Worried about Engineering Foundation Year

Yeah I checked out Manchester for mine also but didn't bother applying because the were asking for B grades in Maths and Physics.

Yeah I really intend on working as much as I can without burning out this year.

What type of engineering course have you chosen to study then?

I did mine 2 years after GCSEs ( got 3 As 8 Bs and a C) I did do a levels but I kinda slacked for 2 years and concentrated on the wrong stuff. I basically used the foundation year to build my confidence back up as well as get some extra knowledge... From my experience they gave you an overview of all your first year modules, so I did labs, math, physics, programming and some other stuff but in manageable chunks. Because a levels don't prepare you for certain modules.


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What a levels did you do?
for your foundation year at City did you have to go to Westminster Kingsway College, if so how was the experience

I did maths physics and biology... And I didn't go to westminster I went to city & islington and city uni. from my experience the teaching was excellent. The assessment was constant so you had to have good time management (which I never used to have)... The foundation year also gave me a lot of confidence, so when it came to the first year I felt really comfortable with the work load and I knew what was expected in terms of the quality of work. On a downside I did have 3 9-5 days.

But generally a very good experience!


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what grade did you get for maths

do you cover C1-C4 in the foundation year

I start a foundation year this september and I'm a little worried in case I fail.

I don't doubt my maths ability or anything, and for this reason I am more worried about the Fyear than any other later year of my course. I am simply worried due to the sheer intensity the year will be and slightly worried that because it is university I will get less contact time than if I was in a school doing Maths/Physics A-levels in a year.

Can anyone tell me just how hard the foundation year is?

I am doing Civil, but the foundation year was common to all engineering subjects.

Honestly, its easier to keep up with the work than it is to catch up at the last minute. I found that spending time getting to know material, and going through a process of deep learning meant I could get 70+ on all my exams. Now I can spend my entire summer knowing that I am going onto my degree in a strong position, and I will mostly likely finish next year with a good mark as well.

I start a foundation year this september and I'm a little worried in case I fail.

I don't doubt my maths ability or anything, and for this reason I am more worried about the Fyear than any other later year of my course. I am simply worried due to the sheer intensity the year will be and slightly worried that because it is university I will get less contact time than if I was in a school doing Maths/Physics A-levels in a year.

Can anyone tell me just how hard the foundation year is?

I did a foundation year before going onto my proper physics course and I thought it was quite easy. It had maths, physics and chemistry components, and I had covered most of the physics & chemistry at A-level, it was just the maths that I wasn't familiar with. It was the least intense year for me, 1st year of the proper course was harder. I imagine it won't be hard for you if you've done similar stuff already.

No I haven't gone past GCSE in either maths or physics which is why I was worried. Though a few words of advice have put my mind at ease a little.

How many hours a week were you in class during the Foundation year?

this was back in 2006-2007 so my memory isn't the best, but I think it was a full timetable, pretty much 9 to 5, including lab sessions etc.

what uni?

Yeah, did a bit of first year stuff too... And I got a C for maths.


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would they accept me with a D grade in maths

you will get onto a foundation year somewhere with a D in maths but depending on what your other grades/subjects are?

Did you do much work to get the D grade though?

basically i got As and Bs for C1-C4 but completely failed D1 and got a D for S1
so i flopped on my applied modules