Justus Malakia

Having failed to initially meet the requirements for the newly-implemented Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level, I was forced to seek out an institution to improve my grades. I was determined to earn this new AS level, and would go to any lengths to achieve it. After a successful year of improvement, we part-time candidates were denied admission into schools. But after some time spent looking for a school, I was accepted into the Iipumbu Senior Secondary School. I enquired with a few friends who had completed the AS level, and they all agreed that it was indeed challenging. One of them even admitted to me that it was so difficult thattheyhadthoughtaboutquittingandenrolling in university with their grade 11 certificate. I used to be excited for the 2022 academic year, but that thrill had since been replaced not only by fear, but also by the never-ending question of what to expect when I get there. Despite my doubts and fears, I knew the AS level would be a good thing. WhatIwaslookingforwardtowasanewchallenge that would open my eyes to new experiences, and provide me with new knowledge. It sounded like it was going to be a completely different learning experience from what I was used to, and I had to get used to it quickly, so I felt like it was going to be a real educational challenge for me. Lastly, I felt like that year was going to be a great opportunity for me to learn many new things about who I am and who I want to be. 

I've always been a procrastinator, and perhaps a little bit lazier than I should have been. I’ll be the first one to admit that I skated by in high school without doing a ton of work. I could squeak out decent grades by skimming books and cramming material the morning of a test. If an assignment was due on a Wednesday, I’d have no problem doing it on a Tuesday. It took me a while to accept, but I knew this were the main reasons why I underperformed and didn't qualify for AS level the first time. To atone for this, I knew I had to change my mindset about how I approach my schoolwork and get better at time management. I convinced myself that when the new academic year began, I would be different and prioritise anything related to school. But barely two weeks in, I lost myself, forgot about everything I had promised myself I would change. The main problem with this was that I could never get everything off my plate. Despite having undone tasks, unread notes, and content I didn't understand at all, I never made an effort to make up for it. This was especially bad because, as an AS level learner, I only had about four to five classes five days a week, as opposed to the previous grade, where I had seven to eight classes every day, five days a week, for the equivalent of a 27-hour work week before even beginning to do homework. This simply demonstrates that I was always left with a lot more free time on my hands to study, sleep, catch up on schoolwork, and so on. This is not to say there was less work, but it was much more preparatory, even with only three subjects. The learning content was considerably more comprehensive and in-depth than ever before. It wasn't until my first exams that I realised I had reverted to my old habits of procrastination and laziness, and was falling far behind in my schoolwork. This was reflected in how poorly I performed in what were arguably the easiest exams I had to take that year. Now, I was facing mock exams, the results of which I would need to use to apply to university. The competing priorities that I had in my first semester were mentally exhausting, so I had to completely change the way I thought about my work to be successful. Itooktheinitiativetolearnhowtostudy without procrastinating. With so much catching up to do in such a short period, I needed to act quickly to save my grades. I didn’t have an actual plan for how I was going to do it. I was studying and doing as much schoolwork as I could, but it wasn't producing the results I desired. Instead, I came up with a plan to improve. I created very strict and demanding study timetables of up to six hours of schoolwork per day, began to rearrange my priorities, putting school first, and had to cut ties with a couple of people in order to spend more time with learners who appeared more focused. 

As time passed, I was much more at ease with my workload, and I was better able to focus. I got better at managing my time, as the majority of my time was spent on schoolwork. Finally, for the first time in a long time, I felt I was carrying out my number one mission, and there was no better feeling in the world. I was extremely proud of myself, not to mention the new friends I made; they were good company and influenced me in many ways. I would never have done it if it hadn't been for them. I’ve had some time to reflect on the past year, and what I’ve come to realise is that even after 13 years of schooling, my final year provided me with a lot of new learning experiences and opportunities for growth. The most important lesson I've probably learned is that it's okay to make mistakes. I've made plenty of them myself, and I've learned that we learn from our mistakes. Failure is an excellent teacher because, without it, none of us would be as good as we are at what we do. As humans, we have a tendency to be hard on ourselves. 

However, when you let go of perfectionism, you can accept that you did your best, regardless of the outcome. Hope for the best and expect the best, and if that doesn't happen, let it go. Another important lesson I've learned, and this one is especially important for AS students, is to beindependentinmydecision-making, especially when it comes to when and how I study. Most AS students have a variety of subjects that vary in quantity. This was something I didn't consider at first, but it played a significant role in how my results played out because my circle of friends was mostly made up of people who either had more subjects than me, or were doing subjects different from mine. I would frequently hang out with them and study only when they were studying, and they would usually perform better than me because they always had an extra subject to get extra points, and because of the way the exam timetables were set up, they would have more time to study in time for their subjects, whereas I was always left under pressure and with less time to study, which affected my grades. 

What I'velearnedfromthisisto be able tomake independent decisions rather than always doing whatothersaredoing, andtoassociatewithpeople with whom I have more in common. It also made me realise that some people and situations do not help you grow, and there’s strength in walking away. I had to walk away from this friendship circle for my own sake. Lastly, I learned to let go of the lone wolf mentality. I had this habit of always wanting to do things on my own without ever asking for assistance. Even when I didn't understand something in class or when we had a group project, I had this idea in my head that I was the best, so I'd isolate myself from the group to try to make my own version that would be the "best" version. My failures as a lone wolf taught me to let go of my ego because it didn't help me succeed; it also showed me that I'm not alone in this world and that I should learn to collaborate, and it made me realise that I'm terrible at a lot of things. The truth is that I wasn't as good as I thought I was; I'll need help at some point, and it's not wrong to ask for it. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and it is best if we learn how to recognise our weaknesses and seek help, as well as how to help others overcome their weaknesses. Because of my shy nature, I consider myself an introvert. I've always struggled to make friends. Given that I was new, it was quite surprising to see how many friends I made at Iipumbu. Maybe it was because I was in the hostel and we had to live together, or maybeI'vejustgrownmoreconfident and couldn't see it yet. Either way, I made many friends with ease, and it was unlike anything I'd ever done before. Except, I was blind to the fact that the more friends I had, the more likely I was to become distracted and make poor decisions. I had a dozen or so friends, but my relationships with them were shallow. We might have run into each other on the hostel grounds or at school and laughed at each other's jokes, but in the end, it was entirely meaningless. We had almost nothing in common, besides the fact that we attended the same school. The only reason I had made friends with them in the first place was simply out of necessity. After all, no one wants to be that kid that stays alone at school. Had we not become friends, each one of us would have been that kid. I started reducing my friendship circle as soon as I realised this, but there was still something I was doing wrong: I focused solely on keeping the "cool friends" and cut off all the “boring” ones. Your friends and the people you associate with have a large influence on who you are, and how you carry yourself. As a result, it's important to be mindful of who you associate with. As we grew closer as friends, we began sneaking out of school foralcohol, soccer, partiesandotheruselessthings. All of my friends had no ambition or a positive attitude towards school, and I gradually became like them. I stopped prioritising my school, and everythingbecameabout:“whenarewegoingout again?” “Let’s skip study today so we go watch the gameoverafewbeers” withmyfriends; eveninthe middle of class, that was all we could talk about. I knew in the back of my mind that what I was doing was wrong, and that it had to stop. I cut ties with all of them one day when I decided to take action and get back on track, and it was a good decision because most of them were eventually suspended from the hostel. I reconnected with several of the "boring" friends. They were the best because they helped me catch up with schoolwork, and had a positive influence on me by changing my entire attitude towards my schoolwork. 

Unlike all of the other friends I made at first, we connected on a deeper level and shared many interests. With them, Ineverfelt theneedtoappear cool, and everything just flowed smoothly. I've always wanted to do the AS level since the idea of its implementation came up. I finally got to do it, and I have no regrets. Because of my decision to do the AS level, I learned a lot, and some of that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life. My AS-level experience has influenced my development as a person inside and outside of the classroom by making me more independent, helping me to choose friends wisely, and motivating me to accomplish the goals I have set for myself. Furthermore, I appreciate that I have made some really good friends here, and I know that I will stay in touch with them for a very long time. I made a lot of mistakes and regret doing stupid things, but I've realised that I was just maturing into the young adult I am today. I would strongly advise anyone to pursue the AS level because of its numerous advantages, of which I will highlight a few. The AS level is wonderful, it changes the way you think, and it exposes you to a very intelligent group of people who are all looking to challenge each other. I have loved my time as an AS level learner because the workload teaches you so much about the real world. Also, doing AS level minimises the step change between high school anduniversity, thusenablinglearnerstotransition effectively to a tertiary level of study. Universities now prefer AS levels over simple intermediate studies. Thus, AS level gives you an edge over other students. Finally, universities like Unam are now giving discounts on tuition fees and other benefits like priority admission to learners who have successfully completed the AS level. My advice to incoming 2023 AS level learners is simple: know yourself and what you want to do, know your weaknesses and strengths, research the courses you're interested in without limiting yourself, and know what their new requirements are. If you don't know what they are, figure it out right now. One of the biggest mistakes I made prior to taking the AS level was not being self-aware of being uninformed. This next bit is cliche, probably because it's so essential and true - learn to manage your time. When given a lot of work, don't look at it as a burden and complain. Make time for it. If you want to go see that movie, go for it, but be responsible enough to come back home and finish the assignment that is due tomorrow. I think any student who learns the technique of time management at an earlier stage is at an advantage because it's a skill you'll probably use frequently in your adult life.