INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH STORY 🤔 Making Decisions 💭 Level 5 - 6 / B2 + | BRITISH ENGLISH WITH SUBTITLES
Summary
TLDRSophia, a star student with dreams of becoming a doctor, struggles to balance her ambitions after failing her Cambridge University interview. During her gap year, she gains valuable work experience at a hospice, realizing the importance of human connection. She re-applies to universities, including Cambridge and Sheffield, and is accepted by both. Ultimately, Sophia faces a tough decision between prestige and personal fulfillment. After much reflection, she chooses Sheffield, deciding to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor while staying close to the people and experiences she loves.
Takeaways
- 😊 Sophia had dreams of becoming a doctor but ended up working in a boring office after failing her first Cambridge interview.
- 🎓 Despite being a star student with excellent grades, Sophia lacked work experience, which affected her Cambridge application.
- 👨👩👧 Sophia's parents encouraged her to focus on her studies, which limited her ability to gain practical work experience during school.
- 🤝 During her gap year, Sophia started volunteering at a children's hospice and gained valuable experience in the healthcare sector.
- 💡 The hands-on experience at the hospice helped Sophia realize the importance of connecting with people and the value of real-world work over just studying.
- 📋 Sophia applied to several universities, including Cambridge and Sheffield, with a stronger application due to her recent work and volunteering experience.
- ✍️ Sophia sought advice from her old tutor to refine her personal statement, showing her growth and determination to improve her application.
- 🎯 Sophia received interview offers from both Cambridge and Sheffield, leaving her with a difficult decision about her future.
- 🏙️ Sophia fell in love with Sheffield during her interview visit and felt a strong connection to the city and its university.
- 🤔 After reflecting on her dreams and priorities, Sophia chose Sheffield, realizing that her dream had changed and she preferred staying close to her family and the hospice.
Q & A
Why did Sophia decide to take a gap year after her A-levels?
-Sophia decided to take a gap year to gain real-life work experience, particularly in healthcare, to strengthen her university application for studying medicine.
What made Sophia’s first attempt at applying to Cambridge University unsuccessful?
-Sophia's first attempt at applying to Cambridge University was unsuccessful because she was unprepared for the interview questions and lacked relevant work experience in the healthcare field.
How did Sophia spend her gap year in preparation for reapplying to university?
-During her gap year, Sophia worked 28 hours a week in an office job and volunteered at a local children's hospice, where she gained hands-on experience that helped her grow personally and professionally.
What did Sophia learn from her volunteering experience at the hospice?
-Sophia learned the importance of connecting with people, especially in a healthcare setting. She gained valuable insights into the healthcare profession, realizing that empathy and communication are just as important as medical knowledge.
How did Sophia’s gap year experiences improve her second university application?
-Sophia's second application was much stronger because she was able to describe her office job experience, which improved her organizational skills, and her hospice volunteering, which deepened her passion for healthcare.
Why did Sophia struggle with deciding between Cambridge and Sheffield?
-Sophia struggled with the decision because, although Cambridge had been her lifelong dream, she felt more connected to Sheffield, where she could stay close to her family and continue volunteering at the hospice.
What concerns did Sophia have about attending Cambridge University?
-Sophia was concerned that at Cambridge she might not relate to some of the privileged students and that she would miss out on the social and family connections she valued. She also worried about balancing her studies with her personal well-being.
What role did Sophia’s parents play in her decision-making process?
-Sophia’s parents were very supportive throughout her decision-making process, encouraging her to follow her gut instincts and choose what would make her happiest, regardless of Cambridge's prestigious reputation.
How did Sophia finally make her decision between Cambridge and Sheffield?
-Sophia ultimately decided to attend Sheffield because she felt more comfortable with the city and campus, and the opportunity to continue her volunteering at the hospice aligned with her personal values.
What realization did Sophia come to about her lifelong dream of attending Cambridge?
-Sophia realized that dreams can evolve over time, and while attending Cambridge had been her goal, her experiences made her understand that her true happiness lay in staying close to her loved ones and continuing her hospice work.
Outlines
😓 Sophia's Disappointment and Life After School
Sophia, despite her stellar academic record, finds herself disillusioned working in an office job. After excelling in her A-levels with four A's, her dream of studying medicine at Cambridge University is shattered when she fails the interview. Lacking work experience, she regrets focusing solely on her studies during college, unlike her friends who had part-time jobs. Now taking a gap year, Sophia is determined to gain real-life experience to improve her chances of getting into university. She works 28 hours a week at a boring office job, saving money for university expenses, and spends her free day volunteering at a local children's hospice, which gives her valuable insight into the healthcare field.
📄 Preparing for University Applications
Sophia begins applying to universities again, including Cambridge, a university in London, and a local one near her home. This time, her application is much stronger, thanks to the experiences she gained from both her office job and hospice volunteering. She reflects on how working at the hospice shaped her passion for healthcare and gave her a more meaningful perspective on what it takes to be a doctor. Despite struggling with the word limit on her personal statement, Sophia seeks guidance from her old personal tutor at college. The meeting reignites old memories, and her tutor is impressed by how much she has grown, offering encouragement and advice for her upcoming interviews.
🌸 Shifting Dreams and New Perspectives
Sophia finds herself torn between her childhood dream of going to Cambridge and a newfound sense of belonging closer to home. While preparing for her university applications, she realizes that her priorities have shifted. Volunteering at the hospice has changed her perspective, and she now feels a deeper connection to her local community. After a helpful meeting with her personal tutor, Sophia gains clarity about what she values most. Writing her personal statement no longer feels daunting, as she now has more to say about her life experiences. She applies to three universities and begins the waiting game for interview invitations.
🎓 Interviews and Tough Decisions
Sophia is invited for interviews at Cambridge and Sheffield. During her Cambridge interview, she feels confident and prepared, thanks to her previous experience. Afterward, she reflects on how proud her family is, as she would be the first to attend university. However, she starts to question whether Cambridge is truly the right fit for her. Sophia also interviews at Sheffield and falls in love with the city and its atmosphere. Sheffield's proximity to home and her ability to continue volunteering at the hospice appeal to her. Faced with the difficult decision between Cambridge and Sheffield, Sophia makes a pros and cons list to weigh her options.
💭 Making the Big Decision
Sophia receives acceptance offers from both Cambridge and Sheffield. Although this should be a dream come true, the decision is harder than she anticipated. She enjoys the comfort of being close to home and continuing her work at the hospice, but the prestige of Cambridge looms large. After a thoughtful conversation with her parents, Sophia realizes that her dream has evolved. She chooses Sheffield, trusting her instincts and valuing her happiness over the allure of Cambridge's reputation. In making this decision, she learns that dreams can change, and it's more important to follow what feels right for her future.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Gap Year
💡Work Experience
💡Cambridge University
💡Volunteering
💡Children's Hospice
💡Personal Statement
💡A-Levels
💡Interview Process
💡Decision Making
💡Future Ambitions
Highlights
Sophia had dreams and aspirations to be a doctor but ended up in a boring office job.
She had been the star student with four A's at A-level but failed the Cambridge interview due to lack of preparation and work experience.
Sophia took a gap year to gain real-life work experience, working in an office and volunteering at a children's hospice.
At the hospice, Sophia realized the importance of hands-on experience and the value of connecting with people over just studying.
She developed a passion for volunteering at the hospice, helping with meal times, activities, and shadowing doctors and nurses.
Sophia's new experiences made her university application much stronger, including both office work and her time at the hospice.
She decided to apply to Cambridge again, but also applied to universities closer to home, like Sheffield, where she could continue volunteering.
Sophia prepared extensively for her interviews, feeling more confident than the first time around due to her added experience.
After her Cambridge interview, Sophia felt confident and was proud of how far she'd come.
During her Sheffield interview, she felt a strong connection to the city and campus, which influenced her decision-making.
Sophia retracted her application to Queen Mary University, focusing her decision between Cambridge and Sheffield.
Despite being accepted into both Cambridge and Sheffield, Sophia struggled with her decision, torn between prestige and personal happiness.
Sophia's personal tutor praised her experience, saying Cambridge would be 'crazy' not to accept her.
Sophia realized her priorities had shifted, and her love for the hospice and being close to home outweighed her desire for prestige.
After careful thought and reflection, Sophia chose Sheffield, realizing that dreams can change and evolve.
Transcripts
making decisions
b2 level 4 intermediate
english story
sophia had been at work since 8 am
she was fed up of the same old daily
grind
this was not what she wanted from her
life
she always wanted more she had dreams
and
aspirations to be a doctor
instead she was sat in a boring office
listening to her colleagues about
other people
in the team all she wanted to do
was go home
sophia gained four a's at a level
she was the star student of her year
she wanted to go to cambridge university
to study medicine but she failed the
interview
process she wasn't prepared for the
questions they asked her
and she didn't have enough work
experience to talk about
she spent her whole time at college
studying
she'd never had a saturday job like her
friends
she wanted to get a job but her parents
wanted her to focus on her studies
so instead of working on the weekends
she spent them studying luckily
her parents gave her a monthly allowance
which meant she could go out with her
friends once
a week she always looked forward to
friday nights with her friends
every friday night they'd get glammed up
and head
into town they had the best time
she missed them most of her friends were
now at
university but sophia had decided to
take a gap year
she thought it was for the best she
really needed to get some real-life work
experience
so she could get into cambridge
sophia worked 28 hours a week in an
office it was pretty boring she was
trying to save as much
money as she could university in the uk
can get ridiculously expensive
as she wanted to be able to enjoy
herself
and not worry about cash she got the job
through a temping agency she spent her
days replying to emails
helping with invoices and organizing
meetings as
sofia only worked 28 hours
it meant she had one weekday off a week
to do as she pleased she spent this day
volunteering at a local children's
hospice
she loved her time there people
always asked her if it was a sad place
but it was the opposite everyone who
worked there was so
positive and talented
at the hospice she helped with meal
times and
organizing activities for the patients
she also shadowed the doctors and nurses
she learned an incredible amount about
what working in the healthcare sector
is really like she wished she'd done it
sooner
sofia realized that gaining hands-on
experience
meant so much more than hours chained to
her desk
studying
of course she had to be able to show
that she could understand
biology very well if she wanted to be
a doctor but working at the hospice made
her realize
how important it is to be able to
connect with
people she loved talking to the staff
and working with the children even
though many of them were very sick
she liked to think that she made their
days
a little better
[Music]
she started volunteering at the hospice
in the summer
after she received her a-level results
she knew she had to make the most of her
year
out of education first on her list was
to get a job
and the second was to find some relevant
work experience
to support her university application
sophia had been volunteering and working
in the office for three months
when it was time to apply for university
again this time
she decided to apply for a university
closer to home
if she went there it would mean she
could continue her volunteering
at the hospice she also applied for
cambridge
and a university in london
sophia had so much more to talk about
in her ucas application than she did
last year
she described her experiences working in
the office
and how this helped her to become more
organized
she listed the new program she was able
to use
and she detailed how she had developed a
new system
for processing customer queries
although sophia had expanded her skills
and knowledge
working in the office job it was nothing
compared to her experience at the
hospice
when she started her university
application
she realized how passionate she was
about the things she had experienced
and learnt from helping set up
activities
to talking to the patients about their
thoughts
and fears
[Music]
the problem was that there was a word
limit on the application
she was struggling to narrow down the
points she wanted to make
she decided to make an appointment to
see her old personal tutor at college
to go over her personal statement
she would also ask the tutor if she
would be her
reference for the application
sophia finished what she could of her
personal statement
and printed it off ready for her tutor
to check
she arranged to meet with her the
following day
it was strange for sophia to think about
going back to her
old college she only left six months ago
but so much had changed it felt like her
college days
were a lifetime ago
the next day sophia went to the college
and checked in with the receptionist who
called her tutor
sophia sat in the waiting room looking
at the pictures of
students who had gone on to do amazing
things she never
realized that so many notable people had
studied at
her college there were pictures of
doctors
famous rock stars and tv presenters
all over the walls she hoped that
perhaps one day
she could be on this wall of fame she
didn't want to be
famous though she wanted to be
successful
after a few minutes of waiting her old
personal tutor
miss turner appeared she was pleased to
see sophia
they chattered all the way to her office
and reminisced about her time at the
college
once they sat down miss turner went
through sofia's application
and couldn't believe how much experience
she had gained
in such a short amount of time
wow sophia she exclaimed
if cambridge doesn't take you this time
they're crazy
you've got way more experience than any
of the other students here
i'll give you some practice questions to
go over for the cambridge interview
i mean you've done it now so you know
what to expect
but it's always good to be prepared
but i haven't even applied yet said
sophia
she wasn't sure deep down if cambridge
was what she wanted anymore
yes of course she knew it was one of the
best
universities in the world and it would
look amazing on her cv but that wasn't
so important to her anymore
there were so many other reputable
universities in the uk
that would be just as good if she went
to a university closer to home
it would also mean that she could keep
volunteering at the hospice
she wanted to have her independence
but she also wanted to stay close to her
family
she knew that if she went to cambridge
she would be studying
alongside some very privileged people
who might not be able to relate to her
for sophia it was important to enjoy the
social
aspect of university just as much as the
studying
after all university is supposed to be
one of the best times of your life
sophia didn't want to be worrying about
her peers
she wanted to be having fun
sophia had visited cambridge for her
interview
the university and city were beyond
beautiful
and everyone she met was lovely
until working at the hospice going to
cambridge had been her lifelong ambition
but now she was starting to feel
differently
after spending an hour chatting with her
tutor
sophia walked home and thought about
everything
they had discussed miss turner had given
sophia some useful tips for her personal
statement
now she had to go home get on her laptop
and get all her ideas down on paper
sophia made herself a strong cup of tea
and got comfortable for a night of
writing
she always found writing about herself
to be a little
embarrassing she didn't know what to say
and didn't want to sound big-headed or
like she was exaggerating her experience
she made a list of five bullet points
which she wanted to cover and started
writing it didn't take as long as she
thought it would
and after 90 minutes she was finished
she sent the statement off to her
teacher to make
the finishing touches now it was time to
wait
and see where she was accepted for an
interview
she applied to three universities
in the end cambridge sheffield
and queen mary in london
a few days later sophia received a
confirmation email
which explained that her application had
now been
submitted that's it she thought to
herself
now i play the waiting game
she wondered what she might do if she
didn't get accepted again
perhaps she could get an apprenticeship
with the hospice
there was nothing else sophia could do
so she threw herself
into her work and her volunteering
in the evenings and on the weekends she
met up with friends who were back in
town
she was having a great time she was
earning good money for an 18 year old
the weeks passed by with no news but
sophia didn't panic
she knew that thousands of students
across the country
and even from abroad were applying for
the same courses
she just had to be patient and wait her
turn
finally one sunny tuesday morning
she received an email she had been
offered an
interview for both sheffield and
cambridge
she felt a mix of emotions from
fear to excitement to apprehension
sophia had three weeks to prepare for
the interviews
she watched youtube videos read blogs
and looked up potential interview
questions on the internet
this time she wanted to be fully
prepared for what they were going to ask
her the first
interview sophia had was at cambridge
she took the train to the city with her
mom
luckily her interview was at 11 a.m
so afterwards they would have time to
explore the city center
and go for food sophia also wanted to
visit
one of her favorite shops the cambridge
satchel
company
they arrived in the city early sophia
always was an early bird they walked
around the beautiful cobbled streets
and got a coffee she felt strangely calm
she had done this before and she could
do it again
the only difference was that this time
she had
so much more to say
[Music]
sophia went to the university and
checked in
her mum decided to wait in a nearby cafe
and read her favorite book sofia sat and
waited in the historic
university reception until someone
called her name
and she was taken to the interview room
she was questioned for over half an hour
about her a-level studies about what
made a good doctor
and about her experience at the hospice
she felt confident in her answers
when the interview was over she thanked
the interviewers
shook their hands and left with her head
held high
sophia's mum was so proud of her
she would be the first generation of her
family
to go to university she would also
be the first doctor in the family
sophia wasn't thinking that far ahead
next she had to prepare for her
sheffield interview
which was in two days
the next day sophia was back at work
but all she kept thinking about was her
cambridge interview
and what she would change for her
interview at sheffield
the next day she had an early night
the next day her dad drove her to
sheffield
if she gained a place at this university
she would be able to commute by car
which would save a lot of money
on accommodation costs more importantly
she would be able to continue
volunteering
at the hospice
from the moment she arrived at the
sheffield university campus
she loved it she loved the city's hills
and the way people
talked she also loved the students union
and the general vibe on campus something
about
sheffield just clicked with her
her dad waited in the students union for
her
while she went for the interview some of
the questions they asked her were
difficult
but she asked them to rephrase and then
she was
able to answer overall the interview
lasted 45 minutes she was ready
for some lunch afterwards
later that night she laid in bed
thinking about what the future was going
to hold
she had made some calculations and
decided
that even if queen mary university
invited her for an interview she
wouldn't go
she loved london but it was so expensive
and she wanted to stay closer to home
the next morning she updated her ucas
status
and retracted her offer from queen mary
now it was between cambridge and
sheffield
she could imagine studying at both
universities
they both had brilliant reputations and
their course offerings were incredibly
diverse
and exciting
sophia imagined that she was offered a
place at both
universities and she made a prose
and cons list she discussed her concerns
with her parents
but ultimately it was up to her
sophia's parents were always supportive
of her ambitions
the next few weeks passed by in a blur
sophia was as busy as always working
volunteering and seeing friends
she also passed her driving test and
decided to start
saving money for a car
finally three weeks after her interviews
sophia got an email to say cambridge had
made a decision
she was too nervous to open it she
decided to wait
until sheffield replied she wanted to
open
both emails on the same day
[Music]
another two days passed
they were the two slowest days of
sophia's life
finally her phone pinged and there it
was
a response from sheffield she logged
into ucas
to view her options
she didn't tell anyone she had received
the replies
she wanted to keep it to herself for now
she didn't want to be influenced by
other people
she took a deep breath as she clicked
login
as the page loaded she closed her eyes
all of a sudden she was very nervous
what if she didn't get any offers at all
after a few moments she opened her eyes
she couldn't believe what she saw she
had been
accepted to both cambridge and sheffield
sophia gasped her dream had come true
but somehow the decision felt harder
than she thought
sophia had always been a home bird
she liked to be around her home comforts
and close to her friends and family
now she had a new volunteering role at
the hospice
she didn't want to leave it but
on the other hand it had been her dream
to study at cambridge
now she had the chance would she take it
sophia decided to keep the news to
herself
for a few more days she wanted to think
about what she really wanted
she had lots of questions she needed to
ask herself
did she want to move away did she want
to keep her volunteering role
did she want to go to cambridge
she spent the next few days doing lots
of research
she did virtual university campus tours
and read reviews for restaurants and
clubs in cambridge and sheffield
she researched what the halls of
residence look like
and how much it would cost her to live
in
each city
the weekend arrived and sophia went to
the hospice
she told one of the nurses her news
the nurse was so happy for her but
sophia didn't seem
so excited after spending the day with
the staff and patients
she knew she had her answer
[Music]
that night when sophia was having dinner
with her parents
she broke the news they were both
overjoyed sofia's dad even got a tear in
his eye
after a few minutes she told them that
she didn't know what to do
of course cambridge was her dream
she just wasn't sure if it was still
her dream
everyone knows that cambridge university
is one of the best
in the world if sophia went there
she knew that her cv would shine
having said that sheffield university
also had an amazing reputation
sophia didn't want to do anything she
would regret
her mum asked her a simple question
what does your gut tell you sofia
forget the reputation and your cv
and everything else what do you
want deep down
sophia sat for a minute it say
sheffield i love this city
the campus was great and i could still
work at the hospice
but it's so hard to get into cambridge
i just worry that people will think i'm
daft for not
taking it who cares what people think
said sophia's mum you have to do what is
best for you
and what will make you happy we'll be
proud of you no matter what you
decide
after dinner sophia went to her room
she looked through the photos on her
phone that she'd taken when she was in
sheffield
and cambridge she then opened her laptop
and logged into ucas
[Music]
this is it she said as she made her
choices
sophia felt relieved although cambridge
had
been her lifelong dream she realized
that dreams can morph
and change she was still going to be a
doctor but she was going to be a doctor
whilst keeping the things and the people
she loved close to her
we hope you enjoyed this lovely english
story would you make the same decision
as sophia
tell us in the comments
[Music]
you
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