Someone with critical thinking skills can: understand the logical connections between ideas; identify, construct and evaluate arguments; solve problems systematically.
Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.
By the time you realise what a great opportunity school is, you’ll be well into the middle of your life with a lot of responsibilities – children, mortgages, career pressures, etc. Then most people have neither the time nor energy to go back to school. So take the time to learn some stuff now, because you’ll appreciate the opportunity later on.
Knowledge alone is not what creates high performance. Closing the gap between what we know and what we do will have far more impact on performance than any additional knowledge we might gain.
Learn what skills you can from your parents before you leave home, such as cooking, DIY, house/car maintenance – and how to deal emotionally with situations.
A student bank account has an interest-free overdraft. You can open one as soon as you receive an offer letter from UCAS, either conditional or unconditional.
Employers, colleges and universities want to know that you stuck at your courses, that you are going to stay and can see a course or job to the end.
You may find a vocational course at college, something which combines working and learning, or even the world of work alone may hold what you want for your future.
If you are more practically-minded or have an aptitude for something you haven’t yet officially studied, take a look at the routes you need to get to where you want to be.
It isn’t the end of the world if you don’t achieve the exam results you want. Higher qualifications make things easier but are not necessary to still have a future.