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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Original poster

Art Foundation year

20 replies

Historytoo · 08/04/2021 17:11

Hello all. DD1 is yr 12 current and has decided she wants a gap year after sixth form. She is young for her age and doesn't feel ready for university. She doesn't really know what she wants to do long term and an art foundation course, which she could do locally, has been suggested. Not sure that she'll go on to do an art degree though. She has some interest in becoming an art therapist but it's a very niche job...
Her a levels are psychology, art textiles and biology and target/predicted grades are currently AAB. Does anyone have a DC who has completed the year of art foundation and what have they gone on to do?

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ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 08/04/2021 17:13

Art foundation is the stepping stone to a degree in Arg and Design.

Original poster

Historytoo · 08/04/2021 17:22

Well yes, but art teacher friend says she's known students do that and go on to other things so I was interested to know what people's experiences of other things are. Googling the local college/ universities' info about this doesn't give the specifics, one just says that 96% go on to some form of higher education, not necessarily an art degree.

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GravityFalls · 08/04/2021 17:25

We offer this at our sixth form college. As it’s funded and students can live at home, it’s popular not only with dedicated Art students but also vaguely arty ones who just want to stay at college for another year.

Original poster

Historytoo · 08/04/2021 17:27

@GravityFalls thank you. Do you know what the vaguely arty ones go on to?

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Changingwiththetimes · 08/04/2021 17:31

Yes my friend's daughter did one this year for similar reasons - wasn't sure what she wanted to do, had an interest in fashion design, covid meant her planned year of travelling was not going to happen. She enjoyed it but realised it's not for her and has decided to go do a psychology degree (i have no idea what her A Levels were other than one was Art).
My daughter (y 11) is going to do Art, History and Psychology A levels and currently plans to do an art foundation year with a view to getting an art degree, but has a back up plan to do Social Anthropology so chose Psychology because of that.
It's not a bad idea but it is a time consuming course. She could also work for half the year then travel? Do Camp America?

Changingwiththetimes · 08/04/2021 17:33

I mean my daughter will do the foundation year THEN decide if she wants to pursue art or do Anthropology.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 08/04/2021 17:46

I’m an Art teacher and a DT teacher both to A level. Most students who do a foundation go into a degree in Art and Design.

Why waste a year if you don’t want to do a degree in it?

PamDenick · 08/04/2021 17:52

I feel the complete opposite of the poster above.
You get three years free funding post 16, so do A Levels and then an extra year at home, such as this Art Foundation, esp as you say, your daughter is young in her year.
Just so long as she gets a part-time job to save for Uni etc.

Original poster

Historytoo · 08/04/2021 17:59

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow I don't think it would be a wasted year even if she doesn't do an art degree. I'm a firm believer in education for it's own sake, so I'm hoping she'll gain skills she'll use in later life, whether that's as part of a job or as a hobby for pleasure as having a creative outlet can be great for mental health. She's been running a successful Etsy shop through lockdown and that's given her a fantastic focus whilst she can't socialise with friends. And she'll only be eighteen, if you can't "waste time" then when can you?
@Changingwiththetimes sadly I don't think she'd want to do Camp America. She's a real home bird at the moment which I can find hard to understand as I was desperate to head off to university at her age... She needs a transition year to be more independent than school sixth form demands and we're not going to push her off to university proper until she feels ready, that way disaster lies, as I saw with my youngest cousin...

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Original poster

Historytoo · 08/04/2021 18:02

@Changingwiththetimes I've just been down a social anthropology rabbit hole on the internet. Fascinating!

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Original poster

Historytoo · 08/04/2021 18:04

@PamDenick yes, she'll get a part time job. She had one pre Covid which ended due to lockdown. She's pretty motivated. Though the Etsy shop is surprisingly lucrative so she may want to continue that.

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ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 08/04/2021 18:07

I’m not sure it’s a wasted year, l just meant in terms of cost, but actually l think there is no cost apart from supporting them.

Original poster

Historytoo · 08/04/2021 19:07

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow the cost would be in art materials and in housing and feeding her, which we are of course happy to do. I think it would be cheaper than her starting a university degree course she wasn't sure about and then possibly gave up.

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harridan50 · 08/04/2021 19:13

My daughter did this and worked to save for uni. Ended up choosing to do a marketing degree which is what she works in now

NHPDH · 09/04/2021 08:26

I did art foundation many years ago. I had a deferred university place at Oxbridge but really wanted to do Art. The teaching on the art foundation course itself wasn’t great (compared to my A level art teacher who was inspiring). But I learnt a lot from continued practice, had an amazing time and made great friends. I then got into art schools too, but in the end chose to take up my deferred place as turning down Oxbridge was too hard to do. And I now work in a completely different field than anything I studied (and I actually could have left school at 16 as qualifications are irrelevant.)

I’m really surprised that a teacher would say it was a waste of time if you don’t want to do it as a career. Most of my friends from foundation did go onto doing various art or design degrees. But probably less than half work directly in those fields as we all know how competitive they can be.

It just shows that completely focusing on education as a route to a vocation can be quite short sighted. I had the most amazing art teacher at school that gave me a love for art and design that my own DC now have. I completely agree with the OP that education for its own sake is becoming really undervalued unfortunately.

ucasmistake · 09/04/2021 09:04

My BF's DD was the same as yours: young for her year, unsure what she wanted to do, studied A level Art, Biology and psychology etc.

She did an art foundation year and now is at Loughborough studying Graphic Design.

My Nephew also did an art foundation year before going on to study architecture (he did not take a level art, just a level graphics).

Original poster

Historytoo · 09/04/2021 22:36

Thank you all, really useful to hear what people have done after a foundation year.

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Copperas · 10/04/2021 06:41

I think it’s a great thing to do - time and space to think creatively, get to know a wide range of people, develop some maturity and it doesn’t cost a fortune. Also artists often work collaboratively so excellent experience when most study is individual

MagpieSong · 10/04/2021 06:43

My bestie did art foundation, went on to do architecture.

nancywhitehead · 10/04/2021 07:55

An art foundation is a great thing to do and will open up the door for a huge variety of creative careers or further education options.

If she is that way inclined then she definitely won't regret it, especially if she needs another year at home, it will be a great thing to fill it with. I would say go for it!

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