FRIENDSHIPS CHANGE
This was definitely my biggest shock in sixth form and it definitely made settling in really difficult for me. Although I had already been at my sixth form for high school, a lot of the people from my high school had left and so the sixth form definitely felt very different. I still had some friends in my sixth form when I joined but I also lost some really close people to me. I can't really explain why as I am not too sure myself, but I found settling in really bad. At the very start, I felt really isolated and really lonely really quickly. It is something difficult to explain if you haven't been through it but I definitely think it is something you should be aware of going in. You are going to make friends with different people, you may still have the same or a similar friendship group to the one you had in high school but that shift can be difficult to cope with. I began to get really paranoid when I joined the sixth form and I think that was because it was such late notice. I felt like people were unhappy that I had rejoined or that they were judging me for coming back, and although now I know it was all in my head, it is a horrible thing to try and cope with. My main advice is to reach out to someone, which is something I didn't do and when I tried to, things had already taken a really bad turn for the worst. I would talk to someone who you trust or someone you think that might be able to understand you. Whether that be an old friend, a new friend, someone in the sixth form, someone not, just someone who can offer you their opinion or advice.
This definitely takes some time to adjust to and it might take some time for you to settle in a routine or group of friends, but as long as you reach out if things start to be upsetting or lonely, I think that is the best way to go through it.
PRIORITISE YOUR WELLBEING
Something I am so bad at. Listen to your body and listen to the way you feel. If you are feeling down and overwhelmed and you know doing work isn't going to make you feel better, don't do it. If you really want to go to the gym to clear your mind but you've got an exam the next day, still go to the gym. Do what you want to do and what will benefit you most, all with good reason though. Don't sacrifice your mental health or your physical health for the sake of an exam or a piece of homework, it can wait. It took me a while to learn this but I think if you go into the year with this idea that you are going to listen to your emotions, the way you feel and you are going to work accustomed to that. I began sixth form with this mentality of work, work and more work, when really I wanted to go out, socialise, exercise, take some time out and I stopped myself from doing that for a really long time. Your school work is important, you are there to get alevels, but you are also there to grow, develop, make mistakes and learn, you can't do that without taking a step back from books and essays.
THERE IS ALWAYS TIME TO IMPROVE
I remember after the first set of exams, loads of people were really disappointed. You get one bad grade an immediately you feel like you need to drop out, resit the year, resit the exam, you think you'll never get into university or a well-paid job. It is really easy to fall into that spiral after one bad mark, especially if it is early on, but something I have learnt is that you can always improve, no matter how late in the year it is, there is still time to get better. You've just got to want it. If you are really upset with your most recent test result, reflect on it, see where you went wrong and try again. Instead of feeling disheartened, try and feel motivated, it is really difficult but that is the best mentality to have. Instead of giving up, think, I am going to work harder to do better next time. I don't think it is ever too late to try and improve your academic ability.
DON'T GIVE INTO PRESSURE
I would hate to put anyone off but as soon as you begin sixth form, it is talks about the future constantly. That's great if you know what you want to do, but for the majority, they won't have decided on a plan for after alevels, which is completely okay. I decided the degree I was applying to do, the week before I finished year 12, and that's okay. You're going to get a lot of your teachers or peers convincing you to do different things, pushing you in a particular direction and it is difficult, but don't give into it. If it is something you are genuinely interested in and want to know more about than research it, but do it for yourself. Don't let anyone tell you what you should do after alevels, what subjects you should study, what extracurriculars you should be doing. Feel free to get opinions and educate yourself, but don't let someone push you in a direction you don't want to go in. It doesn't make you a bad person, or selfish, or stupid, prioritise yourself and what it is you genuinely want to do.
GO WITH YOUR GUT
My best example of this was right at the start of the year, I was studying economics and about five lessons in, I hated it and knew it wasn't for me. I immediately dropped it, a few weeks later I added further maths to my subjects and it was the best decision I could have made for myself. You need to listen to yourself in sixth form. Like I said before, don't let someone tell you what you should do. Sixth form is a time where you really get to know yourself, what interests you, what excites you and what makes you happy. You should choose and pick everything for yourself. If there is something you're not liking, try and change it before it is too late. Go with your gut instinct if you don't think something is right for you.
This post became a lot more chatty than I expected but hopefully, there is something some of you will be able to take from this post!
Grace xx
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