OAKBANK Sixth Form Magazine

ISSUE 3 - September 2010

Rachel Van Derboon: UCAS

Vintage Style

Let’s Go... BARGAIN

HUNTING! - tips & tricks

Summer Holidays 2010

Content

Dear Readers, Welcome back to a new year of our education and the magazine! This issue is full of the usual pages such as the fashion page, music reviews and internet picks. The magazine as a whole has a particular focus on the most prominent thing for Year 13, UCAS (FUN!), and so Rachel V has also contributed to this issue. Also included, is the new ‘Vintage’ page and advice for the new Year 12, which you should take heed of - it’ll make your life a lot easier! Hope you enjoy reading OSFM! Your Editor,

Jasmine Camm.

P.S. Welcome, to the new Year 12!

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 02

04 - The Big Lesson

05 - Helpful University Tips

06 - Summer Challenge

07 - Fashion

09 - Summer Courses

10 - Internet Picks of the Month

11 - Things to Do

12 - Things to Own

13 - Hail Animator: Review

14 - Music

15 - Film

15 - Games

16 - Random Facts

17 - Open Days

19 - Contact Us

(Click a page title to be taken to it!)

"What a beautiful, sunny morning. It makes

you happy to be alive, doesn't it? We can't let

the sun outshine us! We have to beam, too! "

– Takayuki Ikkaku

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 03

The New Website! By Kieran Clayton

>> www.osfm.co.nr The new official Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine website offers plenty of new things. It has a new style and layout which allows easy navi-gation across the whole site. (Without an ad to be seen!). The new site will display much of what can be found in the magazine, but there is also content exclusive to the website; examples being arti-cles published randomly by the team which means that you won’t miss anything! Not only that, but there is now a whole section for the Sixth Form Team. Mary and both Rachels currently have an account. In this section they will be able to post instant updates and information just like the stuff that you get through emails; the difference being that it is all stored in one place and won’t ever be ‘exceeding the storage limit’. You could even ask questions and comment on the articles us-ing the simple comment form. What sort of Content can I find on the site I hear you ask? Well, we have:

A list of tutor periods - something that normally circulates by word of mouth. Useful links to UCAS and other handy websites that will make your time at Oakbank easier. A list of Open Days, provided by Rachel Gallagher, which will be updated whenever we are informed of a new open day! The ability to download the latest issue of OSFM, you can also view it online in the style of a real magazine! You can even submit your own article by using the simple sub-mit form, the article will be sent straight to the Editor’s email and you might even end up in the next issue of OSFM.

The new website is just a great way of keeping in the know about what's going on in Sixth Form, whether this be Fundraising or impor-tant meetings in the common room, it will all be in one place, www.osfm.co.nr.

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Advice For Year 12 On behalf of the 6th Form Magazine, welcome to 6th Form! We have some great advice

and tips to help ensure you make the most of this year, and quickly get into good habits

By Nicola Langthorne

As horrible as it may seem, non-contact periods a.k.a frees, are a wonderful oppor-tunity to get homework and revision done. Getting into the rhythm of making the most of them will not only get you off to a good start, but also help you in the long run. Also, doing your homework on time appears a simple point, but immensely fun-damental to your progress throughout your courses.

A wonderful piece of advice I was told helped immensely. Do not feel you can’t see your teachers outside of lessons. Dinnertime, breaks, after school, they are here to help you do the very best you can. The same connotations of lower school don’t exist anymore; literally everyone who does well gets help, as you will soon see.

For the best exam results make the most of each exam, do not rely on re-sits! This can put unnecessary pressures on you later in the year when you have other, more weighted exams to look forward to.

Regularly talking to your Achievement Manager about your progress and any prob-lems is a wonderful support to make the most of. Excellent advice and help is there whenever you need it. You can equally talk to any member of the Year Team. Even if they their selves cannot help, they will always point you in the right direction.

From the beginning, it is a good idea to do as many extra curricular activities as you can fit around your schoolwork, such as a club, volunteering or on the 6th Form Council. Getting involved with charity events is another example, which is highly rewarding and enjoyable idea. I myself organised a fancy dress day, and the turn out was brilliant! This kind of work vastly improves your personal statements and C.V’s, and may give you that edge when you are ready to leave 6th Form. (You could even write for the magazine!)

Don't wait for your teachers to tell you to revise, start as soon as possible. Your first exams are in 13 school weeks!

Finally, and ever so important, is to make sure your happy at 6th Form. The time will very quickly fly by, so make many happy memories as you enjoy your time with us!

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By Rachel Van Derboon

Many of last year’s Year 13 students are currently enjoying Freshers Week at their university,

making new friends, joining weird and wonderful clubs and (hopefully) not spending all their stu-dent finance in the first few weeks. Meanwhile our attention turns to the current Year 13, and the UCAS cycle all over again. Some of you will already know what course you want to do and ideally which university you want to study at, but for others the choice is almost bewildering. The Year Team have lots of experience in helping students through this process but we have to emphasise, the more effort you put into this stage, the happier you will be with your final choices. So here are a few tips to help you:

Carefully read the course details of each university and/or course you wish to study. Most university websites give considerable details about the course and modules studied.

If you are not sure which course to study, talk to your subject teachers, they may be able to suggest something you haven’t thought of. Also look at universities you might want to go to – see what courses they are offering, then search for other universities that offer the same (or similar) courses.

Make sure you are happy with the geographical location of your preferred universities – it’s no good choosing Plymouth if you are a bit of a home bird and want to see your family before Christmas in the first term! However, don’t just think local – moving away from home is the best preparation for adulthood and employment, especially if you are looking to be employed in an industry which does not have a Yorkshire base.

Check out bursaries and scholarships offered by universities – some are particularly gen-erous.

Talk to your Achievement Manager about your application – keeping them informed about your decision making processes will enable them to write a really good reference for you.

Try to visit as many universities on your

shortlist as possible – there are lots of open days happening right now! Look on www.opendays.com

Ask for help if you are stuck! There is an after school session on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the ILC and Rachel V and Rachel G are avail-able most of the time to help you. Finally – aim to have your university application finished by the end of October half term (if not sooner without compromising your research!) so that you can prepare fully for January exams, while the offers roll in.

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Fashion By Michaela Johns

With the summer holidays within our grasp, we’ll all be jetting off to sunny destinations for a

few weeks. In this issue, holiday wear is the main focus: bright print swimwear, hats, sunnies,

kaftan cover-ups and statement sandals.

Trend 1 – Swimwear Trend 2 – Beach jewellery Trend 3 – Sandals

All From

Topshop

£25,

Topshop

£32,

Topshop

Riverisland

£6,

Boohoo.co.uk

£10,

Fatface

£7.50,

Fatface

Riverisland

£6,

Fatface

Trend 4 – Cover-ups

£12

£28

Fatface

£14

£28

£31.50

£20,

Topshop

£8,

Topshop

£35,

Topshop

£55,

irregularchoice.com

£67, SALE

irregularchoice.com

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 04

Lets Go... BARGAIN HUNTING! By Kieran Clayton

Here are just a few examples of courses and classes that last for a short amount of

time that count be of use to you, depending on where your interest lie. As there is such a vast range in interests that people have, I have chosen to share only a small amount. There are so many things on this summer and they’re advertised in papers, on websites, in shop windows, just keep your eye open! The choice varies from archaeology digs on the moors to chemistry days at colleges. There are also a lot of summer schools occur-ring which are not limited to Universities, but there are also thing such as beginners lan-guages. You don’t need to pay for all of them!

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Internet picks of the month By Ruby Whelan

Wondermark: This brilliantly bonkers and also highly witty (sometimes… Other times it’s just plain silly) web-comic is a definite must-read for every-one, especially those who appreciate the unique combination of 19-th century engravings and complete absurdity. The comic covers all sorts of topics; from beards to popular culture; aliens from the planet Gax to Piranhamoose… Eve-

rything imaginable is covered in this webcomic, made all the more hilarious by the fact that the most austere-looking of characters are placed into bizarre situations, or saying the most peculiar of things. Or simply being eaten by Gaxians. Updates are every Tuesday and Friday

www.wondermark.com/

Bakerella: Want to be overcome with immense

cuteness, intense sugar cravings and the over-

whelming urge to bake up a storm? THIS is the

website for you. Every week Bakerella posts

amazingly cute and delicious recipes, accompa-

nied by plenty of amazing pictures, annotated in a

charming and amusing way. The website is run in

an incredibly interactive way, with competitions to

win various baking paraphernalia and regular

polls. In the past, she’s even played a part in a

marriage proposal – a reader actually proposed to his girlfriend via the website, and they’re now

happily married. If you want to know where Jazz and I found our inspiration for our rainbow-

cake, you’ll give this website a browse!

www.bakerella.com/

Aurgasm: Before you ask, no, this isn’t a rude website. It’s a

showcase for musicians who are aren’t in the public spotlight -

artists who are incredibly talented, but are also going under the

radar. All sorts of genres are covered, from pop to folk to elec-

tronic to rock; there are French artists, those with Latin roots,

everything for every taste. It might take a bit of searching to find

someone you like on here, but there will be someone, and it’s

made so much easier due to the fact that every artist they profile

comes with a sample track or two, which you’re free to download.

Some of my favourite artists, such as Kat Flint and Coeur de Pi-

rate (featured here), I found on this site, so I urge you to try it out and possibly discover some

hidden gems.

www.aurgasm.us/

The Student Rooms: This is an essential resource for everyone in 6

th form. From the incredibly helpful articles

on everything a student needs to know about applying to university – how to write a personal statement, how to choose a subject to study, and a university; to everything you need to know about uni itself - sorting out student fi-nance, accommodation, how to budget effectively… As well as a multitude of other areas, including careers, gap years, revision assistance, health advice, relationship help, etc. Not to mention the extensive forum, in which all of these things are discussed, and more, allowing you to talk to others around the country, who are all going through the exact same process.

www.thestudentrooms.co.uk

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Things to do By Jasmine Camm

08 October Corinne Bailey Rae

09 October Evita

25 October John Barrowman

26 October Pirate day

30 October Jason Manford

31 October Halloween Parade/Day

30 October Jason Manford

31 October Halloween Parade/Day

Marmite, love it or hate it? Whether you’re the most passionate hater or obsessed fan, i’m sure that you cringed at the thought of ‘Marmite chocolate’; the sweet taste of cocoa combined with the harsh salty flavour of Marmite doesn’t sound greatly appetising. Although, the re-views for the Marmite truffles were really quite good (excluding the Haters, but they’re on every Marmite tour bus) and the use of Marmite in desserts is surprisingly common, so you never know, if you’re a ‘Marmitee’ then this is a must-try! Just close your eyes and pretend the thought of it doesn’t repulse you! From October 4th, Marmite choco-late will be available to buy for Debenhams under the title ‘The Very Peculiar Milk Chocolate Bar’ for £3... Peculiar indeed.

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 12

Things to own

By Kieran Clayton

...and Other Notes: from the Frontline of Flatsharing: When I read this book I find myself cringing at

You may be thinking... ‘O, just another

student card’. Well yes it is that but this

one offers so much more; not only do you

get discount in popular shops such as Top-

shop/man there is also the added bonus of discount on all the

EXTREMELY useful books in the UCAS book shop. Or if you

fancy a bite to eat you can get discounts with popular takeaway

chain, Dominos Pizza, plus a lot more restaurants. Of course

there is more than discounts, you will also be kept up to date with the universities and courses

you show an interest in. Best of all its FREE and it only take a few minutes to sign up!

Changing the TV channel shouldn’t

be boring, and now it isn’t! Imagine

this... Your watching a really bad

film, for example... Twilight, and you

really just want it off your screen; well now you can do this with

the added satisfaction of thinking you’ve shot Pattinson and Kris-

ten Stewart. Back on planet earth... Sorry, this handy little gun

will make changing the channel so much more enjoyable!

Alien TV Channel Changer,

£5.99, SALE

hawkin.com

Editors Pick

Marmite Chocolate

UCAS card

FREE,

UCAS.ac.uk

I Lick My Cheese...

£6.99

Amazon.co.uk

This Months Essential Item!

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 15

Music

Katy’s in no hurry to grow

up, as the title of this track

implies. If Teenage Dreams

endeavoured to surprise,

it’s a partial triumph.

There’s intelligence, indi-

viduality and character in

abundance. But all too of-

ten it’s caked in dollar-store

body glitter and choked by

feather boas. A penchant

for the carnivalesque is no

shameful pleasure for the

singer, but the generous

glimmers of sharp, imagina-

tive brilliance that pepper

Teenage Dream suggest

it’s standing in the way of

something far greater.

However the track is ex-

tremely catchy, and you will

definitely find yourself hum-

ming along gleefully.

Katy Perry - Teenage

Dreams

Ke$ha – Take It Off

Ke$ha boasts on single

number four from her debut

album. With past single

‘your love is my drug’, the

singer has decided to ditch

the emotion and refill her-

self with her old pal Jack, to

head back out onto the glit-

ter-filled party scene. Her

fuelled dance beats are

sure to get you moving. Be-

side the processed vocals,

the single has great poten-

tial.

Olly Murs – Please Don’t Let

Me Go

This is the first single from Olly

Murs, who was last seen com-

ing a close second on the sixth

series of the X Factor.

But rather than mope about,

Olly got himself signed to

Simon Cowell's record label

and has released his debut

single before winner Joe

McElderry. The song is funky,

catchy and easy to sing along

to. It's quite a mellow, sum-

mery sound, which could

brighten up the soggy Septem-

ber days.

After, what seemed to be, an endless

break KT Tunstall is back with a new

style, band and outlook on her career.

Tiger suit, Tunstall’s third studio al-

bum, isn’t much like its predecessors.

KT has maintained the killer lyrics but

this time she has mixed them with an

electro vibe, an idea she dubbed

‘nature techno’. The idea of it sounds

terrible, and you weren’t the only one thinking it, however the al-

bum is probably her best yet! The songs range from the emo-

tional Lost, which later erupts into a techno instrumental, to the

new, more rocky, Madame Trudeaux. Fantastic album. Even if

you think KT Tunstall isn’t ‘your thing’, just give it a try, you

WON’T be disappointed.

www.katyperry.com

www.keshasparty.com www.ollymurs.com

By Michaela Johns

By Michaela Johns By Michaela Johns

www.kttunstall.com

ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Coming in October

By Kieran Clayton

KT Tunstall - Tiger Suit

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 16

Film & Games Film

Leon is your cliché hit man; loner, no life and his one goal is his next target. His life follows the same pat-

tern again and again, until one day when the flat next to his gets shot up and there is a small girl stood outside his flat looking for safety. Mathilda (the girl) comes to him first to save her life but then it escalates into help-ing her taking revenge against a crooked cop who killed her whole family over a drug deal. The film’s main focus isn’t the violence that this type of film would normally concentrate on, instead, it places emphasis on the relationship and interactions between Leon and his new prodigy, Mathilda. This makes the film so much more than the modern action films that have plagued our screens. This film is a classic and should be on everyone’s watch list.

Games

Leon

By Joss Cope-Smith

This is the 5th Halo game, and after the highly disap-pointing Halo ODST, this new one is much better and further expands the story. It shows what happened on Reach, the Spartan training planet, and how it got destroyed by the covenant. It's not only the story that's great about Reach, however; the new additions to both single and multiplayer add extra depth compared to any halo game before. You can now select special armor abilities such as sprinting, activating a shield or flying with a jetpack, and there are even more options to personalise your character such as a wider range of armour styles. The multiplayer in Reach is the best out of all the Halo games, and the new weapons give even Halo veterans a new challenge.

Halo

The lyrics www.karimafrancis.co.uk/

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 16

Introducing... By Kieran Clayton

We all love having a snoop round MySpace (since this is all its good for these days) or

iTunes for new music, however it can take so, so long to find something you really like and a lot of us don’t have all this spare time. To help your deprived ears out I have done some research and found some really good, new, musicians for you to have a good audio feast on.

Brooklyn experimental indie band Yeasayer have graced the presence of the UK with their ultra catchy, but slightly odd tunes a few times now but the truth is, no one really seemed to notice them. Not anyone I have spoken to anyway... Yes, they were at Leeds Fest! I found myself being addicted to O.N.E, their debut single from second album Odd Blood, i played it over and over but it never got old, and to me this is

the sign of a great song! Its not just this one song, the whole album, except the first song are still very much in my favourites, even after a year. www.yeasayer.net

Yeasayer

The lord of the rings hobbit/ Lady Gaga Alejandro look a like reflects his odd lyrics in his appearance. Appearance isn’t the important bit though, his music has a real retro feel without having to try to hard, ’Becoming a Jackal’ the song her performed on the Mercury prize evening has a slightly haunting feel yet it comes across as quite jolly. His quirky voice adds to his over all image. www.wearevillagers.com/

Villagers

Karima Francis

Pegasus Bridge

- When snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food. - The average person spends about 2 years on the phone in a lifetime. - The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69. In the 18th century a Russian peasant gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets. (What fun!) - Coca Cola was originally green. - Bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers were invented by women. - Every time you lick a stamp you gain 1/10 of a calorie. - Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel which didn’t contain the letter "E". - Babies usually deprive their parents of 400-750 hours of sleep in the first year. - In World War II Oscars were made of plaster. - People eat large fried spiders in Cambodia. - Although many animals appear in the Bible, the cat is not mentioned once. - In Ancient Rome, when one couldn’t distinguish between a dog and a wolf, it was officially night time. - ‘Badfinger Boogie’ was the working name for ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ by The Beatles. - The average person produces enough spit in their lifetime to fill two large swim-ming pools. - In the 17th century a theatre audience would throw money on to the stage, should the performance be good. Thus, the actor would ‘break their leg line’ by kneeling to pick up the money, hence the phrase ‘break a leg’ (Most common idea). - Fencing can be traced back as early as 1200 A.D - Aluminum used to be more valuable than gold.

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 16

Random Facts

By Jasmine Camm

Coca Cola was originally

green.

Fact of the Month

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 18

October Open Days Seminars, Conferences, Workshops

If your university isn’t here, check the Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine Website for a full list of Uni-versity open days. Please note this isn’t every open day, only the ones school has received

information about. Check opendays.com for a full list.

02 10 10 University of Lincoln 02 10 10 Newcastle University 02 10 10 University of Reading 02 10 10 University of East Anglia 02 10 10 Leeds Trinity University College 02 10 10 University of Chester – Chester Campus 02 10 10 Salford Business School 09 10 10 University of Derby 09 10 10 Northumbria University 09 10 10 University of Hull 09 10 10 Coventry University 09 10 10 University of Liverpool 09 10 10 De Montfort University 09 10 10 City University London 09 10 10 University of Chester – Warrington Campus 09 10 10 Edge Hill University 16 10 10 Aberystwyth University 16 10 10 Bangor University 17 10 10 Harper Adams University College, Shropshire 22 10 10 Liverpool John Moores 23 10 10 Liverpool John Moores 23 10 10 University of Central Lancashire 23 10 10 York St John 23 10 10 Coventry University 23 10 10 University of Reading 23 10 10 De Montfort University 23 10 10 Leeds Trinity University College 23 10 10 Leeds Metropolitan University 24 10 10 Leeds Metropolitan University 27 10 10 York St John 29 10 10 University of Derby 30 10 10 University of Lincoln 30 10 10 University of Glamorgan 30 10 10 Bangor University

Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 19

Contact Us Have anything you’d like to say? Read anything that you

want more information on? Or do you have a story you’d

like to tell?

Feel free to get in touch!

Editor: Jasmine Camm

Email: Jasmine.Camm@student.oakbank.org.uk

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zine, if you would like to stop receiving the emailed maga-

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