A commuter's guide to transitioning from Sixth Form to University

Upon receiving your offer to university, you will be excited to start this new journey, but also nervous as to what the next steps entail. University isn’t identical to sixth form or college, with a big shift towards student independence: whether it be living on your own, cooking your own meals; or even having to research your lecture material yourself. University can also provide a big change in environment, with a variety of new people becoming part of your daily life.

From my own experience as a commuter, university seemed particularly daunting, as I had concerns about fitting in, seeing as I wouldn’t have flatmates to immediately become friends with. Now having completed my university journey, I would say making friends at university requires you to put yourself out there and try to speak to as many people as possible, as everyone is in the same boat and trying to find their friends too. To get the most out of your university experience, you need to try as many clubs and societies as possible and find a community you enjoy being part of. Fitting in at university does take time, in my opinion, but once you do, the experience is amazing.

In terms of independence, the studying style is also new, as content is no longer spoon-fed to you, with lectures often requiring additional studying afterwards to get the most out of the lecture. Even the style of a lecture is different to that of a lesson, as lessons are often more interactive and give students activities, whereas lectures tend to be more front-led and usually much longer. Lectures also often tend to be longer than school lessons and more intense. However, once you join university, you also have more free time and fewer lectures than you would have had at sixth form, which helps to make managing their intensity easier.

Overall, the change to university is an exciting one to look forward to. It marks a big change towards adulthood, and greatly shapes your character going forward, where you learn key skills that will help you with life beyond university. It represents a time where you specialize in a certain subject and begin to appreciate the nuances in that area, with your own guided learning providing skills for a career after university.