Before we get down to business, I'd like to give you some background information about myself so that you don't doubt my credibility. I started College in 2015 and thankfully, completed my A-levels in two years. Yes! I did do the new A-levels and please don't ask me to do compare and contrast between the new system and the previous one as I am not accustomed to the old system, neither have I ever come across it. Anyway, now I'm on my gap year and If you want to find out how I got stuck in a gap year, check out my post about it.

Without further ado, let me give you some insight into how college may sting you.

1. Start early.

But how early! honestly, I didn't start revising for my AS until Christmas holidays. I tried to revise for 3-5 hours each and every day during the holidays but after the holidays, I revised for only two hours a day or maybe less as my college was miles away from my home and I used to get so exhausted after college that I had to take a nap before I could crack on with studies. Sometimes, the so-called nap used to become a full-on sleep and therefore, I used to wake up next morning with a regret of not being able to stick to my timetable. This somehow didn't really affect my results and I was promoted to year 13. But, my AS grades were very unsatisfactory.

In order to improve, I made a resolution to revise as early as possible. I did stick to the resolution and revised 3 hours a day right from the start with Fridays off. However, it still wasn't enough as I was revising only A2 stuff and the new A-levels required me to revise AS stuff alongside. Therefore, my AS knowledge was deteriorating which left me with no choice but to revise around the clock.

My advice to all youngsters would be that straight after your AS exams, make sure you keep revising your AS topics in the summer holidays so that they can be at your fingertips which means you won't have to go over them again in year 13 and this eventually will save up so much time.

2. No more spoon-feeding.

In high school, it's quite common that teachers give hints to their students about what to write in coursework. This process continues until the coursework is done and dusted. On the other hand, teachers in college are not as much convenient.

Also, teachers won't be chasing you up to tell you what lessons you have missed or how far behind you are in terms of revision. Therefore, you'll have to meet deadlines on your own and if you leave anything for later, within no time your work will start to pile up. So, it's extraordinarily necessary to be organised when tackling these hassles.

3. Don't fall out with your teachers.

You always have to obey your teachers no matter how gruesome they may seem as they will be writing references for your UCAS application and if your references are not up to the mark, you might have to chuck up the sponge and apply for the universities you always despised.

I myself stopped my friend from having an argument with a teacher by whispering in his ear: "not now...let her finish writing your reference." and that was enough for him to stop.

4. Beware of drugs.

As students undergo stress and anxiety daily, they're more likely to do drugs because drugs like marijuana & nitrous oxide are readily available and act as a buffer against daily stressors. But not all students look for buffers, some just want to try something notorious so that they can gain respect and attention from their peer groups. Hence, always keep yourself around people who have never been involved in activities related to drug abuse to lower your chances of getting influenced by wrong people.

5. It is not as difficult as you've been told.

Most students start college with the concept that the next two year of their lives will be gobbled by their work and they'll have no time for themselves. This is absolutely ridiculous.

I urge all colleges to advise their students that studies shouldn't overshadow mental and physical health.

Whilst I was in college, I had never opened a single textbook of mine during free periods and enjoyed my time as much as I could because I'd been doing ample amount of revision at home.