Moving up to ALevels

I recently left senior school and began my A-Levels. I’m taking politics, law and sociology and as you can probably imagine, it’s a heck ton of work compared to my GCSE’s. With that said though, the transition wasn’t completely awful and unbearable. I learnt a few things that might be able to help you if you’re either struggling with the change or if you’re starting A-Levels next year. 

1. Use your free periods. I have ten free periods a week, some of them between lessons and some of the beginning/end of the day. This extra time might seem great for just relaxing and hanging around, but I found the workload far more manageable with the use of my frees. I don’t spend every free writing essays and studying, but doing some of the work in college means less when you get home.
2. To do lists. These are super helpful because it shows you what you have and haven’t done - with the obvious aside, making a bright, colourful to do list to hang on your wall is a constant reminder of the tasks you haven’t completed. When it’s literally staring you in the face, it’s harder to procrastinate.
3. Sleep. Maybe I’ve suddenly matured since starting college and realised the true value of sleep, but it’s so important. I’ve mentioned before in my other articles that sleep is important, but even more so during sixth form/college. My days are sometimes long and the work is heavier, so having at least eight hours sleep stops me from going Walking Dead on everyone throughout the day.
4. Rewards. I reward myself for doing certain amounts of work, ie one hour of revision = one episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine. It seems like something you’d do in preschool, but it works. It’s simple but a good way of getting yourself to do things.
5. Study groups. I will admit that I’m the sort of person that wants to retreat to my dark room after an hour of interaction outside, but having people to study with is good. You can force each other to revise and also go other stuff together. 
6. Don’t push yourself. Forcing yourself to do work can lead to tiredness, sadness and all-around-not-good-ness. Take it slow, keep it simple and take breaks.

I hope this will help people who are having a difficult time settling down. Sixth form can be a scary place - I’ve just moved from a school of 500 pupils to a college with 4000 students. It can take a while to adjust, but you will eventually. Remember how you felt at the beginning of senior school? It’s a little like that. 
With that said, if you’re still struggling by Christmas, it might be worth talking to your tutor, parents or school guidance person. They can help you look at the problem areas and find the best way to tackle it. The great thing about higher education is that there’s a lot of different options for you. I remember hating school and feeling powerless to move or make a change - it’s not like that anymore. Don’t force yourself to do lessons/subjects that you don’t want to.