2023 uni applications for those pursuing art and creative routes

[Duchessofmuchness]

The other thread discussing Uni applications for RG and academic routes isn't so relevant for DS. He's considering Art Foundation year or direct entry to uni for fashion design.

Anyone care to join a thread on similar creative paths. (Not just fashion!)

He's looking at art foundation at Kingston, Central St Martin's, UCA,

For Fashion BA looking at Central St Martins, London College of Fashion, Manchester Met, Nottingham Trent, Liverpool John Moores, Leeds Beckett.

Most seem to accept without art foundation but he would need one to Central St Martin's so if he wants to try for that will need foundation.

Lots of open days coming up and hopefully school will give him some more advice next week. No start on his PS yet!!

We've thought about an up to 3 hour radius. A close friend of mine went somewhere about 5 hours from home. She got really homesick but she/her parents couldn't afford the train fare for frequent weekend visits home and it was quite far for them to drive for a weekend when they were working ft.

It's a really tricky one, because for some people, popping home makes homesickness worse not better. So it's possible to be too close to home as well as too far away. Very much depends on the people involved! 3 or 4 hours seemed about right to our DD... longer than that and it would become that much harder in an emergency. (As mentioned, it's why we didn't look at any south-coast places including the highly-respected Falmouth, as we're north of the Tyne!)

@DesignDD are you looking for Foundation or degree? My DS applied for both Leicester DMU and MMU for foundation and got offers at both. However MMU had an entrance project which they said should take 48 hours but took much longer for DS right around his A level mocks. They dont releasebit until Jan so you csnt get ahead on it. He submitted his app and portfolio on deadline day 14th Feb and didn't get his offer until after the offer acceptance date at DMU (20th May) so he chose DMU (he got an offer withon 5 days of submitting portfolio and app).
He had really liked the course leader at MMU! He's a printmaker and MMU has good set up.
In the end proximity to home, the fact that MMU were REALLY slow getting out their offers and the lovely campus at DMU swung it for DS. The print stuff at DMU is also good (not quite as many presses!!!) And the modern facilities are amazing.

He's enjoying Leicester. It's v full on and they start 3 weeks before everyone else which is odd but he is settling now. He is working v hard!

@Lottsbiffandsmudge she's not yet decided so looking at both - the degree only has 25 spaces though so very competitive, especially if competing against existing foundation students. They mentioned at the open day that the foundation portfolio shouldn't take too long, but looking at the brief for last year it did look quite time consuming! Good to hear positive feedback about DMU- we are off to the open day in Nov before she makes a final decision..

We couldn't make the open day for MMU. How was it? Which course did you look at?

@stardustliz DD went yesterday with DH. She looked at fashion technology and loved it. DH agreed that it was a course that would suit her and she will be applying. I'm nervous as to whether she will get an offer as it is competitive. Her A level grades are higher than they ask for and the art foundation year she is currently doing should help but nothing is guaranteed...

Dd is currently doing an art foundation at a local college, so far we have looked at Winchester School of Art, she is quite keen on Brighton and we are also looking at Bath

Hi @jenkel! Which part of art/design is your DD interested in? Lots of types represented on the thread.

My DD's experience last year was that universities asked for portfolios rapidly after UCAS was submitted, so it's worth holding off on the latter until the former is ready. (I think I've said that before but the thread is growing...)

Today the ARU illustrators had life class in the morning and then went out to a Victorian cemetery to do collage work. She gets new techniques thrown at her constantly.

At the moment Fine Art is what she wants to do, possible combining Fine art with history of Art but we don’t really never stand how that works if that makes sense, we aren’t from an art background at all, Could change as that’s why she is doing an art foundation, to explore a bit. Her Art A Level was very portrait bases and not much chance to explore. A star for art plus another a and b so hopefully that gives her good options, plus she should have a good varied portfolio.

I just came across this foundation course - princes-foundation.org/princes-foundation-diploma-year
It seems to be quite expensive, but the blurb says that most get awards scholarships or bursaries.

Anyone visiting Camberwell open Day Nov 30? We went to the foundation show earlier this summer but missed the open day.
For those considering it I've heard Brighton has a reputation as a real party school.
Other than saying they should have their portfolio ready by Christmas break they haven't really done anything about it at school. Most of the other art kids are thinking fashion, with CSM foundation top of their list. Those already with kids beyond this stage - did the school help much? Kingston is quite specific (other than the ten 'up to you to interpret' pieces I referred to previously either on this or the other thread). UAL isn't at all as far as I can tell. The website videos just say 'put yourself on paper'. Ugh. So much going on next half of the term - my daughter has a music exam, her club has to publish the school mag (designed, illustrated and edited by her, which is also her EPQ project, so that's due too) and her other very time consuming A levels! I think she's beginning to really feel the pressure - and just last week she was saying she didn't feel as stressed as she did at this stage before her GCSEs!
I don't know how people with several kids go through this time and time again (my son went the vocational route).

@mondaytosunday School help: my DD's art teacher gave advice on what the breakdown should be (eg for a 15 page portfolio, 4 from schoolwork, 2 of previous commissions, 2 each of work in different media, and 5 of 'own work' related to the degree course including at least 2 sketches/development pages; that was for illustration). DD went away and chose the pieces and did a rough layout, then teacher advised her on final layout and captions.

Luckily her top two choices both asked for the same type of material. Also, it is good to see it as shifting some of the stress from next summer to now, as an art school which likes the portfolio is likely to lower their standard offer or even give an unconditional offer if they really love it. This worked to my DD's advantage, not that we knew it then, as she had a really tough time in the run-up to A levels for various reasons but didn't need to achieve high grades to secure her place.

The reference to 'previous commissions' - a lot of kids won't have been commissioned to do anything unless I'm misunderstanding the term?

@OneFrenchEgg Sorry, not suggesting that should be part of everyone's portfolio! She volunteered to illustrate poems for a local online magazine and had half-a-dozen pieces. Which was more by good luck than through planning (friend of a friend type of thing). Teacher advised "some but not too many" of those. But if a DC has done anything like that, probably worth including.

Right thank you that makes sense. Dc attends an out of school art 'class' so I was expecting them to include some pieces from there to show drawing/sketching skills (as opposed to finished pieces). It's so stressful - I think I feel more worried than they do!

Can't remember if I posted on this thread but some art schools have good example portfolios on their websites. My DC got 5 offers for Comm Des - one element of their portfolio was life drawing and looking at other exemplar portfolios across multiple disciplines life drawing does feature a lot and was recommended by both school and portfolio courses.

Fwiw my DS didn't use any work outside his A level work in his portfolio as he didn't have time with his other A levels, sport and music to do a great deal outside of school (other than A level work!).
He got 2 unconditional offers for Foundations (he only applied to 2!).
For MMU he had to do an entrance project and he had to make that part of his portfolio.
Everyone talks about 'life drawing' what unis really mean (we have gleaned) is 'drawing from life'... DS had no opportunities to draw naked people from life!!! He did draw buildings in situ though.

At my DCs school they actually arranged life drawing classes for those preparing for art school applications (1st year entry). Glasgow School of Art offered life drawing classes exclusively for 6th years to 'help support portfolio submission'. HNC classes set up to build portfolios for 1st and 2nd year entry - also included life drawing as a key part of building the portfolio.

So in the context of my advice - life drawing means life drawing, it may not be mandatory but can be a very beneficial, and was recommended.

State School - not private.

Thank you @PhotoDad and others. I think the school actually did have a few life drawing sessions!
She's done work outside school, not least she now has a showreel from her UAL animation course she did last summer which she has continued to work on. One benefit is it's stop motion (drawing) so shows off two skills at once.
Not worried about her A levels, she's predicted A star, A, B, and if she doesn't get an A or A star on her EPQ I'll murder someone (hours and hours of work). She's quite academic with only math being her Achilles heel!
She's looked at the school websites about portfolios- and of course the open days talk about them. I think she'll do fine, but it just seems the school is being a bit slow, and I know just how much work she has yet to do (her other A levels taking up a lot of time).
I've been avoiding doing my taxes by looking at whatuni and these are the unis for her eventual degree I'm suggesting she have a closer look at (she wants to do 2D animation, distance no issue, preferably not London as that's where we live). We will have to spread out the open days between now and next summer!
Falmouth (her fave so far)
AUB
Uni of Hertfordshire
UCA (Farnham)
ARU (@PhotoDad you should work as their PR)
and UAL (LCC) and Kingston if she decides to stay at home.
Outliers are:
Nottingham Trent
Solent
USW.

She'd prefer a campus uni in a smallish place (compared to London I guess) and is the opposite of a party goer.

I would be an equally enthusiastic promoter of anywhere which has made my DD so happy after a few tough years!

Once people have got to the shortlist stage it can be worth looking at discoveruni.gov.uk which has more detailed course-level information about satisfaction and employment.

DD is not a partygoer. Her accommodation is full of art/design students as it's next to the art school and marketed as "quiet" (a row of uni-owned self-catered houses). They go out sketching at weekends, buy vintage clothes, and drink bubble tea. Although tonight she and four other illustrators are playing D&D.

She did include one page of two life drawings in her portfolio (done at school, which arranged classes), and I agree that "life drawing" tends to mean "drawing a person." Otherwise it's "observational drawing." Doing plenty of both now as part of her course.

Thanks @Philandbill my dd looking at graphics not sure if that takes more people as was in clearing this year at MMU.

Oh no @PhotoDad not bubble tea! We tried when in Bruge this summer and it was fowl! The texture - yuck! I had to spit the 'bubbles' out.

@mondaytosunday I don't like it either, but the rest of my family do!

@mondaytosunday I agree about bubble tea but my DDs are both obsessed with it.

DD liked AUB when we visited so that is on the list. One of her best friends started there this year and is enjoying it. Also considering Falmouth, Brighton, and Cardiff Met. Not decided between ARU and Plymouth for 5th one. May not have time/ energy to visit them all before she applies, so she'll probably just pick 5 and then visit the ones she gets offers from.

She's got a place to do History at Cardiff that she deferred last year to do the art foundation, so she'll need to pull out of that before she applies for illustration.

She has started some portfolio work ( mostly on her ipad) but hasn't got her A level stuff back from school yet.

Hi everyone, glad to have found this thread. DD applying for Foundations and through UCAS for 2023 entry to do Fashion Design, exclusively in London as 4 years in the sticks with us has cemented her certainty that city life is for her!!

She's doing 3 A levels now: Fine Art, Fashion Design & Geography. As her exam board for Art and Fashion A levels has shifted to 100% coursework this year, and the deadline for that is late Jan, she is absolutely slammed with the volume of work required all at the same time for x3 Foundation applications and Portfolios, 5 UCAS applications (and possible/ likely portfolio submissions there) A level coursework AND A level mocks for her other A level subject, all due and happening in January :(

Like others I've read about here, she is torn about whether to do FAD first or go straight to Uni for a degree, has a good grasp of the pros and cons of both paths, and of course everyone she talks to (teachers/ alum/ friends/ colleges etc) has a different, personal story to tell. Being as how she's sticking with London only for Foundation she's applying to:
CSM (mainly cos of reputation and cachet, both of us are a bit skeptical of the hype having visited for foundation show)
Kingston (1st choice, went to open day last April and v impressed) and Ravensbourne (she went without me for open day in July mainly to rule it out and ended up surprisingly impressed)
and currently planning on applying through UCAS for:
Kingston (1st choice)
LCF
Ravensbourne
London Metropolitan Uni
(Not sure about 5th choice as she was going to put CSM but went to FORMA in London this past week and was told there was absolutely no point putting CSM on UCAS without a foundation...LCF seems to be OK with it).

Has anyone got anything to say about London Met for a Fashion BA? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere on this thread or elsewhere. She and I are going to London for the day tomorrow for London Met and Ravensbourne Open Days. Anyone else?? Lastly: MAN it's all overwhelming isn't it? I really feel for DD. I mean, I feel stressed, and it's not my life or task, so I can only imagine how she's feeling. And grateful for the collab with you all, I did Geography at a Russell Group Uni so have NO frame of ref for Art School!!! (Soz for lengthy word salad)