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!!

Hello! I just love to secretly plan! DD will probably work it all out for herself but I love to hear from the horses mouth so to speak.

I assume if DD does an art foundation it will be a London one as there is no way we could afford for her to live away and we are London based. If she goes straight for the degree then it doesn’t matter. I almost think she’d prefer a practical City and Guild type thing but I don’t suppose there is funding for that.

I guess I am getting the warm fuzzies on a nice thread about our children and their art!

Yes, DD (state) school is very well thought of fir it’s art department so it seems sensible to do A levels there. She’s a bright child and it’s a nice school so maybe it would be the best. To go to college to do the two year art course instead of A levels may seem riskier. I’d worry she’d be with people who weren’t as keen on studying.

DD (first-year illustration student) has spent all weekend out doing super-quick sketches of her neighbourhood, as her homework for the week. She's sent us a few. It's the happiest we've ever seen her, just being told to do art every day.

Thanks for the confirmation @ArtGarfield . That's my understanding also.

I mentioned down thread that UCA have withdrawn their cart foundation this year. They used to do Epsom, Farnham and another location. Dropped Epsom a year or so ago and not offering at all now. As you say probably expensive to run.

Kingston Fashion BA says 95% of people have foundation - it's not impossible but v unusual they said. Think CSM similar. Interesting that LCF may have more flexibility.

Since DC still has Kingston and CSM in his sights, think foundation in his future.

@PhotoDad Thanks for the welcome! Currently DD is thinking about Fine Art but she has seen a couple of combined courses that she likes the look of. Because she's doing art a level at school (with two academic subjects) the foundation year will give her exposure to other disciplines she hasn't thought about yet. But tbh it's all still very much up in the air!

@Duchessofmuchness Really sad that UCA is pulling back on foundation courses. My DD didn't want London for lots of reasons, but obviously it's still the powerhouse of UK creative subjects.

Does city and guilds in Kennington offer anything for fashion pre degree? I didn’t realise LCF had just reduced theirs to international students.

City and Guilds do have art foundation but DS would need to live in London and might not have the full support of uni (halls etc?) . It didn't look like it but have to do some more research on it.

Shame about UCA as that was the most local to us and a live at home option.

I do love this thread!! I'll share a little of DD's experience.... she took textiles, psychology and Eng lit A levels. Part way through Yr 12 she decided against textiles at Uni and was all geared up for journalism- UCAS form done and PS all ready to be submitted. Then she did work experience during October half term and everything changed! She went back to school and announced the change - all systems go to produce a
portfolio 😳. UCAS application in December- portfolio requests landed in Jan. all of the deadlines for submission were during her A level mocks so she requested an extension due to mocks - all granted an extension. Concurrently she applied for KSA & UCA Farnham foundations.
I totally agree with other posters that the portfolio process is a huge pain as they all want different things and have different submission processes. She produced a basic portfolio which she then tweaked and specialised for each one. Technology wasn't an issue - except for NTU who wanted a filmed submission talking though her portfolio. That took a bit of ingenuity......
She's having a great time so far at KSA Foundation - still going through the rotations then will choose pathway in a couple of weeks. It is absolutely full on and they're expected to put in long hours.
I'm sure everyone knows already that a foundation year is free as long as you're under 19 when it starts so it's a great option if they're not quite sure what they want to do or if school doesn't have much experience of helping produce portfolios or they're just not quite ready for the full Uni experience yet.

I’m not sure if the City and Guilds college would appeal to a child straight out of school. It doesn’t seem to attract the free tuition funding for the under 19s. Do you think I’ve got that right? It’s it quite clear from their website site.

There is also another private arts college in Hampstead which looks amazing but is £££.

DD is a few years off further and higher Ed so I hope there are still some funded courses available when she gets there.

I love your DDs drawings PhotDad but I mostly love that she sent them to you.

@ArtGarfield my DD's friend did the two year extended BTEC art diploma alongside an A level and loved it. They also got 5 unconditional offers.

Some really good discussion here about foundations and portfolios. I wish I'd found a thread like this a year ago, to be honest!

@ArtGarfield Awww. We exchange messages daily on the family WhatsApp group and she always includes what she's done. When at home she'd show us her day's art, every evening. I don't know whether she'll manage to make a living from the whole freelance illustrator thing, but we're both incredibly proud of her.

DS (Yr11) wants to be an engineer. Neither DC is following in parental footsteps, and we take that as a sign that we haven't pushed them into anything!

@QGMum the art foundation at Working Men's College is very good and is mainly 6th formers. I understand Morley College in South London has amazing facilities on the foundation, but I'm not sure which age group it's geared towards.

@tkband3 my DS1 is at Leicester De Montfort Uni doing foundation if you are after other suggestions for places to look. He loved the facilties (which are incredible) and really likes the city.
He is still doing week long projects. Last weeks was 3D week and involved a drawing trip to the zoo, making maquettes of an animal drawn at random in a raffle style process and then making a life size sculpture from material also pulled at random. So he made a life size orangutan from plastic recycling. Then they had to photograph it in various locations. And finally draw it. On top of that they had studio time, lectures and peer assessment. It's really full on. He has spent all today working.
Next week is the senses project which appears to involve him in buying vegetables....!
He spent A level doing extremely intricate and detailed prints in lino, etching etc and since being at foundation has fallen in love with photography!
He did A level art and bio and chem and he is absolutely loving just doing art and nothing else although he has a lot of contextual studies to do so is in the library a lot and doing Harvard referecing!
It seems like a great course (UAL accredited)

Thank you @Soma for the info about Working Mens College. We are going to the open day tomorrow to have a look.

Does anyone have suggestions (south) for non London non traditional courses? A bit like ABU, Arts Norwich? We'd like to see one more I think. Preferably campus...

@OneFrenchEgg What about Brighton?

Thank you - I'm a bit worried about cost of living/accommodation?

Falmouth?

A friend's DD was offered accommodation in London that she couldn't afford, and the university put her in touch with other first years in a flat share which was cheaper.

Thank you, that's helpful to know. We aren't even looking at London! But good that unis are helpful, I assume that's everywhere. Need to look up where Falmouth is.

Cornwall - so definitely fits your criteria of south! It does do illustration.

@OneFrenchEgg my DC's friend is loving Falmouth, halls are great, studio space and tutors are great. Nice and compact with lots of extra curricula going on.

Oh brilliant sounds like we need to plan a visit. Thanks all.

I’d love to hear about the Working Mens College as I don’t think we will manage a visit. I’ve just noticed that UAL: CSM have bookable in person visits for the foundation. Nothing yet for UAL Camberwell’s foundation (well it’s at Camberwell, but looking at the website it’s for Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon)