May 17, 2016, by International students

What a foundation year meant to me

I decided to take the foundation year because I had gone through a previous tough year and I knew that I wanted to start engineering at a pace that would ease me into life in England without the enormous pressure of studies. My career counsellor at my high school informed me about the possibility of a foundation year and I applied.

I can honestly attest to the fact that the foundation course is possibly one of the most diverse courses that the University of Nottingham has to offer. Here, you meet so many different students from different countries who either need to supplement their qualifications to enter their chosen course or just students like me who want an easier start into university life. It is actually through the foundation course that I met one of my closest friends whom I will be sharing an apartment with next year so it really is a great way to meet new people and make friends.

As the name implies, a foundation year lays the foundations for your future studies. Just like any other course, if you apply yourself and stay on top of your work, then you will be fine. The course was fantastic as it prepared me for the degree I would be enrolling into the next year but at a good pace that allowed me to understand the content and still have time to be social. The department was also very helpful and supportive which made it all the more easier.

Above all, the foundation year was excellent preparatory experience for my Chemical Engineering degree. I found that I was able to transition into the swing of the degree without much effort which gave me an advantage over my peers who had come straight from A-levels. By this time, I was also already familiar with my surroundings and was aware of all the facilities that the university has in place for students. Now I have almost finished my 3rd year and I have also secured a placement for my year in industry and all of this wouldn’t have been possible without the foundation year. So if you are in doubt about the foundation year, I hope this testimony gives you confidence in the course and all the possibilities it can offer.

Tsitsi Ndiriwepi from Swaziland is studying MEng Chemical Engineering.

Find out more about Nottingham’s range of foundation programmes.

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