Once results day comes around, you will have to decide on which sixth form or college you want to enrol in. Most places will allow you to enrol, as long as you get the grades, even if you didn’t apply to go there months earlier. If you’re still not entirely sure where you would like to study for the next two years, then now is the time to think about it.

Here are 5 tips to help choose the sixth form/college that is right for you.

1. Sixth Form Versus College

Many people have doubts about whether they did the right thing choosing sixth form over college or vice versa. You need to remember that they are both very different educational establishments. In college you won’t be getting spoon-fed anymore, so you will have to have a very independent mindset. If you feel as if you would thrive more in a place where you are already familiar with the surroundings and can get more support and help with coursework and learning in general, then sixth form would be a better place to enrol in. However, colleges are not attached to a school with lower years. Instead, they only enrol people over the age of 16. You also don’t have to wear formal clothes like you would in sixth form.

Keep in mind that a lot of colleges offer more BTEC courses compared to sixth forms that offer more A Levels courses. It is up to you which place you decide to continue your education at but remember to research thoroughly what each establishment is like and what they offer before you ask to enrol.

• Don’t Enrol Because of Your Friends 

A lot of people will base their choices of where they enrol because their friends are going there. Do not do that. Yes, it will be hard going to a place where you may have very few or no friends attending, but you will make new friends. Remember that a lot of people are going to be in the same position that you are in; they may decide not to stay on at their schools sixth form and go elsewhere. There will be many people in the same boat as you that will also be looking to make new friends so don’t base your decisions on your friends’ decisions.

Remember, if you like the school that your friends are going to, and they are offering the courses that you want to do, then by all means you should enrol. But don’t enrol if they have nothing that you like about it just because your friends will be joining.

• Listen to Your Gut Feeling

Once results day comes and you have gotten the grades you need to enrol in the schools that you applied for, don’t feel bad if you suddenly think that you don’t want to go there. Many people get cold feet about going to places they originally wanted to go to. People change and so do their decisions so listen to your gut feeling when it tells you that something is wrong. Most colleges/sixth forms will allow you to enrol with them even if you didn’t apply to go there in the first place. Just ring them up and ask if they still have empty vacancies. Trust your instincts if you feel that you don’t want to go the original school anymore.

• Location

If you cannot drive and you don’t have a lot of public transport, then the locations of the sixth forms/colleges will be a really important factor to think about. Education is already stressful enough, so you don’t want to add to that stress by having a really long commute just to get there. The longer the journey is, the more expensive it will be to get there. Unfortunately, public transport is not cheap. Even with the discount’s students can get, it can still be very expensive.

It will be easier on you if you pick a sixth form/college that is closer and simple to get to.  Not just that, but it is easier to lose the motivation and willpower required to attend school and complete your work if you are having to travel a long distance every day. You are also required to revise a lot more than you would in secondary school and having to travel a great distance takes away from that time you could spend revising.

• Subject Availability 

Before you pick a place to study at, you will have to find out what subjects they offer. On results day, if you have decided that you would like to go somewhere entirely different, then you need to do research into what subjects they are offering you. Most educational establishments will have a list of the subjects that students can take on their website. If they don’t have a list of them, you will either have to ring up or go there and find out in person.

If the place you want to go to doesn’t offer any of the subjects you want to do, then you will be better off finding someplace that does instead of taking subjects that you don’t enjoy.