Is a foundation year a good idea?

Hello, Ive been looking around at some unis and noticed that Southampton offers a foundation year which could lead to an Aerospace eng. undergraduate degree, which caught my attention because aerospace is something id like to study, unfortunately for me I am not taking Physics so the choices are slim at best. I started the year thinking id go into CompSci/Computer engineering and while I still wouldnt mind doing either of these two, Aerospace definitely caught my attention. I would like to ask some questions regarding the foundation year:

1. Is a foundation year hard to get into? As in provided I have good final grades will I have no problem getting into it, or are there other factors that are considered more than if I were applying straight into a course? Ive heard that a lot of times its mostly comprised of international students who dont have sufficient qualifications to enter straight into year 1 of a programme.

2. Would a foundation year prepare me for a degree in engineering if ive got little to none knowledge in physics?

3. How does a foundation year work with student loans? Im an EU student so presumably it wouldnt be a problem for me to get a student loan, but is the foundation year also covered by the loan or not?

4. Is it even worth it considering I dont even know how Id fill the 5 unis of my choice when I could just go with CompSci or computer engineering and have an easier time choosing unis?

Reply 1

SarcAndSpark

20

Original post by hmveryinterest

Hello, Ive been looking around at some unis and noticed that Southampton offers a foundation year which could lead to an Aerospace eng. undergraduate degree, which caught my attention because aerospace is something id like to study, unfortunately for me I am not taking Physics so the choices are slim at best. I started the year thinking id go into CompSci/Computer engineering and while I still wouldnt mind doing either of these two, Aerospace definitely caught my attention. I would like to ask some questions regarding the foundation year:

1. Is a foundation year hard to get into? As in provided I have good final grades will I have no problem getting into it, or are there other factors that are considered more than if I were applying straight into a course? Ive heard that a lot of times its mostly comprised of international students who dont have sufficient qualifications to enter straight into year 1 of a programme.

2. Would a foundation year prepare me for a degree in engineering if ive got little to none knowledge in physics?

3. How does a foundation year work with student loans? Im an EU student so presumably it wouldnt be a problem for me to get a student loan, but is the foundation year also covered by the loan or not?

4. Is it even worth it considering I dont even know how Id fill the 5 unis of my choice when I could just go with CompSci or computer engineering and have an easier time choosing unis?

1. Foundation years can be competitive- they appeal to people for all the reasons you're considering one. Just getting the grades isn't a guarantee of getting a place. Some foundation courses may be more interested in your personal statement rather than your grades, for example, provided you meet the minimum requirements.

2. Usually, yes- foundation years are partly aimed at people who have not studied the right qualifications in further education. However, it's a good idea to discuss your situation with the uni to check your foundation year will be suitable for what you want!

3. The foundation year counts as your "+ 1" year usually. This means it isn't a problem getting a loan, but you wouldn't usually also be able to get a loan if you wanted to change courses after first year or failed a year.

4. There are lots of foundation years out there and you don't have to use all five choices. It is much better to go for something you are interested in than the easy option. If you don't get offers, you can always reconsider and apply to CompSci via clearing.

Reply 2

Rolls_Reus_0wner

22

Original post by hmveryinterest

Hello, Ive been looking around at some unis and noticed that Southampton offers a foundation year which could lead to an Aerospace eng. undergraduate degree, which caught my attention because aerospace is something id like to study, unfortunately for me I am not taking Physics so the choices are slim at best. I started the year thinking id go into CompSci/Computer engineering and while I still wouldnt mind doing either of these two, Aerospace definitely caught my attention. I would like to ask some questions regarding the foundation year:

1. Is a foundation year hard to get into? As in provided I have good final grades will I have no problem getting into it, or are there other factors that are considered more than if I were applying straight into a course? Ive heard that a lot of times its mostly comprised of international students who dont have sufficient qualifications to enter straight into year 1 of a programme.

2. Would a foundation year prepare me for a degree in engineering if ive got little to none knowledge in physics?

3. How does a foundation year work with student loans? Im an EU student so presumably it wouldnt be a problem for me to get a student loan, but is the foundation year also covered by the loan or not?

4. Is it even worth it considering I dont even know how Id fill the 5 unis of my choice when I could just go with CompSci or computer engineering and have an easier time choosing unis?

Mate what do you take for A_levels?? CAuse I'm applying for the same course at southampton.

Reply 3

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

As above, competitiveness for foundation years varies. Southampton's Engineering one is quite competitive though, yes, although that doesn't mean you shouldn't apply.

The Southampton Engineering foundation is speciifcally designed to cover the relevant Physics (and some irrelevant Physics, since it is also the same foundation year for the Physics and Geophysics degrees) for an Engineering degree there. Although this is somewhat the point, I do appreciate that quality of foundation years and how well they prepare you for the eventual degree may vary. The Southampton one is pretty rigorous though - I believe I recall them saying it was 4-5 days a week, and pretty much full 6-8 hour days (they also have, or at least previously had, quite a large cohort of about 80).

I'd note the foundation at Southampton also leads to the CS courses (and EE courses), although if you already meet the requirements for that course it's a bit redundant; but if you did change your mind back, you could still progress to the CS course and have your full funding intact (including "gift" year, if you make sure to enter the course code for "CS with Foundation" in your SFE application with entry point at whatever the year 1 entry point would be - I imagine entry point 2?).