Foundation Degree, a word of warning!

Fire_Fox

BangBang wrote: »

I agree. Be careful. I was promised the same on my Foundation Degree, and after having to have a year out last year for the course to be 'redesigned' I am now in my third year which will give me a BA.
It is annoying that it has now taken four years to get the BA when it was made clear when I applied that I could go straight into year three after finishing year two (providing I had the required grades)
I feel for ya. Try searching for other uni's that offer you to go into year three... there must be some!

Same type of thing happened to me. I am doing 'Health-related exercise and fitness' with the emphasis very much on novices and health. Our top-up year changed to 'Sport', which is literally the opposite end of the spectrum and doesn't interest me at all. It's now being changed yet again, which means those who are wanting to progress haven't applied yet. In the meantime I sorted out myself with an unconditional offer to progress onto 'Health Sciences' which is a negotiated pathway. :T

pulliptears

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I'm afraid that that you're someone else who thinks a foundation course is the same as a Foundation Degree!

We didn't get these problems when the equivalent course was called HND; people knew where they were!

Thats exactly the problem I think. The college I'm at originally run HND, that was the course I was considering when the Uni stepped in and said "try this new FD!". It was a new course and from the talks we had about it they sold it as years 1 and 2 of a BA, guaranteeing a 3rd year place in the Uni at the end of it. We were all told we could go onto the general Graphics and Digital Design Degree, Illustration, Print or Web BA's for year 3 without a problem, choosing our specialism over the first 2 years. As it was in the college I was already at, and I knew the lecturers well and was comfortable in that environment thats what I, and the others, chose to do

Its only over the last 7 months or so the Uni has changed things, making this Entrepreneur course the designated year 3 and refusing year 3 entry on the other courses. (a cynic would point out how hard they are pushing the Entrepreneur course and wonder exactly how low the take up rate of it is! A cynic would also question whether this was the reason we were being offered such low level entry into the other courses to make that one seem more favourable) Of course we all feel cheated, had we known at the start that this would happen we would all have gone directly to the Universities and done the BA from the start!

The attitutes of some Uni's towards it are disgusting. I wasnt going to name names, but at this stage Im so annoyed with it all I dont care. Staffs attitude is "well why didnt you study the BA here from the start rather than taking the FD route?" along with "You can still go onto year 3 of the Entreprenuership degree, and nobody looks at what your BA is in!"
Derby University offered us all year 2, with the reasoning that because we hadnt been on their course from the start we wouldnt "Gel with the rest of the group". Salford and Nottingham also offered year 2.

The only Uni willing to offer us year 3 places is Wolverhampton, and credit to them they are using the FD as what it was designed for. My problem, and my main annoyance, I chose Staffs because Im a mature student, married with 2 kids and its on my doorstep. Wolves is one heck of a journey for me every day and its not possible to live down there.

My options at this stage are to gain a BA in a course and subject I dont want, travel to Wolves every day or start again at Year 1 on the Graphics BA and end up funding the 3rd year myself which I cant afford to do.

So hopefully you can appreciate both mine and my classmates frustration in this.

Lokolo

Please don't go to Wolves. I know Stoke is a ****hole but honestly, Wolves is worse. DO NOT DO IT FOR JESUS CHRISTS SAKE.

Get on the train at Stoke (cross country or virgin) and go to Brum. You'll know when you go past Wolves

pulliptears

Lokolo wrote: »

Please don't go to Wolves. I know Stoke is a ****hole but honestly, Wolves is worse. DO NOT DO IT FOR JESUS CHRISTS SAKE.

Get on the train at Stoke (cross country or virgin) and go to Brum. You'll know when you go past Wolves

Lol, thanks Lokolo, the graphics course seemed good, whats so bad about Wolves then??

Lokolo

pulliptears wrote: »

Lol, thanks Lokolo, the graphics course seemed good, whats so bad about Wolves then??

The place is a craphole. If you're willing to live there for a year thats fine but it doesn't exactly look a nice place to live!

tbs624

farso wrote: »

This is one experience, I took a foundation degree as i didnt have the correct entry a-level subjects. The course ran from Jan til Aug last year and im now in my first year and doing really well, partly due to the excellent FOUNDATION that a foundation degree gives you.

If your upset, sure, slag off your course, uni etc. But its a bit far to say that every foundation degree is useless.

If you are capable of being at University you should be able to tell the difference between your sort of course, running for a mere 8 months, and a 2 year foundation degree. Your course will indeed have been intended to give you a more appropriate preparation/foundation for your actual degree course as a bridging "year". I think many of us can fully understand Pulliptears' frustration, particularly when s/he is a mature student with family commitments, but I don't read the OP as saying that all Foundation degrees were "useless" just warning others than their route to a full degree may take a year longer than intended.

pulliptears

tbs624 wrote: »

If you are capable of being at University you should be able to tell the difference between your sort of course, running for a mere 8 months, and a 2 year foundation degree. Your course will indeed have been intended to give you a more appropriate preparation/foundation for your actual degree course as a bridging "year". I think many of us can fully understand Pulliptears' frustration, particularly when s/he is a mature student with family commitments, but I don't read the OP as saying that all Foundation degrees were "useless" just warning others than their route to a full degree may take a year longer than intended.

Yes, thanks tbs

Its more an advisory to anyone considering this route to fully consider all their options first. Go into it with your eyes wide open and find out exactly what the year 3 option is. If you are told you are guaranteed a year 3 place anywhere, don't believe it.

If anyone asked me, then I would say wherever possible, go into the Uni itself on the dedicated BA and give FD's a wide berth.

mummytofour

Sorry for your experiences. The graphics industry in a fickle one at the best of times and in all honesty you might be better with a less specific degree. I say this as I am married to an ex-graphics artist ( 10 yrs in the business) who has almost finished an art access course. Hopefully going to uni and studying fine art. This will give him a much broader area of knowlege and hopefully a job one day. Graphic artists are 10 a penny.

Oldernotwiser

mummytofour wrote: »

Graphic artists are 10 a penny.

I wish your husband all the luck in the world, but fine arts graduates are hardly short on the ground or greatly in demand!

wigglebeena

pulliptears wrote: »

I apologise if this isnt the same across the board. From the off Staffs Uni sold us this course on the basis it led to the 3rd year based at the Uni. Staffs even told us we could walk straight into the 3rd year at any Uni.

This has not been the case. Staffs Uni have a case to answer for being VERY misleading with how this course was advertised and sold to students. One first year is already looking into legal action against the Uni.

Lokolo, the course that is being offered is NOT similar. The course offered in aimed at teaching you how to run your own business, looks into tax and insurances etc It will hinder progression into a chosen career.

Any prospect of suing them for return of your tuition fees, if you were misled about the educational product?