Art and Design at university; for past, present, and future students and parents

[PhotoDad]

I've been on a wonderful thread about applications for art/design applications for the coming academic year, and I thought it might be useful to have a more general place for people at different stages of the process to share advice and hints. The normal MN advice about universities is often not applicable to these subjects!

I'll keep this short because I personally don't like huge posts that appear at the top of each page, but I'll add some starting thoughts below. I know that there's a huge range of experience here and a lot of support, so please do ask questions, or share triumphs and disasters.

The original thread is here:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4626697-2023-uni-applications-for-those-pursuing-art-and-creative-routes

Archway is a lot nicer than it used to be.

Wishing everyone a great summer. I've found all the advice and experiences on here very helpful and reassuring so a big thank you to everyone. Have one university open day this summer, and then nothing until Autumn although we are planning on seeing a lot of art exhibitions.

We've just come back from Falmouth trip. Interesting. Disappointed that they didn't provide a student who does animation to show my daughter around (this is a booked one on one campus tour, not an open day), so she couldn't ask about the course specifically. But she liked the very modern uni, though it's some distance from Falmouth. Penryn was quaint but dead, with little by way of shops or cafe/restaurants as far as we could see. Falmouth much livelier.
But it took over five hours to drive fine and well over six on the way back and I'm not sure she can deal with that!

@Okisenough the course does seem to be run similarly to AUB (group projects). We were looking at the modules for Uof H which is more like UCA (individual films). Their course description is extremely detailed and I got my dd some of the books they recommended for animators.
We got information from Morley about how the Foundation course will be scheduled and they says there's an opportunity to go to either Seville or Berlin for four weeks! I hope this is true - my dd has a distinction in GCSE German and is doing Spanish on Duolingo in preparation!

A four week trip sounds great! I reckon I could happily spend a month in either city but Berlin is a major centre for contemporary art (some great commercial galleries operating out of much bigger spaces than is typical in London) as well as being a really interesting city in general.

I visited Falmouth a few years ago (they invited Foundation tutors down to look at facilities, meet staff etc) and stayed in newly built accommodation on the Penryn campus. The campus is really well equipped with facilities and, I think, quite a lot going on for students but I remember it as being distinctly windswept! The undergraduate fine art spaces (and illustration, I think) are all down the hill in Falmouth itself and felt much more like an old school art school than the Penryn campus. There used to be a FAD there which was also down in Falmouth but that went a few years ago.

Four weeks? That's amazing although I am not sure my dd would want to be away for that long but who knows she may be more adventurous by then! I think it's sad that the FAD is being phased out in many places, no doubt a budget decision.

The talk we heard at UofH was very good and he gave the impression that graduates are grabbed up by studios before they even hand in their last piece of work. Our open day coincided with a holder day for applicants with offers and they certainly seemed very pleased with themselves!!!

@artant I didn't go on the tour myself - had a feeling loads of stairs and hills (my daughter confirmed this) plus trying to let her take the lead and thought they might be chattier without a parent tagging along. The animation is at Penryn. I know an Exeter student there who seems to enjoy it - his mum says he maxed out his overdraft so no shortage of going out places! We had some amazing meals (Kona and Indidog), both way out of a student's budget.
But she'd have liked to ask more specific to the course questions but they do have a 'ask a student' chat thing on their website. She'll apply, it's just the distance!
U of H is the holy grail for animation I think. We will go there, AUB, ARU and maybe UWE. She was thinking of Teeside but that's as far away as Falmouth and don't think Middlesborough is quite as nice!
But we are done with open days until September now. Son's 20th birthday end of this month so trip to IOW then not long until A level results 😬!

@mondaytosunday Falmouth is a long way if you start from pretty much anywhere outside the South West. For a lot of students it’s fantastic but I’ve also known students go there and not settle despite loving their course. The course (and wider institution) has got to be right but the place has to be right too.

@mondaytosunday Falmouth isn't quite so far for us as we're in Bristol. Could just about drive it in 3 hours. Train more like 5. She thinks she'll be coming home every few weeks to meet up with her d&d group, but I'm not sure how long that will last.
DD's course is in Falmouth rather than Penryn, which is a tiny campus but close to the town and beaches.
DD1 has just finished her second year at Warwick ( doing maths), so next year we'll have 2 of them to transport in opposite directions (and an empty nest).

Oops posted on the wrong thread - thought I was replying on the 2023 thread.

@Pourmeanotherwine doesn't matter, I get confused about which thread I said what on and think I must repeat myself a lot!

I'm half-regretting starting another thread, but I kinda sorta wanted to separate out support for a particular group from general advice to people confused about the system, sorry for confusion!

As I've just said there (!) Falmouth was a few hours too far away from the North-East to be in the running. Cambridge was at the very edge of the area we looked at (and we're glad we did), three hours on train or slightly longer driving for us.

That month-long trip sounds amazing! DD's course involves a week's drawing trip to Seville next term and apparently it's very intense. We'll see.

It’s worth politely asking how many students actually get to study abroad. Sometimes it’s stated as an option when in fact competition is fierce and only a small number get a place.

Your DD’s drawing trip sounds very different in a good way Photodad.

@PhotoDad have no regrets! I think it's great and has been really useful for parents like me that don't have an art background so know nothing! Google is great but it's lovely & insightful to hear about the experience of others.

Falmouth introduced an integrated foundation year last September (22/23), the course leader seemed really good and motivating.

I agree @HannahDefoesTrenchcoat, though it's interesting they didn't mention it in their online stuff nor at the Open Day. I imagine there's not an insignificant cost involved and only a few will get to go, but the year size is only 35 anyway. She has written back to them asking for specific term dates (not even a start date was given), and what materials she needed, plus saying how much she's looking forward to the course and the opportunity to study abroad - thought it would be good to express her interest right away!

So off topic slightly but I thought you might be a knowledgable bunch. Taking DD to London and I’m looking for some art shop recommendations.
We have to use Hobbycraft and The Range where we live, we did go to Fred Aldos in Leeds once. So I would love to take her to a well stocked actual art shop if I could to really wow her (and bankrupt myself).

Cass Art has a few branches so may be convenient and it’s pretty good:
https://www.cassart.co.uk/stores/

More out if the way but if you want to wow factor, the scale of Atlantis is pretty extraordinary (with the caveat that I’m not sure I’ve actually visited it in its current location):
https://www.atlantisart.co.uk

Also Jacksons has a couple of branches (but may not be conveniently located and if you’re going out if your way then Atlantis is probably more exciting):
https://www.jacksonsart.com/ourshops

https://www.cornelissen.com/

the most beautiful art shop! Worth a trip to see the window displays alone and so central.

Brilliant thank you. Sadly it can only be the ones in central London this time. Hopefully can go to Atlantis one day.

Can't believe we were in London a couple of weeks ago and visited the British Museum, but missed that! Next time. 😀

I don’t know why I didn’t think of posting it before now. sorry!

Well, nobody asked! 😀

True, true , but it’s topic adjacent 😀

@ Photodad, are you from the NE then? We are too and looking at unis for 24-25 but dd foes not want to move too far away. She is doing a Foundation course locally first. Which uni did you opt for in the end?