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Foundation programme or alevels

Guys! I have bit of a conundrum Im about to finish my edexcel igcse and I have a choice between foundation and alevels I would like some input regarding this I am very keen on foundation but would choosing it impact me negativily later on ie not doing alevels
Original post by Ihsan arshad
Guys! I have bit of a conundrum Im about to finish my edexcel igcse and I have a choice between foundation and alevels I would like some input regarding this I am very keen on foundation but would choosing it impact me negativily later on ie not doing alevels


A levels will give you the most options for university. A university foundation straight after gcse isn’t really a good idea in most situations.
Is this a Foundation Art Diploma/similar programme, or a university degree with foundation year? The two are somewhat different, and as above the latter I think would not be a good idea (having done one myself). University foundation years are often not "transferable" and another university could well debate it providing comparable preparation to the relevant A-level subjects, if you decided you wanted to move to another university. In my foundation year most people had at least attempted A-levels or similar study before, except international students whose countries' school systems do not extend to that (these days I understand they tend to be catered to by "international foundation years" which are somewhat different of debatable merit sometimes...).

For international foundation years...my impression of the e.g. INTO students at my university was they were less well prepared for the programmes than those who had done A-levels. This may be limited to that particular university where I worked alongside those students (Exeter) but, that was my perspective at least. It honestly struck me more as a way to just squeeze an extra year of funding out of international students...

For the Art side, it's perhaps a little less clear on the surface. I'm aware there are some "extended" programmes which allow you to begin after GCSE, but you will find your options afterwards very restricted - if you decide to move outside of the creative arts/design fields for example. Even within that, some courses which expect a high level of academic ability (such as Oxford and UCL Fine Art, and Cambridge and UCL Architecture) may not feel you have an adequate preparation for their courses. I would generally suggest for this route still doing A-levels and continuing to the Art Foundation afterwards - this is the typical route, and is still fully funded by the government (so you do not pay tuition fees) if you begin the FAD before you are 19 (or in the year in which you turn/have turned 19, I think). If you know those universities are not of interest and you are wholly committed to that route (perhaps simply by virtue of knowing you wont' want to do any other traditionally academic subjects to degree level) then it may be suitable but even then...
Thanks man appreciate the response

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