grammar school? Is it right for me?

Am doing nearly the same, replace the physics with french and add maths

Posted from TSR Mobile

Ah cool. I do maths btw. How was AS?

Ah cool. I do maths btw. How was AS?

AS..... I didn't do that yet, i just finished gcses

Posted from TSR Mobile

i am going to be doing my a-levels after the summer holiday but i am not sure if i should go to a grammar school or just a normal sixth form college. i have applied in both and got an offer in both of them.

What do you recommend? Anyone went to grammar school?How was it?

I went to a grammar school and it was honestly the worst experience of my life. The vast majority of teachers didn't even teach because students were smart enough to teach themselves the entire course, according to them. There was no inspiration or pastoral support and if you weren't going to Oxbridge, they didn't care about you.

The other students there were also the nastiest people I've ever met. Completely up their own arses and so judgemental. B i t c hing behind people's backs and shunning others socially was normality.

It ultimately sent me into a downwards circle of depression and suicidal tendencies, from which I still haven't fully recovered 4 years later.

Wow! I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, but I do think that your case is an anomaly, like surely it can't be that bad. I sort of know a person from the school I should be going to and he has said that the people are really sensible and well mannered.(he himself is too)

Your school sounds like what other schools in my area are like, 'EXACTLY' what you have mentioned goes on there.

There is another grammar school near me but that is just like you have mentioned above, so I think every school's different, whether grammar or not.

I guess it just depends on the school and every school varies as I said earlier, so I think one persons experience can't be generalised with everyone, which makes my and some others' situation slightly tough as some would say they had the best time of their lives while others would completely disagree.

Any ways, have you finished your studies now? (If you don't mind me asking)

I'm sorry if I came across ignorant or bigoted, forgive me if I did.

It's alright-most people in my school who had ambition said they don't look back fondly on their own time at the school fondly at all, for the same reasons. We also had a sizeable number of kids who didn't care one iota about their education and spent the whole day smoking weed by the school gates, so it definitely wasn't a healthy environment.

My problem was even worse as the other school in town was notorious for being even worse and having minimal attainment, It was in special measures for 10 years!!! Plus my family couldn't afford private school so I was stuck in hell for 7 years.

I've finally got out of it though-I'm just about to graduate from uni where life is much better, although I still haven't fully recovered from my school experience

I go to a Grammar School and I think it's just like any other school or college really except it has more middle class kids, less diversity and perhaps better facilities and higher standards and expectations.
Also at college you are probably more free to do what you want. At Grammar the teacher's are stricter.
My friends got a book wacked on her head for talking in class once.

What do you mean by less diversity?

Edit: That clearly depends on your area, doesn't it?

What I mean is that there are a lot of white middle class kids in my Grammar school.
And I guess it does but I see more black diversity at the non-grammar school in my area...

i had 'transition sessions' at the grammar school i want to go (these are basically like a day of lesson to get prepared), and seriously i went in there and felt so weird, i felt like 'crap' in between all these clever students, the teacher expected you to know everything (like ur not meant to know anything about further additional science to do alevel chemistry but they just expected you to know ).this day's experience made me want to refuse the offer
the next day was a maths lesson, and that went much better, i made alot of friends (i guess it's easier to make friends there coz they are all clever, nice and sympathetic). the teacher's explained everything to you eventhough we knew it, they were also a bit fun (which is what i am used to, i laugh with teacher's alot and that's how i learn so this day's experience made me want to go there.

tommorow, i am going for a 'find ur feet day' at the sixth form college.....

so yh that what i experienced so far....

hi everyone, i have just come back from the 'one day college' and really i still dont know where to go

the sixth form college
i felt socially inferior (everyone else was talking to people, they seemed to know everyone and i was just wondering around....) but still i made quite a few friends, i found 2 french people like me coool..... and the science center was attached to the university next to it so we went in there and seriously it's huuuuuuuge (like u could fit 100 people in there......serious) my biology teacher was sooo funny (but i might not have him next year)

people wise..... i have to say i got scared for the first period, but it was fine. the people there were mixed, some were funny and idiot like (which i quite liked because i had some fun times) others were very disciplined, shy and well behaved and some very very very talkative. so i guess the atmosphere is quite nice. Didn't met any rude people or people that didn't care about learning (probably because they are doing subjects they like) but it's so strange

the only problem is that they are doing OCR for the sciences.....and i have been doing AQA so am scared i wont be able to adjust or something. the other problem is the stairs and the hugeness of the building (4 storeys, 3 stairs.......) i got lost 3 times.....but that's fine, i will eventually adjust (dunno why i mention this)

they have a lot of free computers and comfy, quiet areas to work in ur free times, offer work experiences and stuff

the grammar sixth form
teachers were quite strict unlike the college and basically expected you to know everything at GCSE to A* standard (eventhough they only asked for B grades for sciences) so they don't go over these things whereas the college said they will

all the people were either shy/disciplined/(arrogant)/very clever as if they were perfect.....but that might just be my thoughts (i think tooo much in details btw)

they didn't show us around or anything

there you go my experiences so far...... where should i go then.....i'd say the sixth form college but what about the exam boards

God dammit you wrote a lot, but I read it all, I swear.

In your case it seems as if you were really comfortable with the sixth form college, and tbh I wouldn't worry about the exam board coz GCSE's are COMPLETELY different to A LEVEL's any ways.

I guess you answered your own question, if you want to have a slightly relaxed time throughout the 2 years, go for the college, however you do realise this was only the first day and the shy people could adapt over time and the talkative people could start to misbehave in the college.

Like wise, just the opposite in the grammar school.

Yeah, I get you, but what I was saying is that it depends on your area, like my area's mostly Asians tbh, however it still is diverse as you would see White and Black people at my school. There's not many Black people though......