Why Foundation Year was the best choice for me

In the School of Visual Communication, we offer alongside many BA (Hons) courses the option to study a Foundation Year. We spoke to Illustration student Rosie Buglass about her decision to study on the Foundation course and why she's never looked back!

Image of work surface with laptop, sketchbook and art tools

Why did you choose to study at BCU?

Birmingham seemed like a really exciting and vibrant city and the range of arts related courses at BCU was massive which was great as someone who hadn't yet decided which arts path to go down.

Why did you chose the Foundation Year route?

I decided to do a course with foundation year as I didn't have a lot of experience in the arts and therefore felt I needed an added confidence boost before going into a class full of people who had studied Art at A Level. I was also unsure as to which discipline I wanted to study, so the foundation year gave me the opportunity to be in a very mixed environment and try out everything including Photography, Illustration, Art & Design and Fine Art.

How do you think the Foundation Year has supported you?

I think the Foundation Year has supported me massively in finding both my confidence and the area of study I wanted to pursue, not to mention the continued support of my foundation tutors throughout the rest of my degree.

3x2 photo grid of student Rosie Buglass featuring various images of herself and classmates in seminars, at Grand Central station and at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

What support did you receive from the university?

I felt supported throughout my journey, from applying through clearing and during my study. Academics helped by walking us through all the possible discipline options we could go on to study in the next year, and guided us to our best option.

What opportunities did you get in your Foundation Year?

I had some amazing opportunities, I got the chance to do multiple in-school exhibitions and one out of school exhibition in Digbeth. I also had the opportunity to visit New York that year which was an amazing experience, I was also able to join them on a trip to Barcelona a year later.

Have you been part of any exciting projects or events?

The Foundation Year provided me with the opportunity to take part in some exciting projects such as Dance Xchange which was what got me really interested in illustration, as well as ample opportunities to see exhibitions in BMAG and IKON. Doing varied projects in the Foundation Year also enabled me to get private commission opportunities with my illustration and animation work.