Art Foundation and uni entry. Admissions advice, please.

[Miljah]

Didn't get any responses in 'Further Education'...!

DS, 17, will be doing this Art Foundation 1yr course (UAL) at a local tech in Sept.

He wants to do Graphic Design at Uni, and is aiming high.

He's doing GD A level and a 2 A level equivalent BTEC in digital design tech at 6th form, which he's predicted high grades (A star/ D star/ D star).

'Art' subjects admission to uni is very portfolio dependent, so UCAS points above a certain level are not that important. He probably has them already

DS wants to effectively stay back a year (not defer- he didn't apply for this year) as he wants to get a great portfolio and a year's maturity, hence the Foundation.

Now, uni interviews are Jan/Feb. So, for him early '20. He currently has college mates with conditional offers at good unis to do GD already, based on getting the grades as their portfolios have passed muster.

My question (finally! 😊)- DS will be interviewed next Jan ('20). He will by then have his results and a portfolio.

If they like him, his grades and portfolio are good enough, will they offer him unconditional, as if he were in the Upper Sixth/Y13? Or might they slap a grade requirement for the Foundation on him just because he's doing it?

I understand that if his grades/ portfolio were 'borderline' they might want a grade in Foundation to demonstrate further development; but frankly, his teachers say he'd get in now with his predicteds and portfolio (conditional).

What do you think?

I’m not sure I can answer exactly as DD did a fashion degree at UAL without a Foundation (she did A levels and portfolio). However I think UAL look favourably on their own foundation students for places. To be perfectly honest, I would email the universities he is interested in and see what they say. Usually they will just offer you a place if they like the portfolio and the A levels/BTec results are good enough. Technically that will be unconditional because he will have the results when he applies. It will then rest on the portfolio.

DD worked really hard on three A levels and a portfolio all in y13. However, after interview, she was asked to get CC at A level.

DD is doing theatre design and applied in the year she did the Art Foundation. Her UCAS offer was unconditional. However they did ask to see her results slip when she enrolled. It is quite difficult to fail the Art Foundation. DD did the minimum amount possible as she hated the course (at Camberwell), but passed anyway.

Yes, I do think that the biggie is the interview and the portfolio. It does seem s but daft that the kids are being interviewed with a portfolio they may have only 4 months work in, in Jan!

Luckily DS sees the Foundation as being an opportunity to try things other than digital design.

Yes she used a large amount of her A level work in her portfolio. A lot of her course colleagues came straight from A levels or had been working in the field. The interview seemed designed to tease out aptitude and interest. She thought the courses all had a 'type' they were looking for.

My DD thought they wanted a “type” too! You can start thinking about the portfolio during A levels. The degree courses give info on what they like to see. I know they like to see ideas and how you hsve wirjed them up into a product. What barriers were there and how were they overcome? What worked and what didn’t. The portfolio looks at thought processes as well as finished articles or designs.

Thanks, everyone.