The Student Room Group

did you do an art and design foundation year?

Hi, I am wishing to study graphics at Uni for 2013 entry and do not really want to do a foundation year before hand. I was wondering how many graphics/any art students did this course before continuing onto Uni in order to help me make my decision.

Thanks:biggrin:
Reply 1
Hey, im going straight into Ba, I want to know whether its worth it or not too.
But I was told a foundation degree just helps you discover what part of the creative industry you want a career in and also teaches you new techniques.

Interior Design @ Bedfordshire
Reply 2
Well I did a year 0 prep year before my actual BA of the degree. I feel the year 0 really did help prepare me before year 1 as it really is a massive step up. I've now just completed my first year on BA and I think without my foundation year I would have struggled. Some uni's do these year 0 prep years making your course a 4 year course. If you feel you are talented enough on your own merit to go straight into the degree do it BUT if you feel you may struggle then go for the foundation. Best thing I ever did personally and I was GUTTED at the time at the prospect of an extra year on my degree.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Jiyeon
Well I did a year 0 prep year before my actual BA of the degree. I feel the year 0 really did help prepare me before year 1 as it really is a massive step up. I've now just completed my first year on BA and I think without my foundation year I would have struggled. Some uni's do these year 0 prep years making your course a 4 year course. If you feel you are talented enough on your own merit to go straight into the degree do it BUT if you feel you may struggle then go for the foundation. Best thing I ever did personally and I was GUTTED at the time at the prospect of an extra year on my degree.


Hi, would you be able to give me some information on this? I don't want to do a foundation diploma either and am wondering about the said year 0 prep year. Is this the sort of thing that you can get student loans and move away etc or is it one of the foundations that you can do at uni? Do you get student loans and such?

Thanks :smile:
Reply 4
Original post by Fabulous Killjoy
Hi, would you be able to give me some information on this? I don't want to do a foundation diploma either and am wondering about the said year 0 prep year. Is this the sort of thing that you can get student loans and move away etc or is it one of the foundations that you can do at uni? Do you get student loans and such?

Thanks :smile:


Hi sorry for the late reply, yes I got student finance and stayed in the halls during my year 0 :smile: not all Uni's do this but some have this year making it a 4 year course.
Reply 5
Why don't you want to do a foundation year? It's free if you're under 19 (plus living, but you can always do it locally and leech of your parents for another year ha).

I was completely confident that I wanted to do graphics before I started my foundation, but there were specific courses I wanted to get onto that required a foundation year, which was my main reason for doing it. Despite that being my reasoning, I've learnt a lot this year that I definitely wouldn't have learnt had I just gone straight into degree. I think the unis feel that it's necessary to have something to bridge the gap between A Levels and degree, especially with creative subjects where the way in which it's taught is so far removed.

A good foundation doesn't just teach you something that you would learn on degree - it builds (excuse the pun) a solid foundation of thought process and approach that you wouldn't otherwise get. I've found it to be more about thought process than specific skills (photoshop etc), and in this respect it's been invaluable. Basically, highly recommended.

Original post by Jiyeon
Hi sorry for the late reply, yes I got student finance and stayed in the halls during my year 0 :smile: not all Uni's do this but some have this year making it a 4 year course.


Thats fine x) which uni did you go to and do you recommend it? I apologise for grilling you, asking other people seems to be the best way to gain information :tongue:
Reply 7
Original post by Fabulous Killjoy



Thats fine x) which uni did you go to and do you recommend it? I apologise for grilling you, asking other people seems to be the best way to gain information :tongue:


I study at the University of Cumbria, a lot of people wince at the fact it's UoC but the course is so under rated. The Uni has been wonderful and the graphic design/illustration course has been fantastic. I get lots of tutor time/feedback. I had lot of introduction sessions to things like using the dark room, woodwork, ceramics, textiles and full access to a huge studio with it's own light room/printing/binding and art supply shop (the shop is sooo good I've spent ages in there). Carlisle is a bit meh itself but the course alone has kept me here and the students/staff are lovely. The year 0 foundation was a bit of everything but it was still focused on graphics which I liked it and I learned so many new skills and gained a ton of confidence. If you wanna know about the course I'd look here:

http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/graphicdesign/graphic_design.html

FOUNDATION ENTRY (Year 0)
Most of you who apply for BA Graphic Design will normally have studied for a Foundation Diploma or a National Diploma in Art & Design, or a relevant equivalent, which provides a sound start for your studies at University. However, some applicants from other backgrounds, for example school leavers or people returning to education, may need further preparation to help them to suceed on a degree level course - this is where the Foundation Entry (known as 'Year Zero') comes in. This specialist, preparatory year, will provide you with a wide range of underpinning practical, technical and theoretical skills. You will experience a wide range of project work and have extensive inductions into virtually all of our technical workshops. The pace is fast, the projects are fun and successful completion of 'Year Zero' gives you automatic progression to Year One of the BA (Hons) Graphic Design course.


As for me I'd done an access to higher education in art & design which was a good start but not enough to be able to survive on year 1 which was a totally different feel (much much more aggressive and harder work). But yes I do recommend my course, lovely people and lovely uni :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Jiyeon
I study at the University of Cumbria, a lot of people wince at the fact it's UoC but the course is so under rated. The Uni has been wonderful and the graphic design/illustration course has been fantastic. I get lots of tutor time/feedback. I had lot of introduction sessions to things like using the dark room, woodwork, ceramics, textiles and full access to a huge studio with it's own light room/printing/binding and art supply shop (the shop is sooo good I've spent ages in there). Carlisle is a bit meh itself but the course alone has kept me here and the students/staff are lovely. The year 0 foundation was a bit of everything but it was still focused on graphics which I liked it and I learned so many new skills and gained a ton of confidence. If you wanna know about the course I'd look here:

http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/graphicdesign/graphic_design.html



As for me I'd done an access to higher education in art & design which was a good start but not enough to be able to survive on year 1 which was a totally different feel (much much more aggressive and harder work). But yes I do recommend my course, lovely people and lovely uni :smile:


Thanks so much, that seems like a really good option for me! :smile:
Reply 9
Original post by Fabulous Killjoy
Thanks so much, that seems like a really good option for me! :smile:


For sure :smile: I don't regret it for a second. You should come visit UoC on a open day and check it out for yourself.
Original post by Jiyeon
For sure :smile: I don't regret it for a second. You should come visit UoC on a open day and check it out for yourself.


I wish I could, but I live on the South coast so looking around some of these unis isn't really an option for me :s-smilie: But I looked at the course online and the 4 year deal sounds like something I should consider
I would second doing an art foundation, no offence but you're going to be competing against people who have already done one and have less of a chance getting into a good course - plus it can be seen as kinda lazy to tutors if you not willing to do foundation. Sure, you can get into a less renown Ba course with a levels but I wanted to get onto the best Ba for me and after doing my foundation I got into all of my ucas choices.

I'm doing graphics, and I found that the graphics I was doing at a level was completely different to what I was doing on the foundation. It was totally worth it just to realise stuff about the subject you didn't know before. Also you can learn that you might have strengths elsewhere, one of my friends on the course ended up doing fashion when she thought she was going to do art.
Reply 12
Is the year zero course at UoC similar to a foundation course as in you can do it after you've done your a-levels? I'm thinking of doing illustration there as when I looked round it was awesome, but because I come from fine art I think a foundation like this would help? I'd rather do this than a foundation diploma locally as i don't live close to any meaning i would have to get a bus to a train station to a bus (etc) and it would be slightly cheaper and easier to be in accommodation. :s-smilie:
Reply 13
I never did a foundation as I did a BTEC National Diploma which give me the knowledge of creative processes and a good enough portfolio to get into Norwich University College of the Arts, doing Graphic Design. Its one of the best courses for Graphics in the country.

NUCA also do the 4-year thing. I know you get lots and lots of different things to do. There's a Graphic Design or a Fine Art foundation here and people who want to do Graphics do the Graphic Design year 0 as if you pass you get automatically accepted on the BA. I knew a few people in Halls in my first year who were Year 0 and it really helped them and because they mix the two courses now and then you get to know everyone on Year 0.

I know a few people who came straight from A-level and they do alright. One person who I know was going to do a foundation but when he went to his interview they told him his portfolio and grades were good enough to go straight on to Year 1, so he did. He was a bit worried at first, but he's done really well. Its not always necessary to do a foundation if your portfolios up to standard and you are confident enough. Although, the way you work on an A-level is completely different to the processes used on a degree.
Reply 14
Oh thanks that was really useful :biggrin: !!!!
Reply 15
My mum lectures graphics and she always moans about people that come straight from A level :tongue: but having said that I got places to do photography without a foundation, but somehow I've ended up on a four year course basically doing a foundation xD

I think they are incredibly beneficial, I mean you get to play around with everything for a year! There are some places that do four year courses with very specific foundation years integrated into the course. I know Edinburgh College of Art does... As long as your portfolio is well rounded, researched and developed nicely (and it isn't crap) there's no reason why you can't...
Reply 16
Oh okay! I think the year 0 sounds good to me! Putting a portfolio sounds hard :/
similarly i wanted to do fine art, but in each interveiw they said they would consider me but i'm more likely to get on there if i do a foundation as the vast majority of students do.

So i'm now getting ready to start a foundation. After looking at the work i think i'm going to actually prefer it this way! i've always seen myself doing fine art and i've never done graphics however i'm starting to get really interested in graphics. Which is completely un expected! I think the foundation is great for opening your eyes to more possibilities and you may find that you really like architecture more than graphic design by the end of it!
Reply 18
Original post by KokoPOW
Is the year zero course at UoC similar to a foundation course as in you can do it after you've done your a-levels? I'm thinking of doing illustration there as when I looked round it was awesome, but because I come from fine art I think a foundation like this would help? I'd rather do this than a foundation diploma locally as i don't live close to any meaning i would have to get a bus to a train station to a bus (etc) and it would be slightly cheaper and easier to be in accommodation. :s-smilie:


Sorry for another late reply! Yes you can do it after a levels :smile: It just makes the BA course 4 years instead of 3 (all funded by student finance). I stayed in the halls during my year 0 and moved into student housing for my official year 1. The foundation year in UoC is more graphic/illustration based but you do a lot of everything.
(edited 11 years ago)

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