Sixth form College or Grammar Sixth form?

i would definitely go for the second option. I'm at a grammar school for my 6thform and having to be at school when you have no lessons is the worst thing ever. You'll find it much better to wear your own clothes, be close to it, and not have to go in when you don't have lessons; you'll really appreciate more freedom. The physics teacher might not be so good but if the results are similar then most people get through it and there's more than 1 teacher surely? plus waking up early will just make you tireder.
don't think uni's mind about which one you'll go to, it's more about what results you have and experience in your subject

Obviously the decision is up to you.
But it sounds like the sixth form college would be the easiest and less stressful one to attend, and being as stressfree as possible is important during A Levels. Are there regular buses so that you can actually go home whenever you want? Because even though it's a 20 minute bus journey, there's no point if there are only a few buses going straight there a day.


However, the other one sounds like you might get a slightly better education. And being there from 8 til 3:30 doesn't sound too bad since you'll have more time to actually get work done during your free periods, rather than just going off home. But you'll have to wake up very early and also have to go to sleep very early. Do you think your social life will suffer?

Sounds like it's freedom vs. slightly better education. It's up to you to decide which one is more important, though. Personally, I would go to the sixth form B as opposed to A.

I'd go to the grammar. I moved to a grammar school this year for sixth form and it was the best decision I ever made.

I go to a grammar sixth form. We don't have to wear uniform and we do get an afternoon off a week so it sounds a bit more relaxed than the one you have applied to. However, I think being in the school routine etc is really supportive - if I didn't have to go into school for lessons until 11 I would probably just wake up at 10 and go straight in whereas at my school by that point I'd have done two hours work already but that would depend how motivated you are.
Additionally the fact you are applying to medicine - go somewhere where they will support you the most in your application. Applying to medicine is tricky there are so many hurdles to jump it can feel like you're taking an extra A Level so choose the place where you will get the most support.
I think it really does depend whether you can motivate yourself to work hard if you choose to go to the sixth form college whereas at the grammar school they will push you a lot more.

That's a good point. At the sixth form college, they have what's called a pre-med programme, which is basically a group lead by biology/chemistry teachers to support medicine/ dentistry/ veterinary applicants with work exp in the local area, interviews, ukcat/bmat exams. I've spoken to one of the teachers and she seems very respected for running this said programme.

I've asked at the grammar sixth form whether they run a similar programme, which they don't. They have a "medical society" where medical applicants run the group, and discuss related medical topics/support each other. But I feel like they'll offer more support in form/tutor time rather than in the medical group (ie offer interview/ukcat/applying support).

I think that I can cope with going to the sixth form college, the main problem with that is the teachers, as like I said, the physics teacher seems inexperienced, so it may feel like I'm missing out on a better education.

If I go to the grammar sixth form, I think I'll feel a lot more stressful, due to not knowing anyone there, being in classes where everyone is probably achieving the same or higher grade than me (which is not what it am used to in hgh school) so that could put a lot of pressure on me.

I go to a sixth form grammar. And to be honest, you cannot guarantee the education will be vastly superior. Apparently our school is in a fairly good position on the league tables despite being surrounded by a lot of terrible teachers

I'd personally go for the sixth form college since it seems very flexible, and just generally less stressful, but i suppose the quality of facilities is also very important.

Sounds really good that they've got a support group in place at the college I think it sounds like that's where you want to go really.

I think you've actually helped me make up my mind! I guess with the physics side, I can do independent learning, and if I don't enjoy it in the first few weeks, I could change the course.
Thank you!

Why? How do you get there transport wise and did you know anyone there beforehand?

Well I get there by train, it's only about 20 mins away and I knew very few people there.
But at grammar everyone is pushed to do well...you might not think it now but at college your work ethic will change with your surroundings and you might lose your drive. Also, the grammar school will be much more likely to have the experience with getting you into a medicine course, from what I've heard the guidance you get at college can be quite poor.

Yes, that is true. It's more likely that the pupils at grammar will be more motivated, want to get good grades than college sixth form pupils. However the college I've picked is quite well known for it's sciences (whether that is true or not). I've done a little research and found that the college has a higher value added score compared to the sixth form, in that the students improve more from gcse to a level grade wise, than they do compared to the sixth from students. Would that be a huge factor to consider?


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