I don’t know that I’ve come across a thread yet that discusses this. My D is considering schools that have the foundation year and another that does not. Would love to hear from students and parents what your thoughts are on the benefits and drawbacks of the foundation year!!!
This was a sub topic in this much longer thread “Art School admission 2017” (I think about 1/2 thru around page 15 or so maybe?)
Anyhow, the pros:
Foundation year gets everyone on the same page skill set wise (supposedly, more on that in the cons). It’s also great if your student is not sure what art path they want to follow. They get an intro into major fields - basically drawing, 2D (graphic design) and 3D (sculpture, industrial design, architecture). And even if they think they know what they want to pursue, lots of kids end up switching interests based on their exposure to something new or a deeper involvement in one of these fields.
Cons:
If you already know what you want to do it can feel like one big waste of time and be very frustrating. My D’s a freshman at RISD and feeling that now. Also as alot of us parents discussed in that above thread, many schools are highly biased towards conceptual/fine arts. So if that’s NOT your kid & the type of art they want to pursue, they’re going to be feeling frustrated and stifled. For my daughter, some experiences have been amazing but others feel like a lot of BS. And she’s chomping at the bit to get moving in her field (illustration).
Some schools are seeing this and adjusting their curriculum, especially in fields that demand a high technical proficiency in learning computer software etc (like animation and architecture) - so they now start those students off in a different foundation year track to get them moving faster into the nuts and bolts of what they need to learn.
Thanks so much @ArtAngst for your response. I really appreciate it. I’ll try to take a look back through that thread as well. We were just down at MICA and they seem to be doing adjustments to the First Year program that reflect adding in the technology piece. I also appreciate hearing about your D’s freshman experience at RISD. I don’t hear about too many kids loving foundation year, but I can’t help but think it could be a valuable experience and opportunity for growth. I just wonder if the distaste for it that some kids get affects their overall school experience to the point where they change their mind about art school in general or about the particular school they chose.
Thanks for helping me process as I go through the school commitment process with my senior daughter now.
We liked at MICA too and she really liked it. My younger high schooler is also looking at it too.
I tend to think my daughter would probably have been just as frustrated anywhere else with a foundation year. 
I also teach part-time in an art department and view it as a ‘necessary evil (more like a frustration)’ for the kids who already know what they want to do. Daughter did just fine grade-wise, so it’s more a matter of dealing and learning from it the best she can.