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I don't know which sixth form to go to!

I'm currently in y11, applying to go to sixth forms. I'm applying to Marylebone, Camden, Fortismere and UCS. I think I'll hopefully get into them all, I'm predicted mainly 6-9 grades and I already have a 9 in RS. I just don't know which sixth form, cos I'm already at Marylebone so it'd make sense to go there, but I want to meet new people plus I've heard the mix of boys and girls is really bad, like 60% girls 40% boys. I went to the ucs exam today but even if i get in i dont think i'll go, its really maths and science based and the subjects I want to take are music, english lit, history and philosophy, plus its private and the people dont seem to be the nicest. Fortismere and camden look really good but I just dont know enough about either! advice would be great, thank you!!!
not heard of any of these sixth forms, so i can't give specific advice or anything, but i'd say choose the place that you feel comfortable in, but also one that will ensure you get good grades and get into a good uni :smile:
(General advice) When I was choosing where to go to sixth form, I thought a lot about the subjects as well as the social/academic balance of the various sixth forms; it served me well as a strategy since I love the college I'm at right now.

One thing I would say about meeting new people is that it seems to be easier when there aren't a lot of pre-formed groups from previous schools. I go to a private sixth form with a lot of international students and it was really easy to meet people in the first week or so; everyone was new apart from Y13s.

One of my friends, though, goes to quite a big state 6th form, and she told me that people tended to stay in groups from their previous schools, so there wasn't much mixing between groups.

I think the girl/boy mix is more of a problem in huge groups, though idk. I'm the only girl in two of my classes but it doesn't bother me that much; the classes are small so I'm not vastly outnumbered anyway.
The subjects will probably affect the type of people you meet; you may want to consider whether a STEM- based college is right for you; I guess you might get better teaching or more diverse groups to discuss things in for your subjects if you went to a college where those subjects were more widely studied, but this may not affect you.

Have you toured all of the potential sixth forms and met possible teachers? I kind of did this and it helped me get a bit more of an insight into college life, though bear in mind that teachers may leave before you start.

Also I'd second what casabonita said - find the place you're comfortable in. For me college feels like home by now and this is definitely a good thing :-)

Anyway, hope that wasn't too long... much of this is based on my gut feeling so feel free to take it with a pinch of salt :-)

Edit: the girl/boy thing depends on what gender you are. I’ve heard boys tend to benefit academically from mixed groups while girls do better in single-sex groups. But the general feeling you get about a college is also really important
(edited 4 years ago)

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