School Leaver Tips from the Community!

Leyla · July 25

Leaving school is a huge milestone, and it can stir up all kinds of emotions. If you're leaving school for the first time and you're feeling excited, nervous, sad, relieved, or totally unsure, you're not alone!

In this post, we’ve collated some key tips and tricks suggested by our very own Community members and staff team during our School Leavers Group Chat which took place this afternoon (25th July). We have split them into topics and put the tips under the spoilers as it is quite a lot of bullet points because you had so many ideas!

This is your space to reflect, feel supported, and explore life after school. Please start discussions below, support one another, and add your own advice too.

If you've left school already, what advice do you wish you'd received at the time? If you're leaving school, do you have any questions you'd like to ask your peers?

Let’s all be here for each other!

Leading up to finishing somewhere for education:

Reach out to support from friends. Or slowly reduce social contact if you know you wont see them much. For mw it made it easier as I didnt feel I needed to rely on them but knew they were still there if I needed it
Set yourself small, short-term goals. And focus on your skills - thinking about what skills you already have, and then what skills you want to build. Break it down into small chunks like this.
There will always be highs and lows with a transition. Having a leaving book helped me process loss of friendships as often id have pictures and writing from them that I could read over when I felt I wanted to be close to them again

Scary transitions

Leaving school can mean a lot of change, which may feel exciting, overwhelming, or sad. No matter how you respond to change - your feelings are valid. One thing that might help, however, is to try your best to keep / set-up some kind of daily routine for yourself throughout the period of change. When everything around you is shifting, even tiny little things like eating at the same time every day, waking up at the same time, keeping up hobbies you love, watching familiar Netflix shows etc, can help your body to trust and know that not everything is changing, and you've still got things to ground you.
Dont feel pressured to move on straight away, take time to settle with the 'loss' of friends/teachers/lectures/ anyone who you may no longer see.
Dont feel pressured to follow what others are doing. Focus on finding yourself and what you want to do
There can be a lot of pressure after finishing school to immediately jump into the next thing or to figure out what you want to 'do' with your life. But remember, school itself is really demanding, and you've just finished a super intense and busy time of your life. You're allowed to be tired. And it's okay to need some space to rest before you jump straight into your future!!

Unconfident in how you performed

Even if you aren't 100% certain on the choices you've made (courses, subjects, clubs etc), there are lots of way to make them work in your favour and you have learnt a lot from them regardless even if it doesn't feel entirely relevant right now
The grades you've got don't at all define you, and you can still do what you are wanting to do despite what your current grades look like
My motto was prepare to fail, fail to prepare. If I didnt do the work or research then im likely to fail but put in effort I can still get a grade even if its low

Getting closer to starting your new adventures:

I know that in some colleges and those places they sometimes do like a trial day, so you go for a day and meet staff, and people who are doing the same course as you, if they do that it is helpful to go as it will help ease your anxiety for when you go for your first proper day
Like colleges and schools usually have mentors, i know most if not everyone here is in the summer holidays finished school maybe but reach out during the summer to GPs then when you go your next chapter college or whatever there should be a mentor or counsellor
Get advice from close friends or siblings about their experiences leaving school. Its important to reach out, it can be daunting maybe seek counselling
Have a routine or plan for the first day. (For me i panicked as I was late to the first lecture then the same week I missed a whole lecture due to being late oops). But I soon learnt to plan ahead
Going to open days or in the area your going to be studying in (if your moving away for uni or college) can help eith the inital anxiety of going
If your not happy in what your doing (in terms of college course/university degree) speak up and change before its too late. Don't stay in a course ypu have no passion for

Sian321 · July 25

Love it! Thank you to all who came along to the Chat this afternoon. Lots of really brilliant tips shared.

School Leaver Tips from the Community!

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