I can't remember what I've said on which thread so starting my own. Please hang in there, it's slightly convoluted. My daughter is doing an Art Foundation course next year and will apply to UCAS this December/January.
She has done better than predicted, though it's no surprise to me as I thought one of her teachers was harsh. So, predicted A star (Psychology) A (Art) B (History). She got A stars for all, well above the boundary marks, plus A star for her EPQ. So far so good, but here's the dilemma.
She has always wanted to do Animation, has done stuff outside of school (short course at CSM for example), and hasn't wavered for the last couple years. For this you need a good portfolio, you do not need good grades with a few exceptions like Edinburgh, which is not on her list anyway.
But part of her now thinks with her grades maybe she should get an academic degree, as Animation is a tough field, not well paid, an unstable industry, and the future uncertain due to the advances in AI - especially as she has four to five years of study ahead first (with the added debt).
She confessed last night that while she has always been partly 'in love' with the idea of going to an old academic university (like the physical look of Oxbridge but not Oxbridge), she was never sure she was smart enough. She also, after working very very hard to get her grades, is not in love with the idea of yet more essays and exams - though that may be as they are so recent. She also does not have an alternative career plan, though is interested in Human Geography/Politics.
Now I grew up in the US and there you can apply to as many unis as you want for anything - so History at one, MFL at another, Art at yet another and so on. You apply individually so write separate personal statements.
So this is it; how can she apply to both an art school that will basically prepare her for working in an uncertain, low pay industry, but which she is passionate about (though on her terms), and also apply to an academic uni without a clear idea of what she wants to do after? It's not a case of head over heart - she finds both very appealing for different reasons, not a small part being how she sees herself as a person. I suggested applying to three art schools and two academic ones, but that doesn't really give much choice. And I don't know how quick universities are in offering to those with grades in hand - she would need to submit a portfolio to the art schools usually within a couple weeks to a month from application. And if rejected from one university can you then add another (and does this have to be before the January deadline)? Plus her Personal Statement would be quite tricky!
We have two more Open Days for art schools lined up, and now I'm wondering if we need to add others for consideration, but which ones? She hasn't looked at any academic universities yet as her results have put her in a bit of a spin.
Should she just choose one direction and go with that? She is so afraid of making the wrong choice! Has anyone's child applied to such diverse courses at the same time? And how soon do the universities offer with grades in hand? And which unis offer good Social/Policial science degrees? And what careers would that lead to? She wants to work to 'change things for the better' if she goes that route (and make a decent living doing it). Thanks for getting this far!