Art and Design foundation confusion!? :(

I am also confused as I am moving to Glasgow and none of the foundation diplomas are mentioned in Scotland. GSA has a portfolio preparation that is accredited - will that count as a foundation course in England?

You are a little confused. The BTEC foundation diploma is the one year course you need to apply for art degree courses. Foundation degrees are something quite different and needn't concern us here. It doesn't matter where you do your foundation diploma - your local college is just fine. Its purpose is to build up your portfolio and to help you choose which direction you want to go in for your degree. Most decent art degrees will specify a grade you need to get from your foundation course (it's graded with pass, merit and distinction) and it's usually either pass or merit, depending on the prestige of the course/university. I don't know of one which asks for a distinction.

You can do the foundation course at some universities and this sometimes makes it easier to get onto the degree course at the same university, but all the courses are designed to cover the same ground and your local college will do it just as well. The thing to remember is that the foundation course is free if you are under 19, but doesn't carry any entitlement to student finance, so many, if not most, people do the course at their local college and live at home. It's up to you whether you are in the financial position to move elsewhere.

Thank you, how will I know if the college is any good or not? My local college doesn't have a great reputation but I'm unsure where is best.It doesn't matter much as long as they have the basic facilities. Art is an independent thing. Your work is your work and it's up to you to make it work for you.For the degree I want to do it doesn't require merit, it's based on portfolio.Well, they all are based on portfolio but the good ones will ask for a grade in your foundation course of some kind, so do check. The course carries quite a lot of Ucas points. So I'm trying to decide whether to stay at home and complete the foundation here or go to the university I'd like to end up at- I feel like it might prepare me better for the degree? (the degree I want to do is Graphic communication and illustration, and I've heard the foundation is more biased towards people who pick this pathway which would be good for me.The idea of the foundation is to cover all pathways quite intensively in the first term or so and then you specialise a bit more. If it's only really covering graphics and illustration then that's possibly a way of discriminating between a 'good' course and a 'bad' one, since the idea is to open up your skills, not close them down.).

I don't know of anyone who's gone from my sixth form to a college to do it, they all go to universities which is why I'm unsure about how good college will be? I tried doing my A Levels there but dropped out after a week because I didn't feel I was pushing myself enough as the people around me were all working towards a B/C/D.. so I'm thinking it'll be all these people who have gone to college after GCSE and worked up to do the foundation? I don't wish to repeat the experience, I can't switch next time so I'd be stuck there. If you feel happier going to university to do it, then there's no reason why you shouldn't. It often hinges on money, though.

I will by 19 by the time I enrol so just need to see how much it is to do it at college.Fortunately it is cheaper than a year's university fees, but you don't get a loan for it. Then just need to look at accommodation prices. I will apply to colleges and uni but I have to decide at some point!

I would like to move away from home but I have commitments back here so it might be better me staying at home for an extra year, but it would be possible to work around them, it's just the extra cost of accomodation putting me off and if there's a price difference between college and uni.