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Skipping Foundation Year: Good/Bad?

The clue's in the title :smile:

What's good and bad about going straight from sixth form to degree level? I've heard it's a big leap to take and there's a massive difference between both but the idea of spending another year, of what seems like preparation for a degree, sounds potentially frustrating. What to do, what to do?...

Reply 1

aleathiel

16

well you do learn an awful lot that you take onto your degree so it is a good idea to do a foundation although sometimes it gets a little frustrating, I can't wait to get onto my degree!

Reply 2

gingham_pirate

I agree. Also, all the good courses ask for foundation. Unless you're amazing, and I mean amazing, you'll only be able to get onto poor art degrees. That just the way it is, foundation is just what is nationally expected.

Reply 3

Kate.

15

Foundation is becoming a lot less necessary, actually. As long as you prepare a good portfolio then you have just as much chance. I have 3 offers for Graphic Design (Lincoln, Chester & Leeds - Chester is my last choice though, I know it's not exactly amazing for Graphics, haha) and 3 interviews.

Reply 4

gingham_pirate

So you got offers without interviews, and have 3 interviews aswell?
No offence, but if you did get offers without interviews/portfolio inspections, then that's not a very good refleciton of the course.

Reply 5

catkin

A good foundation course is a fantatsic experience and I would be wary of a degree course that accepts students (apart from mature students) without one. How do you know which specialism to go for if you've only done a general art a level? How will your portfolio from school (a level is very different) compete with foundation students? Have a look at the level of work coming out of the colleges that insist on foundation and those who don't. Ask yourself why some colleges insist on a foundation course and what the opportunities are for work or MA from colleges which want foundation courses and those that don't.
I know some people can't wait to rush on to their degrees but do think hard about it. You can only gain - more mates and more art experience!

Reply 6

lowkesa

OP

1

catkin

A good foundation course is a fantatsic experience and I would be wary of a degree course that accepts students (apart from mature students) without one. How do you know which specialism to go for if you've only done a general art a level? How will your portfolio from school (a level is very different) compete with foundation students? Have a look at the level of work coming out of the colleges that insist on foundation and those who don't. Ask yourself why some colleges insist on a foundation course and what the opportunities are for work or MA from colleges which want foundation courses and those that don't.
I know some people can't wait to rush on to their degrees but do think hard about it. You can only gain - more mates and more art experience!

I take your point, but that's not to say Universities which don't require a foundation don't rank highly. I've heard from a number of students from both Oxford's Ruskin and UCL's Slade (two of the best in the country) who were accepted without foundation. I certainly wouldn't be "wary" of starting a BA at Oxford without a foundation and I seriously doubt an employer would be "wary" of taking on an Oxford student without one either. But yeah, I suppose it does depend on the individual and I guess extra arts experience and meeting new, like minded people can't be wrong before a degree.

Thanks for your posts. :yy:

Reply 7

catkin

Ruskin and The Slade are special cases! They are both specialist and traditional fine art colleges so you have to be pretty sure you are only up for painting or sculpture. The people they take (and I admit to only knowing one guy who went to Ruskin from foundation and one person who did their BA at the Slade five years ago) tend to be very very very good at the whole traditional drawing/painting thing. The Slade and Ruskin are in different leagues to Chester or Lincoln or wherever was mentioned for Graphics (and I am not meaning to sound snooty).
If you are absolutely fantastic at traditional art and want to spend four years painting and are not interested in design, graphics, film, animation, fashion ceramics jewellry theatre design costume or any other of the degrees you can go onto after a foundation then apply to Ruskin or the Slade. If you are just out of school and thinking about an art degree do a foundation course first.
If you are good enough for those places well done and congratulations.

Reply 8

Cocaine Socialist

11

catkin

A good foundation course is a fantatsic experience and I would be wary of a degree course that accepts students (apart from mature students) without one. How do you know which specialism to go for if you've only done a general art a level?

Exactly. After my A levels I was determined I would be going in a graphic design/illustration direction, but after just one term on Foundation I've completely changed my mind and decided Fine Art is what I want to do, which is basically the polar opposite. A levels and AVCE courses I think are far too restrictive for you to be able to actually discover what you're best at and what you enjoy doing - you can't experiment because you are too busy jumping through hoops.

Reply 9

aleathiel

16

yeah same here I wanted to do film studies and photography but now I want to do film production :smile:

Reply 10

seanaldo123

Id definetely say do a foundation, not to be big headed but i thought i was good during/after A level, however i have improved soo much on my foundation so far (not even finished yet) it is crazy. (as long as u work hard) ur skills will become so much better. I couldnt imagine going straight to degree with to be honest a limited knowledge of art, foundation gives you a year to practice and refine your skills so that when u enter ur degree you can bang out cracking work straight from the get-go, without the process of experimentation that foundation brings.

Reply 11

lazza

15

do a foundation. it's free. your work will have improved greatly in that year. you have a much better chance of getting into a good art school. and you may (like me) realise that what you thought you wanted to do isn't what you wanted to do

honestly the amount of people who switch between pathways is phenominal

considering the slade and ruskin take about 15-20 students each a year i dont see how you could have heard of a "number' of students who got in without foundation... also, as stated before. they are exceptions to the rule.

also the non interview thing. i'm thinking about applying to CSM for fashion. I got almost full marks at alevel fine art and am doing very well (according to tutors, not me!!) in my foundation. Yet leeds wont consider looking at my portfolio because of my Alevel Maths mark (normally they don't interview apart from in special circumstances).

on top of that your school teachers may tell you you're amazing and edexcel might say so too. but when you get onto foundation you've got people who'll tell you the truth, and build you up into someone much more suitable for degree at an ART SCHOOL and then the real industry

Reply 12

lazza

15

also this way you get 2 freshers weeks instead of one

Reply 13

gingham_pirate

lazza

Yet leeds wont consider looking at my portfolio because of my Alevel Maths mark (normally they don't interview apart from in special circumstances).

Be thankful, Leeds uni is meant to be rubbish for fashion!

Reply 14

natlloyd

Hey, I've spoken to quite a lot of course directors from Bournemouth Arts, LCF, LCC, Newport and UCCA and they have all said that the reason they recommend taking a foundation year is that it gives you that extra level of maturity that you will need to bring to your work. Along with this, many people change their minds on degree courses during a foundation year as it gives you the oppertunity to try out many more art disciplines than you possibly could have done at A-Level. Although, in saying this there are cases where A-level students have gone happily straight to degree and I'm sure there are a few colleges across the UK who offer very good A-level studies.

In my case I have applied both to the degree's I'd like to do, and a foundation course as a back up. Whilst the foundation course benefits a lot of people, I personally would not like to do it because I would feel that I would be somewhat repeating myself and possibly slowing things down as I am currently doing an Art&Design A-Level and a Photography one and have already done a lot of vocational work that is covered more within a degree than a foundation.

It's a personal choice really as at most institutes it is free (though I know it's not at LCF).

Hope that helped.

Reply 15

AnnieBell

i went without a foundation because i always new what i wanted to do, from day 1.

i also knew however that i'd need to apply for foundation as a backup.

i got all of my route a offers - UCE, Ravensbourne and Chelsea, and my route b, CSM without foundation.

however

the jump was enourmous and i had to work so hard, and i was behind for most of the 1st year.

the emotional maturity you will gain is invaluable. honestly.

not all courses that let a level students in are rubbish, but do be wary of them, and dont plump for second choice just because they'll take you.

i wish i had done foundation, everyone of my friends did and they loved it!!!!!!!!

Reply 16

Jessica3973

Well I didn't do a foundation year, as I studied a BTEC National Diploma instead of taking A Levels. So in theory I didn't need to.

Though I was warned by my course tutors that many universities did also take the one year age gap into consideration. I am now on a gap year earning money for when I hopefully go in sept when I'm 19.

From what my friends have said who stayed at college, they have just ended up repeating a whole year of our ND course. So I knew that not doing foundation was right for my circumstances.

If I had of chosen A Levels, I would of, however chosen to do a foundation course. :smile:

Reply 17

BluEyze

Jessica3973

From what my friends have said who stayed at college, they have just ended up repeating a whole year of our ND course.

I heard that too. I mean it might be good for practice, but it'd feel really boring to be doing the same thing again. That's why I chose not to do a Foundation as well. Foundation Degree might have come in useful, but apparently you learn the same in those two years as you do in the first two years of a degree - although there might be slight variations - which is why you can go straight onto the third year of the degree from the second year of the FDA.

Reply 18

ollie123

1

I'm doing my degree now in Product Design and didn't do a foundation year. To be fair it is a massive jump but i wouldn't say it's neccessary. People who come from a foundation will find it easier but my mates who came from foundation have said the first semester has felt like a repeat of their foundation as the uni tries to get everyone who has come from different backgrounds up to speed. Like i said i never did the foundation and i feel confident on the course and the 2 getting the highest marks in the class at the moment both came from A-level backgrounds. As long as you have alot of motivation and you put the effort in your fine not doing a foundation.

Skipping Foundation Year: Good/Bad?

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