Yay! First year done. I am praying that I don't find out on results day that I have to do it all over again. This has been one roller coaster of a year. Since I'm officially done until September, I thought I would share with you my experience of year 12. This is purely going to be a reflection of the year, but I will be doing an advice post very soon as it has been requested quite a bit.
Settling in:
When I first started sixth form, I didn't fully understand that I was no longer a school student. Of course I knew, but it still hadn't hit me that I had actually graduated high school. My sixth form is/was (its complicated) linked to the school I went to so I knew almost everybody anyway, therefore making friends wasn't too difficult. However, the fact that I was no longer a school student was crazy to me. It took a while for it to feel real. I got used to the building and the teachers very quickly though and that made it a lot easier to adjust to the big change. When you spend 5 years with the same people and building but the familiar places and spaces are suddenly removed, it can be quite daunting, so I was proud of myself for adjusting so quickly.
Comparison to Year 11:
We were constantly told by our teachers and even ex students that sixth form was going to be so much harder than year 11. You don't really believe it until you're in that position. I knew A-levels would be harder than GCSEs but I had no idea how much of a jump it actually is. Its so hard to believe it when people tell you but it really is true. GCSE exams are the sort that you can get away with not studying for and pass, if you're naturally clever, however even the most intelligent and academic people can fail their A-levels if they don't study for it.
In terms of "freedom", you do get a lot more of it when you go to sixth form. You're treated more like a young adult than a child which is obviously great, however in year 11 you're still very much spoon fed information, but when you do your A-levels (possibly BTEC too but I can only talk from experience), you are expected to do your own research and revision. You are basically given the information like a pinch of salt and you have to do the rest. I would say its impossible to get an amazing grade just by doing the classwork.
In comparison to year 11 the amount of content you have to know and learn at sixth form is so much bigger. Don't think that because you're only doing 3/4 subjects, its easier. I thought that and I was completely wrong. I would much rather do 12 GCSE subjects than 3 A-levels (If I could choose). I studied MORE this year than in year 11 and I didn't think that was physically possible.
I definitely found year 12 easier than year 11, purely because I learnt how to deal with stress, whereas during year 11 I had never had to deal with that sort of stress before, so it was a lot harder to cope with. Overall though, year 12 is much more difficult than year 11, however it was bearable.
Classes:
Our classes are literally tiny. There were 3 other people in my English class, 8 other people in my politics class and 9 other people in my history class. I don't even have a class with more than 10 people. I find it nice that way because you get more 1-2-1 time with your teacher if its needed, you become quite close with your class very quickly and its a lot easier for the teacher to get around everyone if people need assistance.
The classes can vary when it comes to level of difficulty. It all depends on the topic. For example in history I understood the society side straight away but it took a while to understand the economics side. English was definitely my strongest class of the three and I think enjoyment has a lot to do with it. Its the subject I enjoy the most so I'm keen to do my own research and study about it. Politics is also interesting but there is so much content that it was just difficult to understand it all.
Exams:
I'm going to be honest here. As hard as I have worked this year, I am incredibly nervous for results day. For every subject I had 2 papers and each subject I did, I had one good paper and one bad. It could honestly go either way. There are some papers I did that I completely beat myself up over as soon as I closed it and others that I thanked God for because it could have potentially saved my grade. The English exam was a lot more emotional for me as its my strongest subject but in both papers I don't think I did enough to reach my target. I think I did pretty well in history and politics is a 50/50, but I'm trying not to have any expectations.
I'm glad they're over. I worked so hard for every single subject so all I want is to make it into year 13 and for it all to be worth the hard work. Results day is August 17th so I'm praying daily.
Appearance:
This is a pretty random subtitle to put in here but I thought I would include it. I have worn uniform from the age of 3, so not having to wear uniform to sixth form seemed like a blessing to me. To a certain extent it is but its also a bit of a hassle. Everyday we have to wear business wear, which I don't mind, however its so frustrating having to find a new outfit to lay out and iron for the next day, EVERYDAY. I started the year off with coordinating outfits and ended the year with goodness knows what. I honestly just couldn't keep up with it. Uniform is a lot easier, I'll tell you that.
Even when it came to makeup, it was exactly the same. I started off with nice makeup and all and ended with minimal or unblended makeup because I was constantly in a rush or just didn't care. Nobody judges you though because I feel like its the same for us all.
Feeling towards my final year:
Its so crazy to me to think that I have one final year until I move out and go to university. I remember starting year 7 like it was yesterday. I already know that year 13 is going to be the busiest and toughest yet but i'm ready for the challenge. Its going to take up a lot of my time, be much harder and a lot more stressful but I know i'll get through it and it will be a great year. I'm nervous for next year but I'm keeping my head in my books and eyes on the prize.
Let me know your sixth form experience if you have any.
Thanks for reading,
Have a great day x
