Art Foundation Course Aaaaargh

[MoominMammasHandbag]

DD want to do some sort of Art degree and has decided on a foundation course to help her choose which area. But she wants to do it at university, rather than the local college. We are okay with this. Problem is, apart from the well known London colleges (which she has decided not to apply to) where is good for Art?
Most Russell Group type places don't even do Art, and the odd ones that do don't seem particularly inspiring. DD wants a city type experience, somewhere that will give her lot of options as to the degree she can then choose. Predicted As and B, but then is this even relevant as they will probably go on her portfolio?

The city I live in now has an excellent Art Foundation at one of the colleges.
I did mine in at Manchester Uni (the old poly) many years ago and that was a fantastic course with great facilities. Also a brilliant city for students.

Also, on my foundation there were plenty of students living in halls. I don't know what world some of the posters on here live in but its not mine!

My daughter was at Manchester Met last year for foundation art. She enjoyed the course and thought the facilities were good compared to her college A-level resources. The end of year show seemed impressive!No idea if it's well regarded, but Manchester does offer a great city experience for students.

But the op's DD doesn't want to move 'down south.' The London colleges are a different kettle of fish altogether and if she were talking about going to one of those I'd probably say get down there like a shot.

Oh yes, I meant Manchester Met. Any way I see you've already spoken to them.
Falmouth has a very good reputation for Art and Design but don't know if they have a Foundation.
Glasgow also very good.

Sorry, one more thing. With art subjects you spend the majority of your time there, in the building, in studios.
I'm sure you're already planing this, but looking round and getting a feel of the place really helps.
I made a decision on my degree course mainly because it felt right when I looked round.

At the Manchester Met open day we were told that entry was massively competitive, something like 20 applicants for every foundation place. So although it is DDs first choice, she needs plenty of alternatives.
Well done to your DD for getting on it Notinkansas. Has she stayed there or moved somewhere else now?

The good ones are always competitive to get into.

Fooking Hat you are correct. Choose the best. You can, however, get straight onto degree courses without a foundation but you have to work very hard at the portfolio and be good! Really good! So why do a foundation? She may want to try out every type of artistic genre but it is not vital. Can you not get portfolio advice from school? She will then go to university just like everyone else. Some well respected universities like their own foundation students so going to the same Uni is good if they offer both courses. It is such a shame your DD is anti the South, OP as some of the best courses are down here! Why would she not want the best place to study?

Yes I naively thought, Manchester Met, former Poly, the degree courses are CCC offers, that'll be an easy option for her to get into. Poor deluded fool that I am.

Rightly or wrongly Souxie, she is convinced they are full of very rich foreign students. To be honest, I am a little put off by the massive cost of accommodation, halls are a shocking amount.

They are absolutely not full of rich students! I came from a very poor family, council estate etc. My parents couldn't afford for me to go to the chippy, let alone university. They were unable to contribute at all despite my living at home and so being expected to be supported by them.

So if you can afford to help towards your daughters education then she is much richer than i was!

People came from all walks of life. There were some like me, some more comfortable and a few who seemed more lower middle class. I met no one posh! Perhaps they avoided me

The university where i did my degree was definitely more working class than middlesex. I think art and design is down to talent, and talent comes from all classes. You meet a wide variety of people.

I don't know anything about the Manchester one you mention. Although i know someone who studied there and has done well. If you can find a good respected course up there somewhere, i don't see being in London as necessary.

Foundations are great as they develop your interests and help you decide which direction to go in. Well worth it.

Only just noticed the foreign bit. I think i met one who had moved from Ireland for the course and i think one from Japan, but that's about it i think. Why the problem with foreign students?

You can probably look up the statistics for overseas students on the websites.

Bournemouth arts My son is there doing a degree but one of his flat mates is doing foundation and loving it

Not Bournemouth university the separate arts one

moomin - my DD decided to go to another city for her Graphic Design degree, but only because she has lived in Manchester all her life, lived at home during the foundation year and really wanted the full away from home student experience. She's at Nottingham Trent and liking the course, although I think she thinks the facilities at Manchester were better in some ways (eg for printmaking).

No, not 'in the know' Shotgun, I'm just aware of the historic reputations of a few places and had a few good contacts at the time.

To the OP - I would say make sure your daughter works hard at her A-Levels and aims for the A/Bs she is predicted. If she finds that the art foundation/ BA isn't for her then she will still have a backup if she ends up doing an academic degree somewhere. This happened to me, and whilst I only needed my portfolio and one 'E' (!) to go to St Martins, the As I had in reserve were essential when I went to York to do BA History a few years later. I dread to think what options would have been available if I only had one E because I didn't bother once I had my art school place.

Incidentally, there are some other options she might be interested in - footwear design at Cordwainers College, and History of Art at the Courtauld/ St Andrews.

Fooking, sorry, I wasn't making myself clear. Rightly or wrongly she has the perception that sought after places like St Martins and Goldsmiths are choc full of super rich foreign students, and people with contacts (your Stella McCartney types) who she would have little in common with.
Really not a problem with your average overseas student, I hope she meets a good mix of people.

dh teaches on the graphics/illustration/animation degree course at loughborough, they do have a foundation course with a progression agreement, although now, the degree courses do take students straight from a'level, foundations are being phased out, which is a shame as i loved mine.

Hi Moomin,

My DD completed her Art Foundation course last year at St Martins, it wasnt choc full of super rich students, there seemed to be a range of students, which did include the rich and foreign students.

She loved the course and did very well, however she hated London and had a pretty miserable year - she has chosen to do her Fine Art Degree at Leeds College of Art. The foundation course at Leeds is also very good and has a great reputation

Her A level results were ABB so Art was not a second choice. She has always wanted to go down the Art route since she was very young.

Good luck to your daughter

Nipersvest, we are going to the Loughborough open day in a few weeks. DD is a not overly keen on a campus style non city university though and is wondering if Loughborough will be full of clean living sporty types (she is sporty but quite indie/alternative). We are giving it a look anyway.

That is interesting Pink, I will suggest she looks at Leeds, it certainly ticks a few boxes.

Oh i see. I met some on my degree who did foundations or other courses at the places you mention and were just very ordinary people. No connections or the super rich. A friend of mine did her degree at stMartins and she is from a working class family.

So are you a Graphic Designer Fooking? Does it keep the wolf from the door? We don't have a single person who did Art among our friends and acquaintances (mostly scientists) and everyone is keen to tell us that DD is wasting her time and will end up on the checkout in Tescos with a massive debt. It is quite annoying actually.