Upset but know i have no right to be.

Person_one

j.e.j. wrote: »

Not thick at all I imagine she'd need to do a foundation course in order to go on to do a degree in art.

She'll need a portfolio of art work. She won't get in without this.

This is right.

I have an art degree, whether you have A level art or a Btec you still generally need to do a foundation course to build your portfolio and get onto an art degree. Talent, rather than grades, are the criteria. I only needed 2 Es to get in!

rozmister

I went to a college (but to do a-levels) because I wanted an opportunity to spread my wings and to escape my school experience (bullied, unhappy, fat, etc). I definitely managed that! I loved college and wouldn't have been suited to the local sixth form. I loved college although personal problems meant my studies were affected. There were so many extra curriculurs I could do and the opportunity to make new friends.

Although you think your daughter is limiting her career prospects college may give her the opportunity to develop her self-confidence and flourish. She's only young and she should be enjoying herself and throwing herself into what she wants to do, there's still plenty of time to change her mind and do something else if she decides to later.

I've got a few friends who went to uni to do art subjects and they all did top ups before they went (ie. Foundation and then into BA) but I think those courses accept BTECs as much as they would A-levels. I also know somebody else whose on a vocational course at uni (Music Production) who got there with only BTECs.

RAS

LostandAfraid wrote: »

So reassuring to hear posters who took different routes coming out of it happy and doing well

A lot depends on whether your daughter still wants to do graphic design in two years time.

A BTEC National Extended Diploma is technically equivalent to 3 A Levels but is usually studied by students with weaker academic profiles.

The difficulties are that some universities do not recognise it as such and demand one or two academic or essay based A levels to study a lot of their courses. They do not consider Design and Technology to be an academic A level.

The other issue is that a BTEC is very industry specific and if your daughter changes her mind about her career choice it can be harder to get into degree courses for other subjects. This is likely to be particularly true of Art and Design rather than BTEC subjects like health and social care and applied science. So she is restricting her options at a very early stage.

Georgiegirl256

LostandAfraid wrote: »

She ended up with just a few close friends rather than being part of the wider circle there,she was very liked and never bullied but did get sidelined a bit so maybe it will do her good to be in a very mixed environment with people from varying backgrounds.

Exactly! I met so many new people at College....including my husband! :rotfl:

Georgiegirl256

Treevo wrote: »

You have every right to be upset OP. Your husband sounds like he has a massive chip on his shoulder. If I were you, I'd probably be making the college a very unattractive option.

Why on earth would she want to do that? Have you ever considered that the husband might have a point?

angelil

Why do so many people here assume that the OP's daughter even wants to go to university? It's not the only way to succeed in life at all and the present-day attitude that it is really drives me mad...

Hermia

LostandAfraid wrote: »

I am also convinced that her decision has been influenced by the fact that her boyfriend has quit his course at a different college and signed up to the same one at hers,they are joined at the hip and she would never back out of college now he has signed up there.

I know how upsetting that must be. I have worked in education/careers roles and seen this happen a lot. I have watched...

- one girl turn down a place on an extremely prestigious fast-track course that would have led to an amazing career. She had been preparing for years, but a new boyfriend influenced her to turn it down. He dumped her two months later. She ended up having a breakdown over her lost opportunity.
- a girl got into the Slade School of Fine Art and then turned the place down and went to a TERRIBLE local arts college due to the influence of her 'best' friend. If she had really been a best friend she would have surely encouraged her friend to go to Slade.

And many many more. This is why I think we need to get away from this idea that everyone should go to college/university straight from school. Some are clearly not mature enough and could really do with a couple of years maturing first.

OP - I'm not sure there is much you can do. If she has her heart set on this path there is no point trying to persuade her otherwise. Even if this is not the best decision she may still be able to get back on the right path. Many careers have multiple entry routes now.

lika_86

angelil wrote: »

Why do so many people here assume that the OP's daughter even wants to go to university? It's not the only way to succeed in life at all and the present-day attitude that it is really drives me mad...

Because the OP stated "Thankyou everyone,she has chosen a level 3 BTEC diploma and says she wants to go to university after doing that."

Chip on your shoulder much?

Treevo

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

Why on earth would she want to do that? Have you ever considered that the husband might have a point?

It's what I would do. Though I would want to prevent my child from making a huge mistake.

Dunroamin

LostandAfraid wrote: »

So reassuring to hear posters who took different routes coming out of it happy and doing well

To be honest with the grammar school I think she did feel inferior,partly because she wasn't a 'top' student there and a lot of her friends were and partly because many of her friends came from very well off families and we are not well off at all so she felt she didn't fit in.

She ended up with just a few close friends rather than being part of the wider circle there,she was very liked and never bullied but did get sidelined a bit so maybe it will do her good to be in a very mixed environment with people from varying backgrounds.

I will have a chat with her again when she comes home later and make sure she is definitely happy on the path she has chosen and then I will let it rest,it's her life after all and whilst I can be the worried mum I don't want to push her into doing what I would do,it has to be what she wants.

I appreciate all of the opinions,advice and experiences you have all shared,i feel so much better now thankyou

Although I would also be disappointed in your position, if she wants to go into Art and Design and your local college has a good reputation for it then she might just as well take this route to university. If she wanted to do academic subjects then she'd be better staying on at grammar school but, for a practical course, the college could be the better bet.