Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Sunderland or Newcastle for art foundation?

hey, does anyone know if one is better than the other? It would be significantly cheaper for me to go to Sunderland but I've heard Newcastle College's course is meant to be good

if anyone knows any other art foundation courses in the north east that are worth considering, then I'm all ears!

Reply 1

GenG123456789

Hi! I'm currently studying on the Art Foundation Diploma at Newcastle and I have some friends who study at Sunderland so I might be able to help.
By the sounds of it the structure is very similar on paper but in reality the way projects are very very different. On both courses we have to pick a group of four/five subjects for rotation that we study in 2-week-long projects. Then we specialise in just one subject to learn relevant skills and the final module is a self-directed project in our specialism.
The differences from what I can tell are that at Newcastle we have been worked very hard from the first day with homework that fills up most of our free time - this is ideal for me as I am passionate about art and love to work really hard on it. However, at Sunderland my friend did not start working in a sketchbook until a few weeks in and she says she has not completed any kind of final piece. She is in college one more day a week than me but she has far less homework. This suits her as she is quite laid-back and doesn't like having homework.
Another difference is that on the Sunderland course you get to go on an abroad trip and apparently on trips to places like London. In Newcastle we have gallery trips in the local area and we are asked to go to exhibitions in our spare time. Personally, I don't see the point in going on trips outside of the area when they can both inform our projects and staying in Newcastle is so much cheaper.
So yeah, advice... Newcastle is a UAL approved course which means ALOT. I feel that I am being taught well and that I will come out of the course with the best possible opportunities. Sunderland does not have the same reputation, it sounds like the facilities are not as good and that the work is more laid-back. But on the other hand it is still a foundation course so if you make the best of it universities shouldn't really care, the trips sound fun, and you are guaranteed a place on the universities degree course.
All of this is just from my perspective as a Newcastle student. My friend might have a different opinion as apparently some students from Newcastle have transferred on to her course, which might say something. Really all I can say is if you want to work hard then come to Newcastle, if that sounds like your worst nightmare then go to Sunderland. I hope this has been helpful and good luck!

Reply 2

tchai

thanks for the advice! I think I'll probably go with Newcastle, then.

Reply 3

Aryz

so not biased at all then

Reply 4

GenG123456789

😂 haha you’re completely right. Bare in mind that this was posted 5 years ago and that the courses will most likely have changed since then. The year I attended Newcastle College, they were testing out a new format for delivering the course which may have changed. And, similarly, the Sunderland course may have been developed. At the time of writing this post I only had my own experience of the course at Newcastle College and news/gossip I had picked up about the course at Sunderland. Some of it would have been very biased, coming from fellow Newcastle students. But other information came directly from my friend who studied there. I wasn’t trying to be completely disparaging of Sunderland because some people really do prefer a more laidback approach to working, especially in the arts. Also, I WANTED to work hard. Many students on my course chose not to work hard, and their grades reflected it. But, ultimately completing any Art Foundation diploma is good enough to get you on to a BA course, and the aim remains the same no matter where you go: Developing a good quality portfolio.Good luck with making your choice!

Reply 5

Aryz

so what is ur opinion on both courses now and what are your future career

Reply 6

GenG123456789

Original post by Aryz

so what is ur opinion on both courses now and what are your future career

I’m afraid I don’t know enough about the current courses at either college to give an opinion on them. But I can tell you what happened to me since. I studied BA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins for 4 years and now I’m completing my MA in Art History at University of St Andrew’s. I want to become a curator. Hope this helps!