The year passed by, and before I knew it my Lower Sixth year had already finished; despite being a very busy year, there were much to gain as well.

Looking back, I feel like I challenged myself more than ever. New environment, new subjects, new people. There were times when I felt I did not quite fit in to the community, or times when I felt a “wee-bit” homesick (picked up the Scottish dialect, you see) However, I always had my friends and staffs in House that would support me through it.

My biggest challenge so far has been politics; with Brexit creating rifts among nations and causing political turmoil, it has never been more difficult to untangle the mess to even “try” to comprehend what is going on. However, it has provided me with valuable insight as to what democracy is. Studying politics as an A-level subject was nothing like I imagined. Concepts and ideologies were merely something to be understood and not something to be tested on. The A-level course requires me to evaluate them from various perspectives and present it with my own justified opinion. This level of sophisticated thinking process was quite new to me; I feel it has greatly enhanced my ability to construct sound reasoning and logic, along with broad knowledge about contemporary politics.

Politics aside, I have enjoyed playing various sports throughout the year. I played football for two terms, before switching to tennis on my summer term. These Games have provided me with precious opportunities to know more about different people. Next term, I plan to try new sports such as badminton and squash.

In terms of careers and university choices, I have taken part in a Masterclass at Cambridge, which involved taster tuitions with Cambridge professors. It was an amazing event which confirmed my passion to study there. Lessons involved a simple explanation of IS-LM graphs and an overview of the political economy. I was able to befriend some people at the event, who were all ambitious and highly-talented, reigniting my passion for the school.

Exam pressures are setting in, but I will continue to pursue my passion with zeal and determination.