PREPARING FOR INTERVIEWS

After sending off my ucas form all I could do was wait. Wait for replies or interview dates or online portfolio submissions. During this time I began preparing my portfolio hand picking my favourite pieces and my completed projects that could link to my chosen courses. One thing that i had to keep in mind was the fact I was applying for a foundation course as well as degree courses.

I chose to have an A3 sized portfolio as I found that most of my work are on the smaller scale so having to pieces per page printed on a5 paper would be more suitable for me.

WRITING MY PERSONAL STATEMENT

Starting and completing my personal statement took more than a couple of weeks to finalise. I started with a brain storm selecting my influence, experiences, goals, strengths and weaknesses.

what does my personal statement need to include?

- Good grammar and punctuation
- positive reflection of myself
- subject specific skills
- ambition for progress
- hobbies and interests
- what makes you different from other students
- why you want to be in the chosen industry
- what can you bring to the course
- what inspires you
- external influence
- projects and work you have done that is appropriate to the course
- other all round qualities
independent qualities
- extra curricular
- additional subjects
- why that course
- achievements and awards
- work experience
- community work
- employment

During the course of writing my personal statement I often referred back to this list to ensure i was including everything necessary and more, to make my statement strong. I created up to 6 drafts, all re edited and re drafted each time. Over the course of a month or so Its was checked by a few people to ensure I had correctly punctuated and structured it well.

APPLYING FOR FOUNDATION

When submitting my Ucas form I was unsure of the choices I made, in the sense that I should have applied for a few more universities just to be sure. Thats when I decided to apply for a foundation course at Central St Martins, If I didn't get accepted into any degree courses I still feel as though I have a lot more to learn and would be comfortable doing a foundation course.

I did further research into the specific pathway I wanted to take on if i ended up doing a foundation course.

The course I ended up applying for that I thought was suitable for the career pathway I wanted to go down was The foundation Diploma in art and design- Graphic and communication design.

If i then get accepted into the foundation course I would then have the opportunity to choose between 4 different pathways- Graphic Design, Illustration, Photography and Fashion Communication.

I will choose the fashion communication pathway as thats the course that I am originally applying for in degree so It would be suitable for the path I intend to take.

UNIVERSITY CHOICES

After searching and looking into possible courses I was stuck on wether to just apply for Universities based in London or branch out. My initial choices where Central St Martins, Brighton, London College of fashion and Nottingham trent, Northumbria. After researching further and completing my ucas forms and personal statement I realised I didn't want to attend half of the universities I had applied for. At the last minuet I removed Brighton and Northumbria. Although I didn't want to attend Nottingham trent I thought it would be wise to keep a university that wasn't a UAL, for the mere fact that UAL universities are usually a challenge to get into. But I was certain I did not want to attend a university outside of London.

Central St Martins- Fashion communication and promotion
London College of Fashion- Fashion styling and production
Nottingham Trent- Fashion communication and Promotion