Sixth Form: The Next Phase

As this year progresses, the first day of Sixth Form continues to loom: the new content, the new people and most of all, the new school. For me, the latter is not the case as I have chosen to remain at my current school, however, if you too feel this same overwhelming fear of change, then continue to read as I explore and give advice on how to minimise this anxiety and enter this new chapter with a positive mindset.

One of, if not the most important, decisions to make has to be the school in which to choose for Sixth Form. Do you choose the most prestigious school? Do you stay with your current friends? Do you take a risk and go somewhere unexpected? The answer is, it is up to you. It is your own decision, and no one can instruct you otherwise. For potentially the first time in our lives, our future is in our hands.

For me, this decision ultimately made itself. First, I did not have the opportunity to visit other schools, which, combined with my current anxiety, meant that I could not give other places an equal chance. Second, I do not believe that Grammar Schools are the only path towards success; obviously, I recognise that the concept of such places is to surround people with others that “match their ability,” however inevitably, the hard work comes from within you and not the people you are surrounded by (although, I also understand that this is the most appropriate choice for many people... just not for me). Finally, having achieved high grades in my GCSE's, I have faith in my current school to provide a high level of teaching; I have faith in not only this but also my work ethic, in that I can persistently push my limits to achieve my goals, no matter the environment I am surrounded by.

Additionally, with Kent being the only county with Grammar Schools in this present day, my decision of remaining with my school will not directly affect my chances of being accepted into the top Universities, as this would give a major advantage to those students in Kent Grammar Schools over the entire country. Therefore from my perspective, the choice I have made is the best possible choice for me; you should feel the same; make the decision on your terms, based on your criteria.

Having chosen my Sixth Form, the next step was to prepare for the two years ahead. Once again, due to the pandemic, I was fortunate to have nine weeks to complete additional revision and exam questions to ready myself for the 1st September. I used methods such as active recall to internalise the content and continued to repeat these methods to a point where I felt confident that I knew a sufficient amount. However, one point I wish to make is that following the year we have had, it is also vital to give yourself time to relax; I did not need to do this volume of work; I did it for myself, and you too should do what you feel comfortable doing. I am not saying do zero work, but if you know within yourself that you have done a sufficient amount, then do not feel insecure about how much someone else has done.

‘Never confuse your insides with someone else's outsides’ is a quote from ‘Soldier’ by Jay Morton, which perfectly resonates with my previous point. Do not allow the actions of others to force you to doubt yourself; you need to ensure you are putting in enough effort to where you feel proud and productive. I too suffered from this feeling, but now I have realised that I may never be able to spend every waking hour completing school work, and that is okay as the work I am doing is still allowing me to achieve high grades.

We have now reached the present day, in which I am merely two weeks from the beginning of this journey. Currently, the looming anxiety surrounding this is mild, but it will inevitably increase. Due to this, maintaining a PMA (positive mental attitude) is crucial to maximising your chances of success and here's why:

• By remaining positive you will realise that you have control over your academic progression from this point. You can no longer rely on natural intelligence or other advantages as your work ethic and dedication will become your greatest asset.

• You will also realise that petty drama is now irrelevant. Do not allow yourself to become involved in unnecessary disagreements as you now have more important things to worry about.

• Finally, you will begin to recognise how your life is more than just school. For example, over the next six months, I will take driving lessons, start working and begin Sixth Form, all of which require a large amount of attention. Therefore, by maintaining this PMA I can recognise that all of these are extremely positive experiences that will provide me with freedom and confidence and I need to embrace these opportunities as they present themselves. Ultimately, if you handle each situation with positivity, feelings of anxiety have no reason to arise.

To conclude, I wish to mention that I am excited to begin this new chapter. I am looking forward to meeting new people, gaining new experiences and becoming more confident within myself. I would also like to mention that whilst I am offering my advice, I am by no means in a position to instruct you as to how to handle this major change; much like most of this post states, you are in total control of your decisions, which should be the piece of information that everyone should take from this. Whether you are in the same situation as myself or are just looking for a change, do not allow others to influence your future as when it comes down to it, your own opinion is the only one that truly matters.