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Returning to education A levels or Foundation year

I have decided after taking two years out of education I want to go to university. I've spent my time travelling and working over the last two years and grown a lot as a person. My problem lies in that I didn't do very well at A level, this was mainly due to a lack of motivation and depression as I had no aims or goals for my future, this sparked an addiction towards gaming, which dominated my life. However In my GCSEs I was a bright student winning the school UKMT math competition and obtaining 15 GCSEs majority A - B with relative ease but it all went down hill after that. Even at sixth form my teachers recognised my potential, many being frustrated by the lack of effort devoted towards my studies. Now however I am at a point where I actually enjoy learning and the value it adds to me as an individual, plus I haven't touched a video game since leaving school. Instead I am active individual passionate about self improvement.

Anyway life story over. I want to study either Economics or Computer Science at uni, ideally at Bristol. I am not too worried of deciding which just yet, although I don't know which route would be better. I could either redo my A levels as a private candidate, most likely in new subjects apart from math, or do a foundation degree in math at UWE.
Which of these expecting I get required grades in either would anyone recommend taking. I feel that if I do a foundation course and Bristol were to look back at my A levels could hinder my application. However it would be faster and allow for a stronger reference from a tutor at UWE which has links with Bristol. However A levels would show a more rounded subject choice plus are a lot cheaper. Not sure what I would do in terms of a reference, plus I'm currently living away from home whilst working full time as a barista, and would have to continue to whilst studying which may to me 2 years instead of one like the foundation.

Any advice on which route would be better in your opinion or either other options maybe open to me would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers, Dan
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by norvn
I have decided after taking two years out of education I want to go to university. I've spent my time travelling and working over the last two years and grown a lot as a person. My problem lies in that I didn't do very well at A level, this was mainly due to a lack of motivation and depression as I had no aims or goals for my future, this sparked an addiction towards gaming, which dominated my life. However In my GCSE's I was a bright student winning the school UKMT math competition and obtaining 15 GCSE's majority A - B with relative ease but it all went down hill after that. Even at sixth form my teachers recognised my potential, many being frustrated by the lack of effort devoted towards my studies. Now however I am at a point where I actually enjoy learning and, a value what it adds to me as an individual, and haven't touched a video game since leaving school. Instead I am active individual passionate about self improvement.

Anyway life story over. I want to study either Economics or Computer Science at uni, ideally at Bristol. I am not too worried of deciding which just yet, although I don't know which route would be better fo go down to achieve either of these. I could either redo my A levels as a private candidate, most likely taking new subjects apart from math, or do a foundation degree in math at UWE.
Which of these expecting I get required grades in either would anyone recommend taking. I feel that if I do a foundation course and Bristol were to look back at my A levels could hinder my application. I feel could be quicker and allow for a stronger reference from a tutor which at UWE which has links with Bristol. However A levels would show a more rounded subject choice and cheaper. But not sure what I would do in terms of reference, plus currently I live away from home whilst working full time as a barista, and would have to continue this whilst studying. Plus A levels are likely going to take me 2 years instead of one.

Any advice on which route would be better in your opinion or either other options maybe open to me would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers, Dan


Have you been in touch with Bristol to enquire and explain your situation? That would be the best place to start.
Have you asked Bristol whether they'd accept the UWE maths foundation year for entry onto the Economics and Computer Science degrees? You need to ascertain how likely it is they'd accept a foundation year and what grades they will be looking for. Even if they do accept it, there is no guarantee they will accept you - you need a backup plan in case you don't get in, what other universities would accept UWE's foundation year?

Doing a foundation year with the intention of applying for a degree at a different university is fraught with risk. If you didn't get into Bristol would you be happy to do your whole degree at UWE? If not, don't do a foundation year.

You haven't mentioned Access to HE courses, most colleges offer them, they only take a year and they're much cheaper than foundation years. Is this not an option you would consider?
Reply 3
Avatar for Klix88
Klix88
17
I'd echo advice above. There's a difference between a Foundation Degree (which can be a stand-alone qualification) and a Foundation Year (which is designed to be an introduction to a specific degree or group of degree courses at a specific uni, and isn't generally intended to be transferrable).

You should definitely check with Bristol before going any further.

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