I'm Alya, a 17-year old AS Cadbury student doing Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Creative Writing.
This is my second year in Cadbury College because I did my GCSEs here.
I enjoy reading and writing and have a passion for psychology, poetry and baking.
In 2014, I came to the UK from the Netherlands so I had to do my GCSEs first. This was pretty new to me, especially in a college environment in a city as big as Birmingham.
I've prepared myself for the worst after having read about A-Level students who went to big colleges with big classes where the teachers don't care about you because there are already thirty other people in the class. Also, making friends seemed almost impossible in an environment like that.
But I was (pleasantly) surprised!
The teachers in Cadbury College were amazing and passionate about their subjects and they genuinely wanted you to succeed. Even the classes were perfectly sized and settling in was much easier than I thought. Luckily I didn't get lost and if I wasn't sure about where I was going both staff and students were ready to help.
Cadbury College is a sixth form college, and a relatively small college that really reminded me of how it was in the Netherlands where 1000 students is usually the maximum. So, being in the UK in a big city as Birmingham didn't give me much of a culture shock after all.
Even now, in my AS year, the different teachers still have the same passion for their subject whether it is Chemistry or Creative Writing.
So far my college experience has been pretty good and it had taught me that all colleges are different and that it is really helpful to attend open days or taster sessions to get a feel for the College you are choosing. Alternatively, you could always read a blog post ;-)
Alya
