Tips to Survive School

Going to college or 6^th form is a very daunting thing. For college goers it means leaving behind a school you may have felt comfortable in, friends you’ve had for years (if they go elsewhere) and teachers that know you. You, once again, become the youngest group at the college and the lessons suddenly feel 10 times harder than GCSE. However, staying calm and taking time to organise yourself can work wonders.

I chose to leave school and go to college because I felt it was the intermediate step, for me, towards university and having to study almost completely on my own. My college is pretty snazzy and has lots of services and people in place to help if students feel stressed out and alone (not sponsored, I swear). I feel this was the right choice as it feels I am responsible for my learning and revision. I am now in A2 and feel I have more of an understanding of how to sort myself out and learn efficiently. I have gathered some of my tips on how to survive college and 6^th form, here we go!

·         Organise
This is the most important part of doing well in college. I think timetabling EVERYTHING may be the best way to do this. This includes: events (concerts, parties etc.), revision, TV programs, sleep, meals, jobs and chores, down time, social life, and anything else you’ve got going on. Basically just write everything down and when it’s happening and anything you need to do before hand to prepare for it (buying a birthday present before the party etc.). A great way to do this is with a bullet journal. These are pretty cool and are entirely up to you how they look. There are sooooo many guides on the internet and tutorials and walkthroughs on YouTube. Do research!

You could always just keep up to date with your phone, or normal, calendar. Set reminders for events and constantly confer with it.

http://bulletjournal.com/

 

·         Revise

Revise subjects early. This might sound stupid but revising the lesson’s content before the next lesson will help immensely with revision nearer to exam time. You can then talk to teachers about any concerns and get these cleared up before you move onto other areas.

·         Friends

Having a good group of friends can be a lifesaver! They can support you and help you with issues, giving you an alternative view on the situation. Make group chats for all your subjects, it may sound unproductive but can seriously help massively if there is homework you had forgotten about, or just need general advise on the subject. However, have a rule that you cannot talk about social things on it and must stick to the subject (you don’t want to get distracted). Don’t let them distract you. I have experience here and it is not good for your education to sit chatting when you have homework to do for the next lesson! Make sure you can still chat but not excessively. Don’t just use friends for educational purposes (ooher!), go out and have a social life! Just make sure you aren’t getting drunk out of your head every weeknight!

 

·         Ask

Never be afraid to ask for help. Ask teachers for help in lessons and if you don’t feel confident enough to ask in front of everyone, wait and see them after lesson. If that is still too daunting, email them. It is much easier to ask for help when you have the protection of a computer screen, trust me! Also ask friends if you are unsure, online forums or student services your school/college may have in place. Asking is important!

 

·         Home

It’s okay to take breaks from education. Have some down time every day, not too long though, and make the most of this time to yourself. Have a bath, watch some Netflix, whatever floats your boat in terms of relaxing. Make sure to spend time with your family, or anyone you live with, as they can help you distract yourself from any stress you’re feeling.

 

·         Confidence

This is the most important tip! I used to be the shyest person and would hardly talk to anyone, even friends, but I’ve really challenged myself to be more confident and make more of an effort to talk to people, even if I’d rather shrivel up into a ball in my bed. It has helped loads, and now I have a load of new friends I can talk to easily (#SquadGoals). Just push yourself, only to how much you feel you can, it’ll help you overcome so much. Answer questions in class, if you know them or not, and don’t feel ashamed if you get it wrong, everyone makes mistakes! I know the feeling of answering wrong and having the heart-in-the-mouth sick feeling rest on me for like 10 more minutes, but if you keep attempting answers this can go away. Trust yourself!

 

Most importantly, just enjoy yourself, this isn’t the only option for you and if it’s not for you, do something different, it’s not the end of the world!

 

Hope this helped in some way haha!

Thanks for reading!