early 20s, but the world of higher education is opening up more and more to mature students from all ages. 

With this year's exams behind you, you'll be pleased to know that uni isn't all about books, lectures and exams. We all know students get up to other stuff, right? And this other stuff is important when it comes to getting the most out of the whole university experience.

​We all know there's a variety of ways to get things to stick in your head: texts books, spider diagrams, post-it notes, mind-palaces, reading out loud, singing your revision and even sleeping with your notes under your pillow (note: we have no proof of the last one...).
 
If you have a basic understanding of how memory works you can incorporate this into the way you revise. 

​Did you know that all of your senses can be helpful when you revise for exams?
 
Some studies have found that if you always suck on Polos while revising the ins and outs of Biology, or wear the same perfume when thinking about French sentence structure, it can help encode what you're memorising. This is because all our senses are linked and they all make pathways into the process of remembering.

​This, however, should only be used alongside your regular excellent study skills otherwise you'll be sat in your exam popping Polos and praying to a confectionery god. Not a good look for anyone.

For year 12s

Are you heading down the uni highway?

This month you can officially start applying to uni for 2019 entry. UCAS opens its website for people to register on 22nd May.

Don’t worry, the deadline is still a while away, but the dogs are now off the leash.

Hopefully, your thoughts about what you might want to study have, like chewing gum on the pavement, been getting firmer.

The next question is where to study? Sometimes this isn’t just about where it is in the country, but about what the place is
really like – the atmosphere.

No two unis are the same. The surroundings and building affect how it feels, but so too do the people, the students. Some
unis are posh, some are full of students from the area, some are ethnic melting pots, some are arty, sciency or businessy. Some are none of those things.

We're sure over the past year you’ve heard the abbreviation VR thrown about at just about any announcement of a new tech device. VR stands for Virtual Reality and it’s starting to creep into our lives whether you want it to or not. Now the question is, will virtual reality change how we gain soft skills? 

Year 12

You've probably started thinking about your options after school already, even if by mistake, but soon your teachers are going to start pushing you for a plan.

So when the family's getting on your wick over the festive period, what better excuse is there for finding some alone time than that you want to get ahead of the game?

Year 12 
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Your mates in the year above might be able to breathe a sigh of relief having submitted their final UCAS applications, and rightly so. But for you, the process is quickly becoming a reality. So now is as good a time to get your options after school ready.

​If uni's in the cards and you've already got an idea of what subject you want to commit a few years of your life to, then kudos to you. Go to our Which Uni? page for all the info on how to pick the perfect place for you. ​

Everyone hates revision right? But when exams loom, and beyond them lies a career, revising is key. Let’s face it, reading through pages and pages of scribbled notes are going to get you nowhere. And don’t even get us started on the highlighters.
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Make your revision fun, and when we say fun we really mean easier. That way you spend less time convincing yourself to do it and it’s all over a little bit quicker.

Some of the usual advice is worth following. Structure your notes, plan regular breaks and give yourself some time off. There’s no point running out of steam on day one. And as tempting as the night before sounds, start revising with as much time to spare as you can.

LEARNING STYLES

When it comes to good revision it all depends on how you go about doing it. Your sister may have been able to read a page once and remember it forever but forget about her, what works for you? Are you a seer, a hearer or a doer? This may sounds like long-haired hippy nonsense but it isn’t.

• Seers (or visual learners) benefit from images instead of pages of words. Stick posters around your house (the mirror or on the fridge are two good places) – the more you see them, the more likely you are to remember them. 
• Hearers (auditory learners) remember notes by reading them out loud, or from hearing them – pester a family member or friend to sit with you and read your work to you (boring for them, beneficial to you, win/win).
• Doers (tactical learners) learn by practice, practice, practice. Understanding what it is exactly that you are trying to study is one way to drum it into your memory.

No idea which you are? Try them all. Nothing like a little useful procrastination to keep you sane. 

DIET

Revising may be boring, but how you revise is only one part of getting a good grade. What you eat is vital to how your brain works. Snacking on crisps and sweets may sound like the best idea but really isn’t, sorry. Junk food has been found to block the passage of messages between the nerve endings in your brain, so all those hours studying could be for nothing if Doritos are all you're munching on. Instead try a handful of nuts or berries, both contain Omega3 and will keep you active and focused.

Like you've been told a million times before, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Sugary cereals and toast will give you a short buzz but then you’ll be hungry again. Porridge is great because it releases its energy slowly and the milk you use with it provides protein which will aid your concentration levels. 

Lastly, drink lots. Keeps you focused and awake, making lots of trips to the toilet is 100 times better than sitting there staring blankly at the screen and learning nothing whilst dying of thirst.