The joy I got from my foundation year made me want to succeed
I felt very happy about finishing my Interdisciplinary Science Foundation Year and starting my undergraduate degree. I saw the foundation year as my trial by fire – I would either get on my undergraduate degree or I wouldn’t, at all, ever. The joy I got from the learning atmosphere in my foundation year made me want to succeed.
You are a proper student
At first I felt like, as I was on the foundation year, I wasn’t a “proper” student. If you also think this, it’s complete nonsense – you are a student and you should lean into it with all you have.
The best stepping stone
Studying my foundation year with the Lifelong Learning Centre (LLC) gave me the best stepping stone to starting my undergraduate degree.
The learning curve in the first year ramped up like nothing I’ve experienced before but I got a good idea of what I was getting into from my foundation year. It acquainted me with the pace and different types of learning styles I would see during my undergraduate degree.
Being on campus for a year helped
Being on campus for a year during my foundation year was also a great help. I got to know all the good coffee shops, find my way around and join societies.
I got involved with the Astronomy society very early and now I’m the president of that society in the first year of my degree. The extra year gave me the time to get funding for the society and new equipment.
Talk to staff from the LLC and your new school
When transitioning from the foundation year to my undergraduate degree, I found it helpful to talk to the professors from the school I was going into. I asked them more about what I would be doing during my first year. Finding out about the areas where you may need to work more on your own is useful, as it can sometimes come back to bite you if you’re not keeping up.
Coming back and talking to everyone in the LLC is a great place to start if you don’t know where to go.
Look around your new school
There’s also nothing stopping you from going to the building where you will be studying after your foundation year. I went to have a look around the Electrical Engineering building and talked to the students and lab techs about the new subject I would be studying.
Know your limits and try to push them
In the first year of your undergraduate degree, try to get a good study ethic going. Studying little and often is better than studying just before a test, as information just won’t go in.
Look to understand why something works instead of just how. This helps with remembering things and critical thinking about your subject.
Remember, getting a degree isn’t easy – know the limits of your learning and try to push them just a little all the time.
Leaving university with a degree and extra experience is better than just a degree
Get involved with societies and projects – you will most likely meet people that you will connect with. Leaving university with a degree and lots of extra experience is better than just a degree.
For more tips on progressing to your undergraduate degree, read our foundation year transition guidance.