Resilience and Motivation During Exams – My Personal Experience
Personal experience of resilience and motivation
A-levels and BTECs can be seriously tough – I’ve been there myself.
I remember the immense pressure to succeed: aiming for top grades, hoping to secure a place on the veterinary medicine course I once dreamed of, and crossing my fingers that everything else would fall into place. Whether your goal is university, an apprenticeship, or heading straight into the world of work, it can often feel like you’re drowning in revision or staring up at a mountain of exam questions.
That’s where resilience and motivation come in—they can take you further than you might think. In this post, we’ll explore how to stay resilient through unpredictable times, along with some practical tips to keep you going when things get tough.
My journey to finding the right career for me, dentistry, hasn’t been the most straightforward—but it taught me so much about resilience. I was originally set on becoming a veterinary surgeon. I gained as much experience as I could in different animal sectors and applied with a strong application. Despite all my hard work, I didn’t receive any offers for veterinary medicine, and on results day, I fell short of the grades I needed. At the time, it felt like a crushing setback.
But not getting the grades and being forced to take a step back gave me time to reflect. I reassessed what I really wanted—and eventually, I decided to pursue dental surgery. Reapplying meant staying motivated, gaining new experience, and rewriting a stronger application and in the end, I received multiple offers and started dental school at Newcastle in 2022.
That experience taught me something important: setbacks don’t define your future—they can actually lead you to something better. If you’d like to read more of my story, you can find it here.
I hope I have reignited lots of resilience and motivation into everyone around this challenging time, but remember: progress isn’t always linear—what matters is that you keep going and respond positively to setbacks, however big or small they may be!
You can read more in my series of Resilience and Motivation Blogs here:
- The Power of “Why?” and “What?” – Connecting exam success to your future aspirations
- Looking After Yourself – Eating and Sleeping Well During Exam Periods!
- Managing Time in Exams – Strategies for pacing yourself to avoid rushing or running out of time
- Bouncing Back: Dealing with Disappointments and Moving Forward
If you have any further questions, or would like to chat to me further about staying focused during your exams, please feel free to email me and I will be more than happy to assist and share experiences!
Jessica 😊
