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Second Year Entry....

I am considering going to Edinburgh Uni, and as long as I get good grades in my A-levels i can enter straight into the second year. I was just wondering if anyone has had experience of skipping 1st year, and if there are social disadvantages?- seeing as everyone has already had a year of getting to know eachother. Also, could I just go into 1st year anyway? but then would i find it too 'easy'?- given that the other students would effectively be of AS level standard. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Reply 1

icepuffin

what do you mean other students would be of AS level standard?

Reply 2

FTC199

13

other students would not be of AS level standard, they will all have done A-levels or highers and advanced highers.

i know someone who got second year entry and it didnt bother her, but i also know lots of people who went down the normal first year route and got to have an enjoyable first year whilst still learning new stuff (not all of firstyear is covered in A-level, just some)

Reply 3

artorscience?

11

parvman

Also, could I just go into 1st year anyway? but then would i find it too 'easy'?- given that the other students would effectively be of AS level standard. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

There are a lot of students at Edinburgh who have come through the A level system, so you would not be alone in that respect. Many choose to start in first year to take advantage of the social aspects of having two years that don't count towards your final degree, and the wide range of courses that you can study along side your chosen subject. It all depends what subject you are doing as to whether you'll find it too easy, and what syllabus you followed at A level - but this is true to some extent for any university's first year course, especially in the sciences, where the aim of the course is to get everyone up to the same standard. This all means that you might have extra catching up to do if you do start in Second year as your A level syllabus won't have covered exactly what the First year course did.

Your understanding of Highers is somewhat distorted if you believe that they are of AS standard. They are commonly seen as somewhat harder than an AS. And in the current day and age it is becoming increasingly popular/common for Scottish students aiming to attend/attending the more prestigious Scottish universities to have taken Advanced Highers putting them at the same level as A level students (if not slightly higher).

Reply 4

icepuffin

Advanced Highers are harder than A levels, certainly in the sciences cause we have to do projects with minimal help from teachers. and the scottish education system is world renowned apparantly lol. having gone through it i didn't know if it was or not but we did have a lot of foreign teachers come over to see how we worked.

you have to remember what sets Scottish unis apart from the English is that we have an extra year, meaning you can cover more 'outside' courses and you can go abroad for your third year if you want to and still be in 4th year with all your friends. in england i believe you have to do an extra year.

Reply 5

oxymoronic

19

icepuffin

in england i believe you have to do an extra year.

That's not strictly true, in the majority of the English uni's I know of the year abroad happens in 2nd year, either for 1 semester or the entire year. Some universities (Sussex) also let students go away in semster 1 of 3rd year although I think that is slightly more unsual. Yes, in some places you do have to add an extra year onto your degree (UCL being one of them, at least for the course I applied for, and Warwick) but in others (Lancaster, Sheffield, Southampton for example) you do not.

Although yes, it is brilliant coming back from my year abroad this year knowing that my friends are all still there too.

Reply 6

tck

Any comment on the social aspect of this?? I like the look of edinburgh but am one of the youngest of my year (will only just be 18) and am concerned about that. If it makes any difference I would be applying for physics.

The admissions officer I talked to said roughly half of the students do second year entry. does that sound about right, any current students???

Reply 7

globalista

Hi

I can not speak from my own experience but.. I had a small group of friends who had direct entry into 2nd year on a science degree. They all got firsts and all 4 bar 1 are now doing PHDs, 3 of them at oxbridge. They had all done advanced highers and 2 were only just 18. They are all incredibly social and had many friends, in fact, their group was really tight because they all jumped in together new. If you are a social person then it won't be an issue, if you are withdrawn and not ready for uni then it will be a problem whether you have direct entry or not. Plus you will make friends i nthe accommo/societies anyway. I don't know exactly how they all got direct entry but my friend applied for first year as normal and when he went to meet his director of studies during first year they suggested he just he start in second year because of his advanced highers and he did. so yeah i think it's common in science.

Reply 8

bim_bam

globalista

Hi
but my friend applied for first year as normal and when he went to meet his director of studies during first year they suggested he just he start in second year because of his advanced highers and he did. so yeah i think it's common in science.

I was just wondering, did this friend of yours study in Edinburgh uni?

Reply 9

bim_bam

Ok, I have got another question. I got an unconditional offer into first year in AI and Maths. However this would be my second bachelaur degree, i already know all the basic university level math. Are there any chances still to get straight into the second year? And what would be the procedures to do so?

Reply 10

ExDeusVenitBritannia

There is NO reason to go to a Scottish university using the "Scottish System" and not do 2 pre-Honours years. That's why you go. That's what makes them special.

Also, =social suicide.

Reply 11

globalista

bim_bam

I was just wondering, did this friend of yours study in Edinburgh uni?

yes all of the people I spoke about were at Edinburgh uni and studying science. that is how i know them, because I studied there too, on a different degree.

Reply 12

globalista

bim_bam

Ok, I have got another question. I got an unconditional offer into first year in AI and Maths. However this would be my second bachelaur degree, i already know all the basic university level math. Are there any chances still to get straight into the second year? And what would be the procedures to do so?

email the department and ask

Second Year Entry....

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