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Duration at BRGS Sixth Form: : 2000-2002 |
Previous
school: BRGS |
| Subjects studied: |
Date of submitting these answers: |
| » Art
& Design |
December 2008 |
| » English Language | |
| » History |
|
| » General Studies | |
| » Business Studies (AS) | |
| University you are at, why you chose this university, and give one interesting fact about your university: | |
| University of the Arts, London (London College of Communication) | |
| Best things about your university city: | |
| London has pretty much everything you could want! | |
| Worst things about your university city: | |
| Crowded tube and bus travel. Rent is expensive! | |
Social scene/nightlife in your university city?: |
|
| Amazing - from the huge famous clubs like Fabric and Ministry of Sound to smaller quirker venues in Shoreditch and Camden. | |
| Popular activities at your university/ in your university city?: | |
| As a university made up of several smaller colleges, there are clubs and societies for every interest or sport. | |
| Favourite places to shop | |
| Oxford Street (obviously!) and Carnaby Street are excellent for all the popular high street shops. Indie kids will love Camden and the more trendy areas of Shoreditch have plenty of boutiques full of up and coming designers. Amazing record shop Rough Trade is on Brick Lane (very popular with students for its Sunday market) | |
| How much on average per week do a) Halls of Residence, b) Renting a house, cost in your university town/city? | |
| £90 per week for mid-range halls located behind Tate Modern in Waterloo. I had my own bathroom and shared the kitchen/lounge with 6 others. House sharing varied from £80 per week to £110 depending on location and how many people I was sharing with. | |
| What is the accommodation like in your university town/city? | |
| It can be very expensive if you want to live in central London. Areas further out, such as Camden, Hackney or Camberwell are cheaper and easier to find a nice affordable place to live. | |
| How much on average do you spend on food shopping per week? | |
| £30-ish | |
| What is the course you are studying? - Was it your original choice when applying for university? | |
| Art Foundation at Manchester Metropolitan University, then BA(Hons) Graphic and Media Design: Typo/Graphic Design. I had applied from A Level but was advised by BRGS and universities to do an Art Foundation course first. | |
| How many years does your course last? | |
| 3 years (plus 1 year foundation) | |
| What you enjoy most about your course/ what impresses you about it?: | |
| Regarded as one of the best courses for Graphic Design in Europe. It was not a commercially focused course - it was very much art based whilst learning the fundamentals of graphic design. | |
| What you enjoy least about your course, and what could be improved : | |
| Much of the course is self-directed without much time spent in lectures and a lot less time with tutors and technicians than you would at a small college. | |
| How
do you rate the teaching standards on your
course, and do your tutors/lecturers/the university give you the right support for your studies?: |
|
| Tutors were always available and they gave very tough criticisms, but it always made me work harder. There were screenprinting, letterpress, bookbinding, photography and Mac facilities with helpful technicians to help guide you on your way when you got stuck. We had an excellent range of visiting tutors and workshops from famous designers. The theory side of the course (written assignments) was not very challenging (compared to BRGS standards anyway!) | |
| What A Level Grades/UCAS points did you have to achieve to be accepted onto your course? | |
| Accepted based on passing foundation course and portfolio review. Grades were not that important - its all about your portfolio and potential. Basic grades needed are five GCSEs, two A-levels and art foundation diploma. | |
| Why did you choose the particular course you are studying? | |
| It is regarded as the best university for art and design in the country, and my course in particular for graphic design is particularly highly regarded within the industry for its ability to produce highly creative graduates who can easily adapt from design for print to web design to advertising. | |
| Best thing about being at university: | |
| Having a great time away from home, meeting new and exciting people and learning about yourself. | |
| Worst thing about being at university: | |
| It can be expensive - but I had a weekend job to help | |
| What do you plan to do after you graduate? | |
| After graduation I took part in several exhibitions in London, worked as an studio intern working for clients such as MTV and Sony, wrote for a book on font design and interned at a publishing house as a design assistant. I now have my own clients and participate in ongoing projects that I get invited to join, such as a current project for Amnesty International. I intend to apply for postgraduate study in London or abroad in the near future. | |
| If you were to recommend going to university, what would you say? | |
| Aim high! If you don't get in the first time around, take a year out and gain some relevant experience and try again. It doesn't matter that you are a year or more older than everyone else. | |
| Do you get homesick? If so, how do you deal with it? | |
| A little, but you will have plenty of friends who feel the same way at the beginning. And Virgin trains have cheap tickets to Manchester to get home! | |
| Do you think you made the right choice? Or looking back, would you have gone to a different university/started a different course? | |
| I think I made the right decision with my choice, but I wish I had undertaken more work placements whilst at university so I had more commercial experience when I left. | |
| What have you achieved whilst being at university? | |
| More confidence and many memorable
experiences of
living away from home for the first time! |
|
| Any other comments | |
| For
anyone wanting to go onto an art and design
course at university I would strongly
recommend doing an art
foundation course - you'll get
to try every discipline and build up a great
portfolio. Manchester and Blackburn are excellent
courses. If you have your heart set on one
of the London colleges - Central St Martins,
Chelsea, London College of Fashion, Camberwell
or London College of Communication - it is MUCH easier to gain entry to degree level by
studying on one of their own foundation courses.
The Route B process can be very daunting -
look for the smaller more specialised courses
to have a greater chance of getting an interview.
You'll never know unless you try! |
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