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

@sunglasses up until this summer CSM did have an art foundation course, but this is their last cohort. CSM is one of the constituent colleges of university of the Arts London UAL. UAL have decided to remove the foundation/predegree courses from their individual colleges and place them in one central UAL “school”. This is going to be based in Shepherds Bush at their Lime Grove building. There isn’t going to be a Camberwell FAD either. Rather one large UAL FAD.

Where abouts in North London are you? Is the Overground any good as that’s a decent route

And is this helpful https://www.tutti.space/blog/10-best-london-film-schools

DD was at Lime Grove when it was LCF. It’s a former hospital and it’s not that big. It’s 5 mins from Westfield and 1 minute from Goldhawk Road station so just go down to KX and then H&City line.

Thanks everyone for these replies. She wants to do a foundation and live at home for another year as she is not quite decided on exactly which creative path she wants to follow. It might be film or something else so good to have that year. Also as it’s free for under 19’s in most places then it’s an ideal opportunity to take a bit more time. She is not ready for moving away to uni just yet for various personal reasons. Kingston looks great but not sure she could live at home. It’s good to hear positive things about Morley college and I think a smaller set up might suit her best. Are there any other smaller general art and design foundations I haven’t considered that would be an easy commute from Finsbury Park?

What about city and guilds at Kennington? Just opposite tube station.

Is this a foundation? Is it free?

@sunglasses Here it is. No idea if it’s free. If it’s 18-19 it should be. Ask them?

City and guilds art foundation is NOT free. It’s private, not government funded, so everyone pays fees. Sorry!

I know people say that the UAL foundation courses are difficult to get into. However I went to a few sixth form A level shows in N London. The teachers said all the students who applied to UAL FAD were offered places.

The trouble with going to KX to get to Morley (Kensington and Chelsea) or UAL Lime Grove is that you’re paying to go through Zone 1. You could avoid that by using the Overground.

https://www.cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk/foundation/fees-and-funding/

@sunglasses she sounds like an ideal candidate for Foundation. It’s an important diagnostic year for anyone open to considering different options. At the start of the year, a lot of students are sure which direction they want to head in. Some of them are right and head off to the degree they always thought they’d do with that much more understanding of the subject area and a head full of new ideas. But quite a lot encounter something on Foundation they haven’t explored before and change their mind. In my opinion, it’s also the most fun you’re allowed to have in education (as a student or a tutor).

Foundation for DD was great, she was one of those who knew what she wanted to do and has just done the first year of her degree as planned. The foundation year pushed her out of her comfort zone and she learned new skills. She also wasn't ready to leave home so a foundation year at our local uni was great as a bonus year.

My DS got loads out of his FAD. Def good if you aren't sure about which discipline is for you. Allows for a year of more maturity.
DS lived away but even if he hadn't I think he would have still grown in confidence. He has really flown in year 1 of his degree at a new uni. He felt very prepared for the very independent nature of his Fine Art degree, after his FAD.

That’s great to hear. Thank you for that and I think it would be a great way to spend a year after A levels to have fun and explore her options.

That’s good to know. Wondered why I hadn’t heard of it before. We are very close to an Overground station but had no idea that fares were less than using the tube!! We use it a lot actually and she uses it every day to get to school but currently qualifies for a Zip card so discounted fare. Good to know it’s cheaper when she is over 18 though.

I don’t think the fares on the Overground are cheaper, more that using the Tube means she’d go via Zone 1 while she would avoid Zone 1 by using the Overground.

My dd got an extension to her student Oyster card for her foundation year so got 30% off. We live in zone 3 and Morley is in zone 2. Free bus travel.

If they're on a Foundation diploma (level 3 study, not the foundation year of a degree) they can get their 16-18 Oyster Zip extended for another year so free bus / tram travel, and half price pay as you go on everything else. It's not widely advertised. You have to get a form from the TFL website stamped by the college to confirm the level of the course.

This is probably much better value for you than the Student 18+ Oyster card which gives 30% discount when you buy a travel card and or passes.

That’s good to know. Thanks for the tip

@Yodel294 yes that's the one I mentioned - she's on a level 4 course though (standalone art foundation). An extension to the 16 plus student card.

I know it's been a while since anyone has posted but was just wondering how everyone's dc are doing. My dc has just finished first year studying animation at Hertfordshire and has really enjoyed the course and done really well. There have been some ups and downs but overall their happy they went there and really appreciate all the networking opportunities, the supportive staff and being surrounded by fellow creatives.

My DS has just finished year 2 of his Fine Art degree at UWE. He has done really well and is on course for an excellent degree.
He absolutely loves Bristol and has had some great experiences, including volunteering at a social enterprise charity at a kids art group, some curating and also helping a charity with their design collateral.
He is having a well earned break before starting a 9 week paid internship with a major supermarket in their Marketing dept.
Can't believe he will.be in his final year next term!

Thanks for waking up the thread @Okisenough . Glad to hear your DC has had a good year. @Lottsbiffandsmudge that sounds really interesting; DD2 is year 12 now and trying to decide about university courses. She's not going to apply until she has known grades so plenty of time yet but she's swithering between art and psychology. Psychology seems more sensible in terms of future employment but art is really where her heart is. She's going to hopefully do an art foundation year so we'll see.
DD1 who I joined this thread for is absolutely thriving. She's completed her first two years of a fashion degree (focus on the technical side) and worked hard and done very well so far. She's just started a job for her industry placement year and loves it. Says she has been applying what she's learnt on her course and also learned lots of new things. Glad to see her so happy.

@Philandbill It is a difficult one isnt it. DS had the choice between art or sciences. It was always going to be art!
I guess the key in any degree is grabbing opportunities, making your own opportunities and putting yourself out there! He often gets comments from tutors that he is 'doing too much'. But that's his personality.
He isnt sure what he wants to do long term.. He does fancy marketing, hence the internship and work experience he did in summer 1, also teaching (he has worked at kids holiday clubs as well, he is very sporty so fits well into those activity type camps, as well as his art club).
He is the sort of person who works incredibly hard, has amazing people skills and is dedicated and reliable. I know he will be fine after his degree.
I think picking an Art degree seems risky from the outside. And frankly he believes many of his cohort won't get work in the field easily. But then he was never going to be one of those people. Whatever the statistics say about graduate employment a good chunk of art degree students are employed!
The other thing we have come to see is very important is where the uni is. Bristol has a thriving arts scene, animation and design industries and a lot of social enterprise. It's a young vibrant city and I think if he had stayed in Leicester (where he did Foundation) he would not have had the ability to take so many opportunities. No offence to Leicester, but its not as developed art wise.

@Philandbill and @Lottsbiffandsmudge good to hear. I think all of our dcs have taken on board the fact that you have to grab opportunities, network and work hard if you are going to make art/creativity your career. I often think other parents are surprised at how much 'work' my dc seems to be doing in their first year, but they've been given a lot of opportunities to participate in projects and other experiences. My dc knows that if they want to make it, they can't turn that down and frankly they don't want to! I think I took on board a lot of the advice from @PhotoDad and his dd's experiences. Wishing everyone dcs whether they are future, past or present all the best x

Very true. Art degrees are actually a lot of work!

I’m glad this thread is back. DD is in year 11 (and thankfully looks like she will get a 9 in the GCSE).
But she’s already been told to come In September for some ideas for year 12 work experience and we are a bit stumped where to start! if anyone has any suggestions that might be useful for applications then next year.

she didn’t do it in year 10 as she was on a part time timetable and no one bothered to tell her when it was.

@Philandbill it’s a few years since I stopped teaching on a Foundation Art & Design course (most fun you’re allowed to have in education, frankly, as a student or a tutor) so my knowledge of undergraduate courses isn’t as up to date as it was but thought I’d flag up the option of BA Art & Psychology which is a long established course at Reading.