Geography vs Art, Stressy DD !

[RedVelvet]

The head at my son's school mentioned the Ebacc at a recent options evening. He said that the school wasn't bothered about it at all, they would rather the boys took the right subjects for them.

We're also having an Art discussion in our house. This thread has been very helpful, thank you.

[neveragain*]

I would agree with all the comments about the amount of work that Art requires in order to get a good grade, and how organised DC need to be in planning and executing this work.

My DD said that doing Art GCSE and A level alongside a heavy academic burden saved her sanity! However, she was/is a girl who would always be drawing for fun and relaxation anyway...........her Cambridge interviewer was interested in her art too, and most universities know how much dedication art takes.......

[KB]

Just to reiterate that universities are looking for demonstrated passion for and ability in the subject being applied for.
Naturally they look for evidence of exam achievements to date and there is no reason to think that art is less or better thought of than many other subjects at GCSE.
At A level if a student knows what they want to do at Uni then they should check specific admissions advice, if not then there is on line info from Russell group about recommended subjects to keep options open. Individual circumstances would dictate whether Art was a sensible option but if choices are going down to 3 A levels you would need to think carefully about whether it is rekevent to future plans ( sadly).

[Peridot]

I agree with neveragain and KB about art GCSE being well-regarded by unis as this is also what I have been told. It shows breadth but also that the young person is mature enought to commit and apply themselves to a long project, and work independently. This seems certainly to be appropriate for some Oxbridge courses, for example. Not that that's what my son had in mind when he chose Art GCSE; he chose it because he is very creative and loves drawing, and although it has been hard work he has enjoyed it as a foil to his more academic subjects (although he still grumbles about the fact that music would have been easier...).

[modernista]

Considering she is definately doing a music GCSE, I think GCSE in geog has advantages

1. Includes a social science in her selection (therefore ebacc)
2. Saves time for other subjects - music outside school already sucks up her time

Cant think of any great advantages for Art except she is good at it and enjoys it. I am happy to pay for lessons outside school which can be tailored to their own pace.

However I have decided to stop discouraging her as she is at that stage where she will do exactly what I think she should not do. Anybody has sneaky ideas?

[Guest55]

modenista - don't be concerned about the Ebacc - it means nothing!

Let her choose what she wants - she'll work harder.

[KB]

Idea-
Tell her you have heard how much time Art needs and say you'll leave her to decide as long as :
1.she speaks to some year 11 Art students and finds out from them what it really entails
2. then looks at how that would fit in alongside homework and music. I
If she can make a rational argument on that basis you will happily support her.

[tiffinboys]

Let her choose what she wants - she'll work harder.

and won't blame you either.

[modernista]

OK about EBacc- will not care about it.
She is not time organised and I am really worried that the time spent on Art and Music will affect her other grades.
Having studied Art and Art History in Uni in the first year as part of architecture school, I cant understand why Art has to take so much time. I suppose the role of Art in architecture is to do quick visualisations- at work we certainly dont have the leisure to spend hours on a visualisation.
The school gets extremely good grades in Art. My feeling is that they are so worried about league tables that they give so much work that even 'non artists' get an A*
Got to grill the Art teacher even if I get blamed for that!