A Letter to My Future Student Self

Dear Robin,

How are you? I hope you’re ok and laying off the beer. Well, another set of exams are over, and I just wanted to let you know 10 things I learnt during my time studying A Levels that I thought you might find useful in ‘getting there’ (wherever that may be).

1. Never underestimate the importance of structure. For all the motivation and effort you may hold, if you don’t have structure in your studies you will not be as an effective student. On the other hand, if you don’t have motivation or effort at any particular point then the structure will carry you. With that dual sense in mind, sit your a*s down and focus on the following (9) points.
2. Never underestimate the importance of creativity. Einstein once said that ‘the intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift’. Do not neglect your gift, it would mean the end of uniqueness; a fate worse than death.
3. Never underestimate the importance of passion.  Ralph Waldo Emerson said that ‘passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant’. And indeed, when all else fails in studies, passion will grab you by the balls and drag you kicking and screaming into the new world.
4. Never underestimate the importance of ambition. ‘If a person does not know to which port they steer then no wind is favourable to them.’ So said Seneca the Elder. Ambition provides a direction for your passion and creativity that would otherwise be wasted on the ether, and we should be willing to continue improving, to set a higher goal upon achieving the last one. Ambition, unlike passion, won’t grab you by the balls. It will, however, shove a wad of money in your nose and tell you to run for that private home library you’ve always wanted.
5. Never underestimate the importance of keeping your feet on the ground.Ambition is one thing, daydreaming is quite another. If you have an idea of the end point but forget where you are then anything in between is meaningless. Or, if you are going to daydream, do it well. That might be a strange thing to say but it might be possible to use daydreaming creatively. Just look at Lewis Carroll, the guy must have been tripping. So, lesson is: If you’re going to prime the mind-pump then just make sure you actually get the creative juices to flow. Then get those juices and smear them all over the page like a kid at an art show. If that isn’t for you then don’t even bother daydreaming, keep your feet on the ground instead.
6. Never underestimate the importance of eclectic learning. The book is not the only place of study. Looked at properly, anything can be a lesson. An eclectic education, one which includes music and sport and art, will ensure an appreciation for the varieties of life and an aversion to dogma, the killer of creativity. So diversify yourself, man. Diversify yourself like an orgy in the 60s. Those guys knew where it was at. Writers and other intellectual sorts thrive on diversity. Plus: many fingers in many pies means maximum pie deliciousness. Because, f**k yeah, pie.
7. Never underestimate the importance of hard work. ’All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life.’ That’s what Ralph Ransom said. What he basically meant was: Don’t just put your nose against the grindstone: rub your entire naked body against the grindstone. And then film it. And put it on Youtube. I think… In any case, if you are going to dream you should at least have the cojones to work towards that dream.
8. Never underestimate the importance of human engagement. Academic abilities count for nought if you have no friends to share the love of learning and curiosity in humanity with. Gandi, great guy that he was, once said that we should ‘live as if we were to die tomorrow, but learn as it we were to live forever’. Learning comes in the midst of living; living comes in the midst of learning. Pursue one and you shall have neither. Pursue both and you shall be wise indeed, young Padawan.
9. Never underestimate the importance of moral principle. Need I remind you of Matthew 26:16; ‘to what shall it profit a man if, having gained the world, he lose his own soul?’ In this, you must never be willing to forego your moral code for the sake of ambition. Rather, you should acknowledge the responsibility that falls on your lap from having the knowledge and ability to in some small way better the world. You know what? People matter. And unless you’re going to kick one in the shins for a contrived sense of ‘conflict’ that could be useful in a book, then care for them.
10. Finally, never underestimate yourself. The bold truth is that you are often better than you think you are, and achieve more than you give yourself credit for. Remember this with humility and your confidence will lend colour to the previous (9) points. But the fundamental point remains: If you don’t value your work, how can you expect anyone else to? On that note, Robin, my man, you are bitching. Mwah.

That said, enjoy the next term. Make the most of it " the one after that will be at university!

All the best,

Robin (you)

Reviews

[Christina]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who writes letters to myself either, what similar minds we have! I enjoyed this, it shows how much diligence and motivation you have towards achieving all your goals.
I like that you take your work seriously but not yourself too seriously :)