Ahmed on the integrated foundation year: a great transition from A levels to university

Student experience 31st October 2022

Ahmed Omara joined the university on the Electrical, Electronic & Mechatronic Engineering with an Integrated Foundation Year course. Read about his experience at The University of Manchester:

Hi Ahmed, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the course you studied?   

Hello there. My name is Ahmed Omara, and my course is MEng Mechatronic Engineering which is all about designing and creating control systems, robots, and products that make people’s lives easier and more efficient.

Why did you choose to study your course?   

I chose to study this course because of my passion in robotic systems and innovative systems. I enjoy control systems and programming as well as electronics and, as such, this course just seemed like the perfect choice for me.

Why did you choose to do an Integrated Foundation Year and how did it prepare you for the rest of your course?   

I chose to take a foundation year as it felt like a great transition from my A levels to university. It provided me with a good foundation for the later years of my study and provided me with a head start as well (essentially, starting from content I already know from A level, solidifying the basics and then going an extra step to prepare me for the later years which was very helpful in my university experience).

What has your university experience been like? What did you enjoy the most about your course?   

I have really enjoyed my university experience. From the teaching to the facilities and campus itself, I really enjoyed everything. My favourite part was the active vibe felt around campus and the fact that the campus was integrated into the city, with multiple cultures and activities always around.

What do you think of Manchester as a city? How is student life in Manchester?

I really like Manchester as a city. It is a very lively city with a lot of diversity. As a student, I really enjoyed my time at Manchester. Around the university, almost everything is available, from grocery shopping, takeaways, cafes to leisure centres and such. Also, the city centre is very close and the bus network is great. The university itself has many amazing spaces, such as the library, Alan Gilbert Building and the newly built Engineering Buildings which are great for my time as a student.

Are you part of any societies at the university?   

I am currently a part of the robotics society, where I build and test robots for fun, either alone or as a part of a team, making exciting projects, such as a maze-solving robot or a battle bot. I am also a part of the chess society where I play chess with other talented chess players and learn new skills. Finally, I am a part of the Islamic society where I meet and greet people and socialise.

Can you tell us a bit about your dissertation/final year project? 

My final year project involved using a new platform called “Julia” to simulate robotic arms and pendulums, and then compare them to that of another well-established software called “Maplesim”. The aim of the project was to see if “Julia” could match the capabilities of “Maplesim” while being open-source, and the conclusion was the case, and sometimes “Julia” outperformed “Maplesim”.

(See the images below for Ahmed’s 3rd-year dissertation)

We hear that you are doing your Master’s next year. What made you choose a Master’s course rather than a Bachelors? 

There were multiple reasons that I chose a Master’s course over a Bachelor’s course. Firstly, the course was integrated and as such came as an easy transition compared to a normal Master’s course. Also, there are modules on the Master’s course that I am very intrigued in, such as the “Machine Learning” module. Also, I have heard a lot of good things about the team projects, and I would gain a lot of skills from it, so it looked like an amazing opportunity to be a part of.

If you could give one piece of advice to students currently thinking about applying to university, what would it be? Would you recommend the Integrated Foundation Year?   

I would look at more than the rankings and such of the university and look at the big picture. While The University of Manchester has an amazing ranking overall, it also has a lot of other benefits, such as the campus and livelihood, so I would recommend it. I would also advise you to have a read of the modules you will be taking and see if the course is for you.

Besides the course, I would recommend you try to balance your time at university so that you don’t feel overloaded. If you manage your time correctly and do assignments early then you will find that you will have a lot of free time to do whatever you want, so make sure to plan ahead.

I would absolutely recommend the Integrated Foundation Year. Besides what I mentioned before about a smooth transition, it provides a nice and relaxing environment where you can decide on what you actually want to progress to – it is possible to change progression streams as long as there are spaces. I transferred from Mechanical Engineering to Mechatronic Engineering after careful thought and my experiences in the Foundation Year.

(See the images below for Ahmed’s 1st and 2nd-year project build examples)

I have had many experiences throughout my time at university, and I have enjoyed my time here. Every year, I have had projects which challenged me, but overall were enjoyable. Besides my final year project, I really enjoyed the autonomous line following buggy project in second year which was a good consolidation of the skills I had gained on the course and provided an environment to nurture many skills.

Find out more about the Integrated Foundation Year that Ahmed undertook and decide if its right for you too.

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