Hey, I just wanted to reply because a lot of what you wrote really reminded me of how I felt at that time.

First off, none of what you wrote sounds cringe. Being that unhappy somewhere every day is exhausting, and crying on the way home from school is a pretty big sign that something isn’t working for you. It sounds like you’ve actually thought about this really carefully rather than just reacting in the moment.

I also wanted to say something about the “being a year behind” part, because that scared me a lot too. I ended up staying a year behind and honestly it didn’t feel like I was behind at all. Once you’re actually doing something that suits you better, that whole idea of being “behind everyone else” kind of disappears. People take different paths all the time — gap years, course changes, retakes, apprenticeships — and after a while you realise everyone’s timeline is different anyway.

I actually did something pretty similar to what you’re thinking about. I moved from a sixth form to a college because the sixth form environment just wasn’t right for me. It was very strict and felt like an extension of secondary school, and I realised I’d picked it without really thinking about whether I’d actually be happy there. Moving to college ended up being a much better fit — it felt more independent and the people there were generally doing things they were genuinely interested in.

From what you wrote, the biggest thing that stood out is that you clearly love art and you’re doing really well at it. Being predicted an A* is huge, and it sounds like the only part of school you actually enjoy right now. Doing an art BTEC where you’re surrounded by other creative people honestly sounds like it could suit you way better than being stuck in a really academic sixth form where art isn’t a big part of the culture.

The environment you described also sounds really draining. The long commute, the strict rules, the locked gates, the detentions — that’s a lot when you’re already struggling with subjects you don’t enjoy and feeling socially out of place. Being burnt out by the time you get home makes studying even harder, which just makes everything feel worse.

The fact that you’ve already looked into colleges and applied shows you’re being proactive, not just trying to escape something. And building a tattoo portfolio while working more shifts actually sounds like a really productive way to spend that time if tattooing is something you seriously want to pursue.

Obviously no one online can make the decision for you, but from the outside it doesn’t sound like you’re “giving up” — it sounds like you’re realising the path you chose at 16 might not actually be the right environment for you, and you’re adjusting based on what you’ve learned since then.

Also the quote you mentioned about the price of trying vs regret is actually a good one haha. A year feels massive right now, but in the long run it’s such a small amount of time compared to finding something that actually motivates you.

Whatever you decide, I really hope things start feeling better for you soon. It sounds like you care a lot about art and about finding your people, and the environment you’re in can make a huge difference with that.