The Truth About Sixth Form | Expectations vs Reality

So, as you may or not already know, I have just finished my first year of sixth form.
(Well, almost!)

My last exam is on Tuesday, and it's fair to say I definitely had a different perception of what SF was going like before joining. I remember lying in bed the night before my first day wondering "Will I keep the same friends when I go to SF? Is there lots of homework? Is it harder? How do I decide what to wear? What if I don't like my subjects?" and to answer the majority of questions you might have, I'm  going to break this up into a few sections.

First of all, let's talk about workload. I know you don't want to hear this - but Sixth Form, regardless of the subjects you take, is hard. The workload is rough. It's not even a leap from GCSE but more like a plane journey to Australia. It's not uncommon find yourself up until the early hours of the morning finishing coursework, or in the ICT room every break and lunch typing away furiously - but you just do what youve gotta do.
Friendships change. But hey! It could be for the better! Everyone is so focused on the work in their own subjects that it's natural to develop a stronger friendship with the people in your lessons. Speaking of lessons, the classes at sixth form are SO much more friendly and "relaxed" (not as in slacking, but less pressure and a more chill, open conversation learning style) and the teachers treat you far more maturely, as they are working with 16-18 year old and very small class sizes. On average there was about 10 people in each of my classes - so you get a lot for 1 on 1 teacher attention which is especially helpful for coursework.
Don't worry about clothes - everyones tries so hard at the start and by the end we all go in hoodies and joggers.
'Free periods' have the wrong connotation - they aren't a break, they are study periods. Don't waste them, you'll regret it if you do when exams come round. You have to master time management from day one, as you have a new piece of coursework or homework everyday. In GCSEs, it was easy to float your way through some of those subjects you don't like, and it's ok because you have nine other subjects to do well in so that one shouldn't matter. This time, you have 3 or 4 - excluding general studies - and you picked them, so if you're weaker in one area it will show. You can't wing it at A level, you always have to work hard and try your best.
However, all in all, sixth form is a more united community than any of your other past school years. Everyone wants to be there and work hard, so enjoy it!

Are you in sixth form? Or are you in GCSEs, waiting to go to sixth form?
Leave a comment below!
Until next time,
Katie