Thinking About Sixth Form?

Hello Everyone,

It's coming up to that time of year where some of you may be finishing high school and thinking about what you are going to next. I decided to go to sixth form after I finished high school and I'm so glad I did so today I thought I would tell you a bit about what sixth form is like and what you can expect from sixth form.  

But first I just want to say that there are a number of options of what you can do when you finish high school including sixth form, collage, getting a job and apprenticeships. Therefore, I would say do which ever one is best for you and what you want to do in the future. I'm not doing this blog post to persuade you to go to sixth form as different things suit different people. I just wanted to tell you a bit about sixth form been as I am in it at the moment.

Choosing a Sixth Form!

When I was looking to go to sixth form I had two places in mind. I looked round both of them, applied for a place and then had interviews and was lucky enough to be accepted into both of them. This was good because it meant that there was less pressure on me and I could choose which one would be best for me. When you're choosing a sixth form (or collage for that matter) I would suggest that you keep your options open. Try to look around as many different places as possible and apply to any places which you think you might like. You can also look around collages as well and just consider different courses and places. This just means that there is less pressure on you if you don't get accepted into your first choice. Once you have looked around all of the sixth forms you like and have hopefully been accepted the next step is to choose which one is your favourite and which one you are going to attend. For me there was little difference between the two sixth forms so at first it was a difficult choice. To overcome this I came up with a list of positives and negatives for each of the sixth forms and that is what helped me to make my decision. I am really happy with the choice I made now. The main point to remember about choosing a sixth form is to keep you options open.

What to consider when choosing a sixth form!

1. Does it run the subjects I want to take?
2. Can I get there everyday?
3. Is the travel time too much?
4. Do I like the teachers?
5. Do I like the atmoshpere and the set-up of the classrooms?

You've got to ask yourself these questions along with many others and answer them truly to see if that is the sixth form for you. You may notice that friends isn't on that list. Now I'm not saying you shouldn't consider your friends at all but you have to do what is best for you. When I started sixth form none of my best friends who I'd been with all through school were going to the same place as me; some were going to collage and others were going to different sixth forms. However, there were people I knew and considered to be friends at the sixth form I went to so I started talking to them on the first day and I now consider them to be my best friends as well. I still keep in touch with my other friends and we're all happy with the choices we made. 

Choosing your Options!

I actually want to do a whole blog post on choosing your options because it's something that people will go through at GCSE and when they go to uni not just when starting sixth form. However, I will just briefly mention it. What I would say is choose subjects that you enjoy and are good at. I think this is the best way to make sure that you get good grades and enjoy sixth form. This is what I did and I'm glad I took the subjects I did. Also, look at your GCSE results and think about it logically. If you could only get a C in a certain subject at GCSE, are you going to be able to get that at A Level when it is much harder? I'm not saying you can't, as long as you try your hardest I'm sure you can achieve the grade you want but it is something you should think about.

Making Friends!

I pretty much new everyone at my sixth form but as I mentioned they were not the people I had been best friends with. I know how scary it is not knowing who you'll go round with but people are really nice and if you talk to them they're more than likely to talk to you more often. The likelihood is that they're feeling the exact same way. The easiest way to make friends is to just talk to them. Ask them what options they took or what they did over summer. Take advantage of lessons and get to know the person you're sat next to. If you to talk to someone they're going to talk back so it's all about having the confidence to speak first. I wouldn't worry about making friends because your bound to make friends with someone.

What You Need - The Essentials!

You might not know what you need to take to sixth form. To be honest it's basically the same as what you needed in high school but I've made a list of the essentials for you anyway.

• A School Bag
• A Pencil Case
• Folders 
• A Notepad
• Possibly a calculator depending on what you take
• A planner/diary
• Money 

Obviously that is just the basics and doesn't go into detail but they're the essentials in my opinion. The things you need for sixth form are very similar to what you used in high school.

What to Expect!

I cannot tell you exactly what to expect from sixth form because all sixth forms differ but I will give you a few points that are probably the same in all sixth forms. I think you should expect sixth form to be quite a bit harder than high school as you take less subjects which means they are a lot more concentrated and there is much more to learn. Also, if you have time off school due to illness or for some other reason it is quite hard to catch up as a lot can be taught in just one lesson. Keeping on top of work is also essential because you will probably have quite a lot of homework and coursework to do. Therefore staying organised is important. Also, depending on what subjects you take there may be a lot of writing. However, as long as you are motivated and organised this is all easily achievable so there is no need to worry. 

In terms of social life you should expect to have more free time during the school day to socialise with people in your year. You will have free periods so you have more time to relax and have fun with your friends. Some sixth forms, like mine, have a room just for sixth formers which is really good as you have your own little place. If you sixth form is anything like mine you will have lots of laughs in there.

What If I Make The Wrong Decision?

After choosing the sixth form you think is best and starting out there you may realise that you have made the wrong choice and would rather study somewhere else. If this does happen to you don't worry because I know people who have both moved from my sixth form to another and also moved to my sixth form from another. Therefore, if you do have this problem there is a solution. However, this decision does need to be made quite quickly as you will have to catch up on the work you missed in your new sixth form. If you feel that you have made the wrong decision talk to your parents or a teacher to try and come up with a solution. Therefore, if you are not sure about the sixth form you have chosen don't worry because there will be a chance to change your mind if needs be.

My Opinion on Sixth Form!

I just wanted to quickly tell you about my opinion of sixth form. To be honest I really enjoy it. I'm so glad that I chose to go to sixth form and that I made the right choice of which one to go to. I'm really happy with the subjects I chose as well. 

WOW, that was quite a long post. I hope I haven't bored you. I just wanted to provide the information that I probably would have liked to have read when I was thinking about going to sixth form. I am in no way saying that sixth form is the best option or trying to persuade you to go to sixth form, I just wanted to give you a bit of information about it. I hope you have enjoyed this post and have found it helpful. Good Luck making your decisions. :)