Portfolios

PROS/CONS

Southampton Solent:

Pros: They have amazing facilities like their printing. Going to this Uni will allow me to stay at home, instead of living in student accommodation or finding my own apartment because the university is local . This will be cheaper as I won’t have to pay rent. Although I will have to pay for the transport, which is likely to be getting the train or paying for petrol. I will also be able to apply for jobs in Southampton. This would be convenient because in my spare time, I will be able to earn money. I am aware that University is independent and there are only a small amount of lessons a week. This would enable me to cover the additional costs needed for the course. Also the less I have to travel, the more time I can focus on my independent studies.

Cons: Solent was votes 83 out of 143 universities, this means that Solent isn’t as good as other Universities. However 93% of graduates go into further study or a job. This is a large amount of graduates who are getting the knowledge needed in the industry, therefore the university is good.

Portsmouth University:

Pros: The students have the opportunity to stay in contact with the careers and employability service for up to five years after leaving. Work experience is compulsory and they have the opportunity to go on work based placements for a year, the university will help you find a placement based on your aspirations in life.

Cons: I would be able to live at home and travel into uni daily, however this would be expensive. Or I could live in Portsmouth but I cannot afford the cost of living, so this is unrealistic.

Arts University Bournemouth:

Pros: There is a 95% employment rate from this university. The means that once the students have left, this is the percentage of students that get jobs in the industry. This is a high chance of success if I go to this university. The additional help consists of: confidential counselling, medical care and extra support for disabled students. Although this is beneficial to a range of students, a majority of universities would offer the same support. Therefore this isn’t a significant reason for me to choose this option over Solent.

Cons: The living costs per annum is £8,500, which I can’t afford. These costs would be for basic essentials like rent, bills and shopping. I would much prefer to stay at home where I have access to this, for free. I wouldn’t have the option to stay at home and study at Bournemouth. Therefore, I would rather continue to live and study in Southampton.

University of Brighton:

Pros: 75% in a professional job within 6 months of leaving the course. This statistic is quite high, however it isn’t as high as Solent. This could be due to Solent being better at teaching or the connections they have within the industry, or both options. The majority of the course is assessed by coursework, although 8% of the first year is a practical assessment. I prefer coursework to practical assessments because I don’t preform well under the pressure of exams.

Cons: Brighton doesn’t offer an Interior Design course, however they do offer an Interior Architecture course instead. This isn’t specific to my aspirations, therefore I wont be choosing this university. An Interior Architecture is someone who specialises in the inside architecture and have knowledge in the everything from the ergonomics to the plumbing and electrics. This profession is more scientific based with little art, compared to interior design, which is mostly art.

Research into Universities

All courses are 3 years long and are a BA (Hons) Degree. They all cost 9,250 per year.

Southampton Solent:

Interior Design- 112 UCA points-

Graphic Design- 112 UCA points

Portsmouth:

Interior Architecture and Design- 112 to 120 UCA points

Graphic Design- 104 to 112 UCA points

Arts University Bournemouth:

Interior Architecture and Design- 120 UCA points

Graphic Design- 120 UCA points

University of Brighton:

Interior Architecture- 112 to 136 UCA points

Graphic Design- 96 to 120 UCA points

Portsmouth University

Lecturers from both the Photography course and Graphic Design course at Portsmouth University visited the college to inform us students about what Portsmouth has to offer.

Both courses offer the opportunity to have a work based placement year, which is independent or through a company. They also help you secure the placement based on your aspirations, as a follow up, the students will get mentoring and support throughout the year.

Once the students have finished their degrees, they have the option to stay in contact with careers and employability service for up to five years after leaving, for support. The university encourages their students to budget their money for expenses throughout the years of studying. The costs are mostly printing and their final major project, as well as study visits and books.

Graphic Design:

They have a wide range of facilities for the students to explore, which range from letter pressing to screen-printing. As well as the latest digital software, including multiple 3D printers. The students will be taught how to use Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign to a professional standard.

The first year is about building up the knowledge to create a range of artwork, in a professional manner. The second year is getting the students to become more independent in the industry by displaying their work in galleries and pop-up shops. This allows them to gain confidence in the industry as well as meeting professionals, who they could get contacts from to help them further their careers, as designers. In the final year the students have the choice to create a traditional dissertation or a practical project. They will also work in a professional practice through the competitions that they will enter.

Photography:

The students are able to borrow cameras and other resources, which will be cheaper than buying one. Although buying a camera and camera equipment is advised, in the third year, for when they leave university. They will also enhance their skills with both modern and traditional photography techniques.

The first year is about an introduction to the professional practice and exploring creative digital photography. The second year is professional practice and public exhibitions. The final year is the major projects and professional practice.

Southampton Solent Open Day

On October 14th I attended an open day at the University. As a result of the open day, I am certain that I want to enroll at this University to do Interior Design. Southampton Solent was my first choice because it is local, compared to Portsmouth and Brighton University.

I am also happy with the resources that they offer the students from the amazing printing facilities to the part time lecturers who have successful jobs in the industry. I also felt that there was an overwhelming amount of support from the lecturers. This is because they teach you the skills required in the industry and offer catch-up sessions as they are aware that every student learns at their own pace.

I like the structure of the course, because the first year is about building up your skills and learning new methods of design like using CAD and creating models. The second year is about further developing skills and work experience and the third year is about working at a professional level, including professional branding.

The support from the lecturers allows possible university students to submit their portfolios to the head of Interior Design to gain feedback before submitting it with their University applications. The lecturers are also helpful in the way that they provide you with contacts for your work experience and actively help you find a job. This amount of willingness from one another has made me certain that this University is the right one for me.