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

@mondaytosunday I am sorry to hear about your dd's fall. I hope she feels better soon.

@mondaytosunday Oh no! I hope she recovers quickly.

Thanks. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with her MS or just bad luck (the occupational therapist she met with did have her go up and down stairs). That's a problem with these sort of illnesses- is it just a coincidental issue or is it related (and therefore needs reporting to the nurse).
Anyhoo as of last night she thought she might lie down in the back of the car for the journey but I have my doubts! I told her there will be another open day in the fall and failing that an offer holding day in March...

@mondaytosunday I hope your daughter is feeling a lot better.

Came across this thread by chance and not sure I can add much but while I don’t have children, I do have a couple of decades as a FAD tutor and think it’s s really worthwhile year. A lot if students start FAD knowing exactly what they want to do at undergraduate level. Some of them are right. Lots aren’t. Many students encounter ideas and/or disciplines on FAD they might never have come across and reroute to a path they hadn’t previously considered.

Quite apart from the diagnostic aspect, FAD is a brilliant year. It’s the year when everything changes and your work starts to be properly your own. Schools have league tables to worry about and even in art many tend to teach to the test, so FAD can be a great time to test unpromising ideas out. It’s a great time to fail, not to actually fail the course but to learn from mistakes. Most of us learn much more from an ambitious failure than a safe success.

@artant thanks for joining, I think there will be a few of us that would love to get your advice and thoughts including me! My youngest is looking to do the foundation next year, the favourite is Kingston but that is a hard place to get into, other possibilities are Morley College and Working men's college. Do you have any thoughts on these colleges?

Totally agree @artant that's exactly what my DS found on his FAD

Kingston is good but, as you say, competitive (and may be more so next year as UCA has closed its FAD courses I think and quite a few would have applied to Epsom or Farnham as well as Kingston).

I don’t know much about Morley College or Working Men’s College courses (I think CityLit might also be worth I look; I remember seeing good work from there at an awarding body standardisation event a few years ago).

Also I should say my knowledge is probably rapidly going out of date as I stopped teaching in 2019 intending to look for a new job in 2020 but then the pandemic came along so I kind of retired by accident!

@artant Welcome. DD has just completed her foundation art year and loved it, she's learned so much. She's one of the 'know what they want before they start and stick to it after' cohort - fashion and textiles in her case- but FAD has really widened her experience and given her new skills and most certainly pushed her out of her comfort zone. All great thing to take on to her degree course this September.
One thing did surprise me, the vast majority of her FAD cohort are staying on at the same university, she's unusual in going elsewhere for her degree, only three or four of them are moving on. Is that common?

Hello, @artant! I completely agree that FAD is very often the right route for people, and thank you for providing some expert advice! (DD decided to go straight to degree but mainly because she plan to do a Placement year and also possibly a Master's, so the process is already a long one.)

Welcome @artant your experience will be very helpful to parents finding this thread. Like @Philandbill my DD was adamant she'd do textiles after her FAD but decided to try 3D as her specialism as she felt she'd done 4 yrs of textiles already. That exposure to a new field has led to a total change and she's off to do furniture & product design in September at NTU.
Quite a few of her cohort are staying on at Kingston- probably about half. Falmouth seems very popular too!

Ds went to Leicester DMU. Prob about half to two thirds staying for degree. Others off to various places. CSM, NTU, Loughborough, UAL, Leeds Arts and a few to UWE, where DS is going

@Okisenough thanks. She couldn't manage the journey to Bournemouth but watched the online head of department talk and we will go later this year.
Also Morley has its Foundation end of year show this month (at Morley Gallery at Waterloo but unsure of exact dates - the website is annoyingly unspecific)! As you know that's where my daughter is going for FAD next year as she didn't get in to Kingston (hear there were about 2000 applicants for 170-180 places - so if anyone on here's kid got in well done) and didn't fancy UAL Camberwell. That should give you a good idea of quality of work produced.
Off to do a campus tour of Falmouth next week as their open day was in the middle of A levels and staying two nights as it's such a long drive - our only trip this summer other than a weekend to the Isle of Wight to visit my son. Fingers crossed for good weather! Any recommendation where to stop for lunch on the way down would be appreciated (not too far off the motorway as don't want to make the journey too much longer).

“One thing did surprise me, the vast majority of her FAD cohort are staying on at the same university, she's unusual in going elsewhere for her degree, only three or four of them are moving on. Is that common?”

@Philandbill in a lot of places management see FAD as a feeder to undergraduate. As a tutor, I might encourage progression internally for some (often for students who needed support that we were good at but also for courses that were going to be a really good fit) but also tried to get to as many degree shows as possible so that I could advise on courses elsewhere. Often students were desperate to go to London but it can be better to stay somewhere smaller for BA and do MA in London. I can think of a few who stayed for BA and really thrived then went on to the Slade (UCL) or RCA for MFA/MA.

One thing about the UAL FAD courses: yes, they’re big and that can be off-putting but they keep the groups quite small (I often had 60+ in my pathway group but it was a broad Fine Art pathway) and pathways are more specialist. That can work well (and they have some great staff) but it can also be restrictive as it’s hard to switch if you realise you’ve made the wrong call.

Oh and when I had a big group I got more hours to bring in other staff which worked well as it’s important to get different voices and different practices represented.

@mondaytosunday must try and get her to that show! Hope you both have a lovely time in Falmouth

Some really interesting insights @artant I did take a look at city lit but it looks like they charge and would prefer one that is free for obvious reasons, lol.

Yes, I had a look after posting and noticed that; how annoying! FAD can be a level 3 or level 4 qualification but I think it’s only free at level 3 (and for those under 19 on 31 August, as far as I recall) so it may be that.

City and Guilds of London also have a good FAD, I think, but again it costs money.

City & Guilds FAD is now £9,250, I'm not sure when it changed from £5.5k, maybe for this coming September.

I think it’s mostly overseas students (although I may be wrong). I think a couple of people I used to work with elsewhere teach there.

Another well paid art and design option is UX design. There are degree apprenticeship options as well as full time degrees.

DC got a place on a 4 year degree apprenticeship having done A levels in Maths, Science and Fine Art followed by an Art foundation year. There are 2-3 one week blocks at uni each term.

For DC (who wasn’t bothered about a traditional ‘university experience’) it was a good option. The degree and all living expenses while at uni are fully funded and 2 years in they are paid at least the same as a new design or technology graduate. They also have a network of friends from university who work in design for a variety of organisations ranging from small design consultancies to multi-nationals.

Level 4 is free for domestic students if under 19, though some like City & Guilds charge (as does City Lit). Some unis are folding their FAD courses into their degree programs (calling it Year zero and essentially becoming a four year degree) and charge the usual amount. Kings Education, which has a feeder program on to a degree at UWE, is a whopping £27k for their FAD.
I'm slightly confused about the difference between the two levels - I thought level 3 was a two year course for 16-18 year olds - though that may be the Extended Diploma, and I've seen it for 'over 19 year olds only' too, and some say their FAD is a UAL level 3 & 4. I know Kingston's is a Pearson BTEC qualification.

@mondaytosunday yes it is a bit confusing!

@artant mentioned you to my dc and she asked me to ask you for any tips on what she should put in her portfolio. Thanks

@Okisenough sorry if this is a bit of a ramble. Hope it’s at least a helpful ramble!

We always interviewed in person (I suspect the pandemic has changed that forever for a lot of places) and for that the ideal portfolio is one that can start a conversation (always important to start with a piece you’re ready to talk about as getting off to a good start really helps). If it’s a digital folio, think about how to make it flow and in many ways the process is the same.

You (by which I mean your dc, obvs!) want to start with a strong piece of work so that the admissions tutor wants to see what’s coming next. It’s also best to finish with a strong piece of work so that they’ll remember you. Ideally every piece of work should add something about you and your interests and ideas. Try to show idea development and research as well as process and make sure the work feels like you. It’s fine to include work personal work but it’s also fine for it all to come from A Level or BTEC; go through what you have and play with different sequences to work out how best to tell someone about you and what drives you. (We used to get a lot of applicants from a very strong local sixth form; the portfolios were excellent but formulaic to the extent that we’d immediately know where the applicant was from when we opened the folio. On one occasion, an applicant forgot her current sketchbook; she said “oh no, I can’t believe I forgot that book!” before having a moment of realisation and saying “but you know what it looks like, don’t you?” I did. Pretty much exactly.)

Admissions tutors are looking for potential and motivation. The point of FAD is that it lets you try new things. No one expects applicants to demonstrate an interest or ability in all areas. Evidence of drawing is generally valued though.