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| Quick Link: Hills Road Sixth Form College |
"You gotta take the rough with the smooth"
A review of Hills Road Sixth Form College by Chloe evans - Wednesday 23rd 2008f April 2008
Having come from a school in Hertfordshire where only 40% of pupils achieve 5 GCSE's A*-C with very mixed abiliy A level classes and few subject options I was thrilled to get into Hills Road to study History, Politics and Dance and although I can't say it was the best two years of my life It was absolutely the right thing for me to do. Yes it is very hard work but surely that is the idea? Unless you are not ambitious in life surely it's better to work your arse off for fab grades that will get you where you want to go in life and show that you are intelligent and hard working rather then bum around for two years with crap grades to show for it!?
Hills Road is huge and coming from outside Cambridge I felt that everyone already had their social groups from their old schools and It was quite daunting trying to make new friends. This is not the colleges fault though and although it may have been more comfortable and fun to stay with my old school friends in my home town sometimes you have to set yourself new challenges, and life is all about meeting new people.
The teachers I had at Hills Road were amazing and very supportive (espec History!). And we were always encouraged to read around the subject (espec politics). I did have an issue with a particular history teacher who expected us to already know everything, didn't teach anything and just read from the text book but I changed courses and told the head of history why and he was very supportive.
Hills Road has loads of extra curricular stuff going on; it's even timetabled into your day! Wish I'd taken more advantage now of those opportunities but back then I did my relaxing in the pub round the corner with my new friends. One of the best things about the school is that everyone is there because they want to do well, it is inspiring being in a class with people who are clever, competitive and have lots of different ideas rather then being the most intelligent in a class full of people that aren't that bothered and take the p**s out of you for caring and working hard.
There are many different types of people at Hills Road (and I didn't find any one particularly posh except the odd perse girl although you can tell who's been to private school by their confidence). So if you want to create a new identity, come out about your sexuality or dare to be different you can! It's much more diverse and accepting then the small mindedness of school sixth forms.
If you are a shy person you may be more suited to a smaller more inclusive school sixth form. With the number of students at Hills it is kind of down to you to make friends and participate in activities - no ones going to hold your hand and make you. It does however bridge the gap between school and university and they treat you like an adult not a child.
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