College

[RedApple]

I start college next Wednesday and I'm a little bit nervous.. Okay then, very nervous.

I'm doing a ICT course.

Anyone have any tips or anything to make me feel a bit better?

 

[Pojo]

Today was my first day...I was a little nervous, but not as much as I thought would be...You definitely feel more grown up and respected when you walk the campus though

 

[Shupie]

=D I started college for the first time last year. Yeah, it's a little scary 'cause you don't have all the friends you made in high school. You have to start all over again, but it's okay! Sometimes people can be very friendly in college. It's a time where everyone is looking to make networks with people, so it's okay to go up to someone and start chatting about school and what not. At least, that's how it was in my school. I go to an art school.

Just relax, do your thing, and try to be friendly. A few weeks, more or less, and you probably won't feel nervous at all anymore.

 

[Dawes]

I started college some time after high-school, so I didn't just jump into it. The best I can suggest from my own experience is this...

Remember that at college, you are paying for your education, or someone is paying for your education on your behalf, whether it be a parent, a scholarship, or a grant. The best suggestion I can offer is not to wast eit. There is a whole, massive world of knowledge that you can discover in college, and it doesn't pay to waste any of it. Try your hardest. Use the resources at your fingertips. Get to know and like and be liked by your teachers. Discuss things with them, ask them questions, and show that you are an interesting person who is interested in his studies, and therefore, sets an example for other students in the process. Use college as the positive learning experience that it is, and embrace it, because if you do it right, how well you do for the next four years is going to stay with you for the rest of your days.

Just have fun, be sensible, and you'll do fine!

 

[King of Clubs]

i start tomorrow i cant wait! and as for tips not that i have any apart from just general things, make new friends

 

[Jaiden]

College doesn't always mean the same thing in Britain as it does in the US. If a Briton says 'college' they're likely to be referring to a sixth-form (or equivalent) college, which is attended after mandatory education is completed at sixteen for two years to gain the qualifications that are needed to enter university (what Americans would know as college) or just to study other qualifications offered there. The OP is sixteen and in the UK so I don't think he's going to uni but to a British-style college. Think of it as a bridge between school and university - you get more freedoms than school and more is expected of you, but it's not like university by some stretch. It's also still free.

Anyhoo, it's normal to be nervous before starting at a new school/uni/job, RedApple, and pretty much everyone is going to be feeling very similarly to you. Chances are that you're going to enjoy having a bit more independence than you're used to at school when you settle in but it might take a while to get used to the new surroundings. Just be yourself and give it, and the new people you meet, a chance and remember that just as you are forming fresh impressions of everyone, they are forming fresh impressions of you - it really helps to show teachers that you're willing to put the work in and fellow students that you're easy to get along with.

Good luck with it all. In a couple of weeks you will most likely be wondering why you were worried in the first place.

 

[King of Clubs]

Jaiden, that made little sence... lol

 

[Jaiden]

Hm? What didn't make sense?

The people who replied were Americans who understandably took 'college' to mean 'university' as that is how they use the word but the kind of college RedApple is talking about is different. Some of the advice and help didn't quite fit because of that (Rance talking about paying for your education, for example) so I just thought it would be helpful to point that out.

 

[Peachy]

Easy:

British college = American high school (last two years)

American college = British University (undergrad degrees, usually)

Peachy

 

[Dawes]

Thank you for that clarification, Peachy and Jaiden. Personally, I had no clue that there was a difference in the two, so now that I do, I'm curious to learn more about the designations!

Do you graduate with some form of "degree" or title at the end of British college? Does it lead you into your university years? Or is it simply the second half of your secondary education before being sent away to learn a specific area or trade?

 

[Jaiden]

It's not exactly equivalent to the last couple of years of High School because education is structured differently here.

What normally happens is at sixteen you take your GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams, which cover a broad range of subjects and are the last point at which education is compulsory. After that you can leave school with just those qualifications, study a vocational qualification to go into a trade, or take A-levels (this is the bit you do at college) where you are specializing a bit more, typically in three of four subjects and earning a grade and A-level in each of them, rather than a general diploma. What A-levels you get determine future admission to university.

The terminology is a bit garbled, which probably makes it seem more complicated than it is. In years gone by what we call a GCSE was an O (ordinary) level, which is why we have A (advanced) level and A-levels were taken in the sixth form/year of secondary school, which was structured differently from other areas and so was called a sixth form college. Colleges these days have evolved from that point often into entirely separate bodies but it's also still common to do A-levels at a sixth form college within a school.

A diploma system is actually being brought in as well now but the GCSE > A-level > university route is still the standard, with qualifications of increasing weight being accrued at each staged.

Hope that makes some sense.

 

[RedApple]

Thanks everyone!

I'm really nervous, but really looking forward to it at the same time.

I don't know how US systems work, I've only ever been to America twice so I guess that says it all.

It's free education and a 2 year course which hopefully at the end of it I'll get an A-level which I could use to get into Uni - However, I intend to go to "pilot school" (Oxford Aviation Academy for anyone that wants to know) after the course and get my ATPL (Airline transportation pilots licence)

 

[spacemanBEN]

I don't have any advice for you, but I do sympathize with you as I start my first year of university in a week. I am very nervous, but excited too. My hope is that I meet some nice people right off the bat, because that would make the transition a lot nicer.

 

[Peachy]

Hope that makes some sense.

I thought that my explanation - even though it was a very broad generalization - was easier to understand :tongueout:

Peachy

 

[redtails]

i start tomorrow i cant wait! and as for tips not that i have any apart from just general things, make new friends

Yep, pro-tip number one: make new friends, that's the best thing you can do..

oh and take a crap before you go to college LOL, that helps relieve stress :laugh: