Preparing for college/sixth form: a quick guide on how to expect the unexpected

Phoebe is a second-year Economics student who is passionate about making a change in the world – and if she gets to make someone’s day better by one small act then she’ll be satisfied! Check out her post on revision tips or read below for some guidance on what to expect at college or sixth form.

Differences between Secondary School and College

Yay! The hard part’s over and now you’ve reached another milestone in life – college/sixth form. A lot of people may think that college is just a “glorified high school”, but in reality, there are differences between the two. If you are not sure, don’t worry! Here are some contrasts between school and college so you know what to expect and can prepare for your next steps.

Teaching style

School: Teachers usually teach from textbooks, give handouts or write out notes on the board so you can copy them down. You will get lots of short homework tasks from your many different subjects.

College: Similar to school, you’ll have lessons with teachers but you may also be required to read topics in advance of the class. You will be expected to contribute your ideas to class discussion more (your class sizes are likely to be smaller than the ones you are used to in school) and you will get longer, more independent homework tasks across a much narrower range of subjects.

Quick tip - make sure to read everything that is required before each class so you don’t get lost! This is where time management will be very important to ensure you are prepared.

Time management

School: Time is managed for you - maybe by your parents, administrators, teachers etc. Usually there is a strict timetable that you have to follow to ensure that you attend all your classes and other activities.

College: Although you will still have a timetable, you will manage your own free time to ensure you are prepared for classes, complete revision and attend extracurricular activities like sports.

Some ways to help manage your time better is to use Google calendar, a weekly diary, or maybe just a notebook to jot down your commitments.

Responsibilities

School: Usually students live with a parent, carer or guardian and have few responsibilities.

You may have limited responsibilities at home and may be lucky to have lots of things done for you – like cooking, washing and buying food!

College: You might have to become more responsible in college, improving your time management and organisation to help better prepare you for life beyond college/sixth form. Some people at college may have moved out of home or care already, and will be living independently.

As you’re getting older, you might have more expectations to help at home and look after yourself a bit more – which you will need to balance with your studies. This is great practice for the future though!

Friendship groups

School: Usually the people in your class are people around your neighbourhood so you might already known them.

Social labels can also a big thing in school – however, take them with a grain of salt, they don’t mean anything once you’re outside of school! Trust me, I’ve been there!

College: It depends on where you go, but you’ll definitely meet new people, most likely from a wider area, and there will be more opportunities to make friends with like-minded people.

If you are going to a college or sixth form which is completely independent from your old school, you can start afresh and express yourself however you want. No one is there to judge you because everyone is busy with their own thing, so be the most original you and naturally, you will attract great people to your circle.