[Violetwishes]

Hi, i''m a newbie so please be gentle.

My son has been offered a place at both Hillsborough and Longley College for A levels and he's no idea which one to take. He is wanting to eventually do law either as a solicitor or a lawyer.

Has anyone had any experience with either of these to help him make a decision please. We live closer to Hillsborough but if travelling to a better college then he will be happy to do that.

Thank you in advance for any help given x

[charliewag]

hillsborough is not perfect but from what my son and his friends have told me, it's a lot better than longley.

[fab5]

my daughter is doing a levels at hillsborough and she loves it

[SheffDancer]

Hillsborough has nice facilities and a good standard of student services although note for future parking is horrendous students are not allowed to use the college car park and I had my car broken into on a side street by the owlerton and by the main rd...but the college is good overall.. I did study sport though so not sure what the quality of teaching is like on A level

[gnomi]

Originally Posted by Violetwishes

Hi, i''m a newbie so please be gentle.

My son has been offered a place at both Hillsborough and Longley College for A levels and he's no idea which one to take. He is wanting to eventually do law either as a solicitor or a lawyer.

Has anyone had any experience with either of these to help him make a decision please. We live closer to Hillsborough but if travelling to a better college then he will be happy to do that.

Thank you in advance for any help given x

Hello and welcome!

My son is studying A levels at hillsboro and hates it. Well, he tolerates it really. However, this is far more to do with him than the college, it has to be said. He has friends at Longley and tbh i dont think there's that much difference between the two?
If your son is a hard worker then he will do well wherever he is, so if this is the case i would opt for the nearest.

[gnvqsos]

Originally Posted by gnomi

Hello and welcome!

My son is studying A levels at hillsboro and hates it. Well, he tolerates it really. However, this is far more to do with him than the college, it has to be said. He has friends at Longley and tbh i dont think there's that much difference between the two?
If your son is a hard worker then he will do well wherever he is, so if this is the case i would opt for the nearest.

I would say that Longley is vulnerable to cuts or even closure as it is centrally fuded and therefor beyond local democratic control.If he wants to do Law he should consider History and Politics as they give insight into the legislative process and will develop the ability to make assertions which are evidence based.If he is a toff he should consider the bar;if not the cafe

[muddywolf]

Originally Posted by Violetwishes

Hi, i''m a newbie so please be gentle.

My son has been offered a place at both Hillsborough and Longley College for A levels and he's no idea which one to take. He is wanting to eventually do law either as a solicitor or a lawyer.

Has anyone had any experience with either of these to help him make a decision please. We live closer to Hillsborough but if travelling to a better college then he will be happy to do that.

Thank you in advance for any help given x

My route between offices takes me past both these colleges (on Barnsley Road and Penistone Road), and if I am honest just seeing the attitude on some pupils from Longley would sway me towards recommending Hillsborough. I cant say what the actual learning is like but the people you learn with is also important.

[firestarter0]

I'm at hills. what a levels is he doing?

[warrior8]

If he wants to be a solicitor he'd be better doing his a-levels at one of the sixth forms.

[The Blonde]

Longley is better if you don't wanna be gonna college with people who are older than you, as it's a sixth form college.
I went and think it was a very good college

[madasfish]

Originally Posted by warrior8

If he wants to be a solicitor he'd be better doing his a-levels at one of the sixth forms.

I immediatly thought that too - but then wondered why!! is the teaching of A level so different between a school and a college? or is it the choice of subjects?

[leecoddi]

My son is at Hillsborough doing his A levels now Geography , Maths , Gov and politics and A level sport and he loves it and is doing really well
I must say that i too was a little worried as he turned down a place at Tapton sixth form but after seeing his tutors and his grades and knowing how happy he is there i am pleased that he chose Hillsborough College
you just have to sit back as a parent and let them make the decision as they have to be happy there to study for 2 years

I work in a local secondry school and know that many of our students have chosen to study at Hillsborough and have gone on to further studies with excellent A levels results

[Badlittlepup]

Hillsborough College has a pass rate at A'Level of 95.91% but only 15% of those are an A grade. Longley Park has a 98% pass rate so they are slightly better if you look at the numbers.

King Edward's sixth form had a 50% pass rate at A-B so if he hasn't applied there it might be a good place to go.

Also, I would consider which one was easier to get to, less travel time means more study time so it can make a big difference to grades.

What subjects is he doing? I might be able to have a look and see which college has the best results for his chosen courses. Sorry, I used to work in an job linked to college student advice and guidance so I'm quite interested in stuff like this.

[Violetwishes]

Thank you all for your input, it's a big help. He's applied for Law, English, Pyschology and Business in case anyone has experience in these subjects.

[DaveMitch]

Did he look around the sixth forms?
Just wondering why you are only considering colleges?

[RosyRat]

Originally Posted by DaveMitch

Did he look around the sixth forms?
Just wondering why you are only considering colleges?

I think it's the whole College ethos that attracts students and provides a good learning environment. At college you are considered as and treated as an adult and you mix with a huge variety of students, from those with learning disabilties to those who are training for the armed forces to those who are working towards university.

It's a million miles away from the school experience and prepares you for the academic and working worlds.

[Violetwishes]

Originally Posted by DaveMitch

Did he look around the sixth forms?
Just wondering why you are only considering colleges?

My son said that these were the only two that would have everything he needed so that's why he's applied for them, i'm not up to date on things these days. It was so different when I went to college many moons ago lol

[LaughingCow]

Originally Posted by warrior8

If he wants to be a solicitor he'd be better doing his a-levels at one of the sixth forms.

What do you base that on?

[LaughingCow]

Originally Posted by Violetwishes

Thank you all for your input, it's a big help. He's applied for Law, English, Pyschology and Business in case anyone has experience in these subjects.

From my experience, ironically, law is not a good choice to do at A' Level if you want to do it at degree level. A lot of universities warn against it because the A' Level is comparably easy and gives students a very false impression of what is expected at degree level. If your son is considering applying for universities who are picky about what A' Level subjects student choose (i.e. they want traditional subjects) then I'd advise him to look at what such universities are asking for as you cannot prepare too early for these things.

[ukstudent]

Originally Posted by madasfish

I immediatly thought that too - but then wondered why!! is the teaching of A level so different between a school and a college? or is it the choice of subjects?

Its not particularly the teaching, more the standard of students.