Degree on the cheap...

PandaPants_2

Im currently doing a Foundation Degree part-time at my local college, 2 lectures a week and takes 2.5 years to complete. Then its a year at uni full time to top up to an honours degree.

Doing the first 2.5 years part-time is great because i can still work 25 hours per week and i dont need any student loans until im in uni full time. (If i was a good saver i could even use my own cash instead of taking a student loan)

I think this is great for any mature students looking to get a degree without giving up work. Some people on my course work full-time and get by well.

The foundation degree is a stand alone 3rd level qualification as well,you dont need the full honours degree to get a decent job.

freebie_junkie

id just advise peopel to take care on thsi. my mate who ive known for years recently joined my uni class at 3rd year level. turns out he did the foundation degree but then teh top-up was cancelled and not validated due to him being teh only person completign teh entire 2 years of of teh foundation. they have hashed together 6 modules for him for 3rd year but unfortunately for him unlike most students whose degree is weighted 40/60 2nd year/3rd year, his entire degree is now based on his 3rd year and as his foundation degree was very different to what he is now havign to do, hes already really behind and struggling. take care with these as tehy are new and you might end up liek a guinea piug like my mate.

lisa_75

freebie_junkie wrote:

id just advise peopel to take care on thsi. my mate who ive known for years recently joined my uni class at 3rd year level. turns out he did the foundation degree but then teh top-up was cancelled and not validated due to him being teh only person completign teh entire 2 years of of teh foundation. they have hashed together 6 modules for him for 3rd year but unfortunately for him unlike most students whose degree is weighted 40/60 2nd year/3rd year, his entire degree is now based on his 3rd year and as his foundation degree was very different to what he is now havign to do, hes already really behind and struggling. take care with these as tehy are new and you might end up liek a guinea piug like my mate.

My friend has also found the same. He said a foundation degree is VERY different to the 3rd year of uni. Far more work and they are far stricter on marking with things like your referencing. I have had to tutor him through his first few essays as he did not even grasp the basics of Harvard referencing. His degree is also based solely on his 3rd year mark, so no room for learning or mistakes.

I have been told these foundation degrees are very popular now (about 20 students have joined us in the 3rd year) but I also feel the students are guinea pigs and often are not being tutored correctly at foundation level.

If you get a good college, that’s great, but I feel many foundation students are thrown in at the deep end when they get to 3rd year. It is not easy joining a course when everyone has known each other and the tutors for 2 years.

TeaBoy_2

i'm currently doing this after coming from a HND. its a hell of a step up and because i've moved uni's i'm in 1st year halls which hasn't helped :beer: .

Having said that there is plenty of people in the same boat as me who've come with various qualifications. There's one lad who only passed one GCSE! failed the other 9 completely. God knows how he's managed to work himself up to final year degree.

If i pass, i'll be pretty chuffed how it worked out, i'll have a hnd and degree qualification all done in 3 years.

Good luck with it anyway.

PandaPants_2

freebie_junkie wrote:

id just advise peopel to take care on thsi. my mate who ive known for years recently joined my uni class at 3rd year level. turns out he did the foundation degree but then teh top-up was cancelled and not validated due to him being teh only person completign teh entire 2 years of of teh foundation. they have hashed together 6 modules for him for 3rd year but unfortunately for him unlike most students whose degree is weighted 40/60 2nd year/3rd year, his entire degree is now based on his 3rd year and as his foundation degree was very different to what he is now havign to do, hes already really behind and struggling. take care with these as tehy are new and you might end up liek a guinea piug like my mate.

Thanks for the info! My class are the first year to do this course at our college so ill keep this in mind! :T

si1503

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[Deleted User]

you don't want to face the wrath of criticising freebie_junkie's spelling, trust me.

Don't expect employers to respect this course of education in the same way as a full time degree. I always saw them as ways for people who weren't quite 'degree material' to sneak through the system

lisa_75

si1503 wrote:

Foundation degrees for 'Spelling' anyone?

Why don't you try reading her sig instead of taking the mick?

anewman

lisa_75 wrote:

Why don't you try reading his sig instead of taking the mick?

I get the impression freebie_junkie is a she rather than him, although I could be entirely wrong

We can't all be as perfect as you si1503, sorry

I don't think going the foundation degree route need necessarily be seen as a bad thing by employers like you say ringo_24601. I think it's the end result that matters. But I agree there is the potential for employers to look on this route less favourably.

I personally think going the traditional degree route is better. Like others have said, the first 2 years prepare you specifically for the third year you will experience in that course (and if you aren't prepared you have more to learn), and with differences in calculating the degree classification I think the chances of doing well are better in a traditional route.

I am sure that if this route to a degree is new there will be statisticians looking over all the results.

Also with student loans being relatively low cost lending, with good terms (don't pay back unless earn over £15k, written off after 25 years) I don't think there's much concern in terms of finances.

freebie_junkie

i am a girl and i cannot spell (i have a proof reader and a few more 'staff' hehe!) but im still getting a 2:1 in my essays and will be a graduate in a BA honors degree next july. my degree isnt in being up-my-own-end like some peoples apparently are though.

[Deleted User]

freebie - this is a bit off topic, but if you get Firefox 2 (a new release of a web browser) it lets you spell check inside the quick reply boxes - i use it all the time now.