So, summer (and swine flu) has hit my school and I’m trying to make the most of a sort-of-but-not-very relaxing end to the term since I’ve counted up thirteen free days including weekends during my eight week summer holiday. I could rant about how it’s like a furnace outside currently but as soon as school is out we’ll be back to the traditional British summer, and the relative stupidity of not following the rest of the hemisphere’s example and having the break in June and July instead of July and August. But I’ll leave that for another post because I’m going to tell you about my next six months… since I may not get another chance to.
Let’s put this in perspective. Term ends next Friday, and by then I need to have decided on my course (personal deadline Monday), seen Oxbridge tutor to persuade her that I can get my AAB to AAA and therefore apply for Oxford, and to inform her that I’ll be going for a Choral Scholarship too. I also need to have seen my headteacher who is my final referee to arrange a date in August to go over her reference for my scholarship. In doing so I’ll be double booking myself with work, but whatever. I also need to have given in a fairly secure first draft of my personal statement for them to check.
The next day I’m going to Switzerland with my family. I’m actually looking forward to it this time – it’s a beautiful place, and I can’t wait to get my French up to scratch again. Mum’s also promised I don’t have to go on long walks up mountains with my iPod, and I’ll be taking my laptop this time to try and get some work done: I have a Physics project I need to do, as well as extra Oxbridge reading, and I need to keep my Maths work on top form through the summer so I don’t forget it all like I did last summer – it wasn’t good when I came back to school and couldn’t do quadratics.
I have no idea if I’ll be able to get internet there or not – nevertheless I’ll try and blog as much as possible, and post them the next week if need be.
When I get back I’ll have five days free. These will be filled with practising my violin, finishing work, practising, seeing Harry Potter, practising, re-packing, and practising (more on why later). Then on the Friday I’m off to my summer camp at Colwyn Bay. Essentially this is my only holiday with friends, and where I don’t have to work, and I’m sure it will be wonderful. Ten days of that, I come home and the very next day I start work for five weeks (as you have seen, I can fit work around Colwyn Bay), until the end of my holidays, with only weekends in between. I’ll be practising on those weekends… I’m not sure I can really justify a life. Dates of note I’ve got double booked in August: picking up my AS results, seeing my headteacher to send off my choral application form, and seeing my Oxbridge tutor to go over my personal statement and reference.
Then I’m back to school, the second week back I have to send off my UCAS form, and in the last week in September I’ll have my choral trial at Oxford. Then I’ll have about two weeks with nothing to do but what I’m doing for my 18th. Oh, and practising.
The week or so after my birthday in October there’s a big school music concert, and traditionally in every concert a girl in the final year plays a solo with the school orchestra. Originally I wasn’t going to audition because playing my violin in public freaks me out, but a while back for my Grade 8 I learned a piece, and my music teacher got wind of it and told me it was his favourite violin piece. Somehow he coerced me into auditioning for playing it as a solo in next year’s school music tour (oddly, playing in front of foreigners is not quite as scary)… which somehow turned into auditioning for a whole concert, and BAM I got the October one. Initially I refused, but I gave in after the promise of a huge bunch of flowers, one of my favourite orchestral pieces I’d asked for played too, and the advantage of picking the first dress. So that’s what I’m working my socks off for.
In November, hopefully I won’t have any entrance exams or aptitude tests to take for Uni, but it’s always a possibility. I’ve also got another concert for my school’s founding company up in London (with a free massive supper old-school style) I’ll be playing at, and hopefully I’ll get some requests for interviews at Unis.
December I’ll be going to those interviews, and starting to get offers. One hopes.
So, excuse me while I just go and explode from my workload.
Oxford? Awesome, the best of luck to you!
Isn’t summer supposed to be a time to relax? It’s amazing that you have so much lined up to do, but make sure you find some time for relaxation as well!
That’s so awesome you are going to Switzerland! I’ve always wanted to go, and my French could use the practice too.