Retakes

"My year of retaking A levels at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ has been honestly, one of the hardest but most fulfilling experiences within my education thus far. A combination of seeing my friends on social media having ‘the time of their lives’ on their gap years, ‘finding themselves’ or at freshers embarking on university life, reinforced the huge hurdle I had ahead of me in the quest to improve my grades. However, my teachers and my Personal Tutor were an immense support and rapidly diminished these feelings of doubt. They didn’t set boundaries as to how much I was likely to achieve, believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself and, as a result helped me achieve my full potential. Overall, I would recommend SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ to everyone deciding to retake with the hope they would have a similar positive experience to me, because honestly, I feel as though my experience at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ helped me ‘find myself’ far more then a gap year around South East Asia would have!"

"My first attempt at A levels was disappointing, and a D grade in Chemistry meant I missed my grades for University. Despite advice from my school not to re-sit, I decided to give it another go. I had heard of SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and enrolled at the Cambridge campus. The teaching, with focus on exam technique, was excellent, and I was even able to study remotely in Cape Town for a term, while I attended a cricket academy. Good grades in my mocks gave me huge confidence, and I achieved an A grade in the re-sit l, and was able to take up a place at Cardiff University, my original first choice University. I would strongly recommend SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ to anyone in my position."

"SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ gave me a brilliant learning experience. The teaching was very focused and tailored. I really appreciate my teachers who are always willing to answer my countless questions and provide me with extra academic support. I would also want to say thanks to my tutor Anne who offered me a lot of life support and often reminded me to keep maintaining my work-life balance. Retaking A level was not easy, but having some nice classmates and teachers here has really made this process much smoother. One more academic piece of advice to the reader: it is important to ask questions on where you don’t understand or perhaps have misunderstood, however, it is more important that you make notes of it and revise frequently. I believe you will see the benefits over time."

"I have really enjoyed my time SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and would recommend this college to anyone. I learnt how to work more efficiently and revise more effectively thanks to the tutorials and weekly Timed Assignments, which also allowed me to prepare myself mentally for the exams from the first day. My history teacher was phenomenal. He managed to get me to reengage with the subject, as well as giving me all the support and help I asked for and more, giving me the knowledge and exams technique needed to achieve an A*."

"The small class sizes proved invaluable for a number of reasons, some of which I did not anticipate. Aside from the obvious individual attention, the size of the class allowed for a lot of students’ questions to turn into a fruitful academic discussion. I have found the atmosphere at the college far more friendly and supportive than I expected. The support I had from my Personal Tutor was very helpful during the application process for university. I could tell that he really did care about my future and wanted to do everything he could in order to help me secure my place at my chosen university. Overall, I am pleased to say that my high expectations of SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ were fully met."

"I have definitely made the right decision to come to SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ - my grades have gone from averaging Es to straight As. Teaching at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ is much more personal and I felt like talking to teachers. They are very good and give you lots of support if you do not understand something. My Personal Tutor took me through the UCAS process step by step. We went through my Personal Statement many times to make sure it was completely perfect. I am very excited about my firm choice."

"As a dyslexic student who initially got CCEE for my AS, I was convinced that I could not achieve any higher. My time at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ proved me wrong. Initially I was reluctant to move from my local school in York to a college so far away from home, my parents, and friends. At the end of my first year I was overjoyed to find that many hours of hard work and renewed revision techniques had resulted in me achieving three A's in my subjects. I wanted to continue at A2 as I knew it would greatly improve my university prospects and encourage me to work even harder. After two fantastic years at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ I can emphatically say that going to SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ was the best decision I ever made."

"Having a Personal Tutor to discuss ANYTHING with, from my UCAS application to organising my life in general, really did make life at the college more streamlined and in general less stressful."

"Honestly, I could not imagine when I joined SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ that, due to language and adaptation barriers, I would achieve top grades in my first A-level exam sittings. This view changed completely after only a few weeks in the college’s supportive and motivational environment; with teachers who aimed at finding a personal touch with each student and with my Personal Tutor who made my adjustment to the UK education system not only an easy step in my life but, more importantly, an enjoyable one."

"International students have many aspects to think about, such as accommodation and guardians, but SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ surprised me by having a highly organised and supportive administration. Also, because most SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Cambridge students are local, as an ‘international’ student, I found this very useful in both improving my English and in giving me a taste of a genuinely ‘English’ college."

"The teachers really helped me overcome any difficulties I came across; they always seemed willing to offer support be it inside or outside of the classroom. I could safely say my teachers inspired me to work hard and aim for the best, sometimes simply by being passionate about what they do."