My advice from my experience of first year, things that I did and things I WISH I had.
1. Plan your time
You'll have a lot more free time in sixth form or college than you did at school, so planning your time is essential. You'll be tempted to spend all of your free time socialising with your friends, but be sure to use some of your time within your day to do your work. The best way to do this is get a planner and set out the tasks you must do each day. This will make your life so much less stressful, and you will be able to still complete work if you do forget about it until the last minute.
2. Consolidate as you go
This is something I wish I had done. You will have exams or tests, whether that be ones that go towards your grade at the end of the course or in class, and it makes it so much easier if you already have all of your revision material made by the time you come to revise. It takes so much time out of revising, and means it's a job you can do little and often every week. That way revising seems less of a daunting task, because you've a) been going over things as you go, and b) already have the resources to revise.
3. Join Clubs
Even though you get more free time in college, you are also coping with a more intense workload and you're around a lot of new people, so one of the best ways to unwind and make friends is the join some clubs. Most college have a wide variety, and my sixth form had a "Fresher's Fair" at the beginning of the year where you can sign up for clubs. Whatever your interests are, there is most likely a club for you. Whether that's a sports team, or creative writing, film, GSA, politics. There are amazing opportunities to make friends as well as gain new skills.
4. Talk to the people in your classes
While it's great to make friends in your classes and to meet new people, even more than that, getting contact details and being able to ask someone for any work you've missed or help to understand the work is incredibly useful. While I knew people who I could message in all of my classes last year, in Sociology we had a group chat. That meant that there was a whole class of people who may be able to help rather than just one person who may also not know what they're doing. And on top of that, it makes the class atmosphere so much more friendly when you all talk and are willing to help each other.
5. Don't overwork yourself
I mean this as in: don't burn yourself out early on, and also if you have a part-time job, don't commit yourself to too many hours. Way too quickly that can become overwhelming and your college work will suffer as a result. My sixth form recommend that we don't work more than 8 hours a week, otherwise it begins to infringe on your work. I believe this is a reasonable number of hours to work. My first job I was on an 8 hours and 45 minute a week (I don't know why it was so specific) contract, but they constantly put me on for more hours. This, combined with the fact that is just wasn't very enjoyable for me, is why I ended up quitting after only five months of working there.
6. Ask for help
Even if a question may seem really obvious, ask your teachers or your peers. If you start out doing this early on, it will make asking for help throughout the year so much easier. On top of that, it will make transitioning from school to college even easier. Teachers are there to teach you, and they want to do their job as effectively as they can. Dropping them an email takes a minute and they will either respond with advice or will happily spend five minutes at the end of next lesson or in study period to explain something to you.
Alongside this though, don't be afraid to ask for help surrounding your mental or emotional well being. Colleges know that supporting students mental health, further increases the support of students academic success. Talk to your tutor, your teachers, college nurses or counselors. They are there to support you, even if it's talking through friendship or relationship drama, or if it's talking about anxiety and stress. Especially utilise this around exam time, I promise talking to someone will help you to feel more at ease.
7. Think about personal statements/CVs
Now, I'm not saying obsess over these at the start of the year. But think about what you'd like to study and maybe do some extra reading around the subject. By the end of the year you will begin to write your personal statement, so if you can make a list of things you've done outside of your curriculum as you go, then you will be in a prime position to start writing your personal statement. Similarly, think of any transferable skills you gain from your studies throughout the year. These can be put on CVs if you're looking for a job when you finish college, or even for part-time work while you're in college.
8. Don't stress too much
With linear A Levels, and the variety of different courses available at college, there is no need to stress early on. The first year is very much a transitional year. While it has some impact on predicted grades, for the majority of courses you aren't sitting exams that contribute to your final grade until the end of the second year. I'm not saying don't work hard, what I am saying is don't stress so much that you can't put the work into your studies that you want to.
9. Be yourself
College is an opportunity to start fresh. So wear what you want to, get involved with activities you like, and don't be afraid to be yourself. That's how you're going to find like-minded people who bring out the best in you. Everyone has an individual spark, and the world is too dark if we try and extinguish them to fit in.
10. Enjoy yourself
The first year goes in the blink of an eye. So go out with your friends, make plans, go see movies and shows and concerts. Don't get so hung up on the studying side of college that you miss out of the blooming social environment that it can be.
I really hope this helps some of you. These tips don't only apply to Year 12, but these are the things that really stood out to me from my experience last year.
Your stage is waiting.
Hollie x
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