[poll id=”35″]
YES
Having first year not count towards our degrees is like making students bungee jump over a fifty foot cliff with a sixty foot cord.
The leap from A-Levels to university is undeniably substantial, yet first term totals a titanic ten weeks: more than long enough to ‘settle in’.
Yes, beginning uni and embracing all the stimulating new aspects of life undoubtedly takes some getting used to, but it just doesn’t seem necessary for that process to take an entire year. A first term should be all about going out, meeting people and feeling tipsy – and from then onwards students should be motivated to get stuck in.
If first year results contributed to our degrees it would unquestionably relieve the pressure on later assessments and students would learn what was expected of them earlier in their university careers. I am not, by any means, suggesting it should account for a third of the final degree, but enough to relieve further pressure and encourage considerable effort. A split, for instance, of 20%, 40%, 40% over the course of three years would provide the perfect platform on which to move forward.
Given the national tuition fees increase to more than £9000 per annum, undertaking a year which does not count seems a bit like a waste of money.
It is sometimes argued that fees should not play a part in the consideration of the length and construction of a degree, but ultimately – and unfortunately – the reality is students are looking for value for money, particularly in this increasingly challenging job market.
And it’s all very well for those in first year now to firmly propose that it certainly shouldn’t count, but from experience, it would definitely have been smoother if first-year essays in summer term had contributed.
For the overwhelming majority of the student population, the 40% pass mark is all that is required to progress into second year, meaning lectures are often sacrificed for nights out. This is understandable for first term, but not for the entire year.
A recent study by Staffordshire University found that graduates where every year of study counts towards their degree course, end up on average financially better off than others, while their results were also better. Plus they were more likely to be “mature” and begin courses “with a better attitude.”
If end-of-first-year exams did count, then the mentality that you simply don’t need to work in first year would cease to exist.
NO
It goes without saying that the move to University is, fundamentally, a large change. It is not just brought about, for most people, in terms of moving away from home and settling into a new environment, but it offers a whole new method of education for students.
Those who argue that a rise in people remaining at home is somehow an indication that the change is now not so significant are wrong. Although it seems distant once we have settled in, the way in which we study at university level is a huge transition from the way we have been taught at A level.
The reason why first year should not count is simple: University study is too big an adjustment to take on and be critiqued for at the same time. This is true most of all in academia. A reduced time in the hours we spend in a classroom is not an indication of ease, but rather, the new emphasis that students have on independent study. Never before have we ever been so encouraged to go away and do our own research, which takes time to adapt to.
In addition, the argument of first year counting is one that is primarily a result of the rise in tuition fees, and this is such a shame. Instead of a university degree being done for the enjoyment of a subject, priority has now been transferred instead to the perceived value of a certain degree. Therefore, the idea is that we demand more because we, the student, now pay more. Does that then mean that first year should count?
The fact that first years now pay more for a year that doesn’t count has become more of an incentive to do well. This is not an argument in support of the tuition fees rise. Rather, with the seemingly huge amount at stake, there can only be an increase in the stress to students during their degree.
As a result first year should remain a time for a student to establish themselves, and grow in confidence before things begin to count. To tell a student, who is already paying a large amount to attend the university, that their initial efforts will be added to their final degree mark is nothing but unnerving.
I am a first year. The truth is that, although I have not yet become a great essayist, I have learnt methods of presenting, structure and analysis. That is not to say that I have been in some way indoctrinated. Instead, I have learnt to think for myself. In truth, it would be unfair to mark me on what I have produced in the baby steps of higher education.
[poll id=”34″]
I’m sure every degree programme is different, but speaking from my own experiences, I’m glad that my first year didn’t count.
My marks in first year were significantly lower, not from spending the year partying, but because getting used to academic writing, referencing and independent learning took time. I, like many of my peers, had not been taught how to reference in school and therefore when I came to university it was completely new territory. First year is a good way to test the water and get used to new techniques without having to worry too much if you don’t get it exactly right the first time. This way, when you reach second year, you have a firm grasp on writing techniques etc which will ultimately result in higher marks when they do count which will benefit not only yourself, but your department and the university as a whole.
I think if Year 1 were to count, my department would definitely suffer a blow results-wise. Not to mention the confidence-knock to first year students who have quite enough on their plate to deal with, particularly in their first term.
I would hope that people wouldn’t be stupid enough to frequently miss the lectures they’re paying for anyway, regardless of whether assessments that year count or not. As Megan has said, the first year is an important foundation for later years.
First year counts already. Don’t work hard enough in your first year and the second will be harder.
It should count as in, ‘if you don’t pass you can’t continue to second year’, but out culture dictates that students see uni as a massive party. This needs to be removed from the system before students can put in 110%…
However, of course they shouldn’t merely be allowed to party for a whole year, hence the requirement for a pass to get into second year…
But uni is a massive culture shock and, on some courses, a massive step up in terms of workload. Even if students don’t see uni as a massive party then this still needs to be taken into account so first year is great as a learning curve.