foundation year at university of Manchester

Hi I just wanted to know if it easy to pass the engineering foundation year at uni
What is the expected pass rate for modules
I’ve have done no alevel previously
I got an 8 in gcse maths and another 8 on gcse further maths
I got a 7 in physics
Would I be severely disadvantaged

Hi, I did a foundation year at Manchester last year. There's no definitive answer to your question as 'easy' is very subjective, but I can elaborate on some details based on your questions so you can hopefully get a better idea of what to expect. First of all, the pass rate for modules vary across different courses, and there isn't just a single number to look out for. How foundation year works is that you'll likely have around 6 modules per semester, so 12 in total for the whole year. These 12 modules will make up 4 'superunits' which are each comprised of three modules categorised by subject materials. For example, last year I had 2 maths superunits (comprised of six math modules), 1 physics superunit (3 physics modules), and a project superunit. Each of these superunits will have their own pass requirements. Chemical Engineering had the highest passing requirements last year for Engineering (around 70%), so it depends on what course you're planning to take after your foundation year. Don't worry if this sounds confusing, as if you do end up taking the course, your lecturers will explain this system in detail.

In terms of the subject material, Physics is very similar to A-Level Physics which is quite a jump from GCSEs. The Maths modules are a mix of A-Level Maths, A-Level Further Maths, and some degree level maths, which is also a rather big jump from GCSEs, but since you did take GCSE Further Maths you may be familiar with some of the early content. I wouldn't say you're severely disadvantaged as a lot of people in Foundation year did not take A-Levels or IB. The good news is, the uni does take this into account! At least for maths, the maths modules for people who didn't take A-Levels and people who did take A-Levels are different, so you won't feel like you're scurrying to catch up with everybody else. If you put in the work and are consistent with your revision, it's very much a manageable course. Don't be hesitant to ask for help from your peers, lecturers, or tutors as they are all very helpful!

If you'd like some more info on foundation at Manchester feel free to ask

Hi thank you this has really helped. I’m starting a mechanical engineering foundation year and I was wondering what the timetables are like and if we are on campus everyday.

Oh what a coincidence! I also did my foundation for mechanical engineering. Timetables will vary each year, but most likely there are two possibilities based on my experience: either you're on campus every day or you're off one day a week depending on which tutorial group you get assigned to. From what I've seen, Wednesday is usually a very chill day for a lot of people (either no class or just one class). Most days, you'll get 2-3 contact hours per day, but the timing can vary greatly. Some days you'll be in as early as 9, or could be as late as 11-12. Sometimes, there'd be a one hour gap between your timetabled sessions, and sometimes, there could be up to six hour gaps, so you'll have to wait and see. The absolute latest you could be done is around 6 PM, but this isn't that common. I'd bet at around 3 PM or earlier for the majority of days. In any case, the actual contact hours aren't that bad at all.

Word of advice: make use of your extra time wisely. You aren't gonna be as busy 1st years and onwards, but I don't recommend the mindset of chilling in foundation. The workload isn't bad but it can pile up quickly, so make sure to spare time to get ahead on revision and coursework. Remember, you have full access to all university facilities just as 1st years do so take advantage of that! While you're still not that busy, practical engineering societies are wonderful and you'll often learn much more outside your degree (you can make a ton of friends too! Upper years are often very helpful and accommodating, academics wise you can learn a lot from them as well). Guarantee that it will be very helpful in the rest of your studies

Best of luck to you! Feel free to ask if you have any more questions

Thank you so much. I was also wondering what a typical day on the course would consist of and how long lectures usually are and what the general rules are for when your in a lecture.

No worries! Typical day on the course varies for everyone and depends on what you decide to do with your time, but generally, a "full" day will consist of lectures and tutorial sessions. Tutorial sessions are basically classes held in smaller rooms with a small group of people (the entire cohort will be divided into their respective tutorial groups for each module). Here, you'll be given a worksheet to do. In tutorials, rules and expectations behaviour wise are dependent on your tutor, so I can't really give you a benchmark for that. In terms of lectures, though, they usually last for around 50 minutes to an hour. Again, different lecturers will have different rules for students in the lecture hall, but in my experience, as there are so many students, lectures are often very lenient. To be extremely transparent, you can play on your phone, or do quite literally any unrelated activity on your laptop or tablet and no one would bat an eyelash. That's not to say this is behaviour I'd recommend, but I just want to demonstrate that you're pretty much free to do what you please so long as you are respecting your surroundings. Chatting is fine, but don't be too loud (avoid chatting too much as well), be mindful of the space you're taking up, etc. In simple terms, the general rule of thumb for being in a lecture is, be mindful and respectful, then you're free to carry about your own business. That's pretty much the base of what a typical day on the course would be like.

For me, I usually spend time in between lectures and tutorials in various study spaces just catching up on revision, going to my society workshop and helping out, or grabbing lunch outside campus with some friends. I'll often stay behind on campus as well after all my sessions are done to do work. With the workload in foundation, this isn't really necessary, but getting your work and revision out of the way early take soo much stress of your shoulders. You get your study materials online before the week begins for your modules, so I'd recommend taking notes as you go through material in your free time before the sessions you'll cover the material. That way, in lectures and tutorials, you'll pretty much be chilling and just adding extra information to what you already know. There will be time gaps in between timetabled sessions, so you can decide what to do with this time.