Optometry Hertfordshire Foundation year

I'm seriously considering doing a Foundation Year (Year 0) for Optometry and I'm trying to get a real, honest picture of what it's actually like — not just the university marketing. I have a few specific questions and I'd love to hear from anyone who has done the foundation year and progressed into Optometry Year 1:

📊 The Grade Question

• I've been told 70% is a very strong score — but is that actually true for an Optometry foundation year?

• What is the typical progression threshold to move from Year 0 into Year 1 of the MOptom/Optometry degree? I've seen 60% mentioned elsewhere — so is 70% comfortably above that, or is it just scraping by?

• How hard is it to actually hit that progression mark?

🔬 What Is The Course Actually Like — In Depth Detail

• What modules did you actually study? Was it mostly Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics to bring you up to speed, or was there clinical/optometry content too?

• How big was the jump/difference between the foundation year and real Optometry Year 1? Did it properly prepare you, or did you still feel behind?

• What was the workload, pace and stress levels like compared to A-Levels/Access courses?

• Did you feel like the foundation year gave you a solid science base, or was it mostly just a "warm-up"?

⚖️ The Big Question — Is It Actually Worth It?

• Financially: £9,250 + living costs for an extra year — did you feel it was money well spent, or did it feel like the university was just milking an extra year of fees?

• Time-wise: 5 years total vs 4 years direct entry — did the extra year make the degree more manageable, or was it just a longer slog?

• Did you face any stigma or disadvantage later on for having done the foundation year? Do employers care?

• Would you do it again, or would you have found a different route?

🏫 Specific Uni Experiences

• I'm looking at options like City, Cardiff, Plymouth, Hertfordshire — does anyone have experience at any of these?

• How different is the foundation year content between unis?

Background on me: I have a Level 3 Access to HE Science (Bio/Chem/Phys) and I'm weighing up whether to go straight into something else or take the foundation year route into Optometry. I want the real, unfiltered truth — not the prospectus version.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience!