The Student Room Group

Help! I’m Going into Year 11 and Need Advice on Choosing a Sixth Form

Hey everyone,

I’m starting Year 11 soon, and I’m already stressing about which sixth form to choose. I’m really interested in doing A-Level Psychology, but I’m not sure which BTEC to pair it with. I’m considering Health and Social Care or Business, but I’m open to other ideas too.

Here’s the thing: I’m also thinking about going to university abroad after sixth form, so I want to make sure I choose subjects that will keep my options open. I’m not looking for a super strict school—I’d prefer somewhere with a friendly vibe and a good balance between academics and student life.

I’m looking at sixth forms in North West or North London. Does anyone have recommendations for schools that offer both A-Levels and BTECs, aren’t too strict, and have a good track record for getting students into uni (especially abroad)?

Also, if anyone’s done A-Level Psychology with a BTEC, how did you find the workload? Did it help with uni applications?
Reply 1
Original post by Idk128
Hey everyone,
I’m starting Year 11 soon, and I’m already stressing about which sixth form to choose. I’m really interested in doing A-Level Psychology, but I’m not sure which BTEC to pair it with. I’m considering Health and Social Care or Business, but I’m open to other ideas too.
Here’s the thing: I’m also thinking about going to university abroad after sixth form, so I want to make sure I choose subjects that will keep my options open. I’m not looking for a super strict school—I’d prefer somewhere with a friendly vibe and a good balance between academics and student life.
I’m looking at sixth forms in North West or North London. Does anyone have recommendations for schools that offer both A-Levels and BTECs, aren’t too strict, and have a good track record for getting students into uni (especially abroad)?
Also, if anyone’s done A-Level Psychology with a BTEC, how did you find the workload? Did it help with uni applications?
Hi! I'm starting Year 11 soon too, and I've been researching A-Levels and universities since March. I recommend looking into the universities you're interested in before choosing your A-Level subjects. If you're considering studying abroad, research the entry requirements for the courses you're interested in. This way, you can choose a subject combination that keeps your options open for more universities. 🙃

If you enjoy psychology, definitely take it! 🤗 Build your other subjects around the university courses you'd like to pursue. You don't need to fully research the courses yet, but understanding the entry requirements can help you make better choices.

Some websites that helped me are https://www.admissionreport.com/, https://www.whatuni.com/, https://www.discoveruni.gov.uk/, https://www.ucas.com/, and TSR of course.

Sorry, I can't help with choosing a sixth form since I live in the South West, but don't worry, we have until December to apply. Hope this helps! 😅
Reply 2
Original post by cxcsgt
Hi! I'm starting Year 11 soon too, and I've been researching A-Levels and universities since March. I recommend looking into the universities you're interested in before choosing your A-Level subjects. If you're considering studying abroad, research the entry requirements for the courses you're interested in. This way, you can choose a subject combination that keeps your options open for more universities. 🙃
If you enjoy psychology, definitely take it! 🤗 Build your other subjects around the university courses you'd like to pursue. You don't need to fully research the courses yet, but understanding the entry requirements can help you make better choices.
Some websites that helped me are https://www.admissionreport.com/, https://www.whatuni.com/, https://www.discoveruni.gov.uk/, https://www.ucas.com/, and TSR of course.
Sorry, I can't help with choosing a sixth form since I live in the South West, but don't worry, we have until December to apply. Hope this helps! 😅

Thank you so much for your help I really appreciate it . Good luck with yr11 too, I hope you get amazing grades. I’ll look into the websites that you recommended . I was thinking of maybe going into law but I’m not 100% sure yet. Honestly I keep changing my mind on what career path I want to go into. I really want to do a Btec w an Alevel or just a Btec because I can’t be asked to deal w the stress of doing 3 alevels (not saying Btecs are easy but yk) Once again I really appreciate you responding to my question🤞🏽🤞🏽
(edited 2 months ago)
Reply 3
Original post by Idk128
Thank you so much for your help I really appreciate it . Good luck with yr11 too, I hope you get amazing grades. I’ll look into the websites that you recommended . I was thinking of maybe going into law but I’m not 100% sure yet. Honestly I keep changing my mind on what career path I want to go into. I really want to do a Btec w an Alevel or just a Btec because I can’t be asked to deal w the stress of doing 3 alevels (not saying Btecs are easy but yk) Once again I really appreciate you responding to my question🤞🏽🤞🏽

You're welcome, good luck this year!
Reply 4
Original post by Idk128
Hey everyone,
I’m starting Year 11 soon, and I’m already stressing about which sixth form to choose. I’m really interested in doing A-Level Psychology, but I’m not sure which BTEC to pair it with. I’m considering Health and Social Care or Business, but I’m open to other ideas too.
Here’s the thing: I’m also thinking about going to university abroad after sixth form, so I want to make sure I choose subjects that will keep my options open. I’m not looking for a super strict school—I’d prefer somewhere with a friendly vibe and a good balance between academics and student life.
I’m looking at sixth forms in North West or North London. Does anyone have recommendations for schools that offer both A-Levels and BTECs, aren’t too strict, and have a good track record for getting students into uni (especially abroad)?
Also, if anyone’s done A-Level Psychology with a BTEC, how did you find the workload? Did it help with uni applications?


Hey I’m doing psychology alevel and L3 health and social BTEC. I would say I love the mix between BTEC being more free and allowing me to have more time to revise psychology which is a more academic approach. Doing a mix of BTEC and alevel is really good for uni as you will have lots of coursework and extended research projects that you learn how to do during BTEC.

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