Need advice regarding sixth form colleges (Thank you)

Dear all,

I am posting this on the behalf of a desperate parent looking for a suitable sixth form college for her daughter for academic year 2007/08. First of all, regarding the future prospect of getting into a good university, do you think the choice of sixth form college matters? If it does not, how should I help make up her mind which college to choose for sixth form? Below list the available choices, please help. Thank you

Bellerbys College
Boston College UK
Bosworth Independent College
Cambridge Education Group
Castle College Nottingham
Chichester College
City College Manchester
City of Bath College
City of Sunderland College
Cornwall College
David Game College, London
Doncaster College
Edinburgh's Telford College
Hastings College of Arts & Technology
Highbury College, Portsmouth
Hopwood Hall College - Manchester
Manchester College of Arts and Technology
Newcastle College
Solihull College
Sutton Coldfield College, Birmingham
The Abbey College

Reply 1

Mr Ben

In my opinion, which sixth form you go to doesn't matter, as long as it does the subjects that you need to get into the course you wanted. For instance, my first choice Sixth Form didn't offer A2 Further Maths, which I needed, so I went somewhere else.
Things that you should take into account when applying:

-Distance: This was a big factor in my choice, my 6th form is only a half hour walk from my house, which means that I can quite easily walk there in the morning, which is something I enjoy. Also, being very close to home, maybe a 10 minute walk, means that you can go home easily if you have a free or at dinner if you want to.

-Size: How many students are at the college is a big factor as well, would you prefer to be in a big college with 500+ students, or a small one with maybe 500 or less, I prefer the smaller kind, because it seems a bit more friendly, everybody knows everybody else, even the teachers know pretty much everybody in the college, I think its a fantastic environment to study in.

-Departements: How well equipt are the departements you want to study in? How good/friendly are the teachers there? This is a big factor, while you want to have fun at sixth form, you also need to learn and a good department will help you learn well.

-Atmosphere: As I mentioned above, my college is very close-knit and friendly, and I think thats a fantastic place to study, I really suggest trying to find a friendly college, it really does help.

Find a college that you're going to enjoy studying at, as long as you get the grades you need, the prestige of your 6th form doesn't really matter when it comes to applying to university. You need to have fun at 6th form, until university, it was the best time of my life.
Hope this has helped, if you need any further advice, feel free to PM me. Hope you find a good 6th form to go to.

Reply 2

generalebriety

Well, I'm afraid I don't know any of those colleges, but I have this to say: as long as her daughter is happy there, the college offers the right courses, the teachers turn up to lessons (and the pupils do too), that sort of thing, it'll be fine. In the end, all colleges are trying to do the same thing. Go and look round a few, and see what their equipment is like, or their teaching staff, if you need peace of mind. But in the end, the most important thing is that she's happy being at this college.

I notice some of those colleges are very far apart. Manchester and Portsmouth?! She's not seriously considering moving house, is she? Unless you live in some sort of barren wasteland, there'll be a decent enough college or sixth form nearby, and there really is no need to move house. Particularly if you want to avoid disrupting your life. What kind of sensible work ethic does moving 300 miles across the country to go to school create? Granted, she'll end up doing that when she goes to university, but everyone's in the same boat and it's a lot less hassle. Having to move to an entirely new area, make completely new friends, get home to a house full of unpacked boxes for two months, not know where anything is and not be able to get back to where she used to live to see her old friends can all be very stressful, and it's really not recommended. If you're gonna move far, be careful about how far. She might want to get back and see her friends, or be able to get easily into the same town/city centre she's always known. It doesn't sound like a lot, but learning your way round a new town can be very disruptive for a month or two. But then, of course, if she's happy about moving, that's fine... just try and give yourselves enough time to get settled in, get to know the place and have a few days' rest before term starts. A week or two before term starts is fine.

It doesn't matter where she goes to college, as long as the college isn't absolute rubbish. People get in to universities all over the country from all sorts of colleges, schools and sixth forms. As long as they won't stop her doing her subjects of choice or applying to where she wants to apply for whatever she wants to apply for, then it's fine. Other things you might want to consider are: how are the extra-curricular facilities, such as for sport? Are there any school clubs she'd be interested in? Is she a desperate volleyball fanatic, and are you accidentally destroying this hobby of hers by moving to a place where no one plays it? Do the pupils in the school generally have a responsive attitude towards work? In a nutshell: which college would she feel most comfortable and happiest going to for two years of her life?

Reply 3

hermaphrodite

the abbey college ( is that the one in manchester . . it wouldnt surprise me if there are more than one "the abbey college") - NOT bosworth

Reply 4

-_-

I am afraid it is The Abbey College they are talking about.. not Abbey College in Manchester

Silly Me.

It looks like I will be going to Newcastle College this year. I attended sixth form last year but I didn't enjoy it. I know a lot of people at Newcastle college and everyone says it's a very inviting friendly environment.

Reply 7

kellywood_5

I've never heard of any of those colleges, but in my opinion, the main things to consider are:

-Subject choice. Some colleges offer a lot more subjects than others and if there are subjects she really wants to do that are only offered at certain colleges, that will limit her choice.
-Class sizes. Does she want to be in small classes of 10 or fewer students, or larger ones of 20+ that will be more like lectures?
-Facilities. Does the college have adequate library, computer, classroom, common room, canteen etc provision?
-Distance. How far away is the college, and if it's too far to walk, how much would transport cost, how long would it take and how much hassle would it be?
-Results. I wouldn't get too hung up on this because if she's bright and she works hard, she'll do well anywhere, but league tables and statistics can give you an idea of the percentage of A and B grades, the average point score compared to other colleges in the area/country, the percentage of students that go on to uni and which unis they go to.

The best thing to do is go to open evenigs though so you can see the facilities, meet the staff and get an idea of the atmosphere.