At first glance, Dad’s Army and A-level results day might not be the most obvious bedfellows.
But arguably the most iconic quote from the beloved BBC sitcom doubles up as the best possible advice to any student picking up their A-level results tomorrow – DON’T PANIC.
It might seem an easy – and possibly even misguided – thing to say to someone who has spent 13 years in education building towards this moment.
After all, for many of those sitting exams this summer, getting the grades they’ve been predicted will make the difference between attending the university of their choice and looking for alternatives.
But, in reality, therein lays the key message.
Because the fact remains that whatever letters are contained inside that results envelope – and whether they meet, fall short of or indeed exceed your expectations – there will be a myriad of options available to you.
And although you may have to alter your carefully laid plans, there is nothing to say that the new avenue you choose to travel down won’t be every bit as rewarding as your original first choice.
On Thursday morning across the country, there will be around 300,000 students gathering with friends and family and eagerly opening envelopes handed out by their school or college.
And after a round of congratulatory or sympathetic hugs, they will contact their universities of choice to confirm where they will be heading for the next stage of their education.
With hundreds of further and higher education establishments across the UK, delivering all manner of academic and vocational courses, the choices and possibilities open to 18-year-olds – and, for that matter, more mature students – are endless.
For many, the very breadth of choice can perhaps seem daunting.
But the reality is that all universities will have advisers on hand to match applicants with the course most suited to their skills, ambitions and enthusiasm.
