David Hardcastle Foundation Year

Hi, I'm David Hardcastle and I studied Foundation Year within Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton.

I think that the foundation year prepared me for my course better than A-levels. The base concepts needed to study physics were gone over in more detail, and already having a year on campus made sure there was no time wasted settling in once my undergraduate degree started.

David Hardcastle has just started his MPhys course after successfully completing his Foundation Year.  He has returned to study after eight years working in handheld games design; "I realised that I had missed out on an earlier dream to study how the universe works through Physics, so I decided on a career change."

As a mature student, he chose Southampton because the Foundation Year would give him the essential knowledge he needed to embark on a degree at its highly ranked Physics department. "I enjoyed the support classes and workshops the most.  Problem solving classes were always my favourite, my studies provided ample opportunity to practice these skills."

David is sure it prepared him for my course better than A levels would have done "The base concepts needed to study Physics were covered in more detail, and already having a year on campus made sure I didn't waste any time settling in once my undergraduate degree started."

Outside class, he belongs to the poker society.  "When you move hundreds of miles away from the people you know, it is very nice to have a group of like-minded people you can enjoy an activity with outside course-related gatherings (which often end in ‘shop talk')," he says.

He has this message for people thinking of changing career. "As a mature student, I was worried about fitting in, both academically and socially, before I came to university.  I can safely say those fears are unfounded.  On the Foundation Year there is such a wide range of ages and backgrounds, you won't stick out like a sore thumb."