Firstly, I want to talk about the thing that upcoming sixth formers probably worry about the most - what to wear to school. It is really difficult trying to know what to do when you've spent the past 11 years or so having your school attire chosen for you. It's completely natural at this time to worry that everyone else is going to look better than you at school and have nicer clothes etc. etc. But, I can honestly say, that NOBODY cares what you're wearing. I probably spent a good hour every night before school in my first week of Sixth Form pulling out various clothes from my wardrobe and stressing about what I was going to wear, especially as my Sixth Forms dress code is smart, which I wasn't too used to wearing, but after all of the worrying, I would just turn up the next day for not one single person to give the slightest care about what I was wearing. It seems so silly now when I look back, but everyone does feel the same way. It's especially difficult for girls because it's not as simple as a blazer and a tie, but just don't over complicate it, and make sure you're comfortable.
Next, one of the most important changes I made when I started the Sixth Form was to throw myself into as many extra curricular activities as I could. I don't ever remember getting involved in one single activity at school from Years 7-11 and I regret it so much now. When you get to an age where you're deciding on your future, you'll realise how important it is to show that you are a well rounded person. I can't say enough how important it is to get involved more with your school. It's so easily done and it's basically like having a brilliant, polished CV/UCAS application handed to you on a plate. It will make your time at school so much more enjoyable, and I think the more involved you are, the more respected you will be from everyone at your school.
Over the past year, my style of work and organisation has changed so many times I've lost count. I started the year just simply doing all of my work with a pen and paper, but the further into the year I got, I hated the way my folders looked. I knew I'd never be able to revise from scruffy, boring pieces of work, so I started to bring my Laptop to school at around Easter time. This involved me having to type out every single piece of work I had already done, because I couldn't stand the thought of my folders not looking consistent. I then continued to do all of my work at school on my Laptop, which eventually turned into me typing all of my work on my IPad as it was easier to carry around. Although it did help me learn a lot by retyping my work, it actually resulted in me being more organised than ever because I would always forget to print my work after each lesson, and then I'd be left with dozens of unprinted documents which I didn't know how to file into the right places and although the work did look nice when printed, it just caused me a lot of unnecessary stress. I didn't really resolve my issue of how to present my work in a suitable, simple way until it came to revising. I made my own revision books for each subject using a pen and paper, but I made sure to include lots of colours and use lots of different styles of writing with different pens just to make it visual interesting. I put little flaps on my work and drew little cartoons to explain what I was talking about, and as a whole it just looked so much better than just lines and lines of writing like I used to present my work. I find that presenting my work like this actually makes it fun to do, and so I will definitely be carrying this through to Year 13 with me.
Lastly, I want to talk about the jump from GCSE's to A-Levels and how to make the work more manageable. If you've not yet started Sixth Form, you've probably been told alot about how much harder it is. After just completing a ridiculous amount of exams for about 10 different subject, you've probably brushed that thought off and marked it as nonsense. I too thought that at one point, but I can honestly tell you, I would happily resit all of my exams for my 10 GCSE subjects than my 3 AS levels. It is less subjects, but there is so much to learn. Take one unit from GCSE's and multiply the work it took to complete that by 5 and you have A-Levels. However, remember that you are now only taking subjects you enjoy, so as long as you have a good attitude and work ethic, it is completely manageable. To make it easier, I highly recommend doing a lot of your own research and reading around the subject. Teacher don't really spoon feed you what you need to know as they did at GCSEs and you are left to your own devices to an extent. I've also learnt that leaving all of your revision to the end of the year is just about as helpful as a calculator without a battery - it will not do you any favours. I am guilty of this to an extent, as I left the majority of my revision pretty late, however, I have made myself a promise to make little revision summary pages every weekend of what I have learnt in the previous week. This way, all of my work will be ready to revise from as it will already be summarised, and I should have hopefully remembered it alot better because of this when it comes to revising. I also recommend testing yourself at the end of each unit to see how much you can remember. I did this for one of my subjects and I found it incredibly useful.
Hopefully my advice will be useful to those of you who are approaching your first year of Sixth Form, and maybe it could even just motivate those of you who are at the same stage as myself. Either way, as long as you work your hardest and apply the right attitude, it should make your time as a sixth form student much more enjoyable, as it has for myself!
Good luck to any GCSE or A-Level students awaiting their exam results!
What are your tips for surviving Sixth Form?
What worries you the most about A-Levels?
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