Navigating Sixth Form: Without a Script

I do not believe we are fully prepared for the jump from GCSEs to A-levels. I mean we are constantly reminded that content is like a tall building with endless floors. To think that every action will be measured and quantified with letters representing your future. Every mock exam, every work experience completed, every bit of volunteering, all coming together to shape your career.

I'm 17 years old and it took me a while to develop confidence in myself whilst at the same time battling the challenges of sixth form life.

Two types of sixth form students

I think there are two categories of students in sixth form: those who are ambitious, and those who are relaxed.

I do believe that I am "filled from the crown to the toe top full" of ambition. Personally, I think ambition has two parts: eagerness and execution. Many people will tell you they have big ideas and aspirations, but very few actually execute those ideas and put them into action.

For a while, I fell into the category of eagerness, lacking in execution, which set me back a great deal. But once I identified my weakness, I started to focus more deliberately on that element of execution. In this blog, I aim to turn my readers' eagerness into their execution.

The reality of sixth form

Before sixth form I thought I would enter a world of organisation: aesthetic notes, lilac binders, and constant support from teachers. The truth is there are 800 students in my school and around 100 teachers, and the most common response you'll hear is "email me", only to receive no reply. Notes are rarely ever neat, with constant essay writing, 20-mark questions that must include graphical references, and binders that have slowly lost their colour.

The good days and the bad

Some days are very productive. I complete biology practice papers, mark an essay on minority influences for psychology, or tackle a 20-marker on globalisation for economics.

However, other days I question everything: where to start, where to end, have I done enough, has it been effective, and if not, how can I refine it?

Procrastination is the killer

Procrastination leeches on ambition, dwindling down eagerness and turning it into something negative. It is one of the biggest obstacles between where you are and where you want to be.

In this blog I hope to show readers how to manage the unhealthy cycle of procrastination and turn it into execution.

So if you have enjoyed what you've read so far, please continue to support me and share this blog with friends so they too may have a chance of turning that eagerness into execution.

Thanks for engaging with my post. Signing off now, S.C.