I've seen so many blog posts and vlogs about surviving school but here in the UK we have sixth form or sometimes referred to as college, which are the last two years of mandatory education and when you're so close to the finish line it's honestly so difficult to carry onto the end of the line. So, i decided that as a follow up to my 11 tips i've accumulated i'd create a post about surviving sixth form/college with ten easy tips, many of them will be replicas of the tips i've already told you all about in the aforementioned post. So, without further adieu we shall begin.
1. Do homework on time; I don't know how much I'll say this but in 100% honesty I regret not handing my homework in when it was due. The majority of the time I did but those times I didn't it plagued my mind so much and I felt like such a bitch for not doing it. Also, no one wants teachers on their back constantly asking for the work you've missed or having marks on their student profile because in some sixth forms and colleges this can happen.
2. Don't procrastinate; depending on the type of person you are, however, procrastinating is generally a really bad thing and I would try and not do it.
3. Spend time with your friends. Nothing is worse than when you're snowed under with school, and maybe even a part time job and you haven't seen your friends in what feels like forever. Sometimes it's better to put things aside for a couple of hours and spend some time with the people you enjoy spending time with. Just because you see them in school doesn't mean you can't see them in your own time in a place you want to be in.
4. Turn up to classes. Some sixth forms / college's are quite open and allow people to leave during the day if they have free periods however, that doesn't mean you can leave and not come back for your next lesson. Turning up to class is vital to get through exams and course work projects. Sometimes, and this is rare you can even enjoy the class when you know what you're doing. Although, don't tell my teachers that.
5. Have a little you time, yes i understand that juggling school, homework, a job? and my recommendation of a social life is difficult without throwing in personal time but everyone needs time to themselves where they can just have 15 minutes where they sit and do nothing. But as advised previously don't procrastinate. These 15 minutes could be you doing anything, stick on your favourite Vinyl record, or read a book that you don't have to. Eat a bag of M&M's whilst staring into space, just give yourself a little time each day where you don't even have to look at a single face. Trust me you'll benefit from it.
6. Actually sleep. See if you balance everything well enough, you should be able to get some sleep. Sleep is vital to your health, everyone needs at least 8 hours of sleep when you're 16-18. Sleeping for this amount of time can reduce risk in mental as well as physical health issues and believe me i wish i was more clued in on this when i was at sixth form, as it would have saved me a lot of agro.
7. Don't block everything out. Freezing is the worst possible thing to do when under school pressure, if you keep yourself on the ball then you shouldn't have a problem but if you do end up trailing behind a tad then that's okay, it happens. Just make sure that you don't just stop, keep going and eventually things will work out and you'll be back on track to getting great grades.
8. If you make mistakes then it's okay. You're only human you're allowed to make mistakes, it's natural. Just try your best to fix them, get back on track and walk away smiling and happy because you know you've helped yourself with a tricky situation. Mistakes always happen, it's whether you learn from those mistakes that really matter. Make sure you don't make the same ones over and over because then it's not a mistake it something that is wrong.
9. When you're in sixth form it's an age when you're quite touchy. 16-18 is generally the age when you're kind of sorted into what you're going to do with the rest of your life, what with university course choices or apprenticeships etc. But at the same time people go through a lot, it's when friends break up or make up, it's when you're legally allowed to do a lot of stuff you've never been able to and it's when a lot of people make some seriously bad decisions. Just because your friends are doing something doesn't mean you have to. If you don't want to try a cigarette you don't have to, if you don't want to get mortal on a school night, don't and always say no to recreational drugs. The ages of 16 to 18 are when a persons brain is most likely to develop depression and with the introduction of hardcore substances such as cocaine and even more soft core such as marijuana you are more likely to develop depression and steep into a downward spiral in your mental health status and that is never a good choice.
10. Do something you know you'll enjoy! I chose a subject i was entering blindly into and thankfully for me I ended up loving it and am now taking it as part of my combined subjects degree, however, i know many people who have entered into courses where they aren't happy in and have subsequently missed classes, failed exams etc. Doing something you want to do and know you'll enjoy just ensures that you'll do better in the long haul and you'll be more likely to get to do what you want to do after your years in sixth form / college.
So that was my top ten tips for surviving sixth form/ college. I really hope that this helps some of you, i know when i was just about to go on into sixth form i could have used some of these tips to help me get through my time. Just remember that in the long haul it's totally worth it. These years of your life are the most memorable so have fun and make friends, make memories that you can cherish for the rest of your lives and if you make mistakes don't worry, next time will be so much easier. I promise, and to those who will be starting university soon, good luck and hopefully i'll have some top tips for you before you start.
Thank you all very much for reading and i hope to be back up and making posts regularly pretty soon.
Tumblr - this is the link to my new tumblr, where i will be posting things like this on, i've had it a while and just decided to get back into using it. You'll find some things already on there if you're interested in looking. My old tumblr, the fan account one is still up and i do still use it however, i feel like something more similar to this is what is needed. My older posts on here will still have the link to my old one but from this post out i will be linking to the new one called tea-and-talk.
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