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Starting Sixth Form College in September, what do i need ?

Hi ,

So I will be starting college in less than a month

A-Level Subjects:

Maths
Physics
Biology
Chemistry

what do I need ?
where can I buy clothes from ? (I'm a guy)
What stationary do I need ?
What does the NUS card do ?
What happens on enrolment day ?
What happens on Induction day ?
How much do you spend at college every day on average ?

that's a lot of questions...I know haha,
but I would appricate it if you could answer whatever you know out of these questions ^^^


Thank you :biggrin:
Original post by money-for-all
Hi ,

So I will be starting college in less than a month

A-Level Subjects:

Maths
Physics
Biology
Chemistry

what do I need ?
where can I buy clothes from ? (I'm a guy)
What stationary do I need ?
What does the NUS card do ?
What happens on enrolment day ?
What happens on Induction day ?
How much do you spend at college every day on average ?

that's a lot of questions...I know haha,
but I would appricate it if you could answer whatever you know out of these questions ^^^


Thank you :biggrin:


Woah. You are brave with those choices!

For each subject you will need textbooks, your teachers will let you know which ones to buy.

All your subjects require a scientific calculator. Your college may have a preference to which type of calculator you get so once again worth finding out.

umm stationary wise you will probably need notebooks/refill pads and possibly folders/binders. I would make sure you have plenty of black ball point pens and at least one pen of another colour (e.g) red or green, although personally I like to have lots of colours to colour code.
Get some kind of planner if you college doesn't provide one so you can keep track of work
get a couple of highlighters
a couple of pencils (I like mechanical pencils but carry 1 normal just incase)
A rubber/eraser
A ruler
Post it notes (normal and bookmarking ones)
A hole puncher for handouts
flash cards these are really useful for revision.
As you do chemistry print out a periodic table and maybe laminate it (its cool to have a big one and also a small one that can be carried around)
Some people find stickers useful to colour code.
You might want squared paper and graph paper as you do maths and science
umm that is all I can think of for now but I'll have a think.
(edited 8 years ago)
Goodluck with those a level options, what did u get in ur gcses
Original post by money-for-all
Hi ,

So I will be starting college in less than a month

A-Level Subjects:

Maths
Physics
Biology
Chemistry

what do I need ?
where can I buy clothes from ? (I'm a guy)
What stationary do I need ?
What does the NUS card do ?
What happens on enrolment day ?
What happens on Induction day ?
How much do you spend at college every day on average ?

that's a lot of questions...I know haha,
but I would appricate it if you could answer whatever you know out of these questions ^^^


Thank you :biggrin:


NUS cards give you students discounts but its like £12 for a year. Unidays is pretty much the same (and its free)
You can buy clothes from H&M which is pretty cheap (but tbh most people won't care what you wear) on most days, I wore tracksuit bottoms and t-shirts because I was just so lazy:/
I usually spend £2 a day on food but thats it. If you're doing those subjects and don't have a calculator already, the casio fx-991es plus, it's a bit more expensive, but its a good one to have :smile:
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Asas12345
Goodluck with those a level options, what did u get in ur gcses


Thanks ,

I got

1 A* (Chemistry)
4 A (Maths , Biology , Physics , Business studies)
4 B (English Language , English Literature , Computing , Media Studies)

How about you ? :smile:
Original post by money-for-all
Hi ,

So I will be starting college in less than a month

A-Level Subjects:

Maths
Physics
Biology
Chemistry

what do I need ?
where can I buy clothes from ? (I'm a guy)
What stationary do I need ?
What does the NUS card do ?
What happens on enrolment day ?
What happens on Induction day ?
How much do you spend at college every day on average ?

that's a lot of questions...I know haha,
but I would appricate it if you could answer whatever you know out of these questions ^^^


Thank you :biggrin:


Clothes wise I don't know. My sixth form requires business suits with ties and collared shirts etc.. I'm a girl but I know lots of my guy friends found next was decent for shirts and stuff.

If you can wear whatever you want I don't know.
Keep an eye out for sales Ralph Lauren had one recently and I picked up loads of stuff for really amazing prices i.e shirts for only £20 they sold out really rapidly though so you have to be vigilant the website hotdealsUK is really good as peoppe post great deals they find.
Im going into second year of college , but i got 3A* 4A 3Bs in gcses and found physics really difficult.. Prepare for physics straight away!!!
Original post by Asas12345
Im going into second year of college , but i got 3A* 4A 3Bs in gcses and found physics really difficult.. Prepare for physics straight away!!!


Any advice on how I can start preparing from now ?
@money-for-all I did Chemistry and Biology and my twin did Maths and Physics these subjects get crazy hard the step-up from GCSE is mad. Because of the new system you will probably have it harder! Best of luck though. I'd recommend you look over you GCSE work. You need to remember all of your GCSE knowledge in the sciences or you will struggle right away.

The step up in maths isn't too bad but the sciences are the worst.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 9
Avatar for liquity
liquity
12
Original post by money-for-all
Hi ,

So I will be starting college in less than a month

A-Level Subjects:

Maths
Physics
Biology
Chemistry

what do I need ?
where can I buy clothes from ? (I'm a guy)
What stationary do I need ?
What does the NUS card do ?
What happens on enrolment day ?
What happens on Induction day ?
How much do you spend at college every day on average ?

that's a lot of questions...I know haha,
but I would appricate it if you could answer whatever you know out of these questions ^^^


Thank you :biggrin:

Hey I've just finished AS doing almost the same subjects as you just swapping maths for geography :smile:
Most people I know have a ringbinder per subject and write on refill pads, you get a lot of handouts in sixth form especially for sciency projects, just keeps all your notes in one place with the worksheets etc. If you don't get your textboooks given to you you need to ask about the exam board and which course you are on (some have multiple) for each subject so you can buy their textbook and I would also recommend a revision guide at the same time, saves buying it when the demand gets high around exam time!
We have to wear smart all the time at my sixth form (it's part of a school so that's probably why) and a lot of guys get suits and jackets from Topman, designer outlets are good for clothes, most high street shops will sell fashionable clothes for whatever you're allowed to wear. ASOS is also very good! I recommend buying a decent bag also because those folders and textbooks can get seriously heavy and tricky to carry :P
NUS card is good because it gives you discounts actually instore in places like Topman, New Look, etc as well as online. It's £12 a year which really isn't that bad if you do most of your shopping instore. If you don't and do most of it online then you get pretty much the same discounts on UniDays providing you have a college email address, and it's free.
Don't really know what enrolment day is, I never had one of those or an induction day, but I imagine on induction day you find out your timetable, meet people you'll be in a class with etc :smile:
Expenditure depends whether you have a canteen or something, everyone at my school has the school lunch which their parents pay for on a parentpay thing online and we scan our thumbprints as we walk in and money gets taken out of the account, any other money is spent going into town to the local shops to buy sweets and drinks etc :smile:
if you know what exam board ur college/school use for physics .. U cud try and buy a revision guide and read a page a day so ur ready when u have lessons in september.. As soon as you have ur first lesson.. Try and make good notes and learn them when u get back everyday... Only way if u want an A in physics :P
So I know others have already answered but I figure I'll give my own view so you can work out what's best for you.

Original post by money-for-all

where can I buy clothes from ? (I'm a guy) My Sixth Form had a strict uniform policy, of suit/shirt and official tie. But I'd imagine if you can find out what the uniform policy is, (if there's no official uniform) then "smart casual" should be the way to go: smart trousers, shirts etc... Depending on your budget, I'd say maybe just Primark or somewhere like that.
What stationary do I need ?
I had a ringbinder for each subject with enough lined paper to go in each, and some plastic wallet things to put handouts into. Then of course pens etc. If a planner isn't provided, then also an academic diary.
What does the NUS card do ?
There's a list of official discounts on their site, but most places if you just ask if they offer student discount then you can use the NUS card for that too. Take away shops etc (especially the independent ones) normally have good student offers too.
What happens on Induction day ?
We had an assembly, found out which tutor group we were in, double-checked our subjects and got our timetables, had photos taken for college ID, and that sort of thing.
How much do you spend at college every day on average ?
I used to buy my lunches at about £1.50 a day, others went out for lunch (we were allowed off-site during break times) or brought their own packed lunch.

Hope that's some help. Any other questions, lemme know :smile:
Original post by liquity
Hey I've just finished AS doing almost the same subjects as you just swapping maths for geography :smile:
Most people I know have a ringbinder per subject and write on refill pads, you get a lot of handouts in sixth form especially for sciency projects, just keeps all your notes in one place with the worksheets etc. If you don't get your textboooks given to you you need to ask about the exam board and which course you are on (some have multiple) for each subject so you can buy their textbook and I would also recommend a revision guide at the same time, saves buying it when the demand gets high around exam time!
We have to wear smart all the time at my sixth form (it's part of a school so that's probably why) and a lot of guys get suits and jackets from Topman, designer outlets are good for clothes, most high street shops will sell fashionable clothes for whatever you're allowed to wear. ASOS is also very good! I recommend buying a decent bag also because those folders and textbooks can get seriously heavy and tricky to carry :P
NUS card is good because it gives you discounts actually instore in places like Topman, New Look, etc as well as online. It's £12 a year which really isn't that bad if you do most of your shopping instore. If you don't and do most of it online then you get pretty much the same discounts on UniDays providing you have a college email address, and it's free.
Don't really know what enrolment day is, I never had one of those or an induction day, but I imagine on induction day you find out your timetable, meet people you'll be in a class with etc :smile:
Expenditure depends whether you have a canteen or something, everyone at my school has the school lunch which their parents pay for on a parentpay thing online and we scan our thumbprints as we walk in and money gets taken out of the account, any other money is spent going into town to the local shops to buy sweets and drinks etc :smile:


We have the parentpay thumb print thing also. Most people buy food from the local shops or bring it from home though as the school food can be a bit pricey / not great quality. The only supermarket close to our school is a lidl so we all raid their bakery section hehe. My mates were friends with the office staff so we did get subway delivered to school once to the amazement of the lower years.
Original post by Guardianbright
We have the parentpay thumb print thing also. Most people buy food from the local shops or bring it from home though as the school food can be a bit pricey / not great quality. The only supermarket close to our school is a lidl so we all raid their bakery section hehe. My mates were friends with the office staff so we did get subway delivered to school once to the amazement of the lower years.

That's great! My school is within a small town so we only have newsagents and the mini co-op but it does the job :smile: our school food is really nice though so most people choose that, however we have chip fridays where we go to the kebab shop and its £2 for a large chips so we all pair up :wink: so unhealthy but it's like a tradition :smile:
Original post by Asas12345
Im going into second year of college , but i got 3A* 4A 3Bs in gcses and found physics really difficult.. Prepare for physics straight away!!!


what others did u do and how were they?
Original post by Guardianbright
@money-for-all I did Chemistry and Biology and my twin did Maths and Physics these subjects get crazy hard the step-up from GCSE is mad. Because of the new system you will probably have it harder! Best of luck though. I'd recommend you look over you GCSE work. You need to remember all of your GCSE knowledge in the sciences or you will struggle right away.

The step up in maths isn't too bad but the sciences are the worst.


which step up out of sciences is worst and why
Reply 16
Avatar for raghad.
raghad.
7
Do i need to buy my own textbooks ?? :eek:
i didnt know that!!
Original post by money-for-all
Hi ,

So I will be starting college in less than a month

A-Level Subjects:

Maths
Physics
Biology
Chemistry

what do I need ?
where can I buy clothes from ? (I'm a guy)
What stationary do I need ?
What does the NUS card do ?
What happens on enrolment day ?
What happens on Induction day ?
How much do you spend at college every day on average ?

that's a lot of questions...I know haha,
but I would appricate it if you could answer whatever you know out of these questions ^^^


Thank you :biggrin:


🙋 Hi I am starting a levels this year as well:smile: I will be doing the same except English instead of physics.

I will be organising myself by: Having 1 display book for all of my handouts (bought from pound land), colour coded exercise books (amazon), plastic wallet for homework (pound land) and I'm my pencil case I will carry 2 black pens 2 blue, 3 highlighters, 2 pencils, calculator, rubber, sharpener 30cm ruler, glue and scissors.

In my bag I will carry index tabs, my diary, sticky notes and my college ID card.

For neat notes I will have at the back of the display book a lot of lined paper then after lessons I will consolidate my text book, class book and the internet to make neat notes. I will then put I into the colour coordinated folder at home which will be where I revise from:smile:


Sorry for the long reply! Just wanted to explain so you could get an out look on what it looked like to give you an idea
Original post by money-for-all

What happens on enrolment day ?


For my sixth form college, we had to bring our results so the college could check we'd met the requirement. Then they photographed us, and we got our student ID card, induction letter and timetable. It's a quick and painless process, I promise.

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