Written by Emily Treacy, Loice Mapfumise, Lois Knight and Komiwe Pfuma
As a lot of you probably know, everyone’s journey to university is different and there are many paths someone can take. For us, we are all in our second year of Speech and Language Therapy, but our third year at uni, as we all did the Foundation Year here at BCU before transferring to our degree course. We thought after completing our foundation year and our first year of SLT, we’d share our experience of the foundation course, transition and any advice for those of you who may just be finishing your foundation year, ready to start SLT or those of you who are starting in the next academic year as your route to SLT.
Foundation year wasn’t part of my initial plan to starting university but looking back it’s a very
welcome part of my experience. At first, I was unsure about what the course would offer and all I wanted was to be on the speech therapy cohort and doing the course I’d worked so hard for, however I soon realised that foundation was structured to not only prepare us for the course we were aiming for but to get us used to the style of university academia and also just give us the confidence in the environment and in different aspects of student life. It wasn’t until I started the degree course in September that I realised just how useful all these skills were and how much easier they made the transition by not only taking off the pressure of starting a new course but also giving me time to prepare in other areas . My best advice for foundation year students is to fully engage with all the assignments and keep track of all the skills you learn because they really do come in useful, and spend any extra time you have throughout the year researching your prospective course and getting organised as this will take away a lot of the nerves and help you feel fully prepared.
Foundation year was a year that taught the basics that are essential for your first year. One of the biggest thing’s foundation year was beneficial for was teaching you how to correctly reference. This was taught in lot of depth and with plenty guidance. It therefore puts you a step ahead when starting SLT. Foundation year was also a good way to meet and befriend others who are going into different courses. In first year SLT, most of the people you will interact with will be those on your course and cohort, so foundation year helps you branch out and interact with a different variety of people. The transition from foundation year to Speech and language therapy BSc was smooth and less nerve wracking as I was aware of what to expect. Foundation does a good job ensuring that you are ready for and know how to go about completing assignments. While SLT can be challenging, it has many positives. From interesting content modules to opportunities to new and exciting experiences, SLT is overall an amazing course to be on.
Truthfully, I initially imagined that the foundation year was going to be a waste of time; in reality, I feel like it is an amazing way to prep you for the routine of university and gives you an early insight into what will be expected from you. The foundation year equips you with the basic tools required to succeed on the course and helps you build on these before commencing with your first year; I feel like this had really helped with my confidence going into first year since I was already hitting the ground running from the beginning and I could focus more on my studies rather than worrying about how to reference or how to use the library resources. Having the opportunity to interact with some of the tutors on the speech and language therapy course before actually being on the course also helps with the transition from foundation year to first year as you are already building relationships
with your lecturers and tutors. If I had to give one piece of advice to future students, it is to NOT to go in with the mindset that you do not have to try your best because your grades ‘don’t count’; it is a brilliant opportunity to start disciplining yourself and working towards being the student you want to be!
I found undertaking the foundation year at BCU a very valuable experience. It allowed me to be able to experience university life and find out what facilities the university offered before undertaking my actual degree. This made utilising facilities during my actual studies very easy as, I was warmed up and introduced to how things worked through teaching and signposting throughout the foundation year. All in all, I found the foundation year very useful in equipping me for me university life whilst studying an undergraduate course.
If you have any questions about Foundation year and SLT, either leave them in the comments below or email saltsoc@teambcu.co.uk and we will be happy to help.