How To Apply To Colleges And Sixth Forms

It is that season right now where millions of students in Year 11 are considering applying to sixth form or colleges. As a Year 12 student who has gone through the whole application process of applying to sixth forms and colleges, getting my GCSE results and now having been at sixth form for nearly 4 months, I know how it feels. In this article, I will be sharing the ultimate guide for post-16 education and how to ace it.

Note: This is based on my own experiences so please talk to your teachers about this and don’t solely rely on this article.

This article is more targeted towards those who want to do A-Levels as I do A-Levels myself and I have experience applying for these courses. But remember, there are many other post-16 opportunities out there, so speak to your teacher/school for more information.

Step 1: Think about your passion.

The first step before thinking about sixth form or college is envisioning yourself and where you want to be. I know that you are very young right now, so don’t be too worried/stressed but having a vague picture of which subjects you like or you might want to pursue can help you with the application process. For example, if you really like English at GCSEs, you might be thinking of pursuing English or Law at university.

Step 2: Research universities.

After you have thought about the degree you might want to pursue, you then want to go ahead and research the degrees online in universities. Why? Because you have to work backwards. If you want to do Law at LSE for example, you need to go and check the entry requirements. There they will tell you which subjects you need to do at A-Level.

Step 3: Pick your A-Levels.

After researching a few universities, you may start to see a range of A-level subjects that are suited to the degree you want to get into. If you are still unsure, try to keep your doors open, but those who are, for example, pursuing Medicine, A-Levels like Biology, Chemistry and Maths may start to appear. Start to narrow down and pick your subjects. This is based on if you will enjoy those subjects, if you are good at them and if you like the course and what it entails. Discuss with your teachers and parents for more guidance on this.

Step 4: Start looking at sixth form/sixth form colleges/colleges near you.

Now that you slightly know what subjects you want to do, now is the time to look at institutions listed above near you. This is based on preferences but some of the factors you want to look at are: the location, if they do your preferred subjects, entry requirements, if you like the atmosphere, their typical A-Level results and their education/support. Again, speak to your teachers if you need help on this but remember that ultimately the decision is yours.

Step 5: Pick the institutions and start tracking dates.

Out of your list, it is recommended to pick up to 5 colleges/sixth forms that you may potentially go into. Remember to have at least one sixth form/college that has lower entry requirements as your back-up just in cases. You then want to track fates of when applications will close and end, open days and just general information from each institution.

Step 6: Apply to the institutions.

Now, you have to do the long part…apply! Remember to speak to your parents before applying and make sure you have these things with you: your ULN, UPN, your passport/ID and your predicted GCSE grades. The application forms are usually online.

Step 7: Check your emails regularly.

After applying, you should then keep your emails open and check them regularly in case of any updates on your application or even any interviews. Remember that conditional offers means that you are not guaranteed a place there, it is based on your GCSE grades. Attend interviews if required.

Step 8: Work hard because your GCSE results are an indicator of which institution you will attend.

After all the applications, you have to just work hard as at GCSE results day, you can collect your GCSE results and if you hit the entry requirements for the courses you want to do and the institutions, you can enroll and you are off to do your A-Levels!

That is all you have to do. Remember that this process should and is not stressful, it is pretty straightforward and your main focus should be on your GCSE studies. Thank you so much for sticking till the end and as a gift, here are my latest articles:

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!