To think DS should NOT do a foundation year when he's a straight A student?

[SilverEyes15]

DS is intelligent. Was expecting AAA for his A-Levels and was going to go to a good uni, unfortunately he didn't sit the A2 modules for one of his subjects due to anxiety. We tried our best for him to get the chance to sit it but we got no where. He has finished with A*A and an A in AS Level.

He tried contacting the uni as he got an A*, so may make up for it and they said no. He was offered the foundation year instead. He is taking it???

Before he fully enrols please tell me this is the best thing to do!? I though foundation years were for people not getting the grades!?

I'd also add I would agree with papafran if it wasn't for th anxiety issue. To be so anxious he is vomiting and unable to even attend for the exam is serious. As such I think he needs support to get him to and through uni and an access course could break him in gently so he knows what to expect.

Uni is a huge step up, the pressure is also much higher than a level, and even the toughest of kids can struggle with the pressure they are under. It would be a terrible shame if he got to the end of the first year and couldn't do his exams and it was game over. So in this case I think I'd recommend the access course.

You need to be sure the institution concerned doesn't want all the A levels in the same sitting.

Don't waste the money on a foundation year. Do try calling round other universities just to check no one will accept him (if you want to consider other places).

Check he can retake that subject (A levels are reforming and not all re-takes in the old curriculum are available). If he can sit the exams then take a gap year, get a job and sit the January exams.

If he's firm in his choice of uni and of course, then the foundation year sounds like a great option.

If he's unsure in any way he would be better taking a year out to get his third A level.

He may be a 'straight A student' but he doesn't have the required qualifications to get onto a degree course right now. 2 A levels is just not enough.

What bearing does the fact that he would have taken his three A levels over 3 years have, though? I've read across MN, that the top universities don't like resists because they like to see that students can handle the pressure of 3 a levels at one time. Does that have any bearing on the decision for the OP's DS?

What subject does he hope to do?

I disagree with Papafran, although I also work in HE. We often offer Foundation years for subjects like engineering and architecture. It's a good way for a candidate to get grounded in their subject of choice. It certainly isn't repeating A level content.

Seems like a good idea especially for someone with anxiety. Why would you not want him to do it? If they've offered the foundation it means the university positively want him and they want him to succeed. And you said yourself it's a good university.

Encourage him to make sure the university know about his anxiety issues and to get what support he can. Most universities offer good support, with their own counselling services etc and also with processes for taking mitigating circumstances into account if he is physically ill due to exam stress. The earlier they know about the problem the better help they will be able to give.

Papafran, I would be questioning whether someone with such bad anxiety that he was physically unable to take an exam would be well advised to go into something as stressful as law or a city job. I don't have clinical levels of anxiety, but I know I don't handle stress well, and I have been much happier in jobs where I know I'm on top of everything and where I'm being well supported.

Good luck, OP.

It depends on the course as well as his grades though.

The course I taught at the time had a massive drop out rate -a-level grades were increased to stop people dropping out (it had professional recognition so it wasn't an option to make it less intensive or remove modules or allow things like people to qualify with low grades). Now the course has an optional foundation year. The percentages of people dropping out after doing the foundation is much lower, without foundation it's not changed by much. It's still a subject with a very high drop out rate because students expectations are totally unrealistic when it comes to the course.

They don't realise how intensive it is, that there's professional work experience (unpaid) that's necessary during the summer breaks and that they cannot get a part time job - it's made clear this is not an option, people still try but end up having to choose between job or course.

What he has wouldn't get him into the course I taught on.

It's common now for such courses to have foundation years.

I also suggest he looks into mh support at the uni.

My understanding of how graduate recruitment is also different from Papafran. I am sure sectors vary and some highly competitive graduate recruitment schemes will use anything to trim the shortlist. But most graduate recruitment schemes are exactly that - graduate recruitment. They care about the degree and relevant work experience. By then A levels are long gone.

I think it really depends on the subject and career path. DH is not very academic, but very smart. He did an HND and a foundation degree before finally finishing his BA. He gained such a wealth of knowledge from the two lower qualifications that he was often way ahead of his peers who graduated at the same time as him. However, that is in a fairly practical subject field where there isn't the same academic expectation as, say, law.

By 'low grades' I mean the course was excluded from allowing people to progress without certain classificafion in core modules, so less than a 2:1 you wouldn't progress and could only resit once in the summer not resit entire years.

There were people who were forced to leave because they thought they could continue with lower grades but our course was excluded from the rules about that.

In my experience, students who do a foundation year are much more likely than others to get a first. They spend the foundation year learning how to "do" university, make their mistakes early and are fabulous from year 1.

Foundation courses are for people with non standard entry qualifications.
3 A levels is the standard entry for university.
He doesn't have 3 a levels.
He has a place on a foundation course to bridge that and gain entry to his chosen course.

I dont see what the problem is. There'll be kids who got A*AB and be 1 mark off AAA and they don't get their place despite being closer to it than your DS. That's life unfortunately.

Add to that his anxiety issues then going into y1 of a tough degree course weeks after beimg too ill to attend an A level exam would also be a bad idea. I'd do thr foundation year.

Our foundation year is for anyone. Having three a-levels doesn't mean they'll be able to cope with the pace of a professional degree (assuming it is a professional degree). In our case the foundation came about due to the number dropping out with a levels. In our case it's a subject which is very different to what students expect.

The recommendation for our course is the foundation year before doing the degree for everyone, of course people can choose not to, but tend to struggle.

Papafran, I would be questioning whether someone with such bad anxiety that he was physically unable to take an exam would be well advised to go into something as stressful as law or a city job

I have anxiety and practised as a solicitor for a number of years. I have a friend who was sectioned during her finals due to psychosis brought on by stress who is now a barrister. I know many lawyers with mental health difficulties. Please do not suggest that having anxiety or other mental health issues means that you cannot pursue a high pressure career. It does not. For many people, A-levels are and will always be the most stressful thing they ever do.

My understanding of how graduate recruitment is also different from Papafran. I am sure sectors vary and some highly competitive graduate recruitment schemes will use anything to trim the shortlist. But most graduate recruitment schemes are exactly that - graduate recruitment. They care about the degree and relevant work experience. By then A levels are long gone

Yes of course, it depends on the sector. In law, A-levels will haunt you into your 40s. i am not kidding. I worked with a mature entrant who had a degree from the LSE. He had BBC at A-level, taken during the 1980s, 20 years prior. I kid you not- he was turned down by loads of places for interview due to poor A-levels. Many city firms will reject your application without scrutiny if you do not have A-levels. Same for investment banking and other city jobs.

I am glad that your experience is different and that there are employers who take a more sensible approach.

If cost isn't an issue and it's a good uni and a good degree then I'd take the foundation year. If his anxiety is that high it would be better to have a year to settle in

but as GP said anxiety, it wasn't classed as illness

Do you mean he had one-off anxiety on the morning of the exam? Gosh, how unlucky if this isn't viewed as being "ill" therefore extenuating circumstances on medical grounds!! Can you look into the Uni policy on this further? Or try an appeals process?

What LIZS said seems v sensible.

I echo what others said about looking very carefully at the implications of a foundation year vs repeating the A level.

I did wonder though, since presumably he would get an excellent grade in the A level, could he not just ask the school / an FE College to re submit him as a candidate ASAP to sit the exam, then he could spend the year doing either the foundation course as a 'bonus' qualification or do work experience?

What's his chosen degree course OP?

Foundation years are fantastic and your son would only benefit from doing one. Don't let the name and reputation put you off

I basically had to do a foundation year after a-levels as it's expected for all art and design courses, and it was probably the most constructive year of my education, I don't think I'd have built up a uni-worthy portfolio without it, even if it hadn't already been required.

I think the foundation would probably be beneficial to what he wants to study, and there are generally no fees if taken straight after a-level, unless this has changed since I studied.

That said if the uni isn't local, he will have living costs and may not be eligible for a loan, plus as PP mentioned, the full A-level may be required or preferred for his future work. Is resitting the a2 while doing the foundation a possibility?

What was it about this exam that made it so anxious when he managed the others? Is this a different subject than what he wants to study? Did he have problems with exams before or was this one completely out of the blue?

If your son was so worried he wouldn't get his results and not get into UNI, won't sending him to uni mean he did ok, and allow him to move forwards, if you make him resit your piling the same pressure back on him for a year, when he could spend the year in UNI.
There is a rebate he may be able to get to cover the foundation year fees as a grant, rather than a loan...
Let him go, and big him up about getting in.

I'm going to weigh in as a recent graduate here. I got 3 A* grades at A-level and went on to a UoL where I got a first. I am still struggling to find a graduate job in this very competitive market, and I started applying for things last October. I will tell you this now - whether he does a foundation or resits the A-Level, most employers (and I have interviewed with top firms) will not even look at his school grades. They don't even mention it in application forms. All they want is a 2:1 or above, and plenty of work experience! This was my downfall and I am paying for it now. So if I had any advice for him, it would be choose the one he is more comfortable with and start applying for internships ASAP. You cannot possibly start too soon with the internships these days. This is what will seal him a career - not the route he takes to achieve his qualifications. Good luck to him!

I work in recruitment and I've never came across an employer looking for a graduate who cared less about A level results. He should do it. It'll ease your son into university and will result in him getting a better degree. Its a really good opportunity which will be better for him in the long run in terms of both his education and his development.