What's a better environment - Sixth Form or College?

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I think it depends entirely on WHICH college and WHICH sixth form. Here the college tends to be focused around vocational courses and apprenticeships, in fact they don't even do A-Levels any more! So everyone doing A-level goes to a sixth form.

I went to sixth form because I loved school so I'm happy to spend 2 more years in a uniform, with a 'strict' timetable, being chased up for homework. I don't really need that environment to succeed, it's just that the sixth forms in this area are better than college for A-levels.
:smile:

Reply 41

domino0806

Rehehelly

My college isn't chavvy nor anarchist. We follow the rules there are, but it's not like school.

More independent. Less formal.

]

What?
I'm not sure I comprehend.
You said you like college due to its lack of rules...

Reply 42

domino0806

Vickyy

Where exactly is "here"
do you live in The North

Reply 43

ILILILILIL

domino0806

]

What?
I'm not sure I comprehend.
You said you like college due to its lack of rules...

I don't like all the rules and that of school, so I prefer college.

Well done on trying to look smart. You failed though.

Reply 44

][ceman

I went to both a 6th form and a college in my first year.

By my second year I only attended the 6th form.

My problem with college is the teachers had no idea what they were doing. One time the head of the subject set us a test on something our teacher had never even mentioned, and then got angry when we all failed. He wouldn't believe the teacher hadn't even tried to teach it to us!

Plus I had no idea who to talk to if I needed help. I just got shifted round from department to department, always being sent some where else, until I ended up back where I started!

Reply 45

domino0806

Rehehelly

Well done on trying to look smart. You failed though.

Well blah..
i don't particularly care....
i'm obviously correct and colleges are evil creations used to rot people's souls through the medium of integration with the chavain society

Reply 46

Vickyy

domino0806

Where exactly is "here"
do you live in The North

Ha, yeah I live in Doncaster which is pretty much The North. Near Sheffield.

Reply 47

pcok

Hmm, I guess I was quite similar to that, but it was teachers that would really piss me off, and I ended up being sent home all of the time, suspended many times, and being on permenant report. I did end up leaving school 6 months before my GCSE exams, and this actually did me the world of good, and I managed to do pretty well in my GCSEs, given the circumstances (ie attending very few lessons and then being out of school for 6 months and having to basically self-teach two years).

Because of this, I decided to go to a college for my A Levels, rather than a sixth form, as I didn't want to keep being treated like a kid by teachers, which I feel is what happens in schools. In college you are treated as an equal, and I think this made a difference for me. We had awful teaching tbh, however I didn't get in any trouble at college and actually cared a lot more about my education. I got great A Level results too.

College is just such a better environment! Our school had so many stupid rules for sixth formers, like you were not allowed to wear or carry a coat with you - if you had one it had to be in your locker until you left! Coats included any jumpers with zips! They couldn't use any form of mp3 player, phone, or basically any electronic device, even during free periods and lunch/breaks. They had to stay in school all day, from 9-4, no matter what time their lessons actually were. The list goes on...

However, I feel that at college you have to be good at independant learning, a lot more so than you would have to at school, as you are given a lot more freedom. Teachers aren't going to make you do homework - if you don't do it, you don't do it. It just depends how well you think you learn without strict rules and boundaries.

Reply 48

Rhys.

scaryhair

As I said in my above post, college is more for if you don't need to be pushed to do well academically. Not just for those who simply don't care.

This. Some people respond much more positively to being treated like an adult (where you're responsible for your own education) rather than a child (where you're nagged constantly about homework).

There are less rules and more focus on independent learning at university too, but that doesn't mean Oxford is chavvy and un-academic.

In the end it just comes down to what environment you work better in. For me, that was college because I couldn't stand my sixth form's nannying.

Reply 49

g_star_raw_1989

A sixth form college, like mine. :smile:

Reply 50

Roobagnall

Well in my area.

College if you want to do practical courses.
Sixth form if you want to do A levels.

I prefer 6th form, though it is just a 6th form in itself, not attatched to a school... so its odd.

Though, if id had the chance, i would of stayed on at my high school to do A levels, if we had a 6th form that is...

Reply 51

domino0806

Vickyy

Ha, yeah I live in Doncaster which is pretty much The North. Near Sheffield.

Reply 52

CatexW

Just left sixth form. It got a really bad Ofsted report and it doesn't perform the best, academically. I was choosing between the sixth form and a nearby college. I was put off by the college because it was so crowded and I wanted a smaller place but a few months ago I found out it was one of the best performing colleges in the country (including private schools) and it has ****** loads of people in it that get As. I totally regret not going there now but I think it depends on the college and your situation.

Reply 53

Mort89

does anyone know the difference between a sixth form college and a FE college? is there even one?

Reply 54

Captain Haddock

Depends on where you live. The colleges in my area are supposedly very chavvy and full of disruptive types, and I haven't met a single person who has come out with decent grades. One of my friends who recently finished his course got completely screwed over by his college as apparently the staff just took a completely nonchalant attitude toward everything and became very disorganised, telling the students they had received higher grades than they really had, etc.

Whereas at my 6th form, the staff were very much in touch with the students, all of my teachers seemed to know exactly what was going on and were always willing to help guide us through. Some people seem to think this means getting treated like a child, but whatever - personally I didn't get this feeling at all and everything worked out very well for me.

Reply 55

domino0806

Mort89

does anyone know the difference between a sixth form college and a FE college? is there even one?

And anyway what sort of question is that...
Are you not able to google the terms and find out for yourself
Do you lack sufficient brain cell structure? :rant:

Reply 56

Mort89

domino0806

And anyway what sort of question is that...
Are you not able to google the terms and find out for yourself
Do you lack sufficient brain cell structure? :rant:

i did actually and all it said was something about them used to being funded differently

and actually its not so much brain cell structure that affects intelligence its more the synapses that are made with the neurones :P