Direct entry into year 2 at Scottish universities

[EwwSprouts]

Just read on another thread this is becoming an option on more courses. Does anyone have any experience of this? Any higher education staff with a view?

DS is yr12 and has a couple of Scottish universities on his long list. I can see saving a year's fees is tempting but is there a significant downside?

Absolutely depends on the course and how standardised the teaching of that subject is.

My friend (not from Scotland) graduated from a Scottish uni this summer. The 1st year was a repeat of A -level standards and pointless, according to her. Also, Scottish unis are like American ones, they must pick a variety of subjects for their modules during the first 2 years and then they specialise in their chosen subject for the last two.

That depends on the subject. For the science subject DS1 applied for as a second year entry you only studied that subject . A friend's DC is doing an economics based degree and is only doing his subject. The entry requirement was higher for second year entry.

DD is arts, and has really enjoyed studying different subjects. She know several DC who changed their degree or did joint honours as a result.

DS will be doing a science degree (not sure what yet but not medicine/vet) so I guess such courses are fairly standardised? I'm assuming that means accredited by a professional body outside the university.

Noti23 That's interesting feedback. I bet that's particularly frustrating for this year's first years when most teaching is online and social and sporting activities are severely curtailed.

RaspberryRipple Did your DS end up going there? Not sure DS has considered joint honours as an option at all. It's early days and his focus is sporting facilities .

Ewwsprouts no, he firmed an English uni in the end. He actually paid slightly higher tuition fees because he still did 4 years doing an integrated Masters. (It would have been five in Scotland with the missed first year).

My sister went to a Scottish uni with A levels but did vet medicine so skipping a year wasn't an option anyway but had not very friends who didn't recommend it as felt they had missed out socially going into year 2

Raspberry Thanks. Integrated masters is another whole new thread for someone like me who is an oldie. Did it /is it proving to have been a good choice? I did my masters p/t while working in my 30's.

EssexGirl I can see that would be a downside in normal times. Miss out on choosing house mates for year2 etc.

The 1st year was a repeat of A -level standards and pointless, according to her

Not what you want to hear, but the English students I know at Glasgow used the first year to drink and party all the time, so didn’t feel it was wasted at all. These were a small sample of humanities students who liked to party hard, so I can’t speak for every student or every subject.

Apparently, the mantra is:
year 1 – party all night and sleep all day
Year 2 – party all night and work all day
Year 3 – sleep all night and work all day
Year 4 – work all night and work all day

Heard from a Glasgow student

I know that not all students do this, and I agree that they will miss out socially by not doing the first year.

Integrated Masters has worked out really well for DS. One reason is the funding, it is funded throughout as your undergrad degree, so you get the same tuition and maintenance loan throughout. He also really enjoyed the extra year when others were thinking about jobs/applying for Masters and he could enjoy just being at uni (working and socialising).

I actually think, in hindsight, DS made a mistake applying for second year intake, though he would probably have been fine. DD got a lot out of her first year. I know quite a few English students at Scottish unis and they have all appreciated the extra year (and none of them spent it doing no work and partying).

This has always been a thing.

I went to a scots uni in 1990 and you were able to direct entry into year 2 if you had very good a’level grades.

For me, year 1 was essential for many reasons. The main one was I’d never been taught to study effectively. How to structure essays and write ups, exam technique, time management, stupid stuff like that. The second was a’levels had all seemed fairly abstract to me, while year 1 was still physics, chemistry and biology, the way it was taught made me see the point, iyswim. Thirdly I didn’t have a career path in mind, or even a subject, so the way scots courses are structured really helped. Lastly as the first person in my family to go to uni, i needed that year just to figure out the basics.

The first year also gives you an idea of the lectures, departments, and the subject itself. Second year you pick 3 courses, so microbiology, medicinal chemistry, botany, zoology, biochemistry, physiology, anatomy etc. I had dismissed biochemistry as a course until I sat in on a lecture as a friend was going and I cba to go home for the hour, and realised it was what i’d been looking for, so I switched to biochem at the end of second year.

@Newname12 You make a very good case for year1 attendance. Great you found your passion.

Gin and Raspberry Two different perspectives on partying. At this point I don't think DS is likely to become a party animal as he currently tends to say no to parties but then again he hasn't got a girlfriend either. Who knows what changes the next 18 months a move away will bring?

My small sample was based on people who like to party hard though, and probably isn't typical. They were in Murano Halls whch do have a hard partying reputation.