foundation years

so i have applied for psych at uni, and got into my first choice today. but i have recently wanted to do other things, (ecology and conservation) but i dont have a bio a level, but i could do a foundation year in life sciences, biological sciences etc, and then go on to an ecology course. does anyone know anyone who does a foundation year, and would they recommend it. i havent fully made my mind up yet, i might decide i want to do psych.

Reply 1

CheeseIsVeg

22

Original post by beefreya

so i have applied for psych at uni, and got into my first choice today. but i have recently wanted to do other things, (ecology and conservation) but i dont have a bio a level, but i could do a foundation year in life sciences, biological sciences etc, and then go on to an ecology course. does anyone know anyone who does a foundation year, and would they recommend it. i havent fully made my mind up yet, i might decide i want to do psych.

Hi there,
I would say from my experience I have heard foundation years can be tricky in the sciences as they are intense and usually teach concepts in the uni-style which can be a bit of an adjustment when you start.
However, they are really advantageous for continuing study at that same uni because you've got insight into the assessment procedure, ways of working and often have inside knowledge on some course content before the 1st year starts.

I recommend that you take some time to seriously consider what you want to do. It's no fun studying something for 2-3 years that you aren't super enjoying!

Weigh up pros/cons, consider career paths and also look more into the course structure and whether there are practical things etc.

Reply 2

HoldThisL

21

a lot of people who take foundation years really hit the ground running on the follow-on undergrad degree because they've spent a year doing really targetted prep for it

additionally, it's a like a second freshers when you start first year

however, they are expensive, they take a year of your life and you may find your friends graduate before you do (or vice versa)

Reply 3

Chronoscope

Volunteer Section Leader

21

Original post by beefreya

so i have applied for psych at uni, and got into my first choice today. but i have recently wanted to do other things, (ecology and conservation) but i dont have a bio a level, but i could do a foundation year in life sciences, biological sciences etc, and then go on to an ecology course. does anyone know anyone who does a foundation year, and would they recommend it. i havent fully made my mind up yet, i might decide i want to do psych.

Hey! I did a science foundation year during covid around 2 years ago now :eek4:

Different universities handle foundation years differently, but during mine, I did around 4 modules which were chemistry, biology, mathematics, and academic skills (practising assignment writing etc., and actually learning how to reference). Even though I did mine during covid, I did really enjoy doing the foundation year because I felt as if I'd 'grown out' of the college environment. The labs at uni I've done so far I've always really enjoyed and the stuff I learned in my foundation year definitely gave me the background of information I needed (I'm going into third year in October) :smile:

.

I did a grow your grades blog during covid, feel free to take a read if you're interested
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6673420

Reply 4

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by beefreya

so i have applied for psych at uni, and got into my first choice today. but i have recently wanted to do other things, (ecology and conservation) but i dont have a bio a level, but i could do a foundation year in life sciences, biological sciences etc, and then go on to an ecology course. does anyone know anyone who does a foundation year, and would they recommend it. i havent fully made my mind up yet, i might decide i want to do psych.

Hi,

Congratulations on getting into your first choice!
I didn't do a foundation year so I can't comment on that but I’d recommend taking a close look at the entry requirements of the universities you are interested in because, depending on what A levels you did and what grades you got in them, you may not need to have A level Biology to study Ecology and Conservation. I didn’t do A level Biology or a foundation year and I have just graduated from Lancaster University with a degree in Ecology and Conservation.

Carla (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

(edited 8 months ago)

Reply 5

McGinger

18