Entering a university abroad is very difficult. In addition to the entrance exams, a foreign applicant will need to take other tests: difficulties in adapting to a new country, with different traditions, academic model, language and cultural features.
Preparatory courses or programs can help with overcoming the difficulties of this adaptation period, and the Foundation can be considered a good example of such a program.
What is Foundation?
This is a special preparation course for foreign students, which is designed to help them adapt to the academic standards and practices of the host country, as well as cultural traditions, learn or improve the language of instruction (most often English). Such a program significantly improves the position of the applicant and with a high degree of probability leads to successful enrollment in the chosen program.
Most often, such programs are one-year, but this is not a strict rule: there are nine-month Foundations, and there are, on the contrary, longer ones — up to two years. How long your program will last depends on the chosen university and what program you will be studying.
Benefits of Foundation – Why Do You Need It at All?
Foundation-type preparatory pre-university programs differ from most other options in terms of coverage and opportunities. Here you will not only pass mock tests a couple of times and improve your English, but also take an intensive course in the chosen subject or group of disciplines. Educational process includes both traditional lectures and seminars and workshops. Among the main advantages of Foundation:
- Graduates of such programs gain an advantage over their peers due to a strong academic base; it will be easier for them to study in the first and second years due to the fact that the program will be somewhat familiar to them;
- The applicant receives an "inoculation" of the British academic tradition. While other first-year students will understand the nuances and subtleties of conducting and designing research, learning to collect, analyze and process information, those who came to the university after the Foundation can already do all this, know how and actively practice;
- If a student is not sure about what they want to do after university, the program allows them to study several subjects or even subject areas and postpone the choice for six months to a year;
- The admission success rate of graduates of the program is noticeably higher than that of direct applicants: 92% versus 68% (University of Leicester, 2021).
What are the types of Foundation programs?
There are several types of Foundation courses.
- Academic foundation
An option is designed for those who have graduated from high school, but at the same time realize that their academic level is clearly insufficient to to enter a university.
As a rule, such programs are offered not only by universities, but also by colleges. The emphasis here is not on general education and soft skills, but on pulling up in a certain subject: most often it is mathematics, chemistry or physics (less often a general course of natural sciences), biology or English language and literature.
- International foundation
A type of the standard course for foreign students or those who, in turn, want to study in another country. The program not only provides the necessary knowledge and the useful skills, but also contributes to the rapid adaptation, helps to bring the level of spoken and written English to the minimum requirements of the university program.
- Art and design foundation
A special Foundation version is especially suitable for students of creative specialties. As the name and profile suggest, such courses are most often offered by specialized higher educational institutions: schools of design and arts, dance, ballet, theater and cinema.
Art and design preparatory programs are not available everywhere; there are quite a few of them at University College London or the British University of the Arts London. For admission, in addition to a school leaving certificate and an English certificate, you will need to prepare and submit a portfolio with your work.
The educational process is characterized by a significant bias towards "practice": in addition to their studies, students are engaged in project activities, draw, dance, design, music, and make films. This is the best option for everyone who is going to get a university degree in creative specialties.
- Medical foundation
Another option is for highly specialized programs, this time for future doctors. There are also preparatory programs for veterinarians, pharmacists and dentists. Future applicants cram human physiology and expand their horizons, get acquainted with leading medical journals and improve the academic skills necessary in higher school.
Such programs are available at some British universities, and outside the United Kingdom — at the Hungarian University of Pest.
- Engineering foundation
The first step in the career of a future engineer. A course of this kind is quite common in German and Czech English-speaking universities.
When choosing a program, pay attention to:
- The prestige and level of the university, its reputation and position in international and national integral and subject rankings;
- Tuition fees;
- Duration of studying;
- Subject or disciplinary area.
