Hi everyone!
Sorry for the delay in posts - its been a busy few weeks in my life (mainly birthday celebrations have been taking over - but there will be a post about that next week!)
I'm so nearly finished with college completely, which is absolutely mental! I feel like I only started back in September and I cannot get over that I'm going to be dumped in the real world incredibly soon. The last two years have been the most eye opening, fun and memorable moments which I won't soon be forgetting. I feel like I've only just written about GCSE's and leaving school, and now we're talking about leaving sixth form!
However, I wanted to do a less mushy post to the end of this chapter of my life. Long Road Sixth Form College has shown me a lot and I want to share with those who want to go here what they should be expecting. So this will act as a future guide to those studying in the near future...
Sorry for the delay in posts - its been a busy few weeks in my life (mainly birthday celebrations have been taking over - but there will be a post about that next week!)
I'm so nearly finished with college completely, which is absolutely mental! I feel like I only started back in September and I cannot get over that I'm going to be dumped in the real world incredibly soon. The last two years have been the most eye opening, fun and memorable moments which I won't soon be forgetting. I feel like I've only just written about GCSE's and leaving school, and now we're talking about leaving sixth form!
However, I wanted to do a less mushy post to the end of this chapter of my life. Long Road Sixth Form College has shown me a lot and I want to share with those who want to go here what they should be expecting. So this will act as a future guide to those studying in the near future...
Travel
The BIGGEST pain of my two years there was most definitely travelling. I live just half an hour away from college, which should seem simple if I could drive and traffic didn't exist. Sadly, neither of those things have occurred in my life meaning that I have to get the train in every day. This is all well and good, but just be prepared for delays or cancellations at any given moment.
I've occasionally had to get a bus running to the college, and from my peers experience - "don't expect the bus to leave on time." They seem to either leave without you before the time it's due to leave or it will probably be delayed (sounds familiar with trains!) To stay on top of company trains or buses download your designated companies phone app and you should hopefully be on time for everything.
Also, I download the colleges shuttle bus timetable to my phone (I've linked it HERE.) If you're like me and dislike walking in the winter, the FREE shuttle bus service is a life saver! However, don't trust this system always...My first day I was late because the bus was too full and we had to walk!
I've occasionally had to get a bus running to the college, and from my peers experience - "don't expect the bus to leave on time." They seem to either leave without you before the time it's due to leave or it will probably be delayed (sounds familiar with trains!) To stay on top of company trains or buses download your designated companies phone app and you should hopefully be on time for everything.
Also, I download the colleges shuttle bus timetable to my phone (I've linked it HERE.) If you're like me and dislike walking in the winter, the FREE shuttle bus service is a life saver! However, don't trust this system always...My first day I was late because the bus was too full and we had to walk!
Places to sit
(Please excuse the rubbish title for this section, I didn't know what would fit this part that I'm talking about!)
Starting college I found it hard to find somewhere to sit around and do nothing in my frees, especially during the first few weeks of college. The canteen is great for food and having a group there it can be a lot of fun - providing you can get hold of a table or not. It can get busy and loud at times which may not suit some people as this is where 3/4 of the college go.
The student centre has a variety of different people in there, and you're sure to meet people there with similar interests to you. It gets a lot stick for what it is, but it's a larger area to relax in with sofas and computers available and during frees there's hardly anyone in there so you can get a bit of space and quiet time to yourself should you need it.
The LRC is a weird one to me. It's the library and there's computers left right and centre - but trying to eat in there is never a good idea! It's a great place if you need to get work done for the next lesson or you need to revise for one of your exams. It's quiet and there's plenty of resources to help you get through your 1hr 30 minute free.
Starting college I found it hard to find somewhere to sit around and do nothing in my frees, especially during the first few weeks of college. The canteen is great for food and having a group there it can be a lot of fun - providing you can get hold of a table or not. It can get busy and loud at times which may not suit some people as this is where 3/4 of the college go.
The student centre has a variety of different people in there, and you're sure to meet people there with similar interests to you. It gets a lot stick for what it is, but it's a larger area to relax in with sofas and computers available and during frees there's hardly anyone in there so you can get a bit of space and quiet time to yourself should you need it.
The LRC is a weird one to me. It's the library and there's computers left right and centre - but trying to eat in there is never a good idea! It's a great place if you need to get work done for the next lesson or you need to revise for one of your exams. It's quiet and there's plenty of resources to help you get through your 1hr 30 minute free.
Meeting new people
A college in Cambridge means that there is going to be a wide variety of people to meet and mingle with. The first few weeks will be hard as everyones getting to know each other and cliques will form very quickly (trust me they rarely last!) A word of advice is to chat to people in your classes 9 times out of 10, you'll be sitting with them on your next lunch break.
I found that the second half of the first year and the second year of college is when you meet most of your friends. Rubbish timing since you'll all be off doing different things in the space of the year. However, stick with it and you'll find your people at the right time!
I found that the second half of the first year and the second year of college is when you meet most of your friends. Rubbish timing since you'll all be off doing different things in the space of the year. However, stick with it and you'll find your people at the right time!
College work & timings
Lesson timings are a big change. They run for a 1hr 30 minutes per lesson - a big jump from the usual 1 hour maximum lesson time that I was used to. This will take a while to settle into at first but it works to your advantage in the end. I found that the 30 minutes was spent explaining the lesson & tasks you had to complete and then you have an hour to complete said tasks.
And last but not least, enjoy your time there! It has been the most eye opening and life changing 2 years of my life and I have enjoyed almost every minute of being at Long Road. It's sad to think now I'm at the very end and the next chapter in my life is university...Crikey!
I hope in some ways this has highlighted Long Road and helps those who are wanting to study there after their GCSE's.
See you in the next blog post,
I hope in some ways this has highlighted Long Road and helps those who are wanting to study there after their GCSE's.
See you in the next blog post,
PS. shout out to my 18 unit media diploma class - you're all a bunch of colourful characters! Thank you for making the past two years of my college life a lot more bearable, good luck with everything in the future! x
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