Part 2: Continuation of 2023 uni (and other) applications for those pursuing art and creative routes

[Duchessofmuchness]

As requested transferring us all over hear for the continuation of the 2023 journey. Have so enjoyed the company and support of all on the first thread. Link to original thread copied below (I hope!)

2023 uni applications for those pursuing art and creative routes www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4626697-2023-uni-applications-for-those-pursuing-art-and-creative-routes

Oh right gotcha @PhotoDad!
Well done to yours @Lottsbiffandsmudge.

Daughter is into first choice Kingston school of art for Fashion BA, phew! Rollercoaster as got grades first which were lower than expected and needed, then an agonizing wait after 3am EST (we are in the States) for UCAS to update with a Uni place. Then it had Uni code not name and sent us to the queue to get in...nerve wracking! Barely slept so daughter & I are exhausted but took her for huge pancake breakfast at the diner (god bless America, ha ha, and it's peach season!) to celebrate and now we're letting it sink in. She got 95% on her fashion A level overall, which apparently was still "only" an A, not A* (& let's not mention geography eh hem) but her portfolio was very strong so I imagine that got her in anyway. Thank god cos back up LCF she'd have had nowhere to live under £1,700 pcm! Congrats to all and enjoy the moment... exciting new chapters ahead!

Great news @luluposs !
We are going to the States gif Xmas and my daughter already dreaming of pancake breakfasts!
I looked again yesterday and the Animation courses for ARU, AUB, UCA and Falmouth were still in clearing. Hmmm. In one sense it makes me less stressed about daughter's chances in applying for 2024 entry (Uni of Herts was never in clearing), but also makes me wonder - too many courses on offer. There are only a finite number of jobs at the end of it.

Congrats, @luluposs!

I'm never sure what to think of the Clearing thing. There are a lot of courses around, which is why I'm glad that DD found a summer placement this year, and will shortly start researching a placement year; anything to get experience, right?

She's currently on a little holiday, accompanying my DW who is speaking at a conference. Sketchbook being used daily!

Lovely. Reminds me of Hockney's recent iPad work.

Lovely work @PhotoDad . Although there are always lots of courses in clearing, lets all celebrate that our DC are not the 18,000 law students and non LLB conversion students competing for something like 6,000 training contracts. Or psychology graduates trying for the unicorn clinical roles.

I think creative work is always highly competitive so sadly more graduates than jobs but that does apply to a lot of other degrees too. Just have to have faith that our kids will make a career from their talents.

We are off to visit Staffordshire university tomorrow to check out the animation course.

Yes of course that's true @Okisenough. But my daughter is trying to be pragmatic. She has always considered the debt involved, and does have lofty ambitions for her career (she wants to art direct her own films, which she knows would involve years of groundwork and not inconsiderable luck). Not that she has a plan B as such - nothing like 'oh if animation doesn't work out I'll become a lawyer'. Doing a FAD, then a possible four year course (she's quite keen of a year in industry or studying abroad), plus a possible master degree (quite a high percentage of animators have them), that's six years of commitment and debt accumulation!
I myself got a degree in graphic design from a well known art school (Parsons School of Design) which prepared me not at all for actual work, especially as in my field of publishing, computers arrived within a couple years completely changing everything we did. I didn't really think long term then - I was happy to have a job in the field I studied.
Of course none of us have a crystal ball. I always tell my kids it's good to have a road map but there's always diversions and some will take you to wonderful unexpected places. But tell an 18 year old anything from a grownup's perspective and you'll get shot down pretty darn quick!

Yes, it's all about taking the chances that you have and managing expectations, isn't it? DD would love to get a salaried job in illustration at the end of it but those are extremely rare. Making a living as a freelancer would be choice two, but she knows that would mean initially having a "day job" which still allows her enough free time to work on art (so not something high powered), until she becomes established. Choice three is a day job with art as a sideline.

She's realistic, while also giving it her best shot. Luckily for us all, she has very inexpensive tastes, and would love (if possible, depending on the job) to live in a cosy little place in a small rural town rather than the big city!

She's also considering a master's. ARU/CSA offers a 20% tuition discount for its own grads, and runs a genuinely world-leading course in Children's Book Illustration.

@mondaytosunday Apologies if I sounded flippant, we are all on a similar paths with our DCs. My dd is equally lofty and hopes to create her own animated series. I have concerns but although they listen they also don't! And ultimately I can't see the future and don't have an art background so what do I know! So instead I focus on helping to organise open days, lol.

By the way, DD was sitting sketching again yesterday and struck up a conversation with a young girl and her dad, who turned out to be English and visiting relatives. (It's fairly common for people, especially kids, to watch artists at work!) Mum was back in the UK but is apparently a children's book author who is always interested in upcoming illustrators (presumably because they're cheap!) so they exchanged contact details. Who knows what will come of it, if anything?

Looking for a little advice here. DD is off to NTU to do textile design. She's excited/nervous and will need a bit of extra support due to ADHD/ASD & other health issues. NTU have been brilliant so far and DSA has come through too. So..... my question is about budgeting- she's in self catered halls very close to the city centre. Where do I start with working out a budget for her??

Here's the "standard MN advice" (which I followed). Maximum loan is around £10k. Subtract however much she has from her loan (minimum is £4.6k). That's how much you should contribute (if possible). Then look at her rent. The difference between that and £10k is what she has to spend on everything else. Divide by the appropriate number of weeks.

It might not entirely work but it's a start! Some parents send a monthly or weekly contribution spread over the whole year, and some not while students are at home.

It worked fine for DD in self-catered in a more expensive city, but she did choose cheap rooms. Next year might be tighter, but she has a buffer from summer work.

@Localher0 the figure i hear bandied about after tuition and accommodation taken care of is £100/week, up to £150/week in London.
@PhotoDad my daughter is frugal too - she's only recently started doing the rounds of charity shops as she wants to reinvent herself (going for 70s look, quite close to Ali McGraw in Love Story). Otherwise she doesn't spend anything.
Yep, @Okisenough, sometimes just shutting up and getting on with cooking dinner is the only way forward as a parent!

@mondaytosunday My DD is incredibly impressed by the charity shops in Cambridge compared to Newcastle... This morning a big box arrived for her and it turns out that she's treated herself to a handmade tricorn hat. She has many unusual hats and isn't afraid to wear them!

£100/week is what the "top up method" suggests if you have a rent of around £5k and are on minimum loan, so it all agrees. 😀

@PhotoDad I love hats. Sometimes wish I was living in the 1920s except I like central heating and antibiotics 😬
£100/week sounds sensible but I'll need to add a gluten free premium as DD is coeliac and all the food is more expensive 😡 DD also loves a charity shop and our local ones know her by name! ( and me!) and there's vinted which seems to arrive at our house everyday. I wish I could reinvent myself with a particular look now and again!

Went to York StJ open day today which was really good. D2 now in possession of actual A level grades (better than her predicted!) with a Foundation Year to come.

Really liked Staffordshire university and the course. It will probably be one of her top choices. But walking around the local area was a sobering experience. It really feels neglected and run down.

Should read - Went to the open day and...

@Okisenough We looked at Staffordshire (when DD was considering a computer art course, before she realised that it was all 3D stuff) and I know exactly what you mean. It was a nice campus, though! I think that a city that 'clicks' and feels right is an important part of the shortlisting process, especially if the uni is right at the heart of the city.

@JulesJules Congrats! Speaking of cities, York is lovely. Am I right that York StJ is pretty central?

Yes, York StJ is bang in the middle of York, just a few minutes walk from the Minster (where they have their graduation ceremonies)and has a pretty and surprisingly spacious campus. We were impressed.

Congratulations to all post A level results. Can't believe that it is nearly September and they'll soon be off to start their courses.

Yea @Philandbill and yet some of them haven't quite got to grips with their summer assignments...

Does anyone on here know of anyone starting at Ravensbourne this September? Increasingly it's looking as though my DC may be the only student going there this year as there's nothing on here, WIWIKAU or Student Room!

Anyone heard good things about fine art at Bristol University of western England. DD has come up with this as one of her choices, but personally never heard of it before? Seems a bit of a wild card when her other options are UCL, UAL, Goldsmiths etc.