Teacher recommending foundation course

[DiamondBright]

DD is doing A'Levels and thinking about University courses for 2022. Her art teacher today recommended a foundation course at our local college before University, I thought foundation courses were for adults returning to education to access university courses without A'Levels or an alternative to A'Levels at 16, am I wrong?

I'm not opposed to her doing a course for a year and getting more life experience before University but this feels like a potentially backward step.

@DiamondBright , this explains everything you ever wanted to know -www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5017684&page=2
about an Art & Design Foundation Diploma FAQ - The Student Room.
It is a completely difference diploma to the ones you've mentioned and very valuable experience.

@DiamondBright , apologies, the link didn't work - www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5017684&page=2

Many students do take an art foundation course before their degree but it’s not as universal as it once was. She could apply to an art foundation and to art degrees at the same time.
An art foundation gives her a year to chose what she may like to specialise in and if she’s under 19 her tuition will be free. It can be a fun and educational year.
Many art degrees have various admissions criteria and the portfolio tends to be the main one. If she can get together a good portfolio without the art foundation it may be worth applying direct to institutions.

Art foundation courses can be very competitive, especially the fully funded ones at universities. Foundation courses are not the norm for school leavers in most subjects but Art is a bit of an exception to that.

Foundation art is brilliant. A chance to try a wide range of arts subjects. Will open her eyes to the breadth of choices-gone art, fashion, graphics, ceramics, animation etc etc. Facilities for these are few and far between at schools and degrees are better chosen as specialisms. Still the best way to choose.

Thank you, I'm looking at the right course now, they do it at our local college.

The course is free for 16 - 18 year olds, I presume that's 18 at the start of the course? She would 19 three months in.

For art it's normal. It's possible to go straight into a degree programme but the better courses tend to prefer those with foundation courses

Foundation courses are excellent. I know someone who did a masters after theirs and got a great job.

She is thinking of doing an Art degree then yes? If so then admission is on the basis of portfolio. Very often students just doing one creative A level just won't have the breadth of portfolio required so do an Art Foundation for a year. If she's doing say Art, Photography and Graphics A levels (or the BTEC extended diploma in Art and design) she might have a wide enough portfolio.

She's only doing one creative A'Level, she didn't fancy photography and that was the only other option.

She's very undecided on what she specifically wants to do at university, she's enjoying art and computer science at A'Level.

@DiamondBright

She's only doing one creative A'Level, she didn't fancy photography and that was the only other option.

She's very undecided on what she specifically wants to do at university, she's enjoying art and computer science at A'Level.

Combine the two? Digital Arts:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/ug/bsc-digital-arts-computing/

I think she’d get free tuition as long as she’s not 19 or over on the 31 August 2021, but check with the college.

It’s not as simple as saying the better Unis want an art foundation. If you look at the entrance criteria for for UAL courses you’ll probably find it’s just one of a number of admission points.

Doing an Art Foundation course at a Uni isn’t necessarily “best” either. It’s become financially difficult for HE institutions to sustain FE courses.

Maybe she should look at some degree courses she may be interested in and work backwards from there.

Art Foundations are free; it is university level teaching and "experience" free, before university or Art School, most people commute from home. DD has been at Kingston doing a foundation in Art and Design, hard work but such a great chance to meet people and learn different pathways in art and design.
The one problem is that it is quite tough applying both for foundation and UCAS/uni..better to decide either one or the other, DD was very stressed in Jan Feb trying to do two sets of applications.

This was in 2020 I mean

@Nettleskeins

Art Foundations are free; it is university level teaching and "experience" free, before university or Art School, most people commute from home. DD has been at Kingston doing a foundation in Art and Design, hard work but such a great chance to meet people and learn different pathways in art and design. The one problem is that it is quite tough applying both for foundation and UCAS/uni..better to decide either one or the other, DD was very stressed in Jan Feb trying to do two sets of applications.

Our local FE college used to be a specialist art college years ago and still has a good art department, so we'll look into that as a first option I think.