So if you've recently finished Year 11, you'll be waiting for your results, and then some of you will intend on going to Sixth Form in September. Having just completed my first year of Sixth Form, let me provide you with some advice:
1) Mindsets
I went into Sixth Form on my first day, and my mindset was that it would be similar to GCSEs, that it wouldn't be too difficult and I'd have plenty of free time. Now I was wrong here, but I'm certainly not implying you'll find it incredibly hard or that you'll have no free time, of course you will, but you will be required to do plenty of work in your spare time. After the first few weeks, I began to notice I should really be speeding up in my ways, and found that it would have been better to enter Sixth Form with a positive mindset, and a motivational mindset to prepare me for the work. I was pleased that I forced that mindset upon me early as some folk I know who didn't do that struggled towards the exam period.
2) What to take?
So I'm sure some of you will be thinking what you need to take with you when you go. Now to put things short, I had 10 folders in total, along with 10 notepads and many many pens. Don't let this worry you though, I will explain my system, then you'll see it doesn't sound as depressing as I make out!
First of all, I had two folders for each subject (so that's 8 so far). You're likely to have two teachers per subject, so I made sure I had one for each teacher. This is handy in subjects like history as, for example, one teacher taught me Russian history, the other British history. I'd advise you have file dividers as well for each topic, and I'd date all pieces of paper as it really helps your filing system! Now, I didn't take any of these to school.
This is where the ninth folder comes in. This was my "weekly folder". This is where I'd file the weeks work (again, dated and filed correctly), and then at the end of the week, I would file them in their relevant folder (these being the 8 folders). This saves you carrying folders to school. And if you need anything from an earlier lesson, presuming it was in the same week, you can go back to it in your weekly folder, and look at the date of it to see if it was that lesson.
My tenth folder came in for revision notes. I'd advise you make revision notes at the end of each topic, as this saves you cramming it all in once you've learnt everything, and are preparing to take your exams. Cramming is a very bad idea.
I had 10 notepads as I put one in the front of every folder, for any notes relevant to that folder. You might not want to do this, but I feel it was good.
You'll be making lots of notes, and most schools don't provide you with notepads, so it's handy to have some, another reason to why it's good to have plenty of pens!
I'd also highly suggest you take highlighters. I've never found so much joy in them since joining Sixth Form! They are great for going over revision notes, and having the different colours is great. In subjects like history, it's handy as you can have a colour for a date, a colour for a name, and other areas etc...
You'll be given textbooks, however it can be handy to purchase extra-reading books, like in English literature, buying revision guides for texts you study can be a good call. Don't be afraid to make light notes with a pencil in your books, just ensure you rub them out before handing them back.
Make sure you have a memory stick. I can promise you that you will do work on a computer at some point in your year. It's handy to have one so you can take stuff home and finish them/amend them/print them. I'd advise you print off all computer work for your folder, again, dating it.
3) Sixth Form Life
Sixth Form life is wonderful. Most Sixth Forms are very sociable and nice-to-be places. Your teachers are likely to be more "friendly" with you, and more accepting of things like forgetting pieces of work - however don't use this as a way of not doing any work. You will find though it is very sociable during free periods, however I would advise you to use them wisely. In the run up to the exams, our free periods were completely silent due to revision. Because of the social element, it can be easy to get distracted at times during independent work, so just keep in mind that they really are good, especially for things like homework if you've forgot to do it at home!
If you are off anytime during Sixth Form, do not think you can merely forget about the work from that day, ensure that you go and see your teachers and collect the work! I missed some work from one day, and there was a 2 marker on the sociology exam that was about something learnt that day, and gosh I felt like a fool. Luckily I was aware of the definition, but please do make sure you collect any missed work.
4) Exam Period
Like all things, there's a negative somewhere. The negative of Sixth Form being you'll have exams at the end of it! The exams shouldn't be feared. They will be tricky, but like all exams, if you put the work in, you will do fine. You will get plenty of support from your teachers, and they will be likely to hold revision sessions. I really would advise you to go to revision sessions. The exam period will be stressful, and there will be hiccups here and there, but the main thing is not to worry too much about it as it won't help. If you're in doubt, speak with either your head of year, or a subject teacher.
5) Other Things
I can't think of many other things right now that may be of help. Just basic things like the libraries are a fantastic source for certain subjects (if your institution has a library) like history during your personal study. And also, don't give up on Sixth Form, don't mess around, respect the teachers. Giving up is a bad idea. I know people who've done it and they regret dropping out. Obviously, if you're finding it incredibly difficult, it may be a good idea, but make sure you go over your thoughts many times, you don't want to make a rash decision. Like anywhere in the school, teachers won't put up with messing around or disrespect. You'll be old enough to understand that you shouldn't be messing about. I've noticed that teachers happily accept more "friendly banter" in the class, but certainly don't go ahead and try and be as daft as possible, it's not worth it. Finally, if you respect your teachers, and you accept what they say, they will be just as kind to you in return when you're in need of anything.
That's pretty much everything I can think of, but if you have any questions, please do feel free to ask!