Art Foundation

Be prepared for foundation, it's very intense!

How intense are we talking?

Very We were in 9:30 til at least 4, Mon-Fri at South Notts College, with a lot of work being done at home too!

South Notts College?

Yes.. that's where I did my foundation One of my friends did it at Loughborough though and one of our tutors also taught on the course and it's pretty much the same intensity.

Ohh cool, thanks for the heads up! Did your friend like it at Loughborough/like the course?

Also, where/what are you studying now?

Yeah she loved it! Be prepared for some tough truths though, learning how to accept criticism is a very big thing for foundation! haha

I'm doing Interior Design at Kingston Any idea of what you would like to do?

That's good to know =] I was really scared that I am going to choose to go to Loughborough, only to regret it (for whatever reason). Oh gosh, I'm not one of those people who thinks that their work is amazing (quite the oposite, really) but I do lose a certain "spring in my step" when I get criticism, haha

Oh cool, so, are you nearing the end of your first year? Hpw are you finding the course? And I have absolutely no clue, as it stands I'm not even sure if I want to do Art anymore; I have had various teachers say to me that I should go through clearing and go do a French degree this year (before the fees multiply) very, very confused right now =S

That's good to know =] I was really scared that I am going to choose to go to Loughborough, only to regret it (for whatever reason). Oh gosh, I'm not one of those people who thinks that their work is amazing (quite the oposite, really) but I do lose a certain "spring in my step" when I get criticism, haha

Oh cool, so, are you nearing the end of your first year? Hpw are you finding the course? And I have absolutely no clue, as it stands I'm not even sure if I want to do Art anymore; I have had various teachers say to me that I should go through clearing and go do a French degree this year (before the fees multiply) very, very confused right now =S

Lol it isn't always about criticism when you think you're work is amazing, just criticising everything haha! Why did you do this? Why didn't you do that? You're banned from using glitter, pink, gold, thick black lines. Even though you've spent hours doing what I just told you I've decided I don't like it and would like you to do this I think my foundation was worse in these cases but you'll sure have a love/hate relationship with your tutors haha!

Yeah we currently have 2 days left to finish our portfolios, I'm ****ting myself! The course is about as intense as last year but last year was all about art whereas this year it's all design so it's been difficult to get back into the anal attention to detail thinking again

Aghh sounds confusing! Of course you'd have to pay the new fees for a degree in art and design :/ I swear they're trying to ruin our lives, we have to decide what we're doing now or else we have to pay the price. Same with me if I were to drop out next year and start a new course I'd have to pay the new fees, so if I did drop out or fail I don't have a clue what I would do

I've had the 'talk' too. in all honesty, I'd rather spend 3 or 4 years doing what I'm passionate about at a greater cost than study something I'll only be 'satisfactory' at and I'll just like at the best of times. But if you're good at and passionate about french (as well as art) then you're one of the lucky ones who have multiple talents! good luck

Aww, thank you for that =] Hehe, your name made me smile. And yeahh, I know, my parents are on my back about doing the French degree-I have to do a whole new personal statement for it and everything. So angry, after all these months, it's now that they turn around and start bullying me into doing it. What are you going to be doing next year?

Haha, oh goodness, that's even worse. Me being me, I'd sure have a thing or two to say back to that! Mind you, as long as they give me a pass/merit/discussion, I guess I will get over it in due course hehe.

How did you get on with your portfolio? Have you finished it now? And when you say "last year was all about art whereas this year it's all design"-did last year just focus on different media e.g sculpting, graphics, painting and techniques, but there was no element of having to really design a project which sets up towards a final piece (like at A level and even GCSE)?

I know, it's absolutely crazy. Reverting back to the olden days where it was mostly the rich that went to University =/ And don't worry, hopefully you will pass-you know when you've done well and when you haven't.

haha don't ask! ah that's a shame. i remember when i was planning on direct entry to uni and finding the personal statement such a pain. im planning on art foundation now

Lol it's funny how we all fight against them for most of the year, then when it gets near to the end you start thinking like them and are like hmm maybe they were right The biggest thing you have to get over is when you've spent agess or quite a bit of money on something for them to ask you to change it. You need to look at your work through fresh eyes is what they used to say to us, like look at it without thinking about the time and money spent on it, would it be better if I did this?

It's all finished, handed it in today! I'm pleased with it but won't say too much just yet, need to wait for assessment next week! haha

I think it was just that our foundation was very arty. Everyone calls it art foundation, not art and design foundation The thing is that our course was so small (only 35-40 of us) so we weren't put into different subject areas after christmas like most other foundations. We all the same very broad briefs, for example pick a word or phrase out of this piece of text and make a project out of it. We did a project about time and I chose to design a retirement home, so I did have a design brief but my tutors knew so little about interior design so I was just doing crazy conceptual stuff that quite a lot of wouldn't be accepted this year At least it got me into uni though haha!

Oh how I wish it would revert back to the olden days when uni was free!! Thank you I think I will pass, I'm just worried because there were a couple of little projects that I failed/didn't hand in so dunno if I will have to do extra work in the summer :/ Are you doing A Levels atm then?

Hahaha, wait, so you go out being massively artistically influenced bu your tutors? Also, oh, my gosh-"The biggest thing you have to get over is when you've spent agess or quite a bit of money on something for them to ask you to change it." That would irritate. The hell. Out of me.

Aww yeah, haha I am exactly the same, still, as long as you are happy with it.

Ohhh I seee and hehe, yeah, that's the aim at the end of it all really =]

Ohh yeah =[ I think I remember some people saying that older relatives of theirs were actually paid to go?! You're welcome =] and aww, well, even if you do have to do them, I guess you just have to remember why you're doing them and use that as motivation (what i'm doing atm) And yeah, I'm doing A Levels, had my last day yesterday so now on study leave until the exams (only 2 left now, since Art was done in the beginning of May and the french speaking was done about 2 weeks ago-EXTREMELY irritated with my teacher for asking a f****ing difficult and s***ty question and I am almost convinced that he purposely made it difficult =S (he's leaving), but still what's done is done.

Mainly we fought against having to change stuff that we'd spent time and money on, but yeah by the end of the year you realise they were mostly right all along It is REALLY annoying, we would constantly bitch about our tutors in the first and second terms, but by the third term we got used to it and would agree with them that things needed changing in the end. Most of the time anyway

Aww no I'm sure you did alright, if not then at least you can rub it in your teachers' faces that art is definitely the way to go for you What other subject/s do you do?

Hahaha ahh I see, so you win some and you love some then. Story of life aye =]

I hope so! He was like "you shouldddd get an A, if not, a veryy good B" I was so, so angry (considering the fact that I am aiming for A*). And see, that's the thing-I wanted to do an Art Foundation and NOW, after all the open days, the interviews, the portfolio reviews, the protfolio prep, the personal statement etc. my Mum and Dad are like "ohhh, maybe you should do a French degree" and they have that f****** annoying habit that some parents have-they make it seem like you have a choice but in reality it's their way...or it's their way.

I do Art, English and French =]

What did you do at A Level?

Ahh just ignore them, whatever subject you do isn't really going to affect them! My mum really didn't want me to go to Kingston because it's in London so it's expensive and pretty far away compared to all the other places I applied to. However I accepted my offer when I was at my boyfriend's house, came home and told her and she went into a little mood for a day or so. She got over it eventually though

Good combination I did Textiles, Psychology and Music Tech, and Biology for AS. As you can tell when I picked them I was trying to keep my options a little too open haha! Kinda wish I'd just done Textiles, Psychology and Graphics with no 4th subject at AS but oh well!