Important Info for Admissions Tutors and International Officers

INFORMATION FOR UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS, TUTORS & INTERNATIONAL OFFICE

Foundation Preparation:  a) in Parallel to Greek Lyceum and, b) after Graduation from Lyceum

The NETWORKFoundation Programmeduring the past twenty-three years has continuously been offering training, academic planning and consulting services to Greek candidates who wish to pursue undergraduate studies in the UK, and with two main sites in Athens and Thessaloniki it is currently the principal Foundation provider in Greece.

In fact, according to official UCAS statistics, NETWORK is the largest UCAS School in Greece (as regards the number of student acceptances for 2012,2013,2014 and 2015 Entry).

NETWORKoffers two Full-time curriculum Foundation Programmes:

1. The NETWORK Lyceum Foundation Programme, offered to students attending the second and third classes of Lyceum (Greek High School 11^th and 12^thgrade) which runs in parallel with high school.  This full curriculum programme is split over two academic years part-time in order to cover the complete syllabus.  Students attend 3 days / 11 hours per week.
2. The NETWORK Winter Foundation Programmewhich is offered to Greek Lyceum graduates (Greek High School 12^thgrade graduates).  This programme’s duration is one full academic year.  Students attend 5 days / 22 hours per week.

Given that most tutors may be already familiar with our Winter Foundation Programme, we would like to present you with certain details of our Lyceum Foundation Programme, which is becoming more and more popular to Greek students who have selected the UK as their primary undergraduate study destination.  (Tutors Manual & Academic Information:  www.network.gr/academic)

NETWORK Lyceum Foundation

This option has become very popular in the last 4 years and from our experience to date, students who choose this route constitute a particularly strong population sample among applicants from Greece with respect to character, motivation, academic credentials and determination to succeed in the British Education System.

The NETWORK Lyceum Foundation Programme (4-modules plus English) for all students who attend it is the primary preparation for UK University admission.  The Apolytirion in this case should be considered as a school leaving certificate and not as a University entry qualification.

Lyceum Student Apolytirion Qualification:  While the “nationally examined” (with Pan-Hellenic exams) Greek Apolytirion represents a demanding qualification, students who are taking the Lyceum Foundation (i.e. “parallel” course, while also at the Lykeion/Lyceum), take the school leaving Apolytirion – referred to as “internally examined” Apolytirion.  According to Greek state law No. 3966/2011, both Apolytirion (the internally examined and the panhellenically examined) are coequal as high school leaving certificates and both offer the right to continue to higher education.

Student Academic Focus:   The “internally examined” Apolytirion allows students to focus their effort on the Foundation course thus ensuring optimum preparation for their studies in the UK.  Selectors are therefore advised to make admission offers on the basis of performance on the Foundation course rather than the Apolytirion.

Student Profile:   Students taking the “parallel” Lyceum Foundation course alongside their Apolytirion are committed to studying in the UK, while those taking the nationally examined Apolytirion are primarily committed to studying in Greece and would normally only join a UK institution if they failed to reach the standard required for admission to their desired Greek institution.

There are at least 7 reasons that justify the qualitative advantage of the Lyceum Foundation students over other candidates:

1. Determination– Lyceum students, who at such a young age take the decision to study in the UK, are those who are most predisposed to travel to foreign countries and achieve superior academic and professional performance.  They can recognize the deficiencies of the Greek Higher Education and display maturity that is rare among young people of the same age group.
2. International Culture– These students and their families are characterised by a more international / cosmopolitan outlook, which leads them to abandoning the rather monolithic procedure of rote learning during their preparation for and subsequent sitting the Pan-Hellenics, deciding instead to focus on gaining an Apolytirion (school leaving diploma) that is more holistic in its approach to an all-round provision of education.
3. Enthusiasm to study in the UK– Lyceum students who take the decision to study in the UK are significantly friendlier towards and more familiar with British culture.  They truly desire to attain high standards within a system they deeply feel as being one of the top in the world. Eventually, when they are offered a place to a British university programme, they are enthusiastic about this opportunity and dream of the day that they will be given the opportunity to achieve high grades at university.
4. Customised Preparation– It is also important to point out that we consider it an advantage that the Lyceum Foundation students begin their preparation for British universities early, along with their second class of Lyceum (11^thgrade); this eventually offers them the opportunity to learn and absorb more efficiently many aspects of the British educational system and its principles.  They learn how to conduct research, how to deliver presentations and how to work on assignments, concurrently with their studying for Greek High School.
5. Educated Orientation– Since the Lyceum Foundation modules during the first phase of the parallel foundation programme are of more general content (Mathematics, Statistics, Computing, Study Skills and English), these candidates have the opportunity to obtain more detailed and comprehensive consultation regarding selection/direction of studies.  By the beginning of the second phase of the Lyceum Foundation, students have researched and evaluated all options, have become familiar with most courses and disciplines offered in the UK and can very securely and maturely make their decisions.  As a result they can select the appropriate modules of the Foundation course and proceed with their UCAS application.
6. Focus on UK studies– Students who attend the Lyceum Foundation (parallel Foundation Programme) are strongly focused on achieving a high academic performance in both their Foundation Programme and the final two years of their Greek Apolytirion studies, without having to devote their time to an exams oriented approach aimed at achieving specific scores in the Pan-Hellenic examinations. These students are not only academically, but also psychologically ready to attend a British university at the age of 18, their readiness and preparation are the best guarantee for a superior academic performance during their attendance at a British institution.
7. Familiarity with the English Language– Being trained and exposed to the English language for two years (a longer period than all other Foundation courses) and attending all modules in English, the Lyceum Foundation students are very well experienced to cope with their studies by being familiar with the language and the system.  After having finished their Foundation programme, students just travel to their UK destination and continue studying in the exact same manner and means without needing any adaptation period.

Diagram of the Greek Equivalence to the British Education System (10^th-12^th grades)

Although there is no exact analogy between the British GCSE and GCE awards and the Greek Lyceum Apolytirion, the following diagram depicts the corresponding stages in the two educational systems and is helpful in understanding why Greek Lyceum students who simultaneously attend a Foundation course are probably the best prepared students for British Universities.

IMPORTANT Q&As WITH STUDENTS, PARENTS AND THE BRITISH COUNCIL

The majority of the candidates who wish to apply to UK Universities for their undergraduate studies usually start by getting initial advice from the British Council in Greece.  When it comes to considering preparation via a Foundation programme in Greece, the Council has a standard line of advice using the following exact quote: “The British Council is not responsible for the quality of Foundation programmes in Greece, therefore we advise you to contact the institutions directly and ask if the school you are planning to register for your Foundation course is recognized by the universities you wish to apply to.”

The first part of the quote regarding the quality of Foundation programmes in Greece would not sound very complimentary, as stated, to students and parents. However, it is not important to focus on that but on the second part of the quote referring to recognition.

For example, a prospective student would ask the following:

“Is *name* Foundation recognized by your University?”

which, of course, if answered typically the answer would be

“No, it is not.”

(and this is typically correct, because no school in Greece or elsewhere can be officially recognized by all UK institutions at the same time; such thing can’t physically happen anyway).

As a result, the student will assume that he/she will not get any offers from the Universities which replied that they do not officially recognize the specific Foundation school.

But this is not the case. For example, NETWORK Foundation students are indeed offered places based on their Foundation qualification by almost all UK Universities.

Actually, what the candidates should be asking is the following:

“I am planning to attend the *name* Foundation Programme.  If I apply to your University and I include the above Foundation qualification, would you consider my application for admission?”

For the above reason we would kindly ask you, when you are asked if a school in Greece is recognised, to explain to them what the actual case is.  For example, this could be a standard reply:

“Our University does not have any official recognition agreement with *name* Foundation Programme, but if you apply to our University we will be able to examine your application based on your Foundation and other qualifications and accordingly consider offering you a place.”

More specifically, if a candidate asks about our school, NETWORK, and given that your institution has previous knowledge/experience with the NETWORK Foundation Programme, you might consider adding the sentence below in your standard reply:

“Our University has considered candidates and has offered places to students based on their NETWORK Foundation qualification.”

In this way, the candidates will not believe that attending the specific Foundation course translates to a closed door for them, and additionally if they have anyway decided to attend the specific Foundation course, they will not exclude your University from their choices.

For your records, the British Council has an online list of recognized schools in Greece that offer Foundation courses and the NETWORK Foundation Programme, both in Athens and Thessaloniki, is included in the official list

https://www.britishcouncil.gr/sites/default/files/foundation-courses-and-gces-19-05-2016.pdf

Apolytirion and PanHellenic Exams

The Greek Apolytirion, The Pan-Hellenic Exams and the “Institutionalised Plagiarism” Problem

Study:  NETWORK Foundation Programme – © 2016- info@network.gr

Sources:  Greek Ministry of Education, DOATAP (Greek NARIC), NETWORK Educational Group (knowledge base archives).

The Apolytirion, is internally examined in the individual high schools.  It is officially recognised not because the examinations are monitored, accredited or approved, but because all these Apolytirion high school leaving examinations take place in high schools that are recognised by the Greek state as local examining bodies (Lykeion/Lyceum).

A certificate entitled “Apolytirion” may only be issued by a state recognised Lykeion.  However, no official validity or comparison of quality between Apolyteria from different high school can take place, since these school leaving exams are local, independent and without specific guidelines for quality, difficulty or context.

It has been official since 2011 that the internally examined Apolytirion (without Pan-Hellenics) is fully accredited as a school leaving certificate (Greek State Law No.3966/11).   As stated in Greek law the Apolytirion is not an entry qualification for the Greek Universities.  However, it grants the right to pursue entry to higher education at a later date.  As a result, the Pan-Hellenic examination, which is now an independent process and by no means related to the Apolytirion certificate is the only entry qualification for the Greek Universities.

The Pan-Hellenic examinationssare University entrance exams that are nationally examined and are designed, set and run by the state.  The exams are same and common for all participants.  The Pan-Hellenic exams, since 2015 are totally independent with the Apolytirion and their grades do not appear any more in the Apolytirion of the students.  This examination process, from now on, is only for matriculation purposes.

Students who wish to be admitted to a Greek university are required to sit the Pan-Hellenic examinations, for which, as a rule, the vast majority of students attend evening private preparatory schools (frontistirion) for 5-6 evening sessions per week in order to be well prepared.

However, students are not aware of which university, or even which specialisation they will be eligible to attend, before the end of July.  This has to do with the rationale underlying the university entry requirements with Pan-Hellenic exams, according to which the exact university, university department, and the specialization of study are interdependent on the marks achieved by all other candidates.

The Greek matriculation system is characterised by uncertainty and above all is a system still based on a student’s capacity for rote learning of a substantial amount of information in order for the student to achieve the necessary marks.

The question that arises concerning the necessity for students to learn by heart the relevant material is answered by the grading system of the Pan-Hellenic exams.  What essentially happens is that thousands of teachers are obliged to act as exam paper graders and mark tens of thousands of exam papers on the basis of the proximity of the papers to relevant textbook information.

As the marking system is not founded on automation through an objective multiple choice answer sheet, or on analytical strict guidelines on what constitutes evidence of critical and analytical abilities needed for university, subjectivity starts playing an important role.

In order to minimise the graders’ subjectivity factor, the benchmark on which teachers marking Pan-Hellenic exam papers rely on is the similarity to and/or proximity of an answer to textbook material taught during the last year of Lyceum.

The results in thousands of Greek students for the past 30 years having to virtually resort to “plagiarism” in order to be admitted to Higher Education.

This system does not test intelligence, as such, or critical thinking, but rather an ability to memorise.  As a result, many intelligent and capable students who do not perform well on rote learning do not get into the universities of their choice.

Conclusion

Students who decide they do not want to attend Greek universities opt for the internally examined Apolytirion option.  From 2015 and onwards, the Apolytirion route, combined with parallel preparation offered within the framework of a Lyceum Foundation course, may be considered as a solid basis for successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree, whereas the students who apply to UK Universities using Pan-Hellenic exams as their entry qualification are prepared in a rote learning system with a poles apart state of mind and without any experience in academic subjects delivered in the English language.