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Central Saint Martins

Hello, university-ers!

I have a friend who's thinking of going to Central Saint Martins. Can anyone (preferably someone who goes there) tell me anything about it, that I may pass on the information? He's particularly interested in the fine arts, more so than textiles for example. How are the courses set up? What kinds of teaching go on there? How difficult is it to get in? And as artists, do you feel there is a lot of opportunity to explore your own style, be it traditional/classic or more modern?

Thanks!
Reply 1
An excellent place for a foundation degree in art:biggrin: I know a large number of people studying there, and as far as I know- if you are good at art and do love the subject- you will get in. The grade requirements are pathetic, tbh. Nevertheless, you might have to be a bit skilled with the paint brush.

I know a person who dropped out because the course was very structured according to him, and there was little room to do somthing that he wanted...

Reputation wise it is great for art... Other than that, I am not sure...
Reply 2
Thanks for the info :smile:
He's applying for Fine Art Foundation by the way.

Some more questions: Is the community very international or mostly from the UK?

What do they expect from the portfolio? My friend's worried about making his portfolio perfect because he won't be able to attend an interview (military service) so they can't evaluate him on anything else. His work is at santeri.deviantart.com/gallery ... Based on that, you think he has a good chance of getting in? How exactly do you make the portfolio anyway?

Well, thanks in advance for any replies :smile:
Reply 3
Fine art foundation is the best foundation course you can do in CSM. The works of your friend are good in quality, however, they are not amazing, talking about things critically, and he will really need to make his portolio and Personal Statement "perfect" before he sends the two off, especially since he cannot be at the interview. I would suggest that he demonstrates his ability to use a number of different media, such as oil paints for example, since so far there have been good watercolour works but nothing more. Photography will not interest the tutors that much, although it is a good plus, since it shows his diversity.
On a brighter note, I have seen students with far worse quality of work getting in.

The community, as far as I am aware has a high proportion of international students.

Best wishes
Reply 4
alexeynechaev
Fine art foundation is the best foundation course you can do in CSM. The works of your friend are good in quality, however, they are not amazing, talking about things critically, and he will really need to make his portolio and Personal Statement "perfect" before he sends the two off, especially since he cannot be at the interview. I would suggest that he demonstrates his ability to use a number of different media, such as oil paints for example, since so far there have been good watercolour works but nothing more. Photography will not interest the tutors that much, although it is a good plus, since it shows his diversity.
On a brighter note, I have seen students with far worse quality of work getting in.

The community, as far as I am aware has a high proportion of international students.

Best wishes

About the photography:

He's actually very interested in photography, and it does say that CSM Fine Art Foundation has photography. He was hoping he might still specialize in photography after his foundation. Is that unlikely?
Reply 5
Just in general, what other UK Art Schools (preferable in the London area) would you recommend if you want to do foundation with a lot of photography?
Reply 6
cavronne
About the photography:

He's actually very interested in photography, and it does say that CSM Fine Art Foundation has photography. He was hoping he might still specialize in photography after his foundation. Is that unlikely?


I assume that in that case, the issue will be different, however I am not a photographer, and am hence not the person to judge his ability in this sphere...
cavronne
Just in general, what other UK Art Schools (preferable in the London area) would you recommend if you want to do foundation with a lot of photography?


Goldsmiths College is also famous for art. Most of the well known contemporary British artists and art photographers (Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, Sam Taylor-Wood) went there so I imagaine that the art courses there will be quite modern. I dont know about the courses they offer but its worth checking out.
Reply 8
Certainly the prestigious Slade School of Fine Arts at UCL.
Reply 9
pharmakos
Certainly the prestigious Slade School of Fine Arts at UCL.


Certainly not:p: It is a great place, but I disagree in terms of a foundation course- the CSM fine art foundation is by a long way the best in the country. And there again, I don't think that slade even has a foundation (although I am not certain)...
Reply 10
alexeynechaev
Certainly not:p: It is a great place, but I disagree in terms of a foundation course- the CSM fine art foundation is by a long way the best in the country. And there again, I don't think that slade even has a foundation (although I am not certain)...


They don't have a foundation because their students don't need one. Old schools like the Ruskin School of Art and The Slade don't function with the 'new' system of foundation.

Foundation at CSM isn't THAT amazing ( I go there). I don't know much about the fine art foundation, but it is less competitive than the general foundation.
Reply 11
hey, you guys.......i am going to CSM for foundation course.......is there anybody who knows the rate of foundation students get accepted by a BA degree in CSM? I heard it is really hard..........
Reply 12
To those ppl who applied dorms, when can we know if the dorms we applied are available or not..........
Hey! What is the difference between:

Foundation Diploma in Art and Design

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts

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