[Jaegon Targaryen]

Hello everyone ,

I am currently in the last summer before I attend college and I have two choices of college / sixth form that are willing to accept me depending on my gcse results , I am currently in a dilema in choosing the one which would be best for me , as they both offer what I would consider Pros and Cons.

1 ) My school Sixth form

. I know all the staff , who are extremely supportive and would do their best to help me obtain the best results.

I know most of the boys going , meaning i wouldn't have to worry about fitting in and meeting new people .

. Smaller classes , meaning more 1 on 1 support , I am seen as a student rather than a number


2 ) Richmond upon Thames college

. Huge college : plenty of opportunity to make new friends and people who i share interests with , and possibly meet a gf . ( I have neither in abundance right now). I need to get an understanding of the real world is like ,

. My two closest freinds are going there , these are pretty much the only true freinds I have , and i dont want to grow distant from them . ( Yet we are not going to be in exactly the same classes ...)

. Lots of enrichment + extra curricular activities , giving the means to get a life and get ucas points

. Extremely high pass rate for A level students .

Cons

1) My sixth form

The school is formed of yr 11 pupils from my single sex male high school and the single sex female hs in my borough , most of the attractive girls are known by everyone and so I don't have much of a chance .

. Seeing the same regular faces means I wont make that many new friends , yet I could make a female friend or two.I know all of the boys going and i wouldnt say i have many freinds going there , only "colleagues"

My two besties are going the college , so I'm going to be pretty alone + secluded unless I make an effort to get to know my peers.

2) Richmond upon Thames

Expensive and long travel , costs £15 per week to get there , and train journey is about 50 mins. I will be arriving home late in the evenings

Large classes meaning i will have to do much more independent studying

Such a large college means I wont get that much of a chance to get to know people.


I realize at this age worrying about friends or girlfriends shouldn't be a factor in choosing a college , but my high school years have been really awful. Ive become secluded and a loner , i have few real freinds and I haven't had a gf in like 6 years actually if were talking real relationships Ive never had one , so I wanted to adapt a different attitude in college and attempt to become more of a socialite , Thanks for your time

Where would you choose

[Eldedu]

You have two choices. You can take the "career" path and go to the one with the best average results, or take the "personal" one and go to the one you think will be best socially.

If I were you (as someone who's education was probably compromised by choosing a more socially-focused last two years of secondary education) I'd take the career path.

There'll be plenty of girls at uni, and that's when you supposedly make the life-long friendships anyway.

Cool username btw, even if I have no clue which one jaegon is.

[Jaegon Targaryen]

Thankyou for your response , even if it is the only one ;P. I definitely see where your coming from when choosing my HS I chose the " Career " path , even if it were less serious and as a result my high-school experience was awful .

Even so , I think I may end up choosing my sixth form , I know I may miss out on many opportunities such as " The college lifestyle " etc etc . I will probably come out with better grades , expand on my friendships with a colleague or too and the added convenience of walking distance + extra support is incomparable.

Oh thanks :P My username isnt actually a targaryen , its an anagram of Jaeharys the wise , Aegon - the conquer , and Jon . If you've red the books you may understand

[hannah60000]

(Original post by Jaegon Targaryen)
Hello everyone ,

I am currently in the last summer before I attend college and I have two choices of college / sixth form that are willing to accept me depending on my gcse results , I am currently in a dilema in choosing the one which would be best for me , as they both offer what I would consider Pros and Cons.

1 ) My school Sixth form

. I know all the staff , who are extremely supportive and would do their best to help me obtain the best results.

I know most of the boys going , meaning i wouldn't have to worry about fitting in and meeting new people .

. Smaller classes , meaning more 1 on 1 support , I am seen as a student rather than a number


2 ) Richmond upon Thames college

. Huge college : plenty of opportunity to make new friends and people who i share interests with , and possibly meet a gf . ( I have neither in abundance right now). I need to get an understanding of the real world is like ,

. My two closest freinds are going there , these are pretty much the only true freinds I have , and i dont want to grow distant from them . ( Yet we are not going to be in exactly the same classes ...)

. Lots of enrichment + extra curricular activities , giving the means to get a life and get ucas points

. Extremely high pass rate for A level students .

Cons

1) My sixth form

The school is formed of yr 11 pupils from my single sex male high school and the single sex female hs in my borough , most of the attractive girls are known by everyone and so I don't have much of a chance .

. Seeing the same regular faces means I wont make that many new friends , yet I could make a female friend or two.I know all of the boys going and i wouldnt say i have many freinds going there , only "colleagues"

My two besties are going the college , so I'm going to be pretty alone + secluded unless I make an effort to get to know my peers.

2) Richmond upon Thames

Expensive and long travel , costs £15 per week to get there , and train journey is about 50 mins. I will be arriving home late in the evenings

Large classes meaning i will have to do much more independent studying

Such a large college means I wont get that much of a chance to get to know people.


I realize at this age worrying about friends or girlfriends shouldn't be a factor in choosing a college , but my high school years have been really awful. Ive become secluded and a loner , i have few real freinds and I haven't had a gf in like 6 years actually if were talking real relationships Ive never had one , so I wanted to adapt a different attitude in college and attempt to become more of a socialite , Thanks for your time

Where would you choose

To be honest choose where you prefer my commute is similar to you and you'll just get used to coming back later, no big deal at least it wasn't to me.

You are young so having a gf now or in 2 years well up to you but this should not be a factor in the decision as you never know what could happen and can find someone you like at your current school.

As I stated before what do you want from your A levels if the new school offers this then go to it but then again think about where you will be comfortable as this is important to doing well you still have some time before result day, for me when it came to deciding I looked at A level specs as they differ depending on school choose of Exam board etc and I was just honest with myself which is all I can say for you go where you feel you will gain the best from.

[TenOfThem]

(Original post by Jaegon Targaryen)
Cons

2) Richmond upon Thames

Expensive and long travel , costs £15 per week to get there , and train journey is about 50 mins. I will be arriving home late in the evenings

Large classes meaning i will have to do much more independent studying

Such a large college means I wont get that much of a chance to get to know people.

£15 a week is not much ... everyone in my LA pays at least that

Independent studies is a Pro not a Con (especially since they still get good results)

Large gives more opportunities


Seems to me the 6th form college has no cons

[A.J10]

I can't say much about the cost of travel, I payed £80 every 3 months and that was with EMA, but the commute time really doesn't matter. Just take a book or phone or something. You'll find it makes a nice buffer between working at college and starting home/housework at home.

[chapman.]

I'd pick the larger college. Larger classes etc wouldn't particularly have an impact on later life as you're more or less going to get the same results. The social side though will impact, you'll learn how to deal with people more effectively and the world now centres on those with better social skills more than those more intellectually minded

[Jaegon Targaryen]

Its not really confirmed to be £15 a week , its somewhere within a range of £15-25 I guess . The point I was trying to make is , its a looong train journey , sure it means I can spend that time doing constructive things but it also leaves a lot of room for error , train delays due to weather etc.

The college is meant to be really , really big ( check wiki if you have time : Richmond Upon Thames College) the reason I saw this as a slight disadvantage is that I would barely get a chance to become close with people as I would be mixing so often ?

[FrescoDiMorte]

(Original post by Jaegon Targaryen)
Its not really confirmed to be £15 a week , its somewhere within a range of £15-25 I guess . The point I was trying to make is , its a looong train journey , sure it means I can spend that time doing constructive things but it also leaves a lot of room for error , train delays due to weather etc.

The college is meant to be really , really big ( check wiki if you have time : Richmond Upon Thames College) the reason I saw this as a slight disadvantage is that I would barely get a chance to become close with people as I would be mixing so often ?

Your not as bad of a position as me, I plan on going richmond next year, it seemed like a nice place and has quite a good range of subjects at A level. My bus journey is 1h and 10mins (at best) and 1:40 (worst) but I guess im used to it because my current/last school is quite far away from where I live aswell. As for going college or sf you can get good grades in both but in college you just have to be more productive and have some self control because of the freedom.

[Smason5]

Can you not go to another Sixth form then so you get the pros of small classes and also meeting new people. I myself went to a new sixthform and i'm glad i did, i made friends quickly as my subject classes were small and i'm gonna miss them now that i am leaving this year esp my further maths class(i spend 10 hours with them a week). I also know people who went to Richmonds and i see them get home at 6 when i get home at 4. Trust me near revision time i'm the one laughing i get a 2 hours head start. Tho i agree richmonds have a lot of extracurriculum... but its up to you. Army cadets was a good way for me to make friends outside school.

[wolf-pack]

I've never had a boyfriend and i'm 16, neither have quite a few of my friends so don't feel like you are alone on that front!
Reading the pros, I would say go to the college, but after reading the cons, I would say only go to the college if you are confident enough and have strong enough will power and stamina to make the long journey there and back everyday, and of course you are willing to put the extra hours in at home.
Good luck with everything no matter where you decide to go!

[Tomcrease]

(Original post by GreenLantern1)
Sixth form....colleges are rubbish and full of fools.

I went to a college and it was very good, high pass rates, about 1200 AS and A2 students so you will always meet new people. Hardly and fools in my college.

Fitting in won't be a problem if it's a big college, you will meet people in your lessons in exactly the same situation as you.

I think most people would vouch for which ever they went to. I went to a college and don't regret it at all. It cost about £25 a week to get there with a 45 minute journey each way. Although it was big my teachers were always happy for me to go and see them at any time they were free for some extra support.

Independent work is good in my eyes. In the end I would agree with the first poster, go to the place which does the courses you like, with the highest pass rate.

[Jaegon Targaryen]

(Original post by FrescoDiMorte)
Your not as bad of a position as me, I plan on going richmond next year, it seemed like a nice place and has quite a good range of subjects at A level. My bus journey is 1h and 10mins (at best) and 1:40 (worst) but I guess im used to it because my current/last school is quite far away from where I live aswell.

Well now I think about it Ive only visited the college twice , both times were outside rush hour , I estimated the time it takes based upon how long it took then , with little traffic etc.

At one point I was definite in going to the college , It offers so much enrichment activities and opportunities to change how I am . Yet after visiting my sixth form on induction day I realise my sixth form wasnt as bad as previously thought .

A long train journey wont be that bad though , so many people in my HS have been accepted into Richmond (if they meet the terms agreed upon) and a lot of them will be taking the same route , so it wont be an alone , bored thing.

I think the best thing for me to do would be to attend the college , I dont struggle with the commitment issue so independent work is no biggie for me . It offers me a chance to see what Uni is like and whether I would be willing to go , and I feel like I have been in my comfort zone for much too long .

[Jaegon Targaryen]

(Original post by Smason5)
Can you not go to another Sixth form then so you get the pros of small classes and also meeting new people. I myself went to a new sixthform and i'm glad i did, i made friends quickly as my subject classes were small and i'm gonna miss them now that i am leaving this year esp my further maths class(i spend 10 hours with them a week).

Unfortunately I only applied for 3 places , the other being a awful local college , and with deadlines gone applying for another sixth form is out of the question.

Perhaps going to a massive college like this is the best thing for me , I havent met much people i can gel with tbh ( perhaps its because of my attitude) but there must be people like me in such a large place

[Smason5]

Yes but i honestly gave an honest account. Tho i guess another point is that sixth form is 9-3 i like this but some may not. Tho you do have free periods and hence sometimes afternoons off.

[Smason5]

Lol, i have a bit of an attitude too but people from my sixth form found it funny. Yes i couldn't have stayed at my secondary school as i didn't like a lot of the people so me and my best friend moved to a diff sixth form. I would then say to go to another college then, find a nice group of friends and prosper. Good luck