Zero Year
Choosing the Right Foundation Course

When faced with the number of foundation programmes on offer in Britain, international students can be forgiven for getting confused. For a start, there is no single standard way of classifying them. The names used range form Access Programme, Preparatory Year, Zero Year, Foundation Course, and beyond. Some courses are only for international students, while others mix British students with their international counterparts.

Some offer guaranteed access to a particular university degree course, or related degree courses in a small group of universities, while others that do not guarantee a specific place at a specific university are in turn accepted by universities throughout the country. Some offer mainly English as a Foreign Language (EFL) with extra academic subjects, while others are essentially academic programmes which have an element of EFL support.

Faced with such a high level of diversity, how is a student to decide what they want, or even whether they should take a foundation course at all? As Director of the University of Warwick Higher Education Foundation Programme, I frequently get asked such questions. Drawing on direct experience, I hope that this article will help makes things a little clearer. As a potential foundation course student, the first thing you have to decide is whether you need to do a foundation programme at all. Some universities may recognise your high school diploma for 'direct entry', meaning that they will accept an application from you for a degree course without your having to take a foundation programme first. Different universities have different policies regarding this, but the best way to get initial guidance is to contact the British Council in your home country to see whether your qualification is likely to be accepted. You can also contact the international offices of the universities which interest you to see what they suggest.

Another reason for taking a foundation programme is that you want to improve your chances of entering a more competitive, high-ranked university, and your high school diploma alone is not sufficient. What you decide at this stage depends on the kind of university you want to go to, the sort of degree course you are interested in, and whether a foundation programme will help you get what you want. Finally, even if you are not required to take a foundation programme to help you get on to your chosen degree course, you may still ind it very useful. British university life is likely to be completely different from anything you have experienced before, and how to study at university is something that a foundation programme will teach you. The preparation you get from taking a foundation programme can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful first year on a degree course.

You might be looking for a foundation programme which guarantees you a place at a specific university. This might seem a simple decision: after all, everyone likes guarantees. However, you have to ask yourself whether you are absolutely sure that you want to commit yourself to a particular university or course straight away, or whether you would prefer to have a greater level of flexibility. The level of flexibility is usually indicated by the way you make the move from the foundation course to the degree course. For example, if the foundation course tutors help you to find a place on a degree course using the UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) system, then this indicates that you are not tied to a specific university when it comes to making your choice. Conversely, if your degree course application is made directly, and not through UCAS, to one university or a small group, then while you have a guarantee of some sorts, you also have less flexibility. What kind of foundation course you choose therefore depends on what kind of guarantees you are looking for after your foundation. If you're not sure about a foundation programme's placement record, don't be afraid to ask!

The final thing you need to think about is what you are going to study. Once more, the answer lies very much in what you want to do yourself. You might be looking for a foundation programme which is mainly EFL, in order to get your English language up to the right level. If you are looking for an academic programme, you might want one which allows you to choose from a 'menu' of different subjects, depending on your interests, or perhaps one where you have a compulsory block of subjects. It is extremely important to think carefully before choosing what it is you want to study on the foundation programme, in order to make sure that it will help you in your subsequent university degree-level studies. Taking the wrong subjects can be a big mistake, and one which can prevent you from realising your academic plans. However, if you pick the right foundation programme, and of course work hard during the year, then you will be on the right track to academic success.

Author
Jonathan W Fowler
Director, Higher Education
Foundation Programme
University of Warwick