Academia 24: Staying Productive in Sixth Form
Hello my beautiful friends!
This blog post was requested from my Instagram story and I thought it'd be useful for those starting Year 12. Recently, I participated in a collab with other Year 13 Studygrammers called #howtoalevel in which we shared our tips for new Year 12s, so I thought it'd be fitting to repeat that Instagram post in blog post form.
Here are my top 10 tips for those starting Year 12...
1. Relax during the summer between Y11 & Y12. Some Sixth Forms/colleges set bridging work, so do complete this, but do not do any additional work to avoid burning out in Y12.
2. Make your notes as you go along. After every lesson, write up your class notes onto flash cards/mind maps/whatever resource you use to revise.
3. Use a variety of sources to make your notes. As well as using your class notes, use your textbook/revision guide and/or reliable websites to ensure your notes are sufficient and cover everything. (Feel free to ask me for Physics and Economics website recommendations)
4. Ensure you have a textbook and/or revision guide for each subject. Often, schools provide textbooks, but, if your school doesn’t, you can often get secondhand textbooks in good condition from eBay. These will help you to supplement your notes as well as provide practice questions.
5. Use your frees! Free periods are a great time to do both homework and revisions. Take this opportunity!
6. Find your revision space. My local university library has a scheme for Sixth Form/college students whereby they can use the library as a study space free of charge. I found I concentrated the most in the library because I would not be distracted by my friends, family or phone.
7. Try to do some pre-reading before each lesson. For example, for physics and economics, the evening before each lesson, I tried to read the section in the textbook that we would be covering in the next lesson. This helped my understanding in the lesson. If you’re unsure which section you’re going to be covering, ask your teacher.
8. Read around your subject. For both physics and economics, I tried to read articles online about the topic we were currently covering. Not only is this good for your personal statement, it helps your understanding of the topic and enables you to include context in your answers.
9. If you’re going to apply to university, try to do supercurricular activities throughout Y12. I have written a blog post about supercurriculars. This can include reading around your subject, attending lectures and attending summer schools. Look online on university websites as many universities hold Y12-specific lectures and summer schools.
10. Enjoy Y12! Y12 provides you with more freedom and it is your penultimate year of compulsory education. Obviously work hard, but don’t forget to make memories!
I realise Year 13 is going to be a busy time from September due to UCAS, Oxford admissions and A Levels in general. Consequently, I have decided to write posts in bulk. Previously, I'd write a post the week before publishing it. Instead, I have decided to write all of September's posts at the end of August, so I will write all of October's posts at the end of September, etc. This my change my blogging style, so I have decided to share this with my readers. I hope all of you are understanding of my reasoning.
Anyway, I hope this post is useful for those new Year 12s! Feel free to share your own tips as well as contact me with any further questions.
This blog post was requested from my Instagram story and I thought it'd be useful for those starting Year 12. Recently, I participated in a collab with other Year 13 Studygrammers called #howtoalevel in which we shared our tips for new Year 12s, so I thought it'd be fitting to repeat that Instagram post in blog post form.
Here are my top 10 tips for those starting Year 12...
1. Relax during the summer between Y11 & Y12. Some Sixth Forms/colleges set bridging work, so do complete this, but do not do any additional work to avoid burning out in Y12.
2. Make your notes as you go along. After every lesson, write up your class notes onto flash cards/mind maps/whatever resource you use to revise.
3. Use a variety of sources to make your notes. As well as using your class notes, use your textbook/revision guide and/or reliable websites to ensure your notes are sufficient and cover everything. (Feel free to ask me for Physics and Economics website recommendations)
4. Ensure you have a textbook and/or revision guide for each subject. Often, schools provide textbooks, but, if your school doesn’t, you can often get secondhand textbooks in good condition from eBay. These will help you to supplement your notes as well as provide practice questions.
5. Use your frees! Free periods are a great time to do both homework and revisions. Take this opportunity!
6. Find your revision space. My local university library has a scheme for Sixth Form/college students whereby they can use the library as a study space free of charge. I found I concentrated the most in the library because I would not be distracted by my friends, family or phone.
7. Try to do some pre-reading before each lesson. For example, for physics and economics, the evening before each lesson, I tried to read the section in the textbook that we would be covering in the next lesson. This helped my understanding in the lesson. If you’re unsure which section you’re going to be covering, ask your teacher.
8. Read around your subject. For both physics and economics, I tried to read articles online about the topic we were currently covering. Not only is this good for your personal statement, it helps your understanding of the topic and enables you to include context in your answers.
9. If you’re going to apply to university, try to do supercurricular activities throughout Y12. I have written a blog post about supercurriculars. This can include reading around your subject, attending lectures and attending summer schools. Look online on university websites as many universities hold Y12-specific lectures and summer schools.
10. Enjoy Y12! Y12 provides you with more freedom and it is your penultimate year of compulsory education. Obviously work hard, but don’t forget to make memories!
I realise Year 13 is going to be a busy time from September due to UCAS, Oxford admissions and A Levels in general. Consequently, I have decided to write posts in bulk. Previously, I'd write a post the week before publishing it. Instead, I have decided to write all of September's posts at the end of August, so I will write all of October's posts at the end of September, etc. This my change my blogging style, so I have decided to share this with my readers. I hope all of you are understanding of my reasoning.
Anyway, I hope this post is useful for those new Year 12s! Feel free to share your own tips as well as contact me with any further questions.
NICE
ReplyDeleteThe very small yet effective strategies you shared here for better learning of subjects. Pre-reading of the topic always help students to understand the lecture topic well. I also suggest students an after reading on the same day or within two days. It ensures a good knowledge of the topic and also clears the doubts of a student timely. I felt that if students take benefits of the environment and books of the library then such practice will bring amazing result for them. Thanks for a valuable post that triggers a good thought process and practices in students. Keep Sharing.
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