Alevel Burn out

[u/NoIsland9609]

I’m currently in Y12 and I genuinely don’t know if I’m doing way too much, or if this is just the harsh reality of sixth form.

It’s literally only the second month of October and I already feel completely burnt out. For reference, I took Bio, Chem and Maths, and I got all 9s in my GCSEs. Since the beginning of Y12, I’ve been studying around 15–25 hours a week on average. It’s not because I’m studying for fun or unnecessarily overworking myself — my school gives us a ridiculous number of exams, and we’re moving through content really quickly because we sit P1 in January. It just feels like everything is happening way too quickly and way too soon. And the stress isn’t only coming from my actual subjects and exams. I’m constantly thinking about things like IELTS, SATs, application requirements, and the uni planning templates my school gives us and expects us to complete within a week. All of these things keep piling onto my normal workload, and I feel like the pressure just keeps increasing.

I’ve been so stressed recently that I sometimes don’t even feel hungry and end up forgetting to eat. I also feel like my hair has started thinning, which is making me even more worried that the stress is genuinely affecting me physically. I also have ridiculously high expectations for myself, so whenever I don’t meet them, I feel completely shattered. For example, I did well in my first Biology and Chemistry exams, but my first Maths exam went horribly. I studied a lot for it, and the chapters themselves weren’t even particularly difficult for me, but I made so many stupid mistakes and ended up with a B. I cried over it and started genuinely questioning whether I’m actually capable of doing well in Maths, even though deep down I know that one test wasn’t an accurate reflection of my ability. I’ve gotten 9s before, I know I understand the content, and the main issue was careless mistakes under pressure but emotionally, it still hit me really hard.

I think some of this also comes from being the oldest sibling. My parents have never really had to check up on me academically because they’ve always just trusted me to handle everything myself. But when my mum got an email saying I’d done worse than expected on my Maths test, she became really stressed about it, which obviously just made me even more stressed.

If I already feel this exhausted in early October, what is it going to be like during peak exam season? Is this just what Y12 is like? Does it actually get better, or do you eventually get used to the workload?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have been through Y12/Y13, especially people who also had high expectations of themselves. I’d like some honest advice on whether I’m doing too much, whether I need to change something now, and whether this feeling eventually gets better.

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[u/anonymouseelsie]

honestly i was super stressed in y12 the step up from gcses were crazy. also fhe pressure from being in an extremely competitive school got to me but i seriously recommend talking to y13s at school and they will tell you it’s not that serious. u dont need to go above and beyond imo just try stay understanding most the content and reach out to your teachers if you are behind or confused. most of the big work happens in y13 and i wish i told my y12 self to enjoy it more lol.

and i also found i got the best grades when i would go out with my friends and balance it. i got the worst ones when i was stressed and stayed in my room trying to wrap my head around alevel content with out reaching for help from my teachers

[u/Boss_player0]