Stressed But Smart – Fatimah!
Fatimah Mohsin here. I’m almost done with my O-Levels in Sciences at Beaconhouse. And hopefully after A-levels I’ll get into a good med school.
Why Sciences?
I’m more interested in sciences compared to humanities. And taking sciences at O-levels meant that I’ll have more options in the future.
Let’s do rapid Q&A!
Sure.
I eat: Everything. Literally everything.
I drink: Water and coffee. I prefer coffee.
Books / shows: Roald Dahl is a childhood favourite. K dramas. Friends
Food in Order Order cafe: Their nachos are amazing!
Hangout spot on campus: Badminton area
What’s your favourite school memory?
Many, including taking sociology classes in 10th grade at 7 in the morning every day, getting roasted by teachers, not really learning anything subject specific and then dropping the subject a month before the exam.
What did you want to become as a kid?
Didn’t every kid want to be a teacher at some point? but that then changed to culinary arts.
Favourite subject?
Biology. It’s painful to learn bio but I really enjoy learning more about what goes on inside the body and understanding more about health.
Advice your juniors in O-Levels:
Start 1-2 months prior to the final exam, ask teachers/ seniors for the paper pattern, then learn the content and practice past papers accordingly.
And any tips to score A*?
Do what works best for you and do not rely on what works for other people. Yes taking advice is one thing, but forcing yourself to do exactly what a friend does will do more harm than good. There are YouTube videos by students that have good advice. Consider all the advice you get, but do only what works for you.
Set timers for yourself and take regular breaks. The time slot for working is solely to concentrate on your course while the time slot for breaks is a breather. Study a little bit every day, do not leave it all for the end.
A lot of praying and even more crying. That’s how I got my A*’s.
How do you deal with stress (of studies, exams and life)?
Having good company/friends makes it a lot easier. Taking the time out to talk to others be it family or friends really does make a big difference. Whatever one goes through, others have gone through too and it’s important to look at the bigger picture.
You joined CLLB during COVID-19. Talk about your experience.
Since I’ve joined the CLLB student internship program, Pakistan has faced lockdown after lockdown which unfortunately did not give us a great chance to work on campus. However, even in such trying times we tried to make the most of it when we could. All on-campus activities were special in their own way. I really enjoyed the selection process where we developed prototypes for innovative masks (very covid inclusive) and then presented our ideas. Then came the art demo class which was special in its own way. Regardless of the activity at hand, working at CLLB allowed me to test myself and do the best I could. I had something to learn at every occasion. It is safe to say, opportunities granted at CLLB cannot be found anywhere else in Peshawar.