Mimi turns A-level disappointment into triumph

Mimi turns A-level disappointment into triumph

A YEAR after opening a disappointing set of A-level results, Mimi Chilton has achieved the A* grades she had always dreamed of, after showing extraordinary determination to pick herself up and start again.

The 19-year-old former Ripon Grammar School student from Thirsk was devastated when she opened her results last summer to find three Bs, having been predicted two A*s and an A.

“It was disheartening to say the least,” said Mimi. “From being predicted an A and two A*s to opening my results and finding out I had achieved three Bs was a leap I had never expected nor planned for.”

But rather than let the disappointment define her, Mimi decided to take a gap year, retake her exams and reapply to Oxford or Cambridge.

After a month of reflection - and plenty of encouragement from her parents - she got her old textbooks out and started studying again.

This time, she combined studying from home with a part-time job at a hotel. She also returned to her former school two days a week to tutor Year 13 students in the same subjects she was retaking.

And her hard work has paid off spectacularly.

Mimi has now achieved A*s in politics and psychology and an A in economics, transforming last year’s results and putting her in a strong position as she reapplies to Oxbridge.

She said: “The morning after my results day last year my parents convinced me amongst pools of tears that failure was not an option. So a month later I dug out my old books and got back to work.”

As well as overcoming the disappointment of her first results, Mimi enjoyed taking time during her gap year to help other students facing the same pressure she had experienced herself.

And she’s delighted to have proved to them that a disappointing results day does not have to be the end of the story, but can instead be the beginning of an even greater achievement.

She added: “I am feeling an overwhelming amount of gratitude towards my family and friends for pushing me and supporting me this past year.”