Foundation year for Art degrees

[PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle]

Is there anyone with experience of these? My daughter would like to do BA in Textile Design and looks like she will get enough UCAS points for entry. However, many courses ask for a portfolio as well. Her school have mentioned she may have to do a foundation year in order to build up a portfolio. She is currently doing A level Textiles and is predicted a C. I thought this work may be enough for her portfolio but don't know what the colleges are looking for. Really stuck now as we don't know whether she should be applying for BA course or foundation year.
Thanks

Hi, the short answer is that yes, she can apply to art degrees without first taking an art foundation course.
However, by taking a foundation course she will have a year spent developing her portfolio, and trying out many more art based techniques. From fine art painting to photography to computer based design to fashion and textiles. The people she is competing with for a degree place will mostly done this or have done art courses from 16, so will have a greater volume of work. They will have been taught in a way more similar to degree course. Studios not class rooms, student led work rather than teacher lead etc.
It also helps you to work out whether it's right for you, some students will decide to pursue a more academic degree instead.
Art degrees tend to take people on by looking at their portfolio, not UCAS points.
So, foundation courses are highly recommended, but not essential.

If it helps I applied for both at 6th form. I was offered a place at an ok art degree, but knew to get on a 'good' one I needed to do a foundation course. I declined the place and did a foundation course, and got onto a better respected degree.

I don't see why you can't do that, still?

My son has just finished his foundation year. He really enjoyed it but is rethinking the degree and will probably do philosophy, so is pleased he didn't go straight into the degree course. Foundation also gives more opportunities to try different media. I would recommend it, but they don't get grants, it's treated the same as 6 th form.

I have some experience of this with DD2. I think a predicted C in textiles will not be good enough to build up a portfolio as part of her course. You need to do some background work here and although my DD did get straight onto a BA course from school it was a hell of a lot of extra work, especially as the interviews tend to be held in January and February when DCs are gearing up for practical exams. The arts colleges want to see a coherent personal statement in the first place to even get you an interview. DD attended several week long courses in at Central St Martins and LcF to get info, usable work and advice for her portfolio. Once you get an interview, you have to wow them with your portfolio. You must, however, make absolutely certain that this portfolio contains what they want to see a show they want to see it. Colleges provide details on their web sites but I think it is vital to go to open days at preferred universities where they will be clear about what they are looking for. my daughters's university also had student advisers to help with advice regarding the portfolio. Also, they are a hell of a lot of work as the universities tend to want different things so they have to be changed for each interview. Also some universities don't really want A level arts students at all! They give UCAS points for guidance but they really want a foundation. If she is only likely to get a C then definitely do the foundation because she may find she is up against predicted A* in textiles and art and if she has no guidance in producing a brilliant personal statement or portfolio, then foundations a must. She will then be looked on more favourably. Hope this helps.

I did one but it was back in 1990. In those days all art colleges required a foundation course (or the BTEC National Diploma I did) - either a condensed 1 year course on top of your A-level or a two year course on top of your GCSEs.

This was because school art teaching was pretty poor in those days and many pupils just did not get a wide enough range of experience in 'mark making'*, technologies and art theory to be able to do a degree. I certainly didn't.

Whilst doing the foundation/BTEC course you got your hand held throughout the applying to art college procedures, which took place outside the UCAS system and were earlier than the UCAS admissions too. Despite doing fairly well I failed to get into art college to do a degree because the competition was very high. I was able to apply for a non-art course using the UCAS procedures because there was plenty of time left - I had got A-levels results already and so was accepted straight onto a course in Creative Writing instead which I did very well in.

I've said all this background stuff from long ago because it may still be fairly similar now - changes I can imagine have happened is that perhaps UCAS now covers the art colleges as well. Art colleges might accept A-level students if the teaching was good enough.

I would find your nearest art college (just for convenience) and ask them what students have to do nowadays. Your school may or may not be out of date. Also ask them about a portfolio - you may find that as well as showing off her textiles work, your daughter will need to show some curiosity about the world around her (life and still life drawing) and have tried different media. Perhaps done things in 2D and 2D. A good textile course will have covered that last one. They love BIG bold (A1) drawings and installations (photos of.) Or at least they did in 1990!

Having said that my portfolio was pathetic (a few pencil drawings and watercolour pictures of winsome pre-Raphaelite females) and I got in to do the BTEC. I loved the course although it was quite intense and a lot of work. I was struggling to catch up with students who had done more in school. I learned a huge lot and despite not getting into art college for a degree I still used what I've learned in my spare time ever since. It teaches you to how to analyse and create which are useful for even the most boring of office jobs.

mark making - oh please no don't call it drawing how dreadfully common*

** bobbins! Your daughter will have to put up with a lot of pretentious bobbins but it's worth it because it's fun!

Sorry that's so long! I hope your daughter has a brilliant time in college!

tl:dr? - Ask the art colleges direct!

I meant to say... And how they want to see it... Ie presentation.

I teach A level textiles. I have had the majority of my students go onto degree courses without taking a foundation. However, these tended to fall into 2 categories: those who were all taking an Art A level too, and went onto to design courses, or those who went onto fashion/ marketing and business courses. I had a student who got a c at A level get on a course with 600 applicants for 25 places. They knew she had the technical background you see, which is one of the most important things in design

I personally am not a huge fan of foundation courses, although mine was the best year of my life! They are really meant to be for those who don't know what to do, or haven't done a subject specific course at a level like your daughter is doing. They can stretch your skills, but you don't always need that.

My suggestion is to apply direct to degree courses and apply to foundation course too. A predicted C may mean she is weak on exam theory. But may still have an excellent portfolio as it is 50/50 at A level. She is perfectly capable of getting into a top uni without a foundation. I have had many many students who have done this is Textile related course. In fact less than 25% do a foundation, as an A level Textiles equips them for going straight onto degrees

Just looked at entry requirements for London College of Fashion - Fashion Textiles course. They want foundation art plus two A levels at grade C or better. They are a brilliant starting point but they make it clear that it is highly competitive to get on it. There will be others but if they mention a foundation, then do it. Also,do the best one you possibly can. Some of the best unis for textiles run their own foundation courses and give their own students priority!!! Good luck.

A lot of art degrees have (relatively) low exam grade requirements but the courses interview and make offers based on the interview and portfolio shown. It is managing to a quality portfolio that often leads to the advice being to take a foundation year unless an extended diploma has been sat. I suppose maybe some students do a lot of art A levels and they may have been able to create a quality portfolio too but most A levels students pick more of a mix.

My daughter is currently going to open days looking at a photography degree and this is what the advice is for most students. They do think she will be able to jump straight in as she is doing an extended diploma rather than A levels and has, therefore, spent 2 years full time doing nothing but this particular discipline. Hence, she has quite a bit of work to choose from to put into a portfolio but, even then, she has initiated related work experience and three personal photo shoots over the summer, to give her some personal work which shows what she is about (rather than purely coursework generated photography) to include.

I am not sure if you have to pay for the foundation course but, if not, I can't see why you wouldn't want to do one. If it is free, another years education to improve in what is an extremely competitive industry.

Thinking about it, my friends daughter is doing a textile degree (of some sort) and went straight from A levels. A competitive course to get an offer on - so she must have impressed at interview. So, as others have said, it is possible.

They do seem to be encouraging the foundation on the open days we have been to though. Why not go to a few open days of interest (it's open day season at the moment!) and see what they say - after all, it is a different course entirely to those my daughter is looking at.

I have had plenty of my students go to interviews where they don't ask to see a portfolio. They set a little project to do instead, or often don't even look at work. Not saying this is right, but it happens.

I still stand by not having to do a foundation if you have done textiles A level. Some of mine have gone onto the top courses without foundation. A lot of places don't offer a textiles A level, then a foundation is necessary, but if they have done A level, it is always seriously considered, as it puts students who have done it, much further ahead than those who haven't done it. Hence they don't need the foundation. I even had one accepted by The London College of fashion, although she didn't take up the place.

Foundations are great for fine art/ photography stuff, because it gives students a real chance to explore and experiment, but with a Dt A level it often isn't really necessary, if they are going into design.

I assume it is Dt your dd is taking and not Art Textiles

I did a foundation course followed by a fine art degree, I did these as a mature student and hadn't done any creative A levels so the foundation was essential for me.

I would approach the admissions of the colleges she's interested in and ask them directly what they expect. I know that none of the fine art BA courses I applied to would consider candidates without a foundation, but that's partly because they were the most competitive institutions and partly because fine art at university is very different to A level art, and the foundation is needed to bridge that gap. I think with textiles there might not be such a wide gap.

But nevertheless, I would just recommend doing a foundation because I loved doing mine and I think it's a good course to find your direction. It's definitely true that if you do a foundation run by certain art schools, you have a much better chance of getting a place - because you meet and get to know the actual admissions tutors, and also because you're more likely to end up working in their preferred style. I don't know if this is the case for textiles.

The foundation course is treated as further education so this is good for most families (no tuition fees if under 19, can continue to claim child benefit/tax credits).

Daughter did foundation before university and loved it. It also means you can keep them at home for another year. Also if you're under 20 it's free, so why not do it?

Orangeanddemons - those courses that never looked at the students portfolios...were they highly respected institutions with competitive entry?

At Open days, we've not found one course yet that they haven't really emphasised the need for a quality, well considered, portfolio. Nor one where the places on offer are not competitive - so far, the least competitive has been 300 applicants for 55 places.

My niece did an Arts foundation course at college. She found it very useful for putting together a portfolio and it also gave her more UCAS points, She has just started Kingston University

God, yes, really competitive ones. They are all competitive, but I think, but I can't be sure, that one was Epsom, one was Leeds. A student is currently looking at Bath, which doesn't want a portfolio either

I think it is worth pointing out, that all these courses are highly competitive and have very stiff entry requirements, as the numbers applying are so high. As I said before, 600 for 25 places, and I think this is about normal. They have so many applicants that they can afford to pick and choose, hence these insidious little projects when students are already overloaded with a2 study. They only recruit the amount of graduates that there are vacancies in the industry

Thank you all for these responses. It's given me something to think about. We are booked on an Open Day for Chelsea so hopefully we will find out more. Although she is predicted a C for Textiles she is dyslexic and the teacher has said it is her written work that is letting her down. Her textiles work is good enough for a B grade.
Her original plan was to do a dance degree, she is currently doing BTEC in dance and in musical theatre and is predicted distinction for both. I was all for this as I did dance (many years ago!) and know she is good enough for this. However she changed her mind to textiles and I am uncertain about this as I am pants at art and so can't judge how good she is.
She specifically wants to do Textile Design, not Fashion Textiles, as most courses seem to be. Looking at the foundation course has put her off as it seems to be Art and Design and she isn't so keen on art. She really just wants to do textiles.
Life would be so much simpler if she would just take my advice!
Is there a point where you ever stop worrying for your children?

No, I worry too, Puddleglum. From the day my daughter announced in year 10 she wanted to go to competitive art college to do level 3 instead of sixth form - my worry : she wasn't even taking GCSE art! To her being determined to take a creative degree : all those £££££ in loans for what is such a competitive degree and career too. But she is a happy optimist who loves every minute of her study. In some ways, I'm not sure I could ask for more.

Thanks oranges for your reply.

Okaaaaay...having read your post, she may have to rethink Textile design. If its printed textiles she want to do, there is a lot of Art based stuff. A lot. That's where they get the ideas from. They will always start with a lot of drawing stuff and plants to help inspire them

Have just looked at the course. visual stimuli and exploration means lots of drawing and sketching and exploring ideas, all of which need a fair to high degree of artistic skill..... She will have to do lots of drawing and sketching from objects and things

On Which? University, that course and location, says 21% of applicants received offers. They don't say how they calculate these figures or from what year they came, which, perhaps, makes them slightly unhelpful!