The Student Room Group

Living alone for sixth form

So for sixth form I was thinkinf of going to Hills Road in Cambridge, I will most likely get the grades to go, only issue is I'm in Yorkshire - my parents have said that they could finance a room for me to stay in for two years and since I want to go to Cambridge University it makes sense and is really close to the college I want - Corpus Christi

Do you guys think this is a good idea, I do think I am quite mature for my age (currently 14 going into Year 10) and would try and get a job (already have a few locations mapped out - thibking of Levis') so any advice surrounding this would be great and appreciated!

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Original post by AmIReallyHere
So for sixth form I was thinkinf of going to Hills Road in Cambridge, I will most likely get the grades to go, only issue is I'm in Yorkshire - my parents have said that they could finance a room for me to stay in for two years and since I want to go to Cambridge University it makes sense and is really close to the college I want - Corpus Christi

Do you guys think this is a good idea, I do think I am quite mature for my age (currently 14 going into Year 10) and would try and get a job (already have a few locations mapped out - thibking of Levis') so any advice surrounding this would be great and appreciated!

Hi! I'm a current Hills Road student so I can answer any questions you have on the school !

Second of all, moving across the country for sixth form ALONE sounds like a bad idea. The isolation is horrible. Plus, for the money that costs. why don't you just attend a northern private school/a boarding school? Going to hills isn't the be all and end all, plus it doesn't guarantee a cambridge spot.
Original post by isabelbelle
Hi! I'm a current Hills Road student so I can answer any questions you have on the school !

Second of all, moving across the country for sixth form ALONE sounds like a bad idea. The isolation is horrible. Plus, for the money that costs. why don't you just attend a northern private school/a boarding school? Going to hills isn't the be all and end all, plus it doesn't guarantee a cambridge spot.

I'm tired of private schools asdfghjk, and I've only been going to one for like 2 years :s-smilie: (and also working it out, it would most likely be cheaper to go to Hills and rent rather than private schools, at least from the ones I've seen)- also I'm fine with isolation to be fair

I definitely know it doesn't guarantee a spot at Cambridge, but the school also seems to attract me, like just on gut feeling, obviously I will look into schools closer but it was just a vein of thought, thank you for this though!

In terms of questions about the school, is there anything that you dislike about the school or weren't expecting based off information before enrolling?
Original post by AmIReallyHere
I'm tired of private schools asdfghjk, and I've only been going to one for like 2 years :s-smilie: (and also working it out, it would most likely be cheaper to go to Hills and rent rather than private schools, at least from the ones I've seen)- also I'm fine with isolation to be fair

I definitely know it doesn't guarantee a spot at Cambridge, but the school also seems to attract me, like just on gut feeling, obviously I will look into schools closer but it was just a vein of thought, thank you for this though!

In terms of questions about the school, is there anything that you dislike about the school or weren't expecting based off information before enrolling?

Well, I'm assuming what I dislike isn't really going to be what you dislike. I'm from a very working class household and often I struggle to fit in at hills, it is a very private school heavy (with the perse nearby esp) environment.

Furthermore, depending on your courses it feels like ur thrown into the deep-end - from my experience this is in history. I take only humanities so I can't offer any advice/experiences on STEM.

But I think a big misconception is the work load, i wouldn't say it's massive - probably about as much as a normal sixth form. But they expect you to teach yourself a lot of the course through homework, rather than having it to reaffirm the content already learnt. As long as u keep relatively on top of it it's quite manageable !
Original post by isabelbelle
Well, I'm assuming what I dislike isn't really going to be what you dislike. I'm from a very working class household and often I struggle to fit in at hills, it is a very private school heavy (with the perse nearby esp) environment.

Furthermore, depending on your courses it feels like ur thrown into the deep-end - from my experience this is in history. I take only humanities so I can't offer any advice/experiences on STEM.

But I think a big misconception is the work load, i wouldn't say it's massive - probably about as much as a normal sixth form. But they expect you to teach yourself a lot of the course through homework, rather than having it to reaffirm the content already learnt. As long as u keep relatively on top of it it's quite manageable !

private school heavy really doesnt sound like my vibe, i was hoping to break free from that after secondary, my family is quite the same we were just able to pay for private school it would be state if I didnt move and no school we applied for accepted me asdfghjk

I was thinking of taking humanities tbf (STEM isnt a path I want to go down) - between Psychology (not going to do this at uni as it gets more scientific) , Sociology, Business, History- Race, Rights and Revolutions and Spanish
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by AmIReallyHere
private school heavy really doesnt sound like my vibe, i was hoping to break free from that after secondary, my family is quite the same we were just able to pay for private school it would be state if I didnt move and no school we applied for accepted me asdfghjk

I was thinking of taking humanities tbf (STEM isnt a path I want to go down) - between Psychology (not going to do this at uni as it gets more scientific) , Sociology, Business, History- Race, Rights and Revolutions and Spanish

I do sociology, HR and politics! History is VERY independent right from the start, and the workload is quite overwhelming i will warn you - stay on top of this one before any others !

Sociology is amazing ! such fun teachers who are genuinely passionate about the subject, workload is pretty minimal as not every teacher sets homework every week.

i did psychology for 3 weeks and dropped it lmao i hated it but thats probably just me, hills is very lenient with dropping/switching subjects, especially if you do 4.
haha as an international student, I love Hills and the wide range of course it has, but the fee is just as high as those private schools :frown: so I have to give up which is so sad
Original post by AmIReallyHere
So for sixth form I was thinkinf of going to Hills Road in Cambridge, I will most likely get the grades to go, only issue is I'm in Yorkshire - my parents have said that they could finance a room for me to stay in for two years and since I want to go to Cambridge University it makes sense and is really close to the college I want - Corpus Christi

Do you guys think this is a good idea, I do think I am quite mature for my age (currently 14 going into Year 10) and would try and get a job (already have a few locations mapped out - thibking of Levis') so any advice surrounding this would be great and appreciated!

from a practical point of view you would struggle to rent somewhere as a 16 year old
Original post by isabelbelle
I do sociology, HR and politics! History is VERY independent right from the start, and the workload is quite overwhelming i will warn you - stay on top of this one before any others !

Sociology is amazing ! such fun teachers who are genuinely passionate about the subject, workload is pretty minimal as not every teacher sets homework every week.

i did psychology for 3 weeks and dropped it lmao i hated it but thats probably just me, hills is very lenient with dropping/switching subjects, especially if you do 4.

Oh gosh - if I do get in I'll make sure to keep that in mind asdfghjk

Would you say Hills is more university (no hand-holding, you do the work or you fail) or more secondary school (holding your hand a lot of the time, pushing you to hand stuff in, detention etc) in terms of its teaching overall (I know it says it on the website but a student's perspective is valuable)
Original post by CinnamoneCon
haha as an international student, I love Hills and the wide range of course it has, but the fee is just as high as those private schools :frown: so I have to give up which is so sad


Do they offer any fee help at all for international students specifically :/
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by ReadingMum
from a practical point of view you would struggle to rent somewhere as a 16 year old

Yeah, just looking through housing near the area I can see that they want professionals or at least University Students

And the small fact that Hills said that they want you to stay with at least one parent (however will enquire about it)
Original post by AmIReallyHere
Oh gosh - if I do get in I'll make sure to keep that in mind asdfghjk

Would you say Hills is more university (no hand-holding, you do the work or you fail) or more secondary school (holding your hand a lot of the time, pushing you to hand stuff in, detention etc) in terms of its teaching overall (I know it says it on the website but a student's perspective is valuable)

Nope, no detentions nothing. It is a mostly you pushing yourself which is why its often easy to fall behind.
Original post by AmIReallyHere
Do they offer any fee help at all for international students specifically :/

There's no fees at hills, theres a £50 facility fee at the beginning of year 12 (i didnt pay it) plus sometimes departments try to charge u for booklets (again, just didnt pay it and i faced no repercussions). I have a student bursary at hills which helps cover travel costs (£600 per year and all textbooks covered) - it doesn't cover all costs but it's close.
Original post by isabelbelle
There's no fees at hills, theres a £50 facility fee at the beginning of year 12 (i didnt pay it) plus sometimes departments try to charge u for booklets (again, just didnt pay it and i faced no repercussions). I have a student bursary at hills which helps cover travel costs (£600 per year and all textbooks covered) - it doesn't cover all costs but it's close.

"You will not have to pay any tuition fees if you are under 19 and have been resident within the European Union for the three years before your course. Different rules apply to students from outside the EU. Full details are available from the Admissions Office." -) guessing this is what the person above was talking about, as long as I don't leave the EU this year, I should be good.

But thank you for this information - it really helps, last questions (for now) but do you think someone could manage living on their own (I mean other people would be in the house but they would most likely be 18+) as well as going to Hills Road and doing A-Levels

Also how do you/did you find the EPQ? Is it as challenging as people say it is - how is the support for it at Hills Road?
Original post by AmIReallyHere
"You will not have to pay any tuition fees if you are under 19 and have been resident within the European Union for the three years before your course. Different rules apply to students from outside the EU. Full details are available from the Admissions Office." -) guessing this is what the person above was talking about, as long as I don't leave the EU this year, I should be good.

But thank you for this information - it really helps, last questions (for now) but do you think someone could manage living on their own (I mean other people would be in the house but they would most likely be 18+) as well as going to Hills Road and doing A-Levels

Also how do you/did you find the EPQ? Is it as challenging as people say it is - how is the support for it at Hills Road?


If you're from yorkshire international fees have no effect, nor would leaving the eu because it's residency not boarding schools etc.

Living on your own is not ideal, for emotional wellbeing or safety.


EPQ is not fun, most students especially those travelling in and working, do not have time for epq. Most students leave it til the summer to do the best they can to pull the project together.
Original post by isabelbelle
Living on your own is not ideal, for emotional wellbeing or safety.


EPQ is not fun, most students especially those travelling in and working, do not have time for epq. Most students leave it til the summer to do the best they can to pull the project together.

I get the thing about living on your own - but I will be doing it eventually, and my dad also did it for college which is why he even suggested the idea in the first place

The EPQ sounds like a hassle yeah asdfhjk is there any real reason why Hills Academy made it compulsory?
Living alone at 16 is not ideal, however mature or independent you think you are.
It’s unlikely a landlord would even let it happen
There are many many excellent sixth form colleges in Yorkshire that will meet your needs
You really should look closer to home unless one of your parents is happy to move with you.
Original post by Sammylou40
Living alone at 16 is not ideal, however mature or independent you think you are.
It’s unlikely a landlord would even let it happen
There are many many excellent sixth form colleges in Yorkshire that will meet your needs
You really should look closer to home unless one of your parents is happy to move with you.

Can you suggest a few, so I can at least look into them?
Reality check in terms of work: ultimately you’d need your NI number which is only generated at 15yrs 9 months, - although you can work initially without one. And why would any employer bother with hiring an <16yr old when the town is awash with 18-24yr olds?
Original post by AmIReallyHere
Can you suggest a few, so I can at least look into them?


I will. Give me a couple of hours.
what subject area are you interested in?
any particular geographic area of Yorkshire?
have you considered private? Sixth form is different to yrs 7-11

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