As someone who is about to move on to college (or Year 12) one of my main concerns is not how I'll find my way around; how hard the subjects will be but actually, how do I make friends?
It may seem like such a stupid concept to be preoccupied about but I've spent the last five years of my life with the same group of people. To be suddenly thrown into a mix of thousands more students, where I am not guaranteed to know anyone reminds me completely and utterly of my first day at secondary school - I moved from a different country and was, seemingly, the only girl with a friend. Of course, it did not take me long to make friends but that doesn't seem to reassure me, five years later. What I am concerned about, stupidly, is that I have lost the ability to make friends. How do I just go up and talk to someone? How can I make them like me? What is it that attracted my old friends to me? How will I know they are the right friends for me?
With all these, among hundreds of other questions swirling around my head, it is no wonder people dread leaving school and moving onto higher education.
However, despite all the worries that niggle at the back of my brain about my future I am also incredibly excited to leave my secondary school, not because I didn't enjoy i - I loved school and will always have fond memories of it - but because it is all part of my 'growing up' and despite the fact that I do not want to be burdened with the responsibilities of being an adult, the anticipations of the worlds that open up to you as you grown up is thrilling! I just recently received a booklet about my course (International Baccalaureate) and was able to learn more about what I will be studying; the possible trips I will take, the induction days...All that have contributed to a feeling of excitement, even if I can't decide what outfit I should wear on the first day...first impressions, right?!
I suppose what I am trying to say is that although you may, like me, not want to leave the security and routine of school and old friendships behinds, the future is exciting! You will be meeting new people, admiring new faces, experiencing new things and that should be a good thing! I hope anyone moving on in one way or another in their lives, enjoys the change!

Written by Billie Powell

My whole year group has now finished secondary school, our GCSE exams are all over, and we have a ten week summer holiday that is now in full swing! This, of course, is extremely exciting however I always feel as though I have wasted my summer when we go back to school in September. Therefore, I have devised a list of 'goals' or things I want to do this summer before I start college:

See my friends - I know this seems like quite a mundane thing, but I feel like now more than ever it is really important that I keep in contact with those friends who I value greatly and may not see as much at college, or even those who I will see! This summer is the perfect opportunity to spend every spare moment with people who mean a lot to me - with a couple of my best friends we have agreed to do something at least once a week.

Take lots of photos and videos - Something that our generation does a lot is photograph everything. Sunsets, meals, parties, every detail is captured. However, an aspect of photography that I feel is not covered enough is video. My mum has so many home videos of me from when I was little, which are so cute to look back on, but I hardly have any videos of me and my friends, so that is something I aim to do more!

Read lots - I've always been someone who does a lot of reading and I really enjoy doing so! But, since revision took over my life, this has been shoved to the bottom of my priority list. However, since being on holiday so far I have read all of the Maze Runner series - I am just finishing the prequel - and I loved it!

Despite only having three things on my list that I can think of, there are probably way more that I could add and probably will do.

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Written by Ellie Taylor

Time is kind of the scariest concept of them all. Forget monsters under the bed or thunder storms or anything else that could be deemed as scary. Because fears change throughout life, but time is a constant, always there and always evident. For example, I have just finished school, which is crazy because it feels like yesterday that I was walking through the doors on my first day with fellow teeny eleven year olds anxious to be assigned a big kid to show them to their class. But it was five years ago.  Five entire years. And that concept is so very bizarre because five years ago that was happening, however five years into the future I will nearly be twenty two which seems so much further away than the comforting and familiar age of eleven. But whilst time is a very relevant fear of mine right now, it is also extremely comforting to know that certain aspects or times in my life are over or will be over soon, or at least will be over one day.
I had awful anxiety about going in to school five years ago, whereas now, five years ahead, I have embraced every day of school with a smile (if a slightly reluctant smile some days) because of its familiarity and safety, and I know that despite being sad about the end of such a long five years, this sadness won't last forever and very soon there will new things to consume the excitement/happiness cortex of my brain.
The passing of time is scary and is sometime the worst thing imaginable. But it is mainly exciting and unknown, often unknown in the best of ways.

Written by Georgina Dent.