Ultimate Guide To: Making the Most of Year 12
How to make your time in Year 12 as exciting, enjoyable and productive as possible.
by Hannah Christie
Year 12 is a very exciting year, a period of discovery. You may enter sixth form or college with no clue about what you may want to pursue in the future, and this may seem scary, but rest assured that this is very common and you have nothing to worry about. In fact, you can use year 12 to figure out what you may want to explore in the future, and this article will delve into the things you can do in year 12 to set yourself up for success in year 13 - coming from a year 13 student.
1. Start with a Routine
It may be difficult to get into a rhythm with changes in timetables and workload. However, creating a routine with scheduled breaks and downtime can help build consistency in your work. You can use apps such as Notion, GoogleCalendar, timetable or you can purchase a diary and to-do list and plan your time on paper. Setting time limits on your phone will help you remain productive and focused when it’s time to work.A personal favourite of mine is Opal which blocks distracting apps and will even allows you to customise the amount of time you have them blocked i.e. I have a weekday block between 9:00 and 17:00
2. Apply to Everything
There are so many programmes aimed at helping sixth form students make the most of their time before university. Some programmes offer funding, others offer residential, Insight2Uni offers day trips to universities and the opportunity to meet other like-minded students from African and Caribbean backgrounds. Top tip: make a spreadsheet to keep track of what you have applied to, where you are planning to apply to and the application deadline alongside the application outcome. That will help you remain organised during your application period.
3. Get involved in your school community
One thing I really enjoyed in school was being on the school council, assuming a role in my school community opened up so many opportunities, gave me a lot to write about on my personal statement and allowed me to connect with people at my school whom I wouldn’t have met had I not been a student leader. It pushed me out of my comfort zone in a healthy way and was extremely character building.
4. Set a bare minimum for the week
Often I would write a year long to-do list and get upset with myself if I didn’t complete everything on it. That’s a part of life - so I find that’s it’s effective to prioritise your task in order of importance - set a bare minimum whether that’s an essay plan or 30 minutes worth of flash cards.Setting a bare minimum for the week or for the day will ensure that you’re remaining consistent with your work.
5. Schedule Time for Rest
Rest is super important, scheduling time for it is imperative or you’ll find yourself feeling burnt out or taking too many breaks because you haven’t rested properly. Whether that’s rewarding yourself with bubble tea or going out with your friends, give yourself something to look forward to.
6. Track your progress and set reasonable goals
Track your progress through termly or quarterly reviews. Maybe write an evaluation using your grades to track your progress and ask yourself where you may want to improve, what went well, etc - targets for upcoming terms. Focus on the feedback. When I would get papers or questions back I would often focus on what I got right and not what I could focus on improving - focus on the hard things and they will eventually become easy.
In conclusion, year 12 is such an exciting year and a time for growth and self exploration. No matter what path you choose to embark on - just remember to enjoy yourself, do your best and trust the process.