[Vernish]

I'm trying to make this decision this summer and would really just like to hear someone else's opinion. (Obviously it's going to be hard to give a definite school/college answer as I'm only giving a very brief summary here, but based on the following...)

The school is a lot nearer, easier to get to, cheaper to get to - it's a lot more convenient.
I have a very good relationship with the teachers at school - I have a lot of confidence in them, enjoy their lessons.
However I really don't like any of the people in my year (or years above/below.) I spent five years of school continually irritated by them all. This does, however, stand a fair chance of being the same at college I think. It certainly is a possibility that I'm just a bit grumpy.

Thoughts?

(Many thanks.)

[HalleStar]

I think staying at school will be better in the long run, you don't want the trouble of commuting piled on college work. Fair enough people will get annoying but you learnt how to deal with them right. The familiarity will also come in handy as well a you probably will feel more comfortable and I think will work your best at school. Hope this helps


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App.

[crc290]

That depends what you plan on doing afterwards. Often college courses are vocational and aim to prepare you for going into work immediately after your studies. On the other hand, sixth form and consequently A-levels are decidedly more "academic" and as such prepare you for going to university.

On the note of people, often many change noticeably in sixth form. They feel less pressured to conform and are less likely remain in their tight-knit social groups. I know when I went in to sixth-form I made friends with people who I'd known for 3+ years but had always hated! Keep an open mind, you might find this is also the same for you

This is obviously a generalisation but for the most part true. In the end, the most important thing is you do what makes you happy. And remember nothing is really set in stone. If, after a year of college, you aren't enjoying it, you can always come back to school, and vice versa

[Vernish]

(Original post by HalleStar)
I think staying at school will be better in the long run, you don't want the trouble of commuting piled on college work. Fair enough people will get annoying but you learnt how to deal with them right. The familiarity will also come in handy as well a you probably will feel more comfortable and I think will work your best at school. Hope this helps


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App.

Thanks for replying. (: The journey to/from college would add an extra hour, hour and a half onto my day, and as I'm taking 5 ASs, I think you're probably right in that that could become difficult. The familiarity though, I think sometimes a change can be good for you...

(Original post by crc290)
That depends what you plan on doing afterwards. Often college courses are vocational and aim to prepare you for going into work immediately after your studies. On the other hand, sixth form and consequently A-levels are decidedly more "academic" and as such prepare you for going to university.

On the note of people, often many change noticeably in sixth form. They feel less pressured to conform and are less likely remain in their tight-knit social groups. I know when I went in to sixth-form I made friends with people who I'd known for 3+ years but had always hated! Keep an open mind, you might find this is also the same for you

This is obviously a generalisation but for the most part true. In the end, the most important thing is you do what makes you happy. And remember nothing is really set in stone. If, after a year of college, you aren't enjoying it, you can always come back to school, and vice versa

Hi -thanks for replying. Well, I have applied to do the same (academic) subjects at the college as at school. Gives me hope that in your experience people changed! I shall have to keep my fingers crossed!

[Deziah]

I'm going to college in September, so I might seem biased. ;D
I've met some amazing friends at school, and they all seem shocked that I am going to a college where I know nobody. But, it just looks so much better for me. Obviously, it would be easier to go to sixth form seen as I know all the teachers there, but I prefer the ones I met at college. There are a lot of teachers at college who are doctors of their subjects, and none of the teachers teach GCSE, so they're more committed to their A-level classes and the curriculum. People keep telling me that I won't get as much help at college which I am actually happy with. I'm sick of teachers telling me what to do at school, in terms of revision and so on, the teachers at college understand that we aren't kids any more and if you choose not to do work, then you choose to fail and obviously aren't committed enough to your education.
People keep telling me they didn't want to go to college because they didn't want to learn a new place and meet new people - I seriously don't know how long they thought it would take to learn a few classrooms. You can't spend your whole life in school and everyone has to leave at some point, and then they'll have to learn a new place and meet new people. The college I am going to is twice as big as the school I went to, and I am already starting to find my way around have two days and I am terrible with stuff like that. ;D
The people I met at college were so down to earth, and different to the people I met at school and there is more diversity seen as the college caters for more schools than the sixth form. It's unbelievable how much more freedom we were given on our college induction days, and that's something I like.
I think it depends on the sixth form and the college though, I'm sure it differs from area to area. I think it just depends on what you feel comfortable doing, you can always change your mind. :-)

[Deziah]

(Original post by crc290)
That depends what you plan on doing afterwards. Often college courses are vocational and aim to prepare you for going into work immediately after your studies. On the other hand, sixth form and consequently A-levels are decidedly more "academic" and as such prepare you for going to university.

On the note of people, often many change noticeably in sixth form. They feel less pressured to conform and are less likely remain in their tight-knit social groups. I know when I went in to sixth-form I made friends with people who I'd known for 3+ years but had always hated! Keep an open mind, you might find this is also the same for you

This is obviously a generalisation but for the most part true. In the end, the most important thing is you do what makes you happy. And remember nothing is really set in stone. If, after a year of college, you aren't enjoying it, you can always come back to school, and vice versa

It depends if it's a sixth form college or a vocational one. ;D

[EmilyStevens]

When I left school to go to college I thought college was going to be way better than school, but it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I did A-Levels are they were super hard, if I had stayed at school and do them in sixth form with the teachers I already knew it would have been better. Plus you don't have to do all that awkward starting new stuff. College did have its benefits though, like no uniform and more free time.

[roh]

I went to college and did a long commute, didn't have a choice though as school had no Sixth Form.

Advantages:

It's geared towards 16-18 so everything is designed around your age group.

Likely to have a lot more enrichment stuff. They are essentially UCAS factories, there to get your PS and grades (depending how good the college is) up to scratch so plenty for boosting that.

You get used to the commute. Also, means you always turn up ready to go. Forces you to do time management well.

Teachers really know their stuff both on the course and uni applications, as that's all they do with no lower school.

They tend to be pretty big so you're likely to find some people you like, no matter how grumpy you are

Lot more freedom and it's made clear your work is your responsibility, you're not doing it that's your problem. This helps once you go on to higher ed.

Disadvantages:

It can be quite intense, everyone is there to get grades and a good UCAS form so it can feel like you have to be on it all the time.

If you're not good at time management commute could be a problem.

If you feel your self motivation isn't amazing could be a problem.

This was just my experience though, at a very well known college for academic achievement, talk to some people who went to the college if you want to know if that will be the case for you.

[Zebrajess]

I chose college over sixth form. Having to meet new people and adapt to a new environment is great preparation for Uni (assuming that's where you want to go). From what I've seen from my older sister and people from her year, the people who went to sixth form generally had to choose a uni close to home and commute from home, because none of them felt they could cope with the change. Several had to move Universities in their second year because they hated it so much. Obviously this isn't the case for everyone, but if you've spent your whole life, primary school, secondary school and sixth form, with the same group of people, Uni can be totally overwhelming. It depends on who you are as a person and how you think you'll cope.
Also, although we were told at college that your work is your responsibility, you aren't spoon fed, etc, there is actually more help available than at sixth form, especially around exam time. Our sixth formers have often said that during GCSE time, year 11s get way more priority from teachers, with lots of revision sessions and after school sessions, with no help available for A level students. At college, there are no year 11s, so there is no problem at all. The teachers are all happy to help if you ask, there are loads of drop in sessions, and because the teachers are purely focussed on A levels, they are of more help.
That's just from my experience and people around me. Sorry for the massive paragraph :P

[Wookie42]

I didn't go to college through choice (I failed AS and dropped out of Sixth Form). Anyway, as much as I enjoyed being at school with my friends, college was a fresh start with new people and somewhere I could really get my head down. All things being equal in terms of teaching quality/courses available, I don't see why you'd choose to study at a place you don't enjoy being in... Obviously biased, but college was certainly a great two years for me - made loads of new friends, became more independent with my studies, then went to the university I'd always wanted to go to in the first place.

As a final point, I think college is in many ways better for someone who is going to uni. In my experience I had to be way more self motivated and work a lot more on my own - it was more a case of 'here's the work, now go do it', and we weren't spoon fed through each part of the course either, it was entirely up to each individual how well he or she would pass the course. Not trying to step on anyone's toes who is at school, I'm just saying that for me, college was much better.

[crc290]

(Original post by Vernish)
Hi -thanks for replying. Well, I have applied to do the same (academic) subjects at the college as at school. Gives me hope that in your experience people changed! I shall have to keep my fingers crossed!

Oops, my bad then - I did say it was a generalisation! If both the school and college offer the same thing, thats great. Just go with your instinct