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Fine Art or Philosophy at uni?

At the start of A levels I couldn't choose between these two subjects, but at some point I decided to major in Fine Art at an art college. So, among the four A levels I was doing (Art, Classical Civilisation, History of Art, Philosophy), I dropped Classical Civilisation to focus more on Art.

However, I find myself being good at and enjoying Philosophy even more than Art. I'm currently expected A/A* in the former and A/B in the latter, with my Philosophy teacher saying that my work is genuinely first rate in every aspect (not bragging, just an info relevant to this question). For the last few months I was pretty much decided on proceeding to an art college or an art foundation year, but to reflect on it, I was almost always better in Philosophy than in Art. I have little artistic skills, only good concepts. And I'm thinking, if I'm only good with concepts and ideas, I may well study Philosophy at uni. (I'm really writing a stream of consciousness here.)

But I'm not sure if I can proceed to a Philosophy degree with this combination of A levels (Art, History of Art, Philosophy). I do have two essay subjects so that's good, but the problem is how I will get a decent A-level grade in Art after I decide on proceeding to a Philosophy degree. This is because, as those who have done it might know, Art A level requires a massive commitment, and AFAIK it is not usually done by someone who doesn't plan to go to an art college.

But I'm not entirely decided on Philosophy either. I know myself well; I tend to change my mind very quickly. 'Go with your gut feelings' doesn't really work, because my gut feelings change so quickly as well! So one way I have come up with is to apply for five Philosophy degrees via UCAS and at the same time apply for an art foundation degree, since UCAS and art foundation are completely different systems. Then I will have both doors open for me until the very moment I decide on which offer to accept. What do you think? Any advice would be appreciated.
Original post by morningrise
At the start of A levels I couldn't choose between these two subjects, but at some point I decided to major in Fine Art at an art college. So, among the four A levels I was doing (Art, Classical Civilisation, History of Art, Philosophy), I dropped Classical Civilisation to focus more on Art.

However, I find myself being good at and enjoying Philosophy even more than Art. I'm currently expected A/A* in the former and A/B in the latter, with my Philosophy teacher saying that my work is genuinely first rate in every aspect (not bragging, just an info relevant to this question). For the last few months I was pretty much decided on proceeding to an art college or an art foundation year, but to reflect on it, I was almost always better in Philosophy than in Art. I have little artistic skills, only good concepts. And I'm thinking, if I'm only good with concepts and ideas, I may well study Philosophy at uni. (I'm really writing a stream of consciousness here.)

But I'm not sure if I can proceed to a Philosophy degree with this combination of A levels (Art, History of Art, Philosophy). I do have two essay subjects so that's good, but the problem is how I will get a decent A-level grade in Art after I decide on proceeding to a Philosophy degree. This is because, as those who have done it might know, Art A level requires a massive commitment, and AFAIK it is not usually done by someone who doesn't plan to go to an art college.

But I'm not entirely decided on Philosophy either. I know myself well; I tend to change my mind very quickly. 'Go with your gut feelings' doesn't really work, because my gut feelings change so quickly as well! So one way I have come up with is to apply for five Philosophy degrees via UCAS and at the same time apply for an art foundation degree, since UCAS and art foundation are completely different systems. Then I will have both doors open for me until the very moment I decide on which offer to accept. What do you think? Any advice would be appreciated.

that sounds like a good plan
Original post by morningrise
At the start of A levels I couldn't choose between these two subjects, but at some point I decided to major in Fine Art at an art college. So, among the four A levels I was doing (Art, Classical Civilisation, History of Art, Philosophy), I dropped Classical Civilisation to focus more on Art.

However, I find myself being good at and enjoying Philosophy even more than Art. I'm currently expected A/A* in the former and A/B in the latter, with my Philosophy teacher saying that my work is genuinely first rate in every aspect (not bragging, just an info relevant to this question). For the last few months I was pretty much decided on proceeding to an art college or an art foundation year, but to reflect on it, I was almost always better in Philosophy than in Art. I have little artistic skills, only good concepts. And I'm thinking, if I'm only good with concepts and ideas, I may well study Philosophy at uni. (I'm really writing a stream of consciousness here.)

But I'm not sure if I can proceed to a Philosophy degree with this combination of A levels (Art, History of Art, Philosophy). I do have two essay subjects so that's good, but the problem is how I will get a decent A-level grade in Art after I decide on proceeding to a Philosophy degree. This is because, as those who have done it might know, Art A level requires a massive commitment, and AFAIK it is not usually done by someone who doesn't plan to go to an art college.

But I'm not entirely decided on Philosophy either. I know myself well; I tend to change my mind very quickly. 'Go with your gut feelings' doesn't really work, because my gut feelings change so quickly as well! So one way I have come up with is to apply for five Philosophy degrees via UCAS and at the same time apply for an art foundation degree, since UCAS and art foundation are completely different systems. Then I will have both doors open for me until the very moment I decide on which offer to accept. What do you think? Any advice would be appreciated.

They will be very different study experiences. Ask yourself what 'traits' you want to give way to during your studies.

Fine Art: creativity, experimentation, expression, visual culture & politics, trends, practical skills

Philosophy: intense reading, disciplined processes, writing skills, deeper thinking, focus, consistency, knowledge, memory

Personally I think fine art might open a few more doors (although these 2 courses are infamous for their lack of job prospects), and you can read up on philosophy to become knowledgable about it, and find related debate/discussion groups in your spare time. You might have more fun with an arts course too. Philosophy that you learn in your own time might inform your creative concepts. With studying philosophy too much creativity/poetic license can be seen to undermine the field. There is not as much freedom with your thoughts (depending on which uni)


It sounds like philosophy at A level should be enough for a lot of unis, as long as you have a good essay or two to show for it. You'll have to check that out. Art A level does require a lot of commitment, however for art porfolios you can work on this in your own time to add before you apply to a uni, whereas you probably won't want to re-write parts of your philosophy coursework after you finish A levels.

For unis, variety in your portfolio and experimentation is important, so adding to this after finishing A level is no problem.
(edited 3 years ago)
Your current plan sounds like a good one, as it keeps the doors open for you. You’re being mature and recognising that you’re not really sure yet, so the more doors the better! At the end of the day, if you start one course and don’t enjoy it, it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to swap, either. Philosophy doesn’t typically have A level requirements so you should be fine in that respect.

Good luck :smile:

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