Portfolio Brief. HELP & ADVICE

spinandscribble

Taken from the ncad website http://www.ncad.ie/admissions/entrycore.shtml

With regard specifically to your fetac

FETAC: As an alternative to the Leaving Certificate or other
matriculation requirements, FETAC/NCVA Level 2 certificates,
with a distinction in five of the eight modules, will be acceptable.

with regards to mature students:

Intending applicants should note that being over 23 years of age does not give an automatic exemption from the minimum entry requirements for any course.

In exceptional cases mature students may be accepted without the NUI matriculation requirements. Such applicants may be considered on an individual basis and criteria in addition to second- level school examinations will be taken into account to establish their suitability for the course.

The standard of portfolio work required from a mature applicant is the same as that required from other applicants.

Mature students apply in the same way and at the same time as other applicants.

What happens is when NCAD get your portfolio they'll mark it and send you out a score out of 1000. It will say on it if your portfolio grade is high enough to be selected. However, you must wait until round zero (I assume in your situation since you already meet the entry requirement) to have the offer.

OopsyDaisy

Hey! I'm going into LC in September, and I want to go to IADT next year. Has anyone done a portfolio for the Costume Design for stage and screen?
I would appreciate any help..I'm really freaking out at the moment!

a0ife

I'm trying to apply to NCAD this year... I much prefer the look of the new briefs to the old vague way but i'm still a little lost...
Can anyone recommend any good one to one tutors? Classes don't really seems to suit as they're only on weekends and I work then...
Really appreciate ANY help any one has to offer!!

Thanks!!!

Chorcai

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055357937

a0ife

thanks

Tiriel

Chorcai wrote: »

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055357937

Threads merged

Seancy

Hey I'm in sixth year and looking to make a portfolio submission for NCAD by Feb. I'm very busy every week though and can get quite flustered. I need some sort of direction on this. Anyone running weekly portfolio courses or anyone who knows of any good ones please reply!

PS: I am based in Celbridge/Maynooth

EMILY.C

Hey guys!
I'm a portfolio student in colaiste dulaigh and i'm aiming for NCAD. I applied last year, didnt get it so i'm trying again
But there are a few things i'm confused about, i'm finding it harder this year than last!
was wondering if anyone who is in NCAD could give me some advice?

what should the standard of drawing be like for the notebooks? i have some good drawings and ideas but some pretty bad ones as well??

how much harder do they mark PLC students to school students?

i prob have many other questions just cant think o any right now

Thanks guys, any help will be greatly appreciated

spinandscribble

There's a sticky thread at the top of the forum with information on the past brief's ect. It might be of use to you.

I'm not in Ncad because I choose a different art college but i'll try and answer your questions.

The plc students are in the same category as non Leaving cert students which includes mature students and individuals applying outside of LC/PLCs. They aren't marker harder per say, but as you can imagine the standard and amount of entries will be different to the LC route A. The cut off point is then higher as a result.

I knew many people last year who were in a similar position to you and got into the college they wanted after a year doing a portfolio course, you just need to be working away at it all the time. Trying to get a portfolio together during the LC just seems like so much stress to me.

as far as sketchbooks go, it depends on your approach. Some people use them exclusively for drawings but personally i use them to gather ideas, research, note taking and working things out. Not every page needs to have a great idea/drawing. Its just a way of working things out for yourself and in the end you mightn't be able to include all of them l due to the limitations NCAD put on portfolio weight.

EMILY.C

I've heard people and tutors talking about theming your NCAD portfolio??
what exactly does that mean, like use the same sort of objects throughout or...???

EMILY.C

hey,
so i've heard that its good to theme the NCAD portfolio ? what does that mean exactly?:D

Setun

If you're applying to NCAD for next year make sure you read the portfolio brief for 2011: http://www.ncad.ie/portfolio/
The days of a general themed portfolio are gone as many people felt the same way as you about it - ie confused and intimidated. The new portfolio brief is designed to provoke interesting responses out of the candidate - to challenge the way you think rather than show off how good you are with your oil paints.

Good luck!

EMILY.C

thanks for the help but i know all the brief already (:
i've heard that some people like set a theme to the brief.....like to narrow down the items?

spinandscribble

EMILY.C wrote: »

thanks for the help but i know all the brief already (:
i've heard that some people like set a theme to the brief.....like to narrow down the items?

I wouldn't restrict yourself at this stage. It might work against you. Mine had a few linked elements but it wasn't a conscious decision. Just work with what'll interest you because you're more likely to work with it.

EMILY.C

my notebook isnt cartridge paper i dont think?? is it that important??

spinandscribble

well if its thin paper you risk bleeding through the page when using certain materials and paints/markers. Noone can say what notebook you should use, it depends on how you find them yourself.

montreano

thanks for all this information.

muserock

hey I' applying for NCAD this year aswell, I'm doing my leaving cert and I' finding it hard to get the work done and getting it done in a creative way cause I hear that's what interests them, I'm new to this site aswell and joined just to see if could find other people who are applying as no one in my school is interested, so let me know how you are getting on with the brief and I'll try and help you out as much as I can. I hope other people can help me figure out how to use this site as it's a bit of a maze to me at the moment lol best of luck!

EMILY.C

so i hear that NCAD are marking everyone the same now??? school leavers and PLC students, so that there are no longer two different categories ...whats everyones opinion on this??

spinandscribble

EMILY.C wrote: »

so i hear that NCAD are marking everyone the same now??? school leavers and PLC students, so that there are no longer two different categories ...whats everyones opinion on this??

its great in my opinion. The best should get in, be they mature or school leavers or plcs. If anything it'll level the playing field of those that enter first year and is simply fairer.

I think plc portfolio courses are great, gives you a year to grow up a bit, improve your overall skills without the worry of the LC and see if you can handle a art course. So even if someone doesn't get in during their 6th year, it can work out for the best if they do a plc.

Plus I heard they're letting people apply direct to disciplines instead of applying to core soon. I'm not sure if there will still be core however, wouldn't like to see that being done away with altogether.

EMILY.C

I agree with that (: it will level everything out in my opinion .....would this make general points higher or lower?

spinandscribble

It won't change the marking scheme i'd imagine as I don't think either route were marked differently. It might be end up that more people who were previously route B get in because it won't be capped how many can get in. The cutoff scores for route B were higher then A the year before last for example. Its fairer in the long run.

EMILY.C

i know i'm full of ridiculous questions....but do NCAD mark ideas over standard of drawing or the other way around? or are they equally important??

spinandscribble

EMILY.C wrote: »

i know i'm full of ridiculous questions....but do NCAD mark ideas over standard of drawing or the other way around? or are they equally important??

i don't think one things more important then another but i'd imagine you need both. I wouldn't stress over stuff like that, second guessing what they want or dont want. just work and do the best you can.

EMILY.C

Thanks you're right
how is everything coming along for everyone??:P:P

muserock

Although it is fair in a sense that everyone is being marked equally based on their work, I still think its important to take into consideration the people who are doing their L.C and trying to do it while grading them. Obviously the majority of people applying from a plc course will have a better standard or a higher quatity of work as they have had a year outside school to prepare it. If everyone is being marked equally then wouldn't it mean we'd all have to do a plc course to get to this standard? I already did ty and don't want to take another year out to meet the standards of other people so that I can compete with their work. So yeah I preferred the old way of them grading portfolios

spinandscribble

muserock wrote: »

Although it is fair in a sense that everyone is being marked equally based on their work, I still think its important to take into consideration the people who are doing their L.C and trying to do it while grading them. Obviously the majority of people applying from a plc course will have a better standard or a higher quatity of work as they have had a year outside school to prepare it. If everyone is being marked equally then wouldn't it mean we'd all have to do a plc course to get to this standard ? I already did ty and don't want to take another year out to meet the standards of other people so that I can compete with their work. So yeah I preferred the old way of them grading portfolios

I think what's important is that its fairer now. Sure its nice to get things having done less work but wouldn't it be better going into first year not feeling less capable or confident then the people who have done a plc? The best should get in, any other way is unfair and at the end of the day will be better for everyone, those who deserve to get in and those who don't, won't (that depends on what you think of their marking scheme *wink*).

your remark about wouldn't this mean in the future more people will have to do plcs is probably correct. Thats a good thing. The overall standard of irish art colleges 1st year students will be improved. I'm amazed at the general standard of 1st years coming into college here. they get portfolio together by themselves or with a portfolio prep, then apply direct if they're of a standard to or in most cases, apply to a foundation year and AFTER that apply to a art college.

In the grand scheme of things a year improving your skills and getting your portfolio together will only serve to make you a stronger person and artist when you enter college. It'll also help to weed out the people who go to art college straight from leaving cert but quit soon after as they don't actually like doing art work day in and out. It'll save them wasting a place on others and their own time.

muserock

I hear what you're saying and it seems logical that the best portfolios get into college, I'm just speaking from personal experience that doing the leaving cert and trying to prepare a portfolio is very difficult due to lack of time, so I just liked the way they took that into consideration whilst looking at them.In terms of plc courses, personally I wouldn't have the money to go to college for another year when I could have got it done in 6th year without a years worth of college expenses, especially currently with the grant cuts

spinandscribble

muserock wrote: »

I hear what you're saying and it seems logical that the best portfolios get into college, I'm just speaking from personal experience that doing the leaving cert and trying to prepare a portfolio is very difficult due to lack of time, so I just liked the way they took that into consideration whilst looking at them.In terms of plc courses, personally I wouldn't have the money to go to college for another year when I could have got it done in 6th year without a years worth of college expenses, especially currently with the grant cuts

I can sympathise and when I did my leaving cert many years ago i also struggled to put a portfolio together but I just reasoned that if I was ever going to go to art college a extra year in a plc was something that would be required. I was just too focused on doing well overall in the leaving cert to spend more time on my portfolio and in the end I studied something else. I can see now I wasn't ready for art college in a lot of ways so I'm glad the way it panned out.

I think it will feel better knowing you got in for your abilities and you will get in if you work hard enough. The brief is doable without a whole year of a plc behind it, sure my plc didn't even touch it until a month before the due date.

I just liked the way they took that into consideration whilst looking at them

Its good to realise plenty of LC students had just as good scores as PLC students and the difference in the cut off wasn't extreme. As far as i'm aware they didn't group them and look at them and go "heres a leaving cert of course they didn't have much time so i guess..." they just scored everyone the same way and with the same standard and then put them in their A or B groups so the leaving certs competed with the leaving and the Bs with the Bs for 50% and 50% of the places.

And its good to remember you can apply to other colleges in ireland and the uk, so if you don't get into one, there's others as well you can apply to.

Chorcai

muserock wrote: »

Although it is fair in a sense that everyone is being marked equally based on their work, I still think its important to take into consideration the people who are doing their L.C and trying to do it while grading them. Obviously the majority of people applying from a plc course will have a better standard or a higher quatity of work as they have had a year outside school to prepare it. If everyone is being marked equally then wouldn't it mean we'd all have to do a plc course to get to this standard? I already did ty and don't want to take another year out to meet the standards of other people so that I can compete with their work. So yeah I preferred the old way of them grading portfolios

You know NCAD give 50% of their places to LC students the rest is up for grabs by PLC/Matures.