Big Decision - School or College?

[Swizz]

At the moment I am in year 11 at my local secondary school. Next year I would love to go to college, but I know it is not the sensible answer. My school gets good results and I know I would work well. It is very close to my house and is just the logical answer. But I know I would be bored out my head! I would love college and have a fantastic time. I am quite self-motivated so I would still work hard. My parents aren't too conviced as it is quite far away, they are worried I wont work etc. Any one else got any views? I would just love to know what other people think. Thanks

[Scarlett]

You have to be VERY motivated to do well at College. I teach at a College AND a school with a 6th form and I can see all sides.If you go to College you will have a lot of free time- so you will have a lot of social fun. You can call the lecturers by their first names and wear what you like. You will meet people of all ages and from lots of backgrounds. You will probably take up smoking within the first year, and may well spend longer in the pub than you do in lectures.

the quality of teaching will be worse- MOSTLY. Colleges emply "experts" rather than qualified teachers and the turn over is high as the conditions are poor as is the pay.You will be surrounded by other students who did not necessarily like school, and therefore are more rebellious than the 6th form types. You will probably become a metal head or goth during your time at College.

At School you are in a familiar environment with teachers you know. You will be able to focus on working and getting good results. You may have to wear a version of the uniform and the teachers will still treat you like a kid.

If you are planning on going to university, I would stay at school, do really well in your exams, and then go to Uni, and do all the partying THEN, rather than in your 6th form years. A lot of people at College discover pubs/sex/smoking etc and drop out of the course because of the amount of freedom you get. If you hold on for 2 more years at school, you can then do what you like- and all the fun stuff, at 18, at University.

If you aren't going to uni, and you want to get a job, I would go to College, 'cos everyone should have the College experience before they hit the "real world" of work and responsibilities!! (My OPINION only!!)x

[NiceCupOfTea]

If you are serious about your qualifications, then go to whichever has the better results. I stayed on at 6th form doing Physics, Chemistry and Biology A-Levels (many years ago). The guy teaching our Physics course was renowned for being a rubbish Physics teacher, so out of the twenty pupils who were going to stay, fourteen left for our local college. The Chemistry and Biology teachers were brilliant, so I stayed (and got an external Physics tutor towards the end of the course, by the way).

[Octavius]

Your parents' concern might be that, as the college is so far away, you may be so exhausted from the commute that you won't have the energy to do all the cousework and out of class study that will be required to maintain and achieve good results. Also, I would assume that someone needs to pay for the travelling cost(?) - will this mean a part-time job as well?

You may be thinking that a change of scenery will be new and exciting, but at the same time, it may not live up those expectations.

The college open days will allow you to view all the 'nice' things about the college to try and get high attendance numbers, but the reality of attending day to day will hit when you attend that first class. And your courses may be full of disruptive pupils that you won't know.

Without knowing your personal circumstances it is difficult to be decisive, and your parents may not always know best when it comes to schooling. But if your school have a proven record of good results and you are self-motivated, studying closer to home will allow you some free time to work part time and enjoy yourself rather than getting bored out of your head.

Good luck.