Anyone's dc doing Fine Art and uni?

[Corfuqueen]

Dd did unexpectedly well in her A levels A* in Fine Art - always predicted); A (English Lit); A (Sociology). She's also got an A in EPQ. She plans on doing an Art Foundation course at a local college and has a place for this so the next stage is sorted for the time being.

She will be preparing her Portfolio for applications but I'm wondering what decent unis she should be looking at with these achieved grades (previously, we were looking at unis with lower grades)?

She's not interested in Oxbridge or Durham.

Congratulations to your DD!

It's not quite my area although I know that with high grade requirements, Edinburgh and the Slade (UCL) are both highly respected. A word of warning that league tables are even more arbitrary than usual for small arts courses.

You might also want to drop in to this thread where there are some people who know more about Fine Art than me!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4795276-art-and-design-at-university-for-past-present-and-future-students-and-parents

In my experience the portfolio is far more important than high grades. Teaching style, course structure, facilities, teaching staff and location were the deciding factors.

What art schools has your DD looked at so far? Is she set on a particular area of the country?

Goldsmiths and Bath come to mind for Fine Art (friend studied at the former, now an art director for a media firm) but obviously very different environments so depends on what DD wants. Living costs wise they’re quite different too.

She's probably less keen on those down south/London as long travel to home. She wouldn't rule them out but is worried re living costs in London.

She's looked at the following so far (as in visited):

Leeds Arts Uni - great facilities but not enough critical or cultural exploration in course modules

Uni of Leeds - didn't seem to have great facilities but seemed very good re critical/cultural modules

Loughborough - great facilities but felt overall that the heavy sports focus of the campus was overwhelming. Wasn't impressed with nearby town

She hasn't visit MMU but thought the course looked a good mix of academic/facilities.

I’d hold on until she’s started her foundation course, she may find that she changes which art degree she wants to do. Her portfolio will be the most important part of her application, more than her A levels. The other thing to remember is that prestigious art degrees are quite different to conventional subjects, but she’ll get lots of help with this on her foundation course.

Just saw your update, I wouldn’t opt for Leeds arts Uni it doesn’t have much clout, whereas Uni of Leeds does.

I’ve never heard of anyone going to Loughborough for art.

Seconding that it's a good idea for her to wait until Foundation is underway before making decisions about her degree - she may find that she develops a particular focus that one course/institution would meet better than another.

Sorry, MMU is also excellent

My dd is doing her Foundation at Leeds Arts Uni this year- she has good Grades in A levels and wants to apply (at the moment) to UCL, Goldsmiths, Manchester, and doesn't really know where else yet for degree level. She doesn't want to stay in Leeds as we are local and she wants to spread her wings afield. We need to do more research and looking round this term.

Leeds Uni is supposed to be one of the best courses for a Russel group Uni as not many of the more academic uni's offer Art. We went to look at Oxford's Ruskin School of Art- I wouldn't rule it out- they are very traditional, but my dd was not keen on the collegiate system- she has her visions of herself in a swanky London flat I think not a fusty old college building, and they don't have a kiln.

Liverpool is excellent for Art if believe. Nottingham Trent is also very prestigious.

Well, Durham and Cambridge don't offer fine art, do that's just as well!

My daughter did a fine art degree at Leeds arts Uni. Covid struck in the middle which scuppered the quality for her but she did well considering and is starting a PGCE this year. All her jobs have been art based since getting her degree.

As PP have mentioned, grades are less important than portfolio for fine art courses. I know from a friend that they had a place based on CCC for the Slade, around 2010.

So her high grades aren't particularly relevant for art school, even at Russell Group university based ones.

She should focus on building up a good portfolio during her foundation year and researching courses that appeal to her- it's not so much what is best, it'll be what's best for her. If she's very much a painter, the Slade may appeal to her as she could be within the Painting department, etc.

Contrary possibly to what a PP said, the Ruskin is brilliant for conceptual artists, even though there are some old fashioned sounding traditions like drawing exams. But it's a very small course- also a consideration. What kind of place does she want to be in?

If you're looking for good courses further north than the south of England, I'd recommend Newcastle University Fine Art department, Glasgow School of Art and Edinburgh.

At Edinburgh you can do a joint degree in Fine Art and Art History- this is possibly a good choice for keeping career options wider, although I know it's perfectly possible to do that with a straight Fine Art degree.

Ps I also know someone who got lower grades than expected and the Slade still let them in more recently- not saying they have low grade requirements now, but to emphasise that portfolio, statement and interview are more important.

@FancyFanny Would you be able to give any more info on your view of the Ruskin as quite traditional? Dd is quite a traditional artist at the moment, in to drawing and painting and not keen on conceptual art. We've been wondering if this would suit her.

@FancyFanny I know you didn't ask me, but one of the best ways to ascertain if you would enjoy the course is seeing what work current students make.

I've copied the link to the most recent BA show below. I am surprised at the amount of painting to be honest, more than a few years ago as far as I remember, but a healthy mix.

www.rsa.ox.ac.uk/degreeshow/2023/bfa

The Drawing Year at the Royal Drawing School in Old St is a great opportunity for artists whose practise is based in drawing. I think it's postgrad though. Many painters I knew did it after BA and before MA.

Loughborough scores very highly in league tables for Art, and we were very impressed by the facilities. I agree that the Sport focus of the uni is quite overwhelming though.

NUA is good.

Newcastle! NUA is a bit ‘safe’. Also I think with those grades she might enjoy mixing with a range of students studying other subjects. The foundation year will give her room to develop her practice and she may have quite different ideas at the end of it, so look for somewhere where she can go a different directions

Thanks for all the comments. They're really useful. For those mentioning that a strong Portfolio is more important, I get that but I'm a bit concerned she'll have only about 3 or 4 months before the UCAS deadline date for applications. Doesn't this tend to be in Jan or Feb? By then, she'll have only done a short time on her Foundation course, not a year.

Unfortunately, she's ruled out Newcastle (says it's too close to home and that she wants to spread her wings). Glasgow/Edinburgh may be an option though if she can get in

@Corfuqueen What did your dd decide and how is she getting on?

I did a foundation to be a fine artist, ended up in a 25+ year career in graphic design and branding. She may change that’s the point of the foundation, if she is 100% on fine art then skip the foundation and get straight on a degree.

@FriendlyLaundryMonster [have name changed since that post], dd did a Foundation Year at Newcastle, which she loved and then applied to a number of unis with grades in hand including Leeds and GSA. She opted for the latter and has just finished her first year at Glasgow School of Art and is really liking it.

@fabfeb Ah, that's great to hear. Would love any specifics on what she likes about GSA. Dd and I have visited an open day and we're still deciding on what she puts down on her UCAS form!

At open days for GSA and Edinburgh (we did both over the weekend), GSA staff came across as far more approachable. Dd liked that.

The GSA website was a mess though (it may have changed now) but it didn’t give a particularly good impression on trying to navigate.

One thing they are keen on I think in both the Portfolio and interview is applicant’s ability to critically reflect on their artistic learning. The pieces don’t have to be perfect (arguably, it’s better if some aren’t as it gives the candidate more space to discuss what went wrong for them and why and how it led to their next steps re development). They value students’ readiness to experiment with new things: ideas; mediums; critical perspectives and a willingness to moce out of what has been their safe and often, very narrow practice to date. Difference, ‘quirkiness’, thinking outside the box are all good things to at least show a readiness to lean into.

Dd’s portfolio told a story of her development so far. She evidenced being able to write coherently and critically. Through their degree at every stage, they are expected to be able to apply critical ideas - dd talked about ‘the body’, politics and gender which were her interests at the time. She was interviewed over teams by 2 staff for aboit 20 minutes. The studentroom is a good place to join to get tips on specific questions asked.

She had applied for direct entry into the second year but they offered her a first year place. On the subsequent welcome day, I asked the head of programme why this was. She said that she knew of dd’s application (though she didn’t interview her) and it was because they thought she would benefit from developing her confidence more and that the first year would offer her space to do that. And she was spot on with this (dd is quite young for her age). So I was impressed with that analysis, consideration and thought in terms of suitability for the course. She voluntary said that if dd was wavering because of this, she’d be happy to talk to her. She said they have over 800-900 applications each year.

What does dd like? Loves Glasgow; loves the cultural and critical modules of the programme ( it was important to her to have this); likes the studio spaces and that it’s ‘edgier’ than Edinburgh. The fact that they are surrounded by students learning woodwork, jewellery making, environmental art, sculpture, etc, is a plus. She likes most of the staff who are all practising artists. She says it’s not got a student party/club scene vibe like Leeds but she’s not into that as much anyway.