My Foundation Year experience- and how it helped prepare me for my degree
Harleen shares how an unexpected route through Clearing and an Integrated Science Foundation Year gave her the confidence to embrace new opportunities and ultimately graduate with a First-Class Honours degree.
When people think about university, they often imagine a straightforward path: get the grades, start a course, and graduate a few years later. Life rarely follows linearity, as demonstrated by my own journey.
After my A Levels, I didn't achieve the grades I had hoped for. Like many students, I found the disruption of lockdown challenging, and my results didn't reflect what I knew I was capable of. I remember calling Keele's Clearing service feeling anxious and unsure about what would come next. During that call, an adviser suggested something I hadn't considered before: an Integrated Science Foundation Year. At the time, it felt like a setback, just another year. Looking back now, it was one of the best opportunities I could have been given.
The foundation year gave me the chance to rebuild my confidence and confirm that science was still the path I wanted to pursue. More importantly, it taught me how to communicate and think like a university student. I learned how to structure academic assignments, convey scientific ideas clearly, and adapt my writing for different audiences, whether that was an essay, lab report or blog. These skills may seem small but understanding what university-level work requires gave me a huge advantage when I progressed into first year. It allowed me to focus less on figuring out expectations and more on engaging with the content itself, giving me confidence in my abilities before taking the next step in my degree.
The year also helped me settle into university life. I became familiar with campus, adjusted to independent learning, and met people who were in similar situations to me. Some of the friendships I formed during that year have lasted for half a decade, some from living in Horwood Halls, and others from walking to maths class together.
When I began my degree, I originally intended to study Neuroscience. However, the confidence I gained during the foundation year encouraged me to explore new interests and opportunities. As I progressed, I became increasingly fascinated by Psychology and wanted to understand not only the biology of the brain, but also behaviour, cognition, and perception. This led me to pursue a Dual Honours degree in Neuroscience and Psychology, a path I hadn’t considered before university.
The confidence I gained during the foundation year shaped the choices I made throughout my degree. It encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone, whether that was pursuing a Dual Honours degree, taking on new academic challenges, or spending a year studying abroad in Canada. As I prepare to graduate this July with a First-Class Honours degree, I am grateful for how far this journey has taken me.
Success is not defined by a perfect start. Unexpected paths become the ones that shape us the most. The foundation year didn't just help me get to university, but gave me the confidence to embrace new opportunities and create them. Doing so has shaped who I am today, both intellectually and personally.
