If you’re in Year 11 right now, getting ready for next summer’s battle royale against GCSEs is probably the main educational matter on your mind. However, there’s also another question that is also worth bearing in mind over the coming months: choosing a college for next year.

Of course, if you’re already at a school that offers A Levels and you’re happy where you are, you’ve effectively already made your decision about your next educational step, unlike people whose schools end at Year 11. But even if your school does have a sixth form, it’s not necessarily the case that it offers the best options for you. Or, to put it another way, it’s probably worth everyone in their final year of GCSEs to think about choosing a college, even if it’s just to confirm that staying put is the best option for you.

Choosing a college is likely to be quite a novel experience, because it is quite likely to be the first time you’ve ever had the chance to make your own decision about where you’ll study. Choosing a college is also a process that involves weighing up a lot of different factors to help you arrive at the best decision.

So what things should you bear in mind when choosing a college? Well, these are probably the most fundamental things to think about:

1) Subjects and qualifications offered

In many ways, choosing a college makes up part of the issue of choosing what it is you want to study after GCSEs. And the answer to that question will play a big role in helping you choose a college. So, if you are looking to head down a more vocational route, it’s likely that you’ll be looking to one of the bigger, city-based colleges that offer BTECs and NVQs and/or have links to apprenticeship schemes, rather than heading off to a more traditional sixth-form college. Likewise, colleges tend not to offer the full range of subjects at A Level, and even the syllabuses and content they offer for each A Level can vary from college to college.

2) Teaching, study and behaviour style

Different colleges offer different styles of learning and teaching, and also place different expectations on their students. Further education colleges put the onus much more on you to be responsible for your progress, and also don’t have most of the rules you grow up with at primary and secondary school, such as a uniform policy or restrictions on where you can go during school hours. To some people this freedom is really important, while others prefer the more structured life that is provided by more of a school-style approach.

3) Location

Where the college is is an important thing to bear in mind when choosing a college. It’s all well and good opting fora college with a really good facilities and subject choice, but if it’s going to take you 90 minutes to get there each morning then the journey is going to take its toll on you and affect your ability to do your best in classes.

Of course, these are just a few things to consider when choosing a college. Some factors, like where your friends will be, are common to everyone, while others may be more specific to you. Ultimately the best thing to do is download prospectuses and book yourself a place on some college open days and judge what they have to offer for yourself!