[Sabine]

Hey there,

I've been lurking for a while but thought I'd finally overcome my ( fear of you all ) natural shyness and register.

I'm from Germany and currently studying Multimedia Production, but I'd like to spend my last year of bachelor abroad to gain some abroad experience, meet some new people and learn the language even better (and also, to do a double bachelor abroad and in my own country)

My university has a few partner institutions in the UK and I need to decide where I'd like to go and then focus on getting in there, but the problem is that I can't just hop over there and visit one of the open days or portfolio showings or whatever else, and only very few unis have student work online. So I kinda feel like I'm operating blindly; I can't really choose something without having seen the work of people who study there, I don't want to sit in a course and then realize that I am utterly and completely wrong there.

So I need a little help. See it as you playing guide-dog to the blind german so she'll get at least a little bit of an idea where to go and where not to go.

My current course is all over print, web (very, very poorly), animation and film/tv, but focuses a lot on film, which I am not that interested in. I'm looking for something with a focus on multimedia and web, maybe with a little print thrown in. I'm most interested in web (also animation 2d/3d a little), but it shouldn't be purely flash. It shouldn't be straight, pure graphic design either, that's too much for me.

I need creative people around me who know what they're doing, I get inspiration from others and I challenge myself more when people around me are doing good stuff. In the opposite case, I kind of wither away and fall into a crap-what-am-I-doing-here hole, which I usually have some trouble digging myself out of.

I currently don't care about the location, the living costs or how many pubs there are.

Partner Institutions listed and courses I am considering are:

University of Abertay Dundee
-BA (Hons) Visual Communication & Media Design
-BSc (Hons) Web Design & Development

This is the only university I could find actual student portfolios of, it didn't really blow me away that much.

University of Teesside
- Creative Multimedia, BA (Hons)
- Web Design, BA (Hons)

Can't find any student work at all here, just some from Fine Arts and so on. It sounds amazing, but was called a "sh*thole" somewhere in the forum and looks like it could all be smoke and mirrors. But maybe it's amazing?

University of the West of Scotland
- Digital Art, BA

I don't really get this one. Very little information overall. :/

Robert Gordon University (Gray's School Of Art)
- Design for Digital Media, BDes

I really like this one, I found a few posts here about it, and all of them were positive. I also saw someone from there posting here and liked their work.

University of Sunderland
- Design: Multimedia and Graphics

Really like this one, too. But, can't find any student work. It seems that the forum poster cannot make their minds up about if they hate it or love it.



Sorry for the super long post, if anyone managed to read through the complete thing, I'd be happy about some advice. =)

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Sabine

University of Sunderland
- Design: Multimedia and Graphics

Really like this one, too. But, can't find any student work. It seems that the forum poster cannot make their minds up about if they hate it or love it.

Welcome, no need to be shy!

I'm not particularly fond of the course, I should of chosen Graphic Communication. But I'm not denying the fact that it has a lot to offer, it depends on whether your face fits. Generally overseas students do well - I wouldn't be happy with the £8,000 fee for one year here but thats up to yourself.

It's a good city, lots to do and see (like 13yrd olds mothers etc). University is alright, but I live at home therefore can't comment on the student halls. If you do decide Sunderland try and get Panns Bank or one close to there. It seems to be the best of the bunch.

The course covers most media, print/web/motion graphics/3d etc. Not sure if you will get all that in one year, due to the fact that the final year is a 'do what you want' year with modules and briefs saying 'make you're own brief' etc.

Don't really know about the other Universities you listed.

Good Luck

Some student work?

Home : Scott Oliver - Portfolio

www.adamhartwig .co.uk

www.pleasantmonkey .co.uk

www.carolinemurphy .co.uk - she left last year, didn't finish her degree.

www.imgd .co.uk

www.visitmyworld .co.uk

[bazzle]

I'd strongly recommend visiting some uni's. You can't really get too much of a picture of what a uni is like if you don't visit.

If I were you I'd take a trip and arrange to visit the ones which interest you, even if you can't make open-day's you can phone or email them and they will arrange for someone to show you around and talk to you about the course. They want as many people to enroll as possible so it's in their interests to treat you well.

[JonoMarshall]

Bazzle makes sense.

[Pugsley]

I'm from Gray's. I do the BDes Graphic Design Course. Some of my mates to the digital media course. Last thing i heard they were doing was making a computer game level, (story, character, level etc) and then focused more on something they wanted to do.

One girl wanted to more character design so got to use the motion room (the place you wear ping pong balls and jump about).
I'll try find some student work for you. I'll email my tutor see if he has any links.

Don't know if you have found this but have a look at the showreels.


graysdigitalmedia.co.uk

[woodss]

Have you considered staying on your current course and maybe doing an internship at a local agency to focus on a real world challenge at the same time?

[Sabine]

Thank you to everyone for your advice.

The course covers most media, print/web/motion graphics/3d etc. Not sure if you will get all that in one year, due to the fact that the final year is a 'do what you want' year with modules and briefs saying 'make you're own brief' etc.

Yeah, that sounds nice. =)

If I were you I'd take a trip and arrange to visit the ones which interest you, even if you can't make open-day's you can phone or email them and they will arrange for someone to show you around and talk to you about the course. They want as many people to enroll as possible so it's in their interests to treat you well.

I'd love to and I could definitely squeeze it in somewhere around mid-July, but the problem is that I don't have the money. I need to save everything I have up for the year I want to spend abroad; visiting three or four unis in the UK would most likely take me a week there, plus the flight, plus travelling around there...that'd be a couple hundred bucks I don't have. Otherwise I'd be there in a second.

I'll try find some student work for you. I'll email my tutor see if he has any links.

That'd be amazing. =)

I know the website you linked me too and I did watch the 2007 show reel, but the sound dies after 5 seconds in and that was kinda weird. The rest looks nice though.

Have you considered staying on your current course and maybe doing an internship at a local agency to focus on a real world challenge at the same time?

I absolutely do not want to stay here. It is not what I imagined at all, and it focuses on mostly only film from now on, which is not what I want to do. Also, the double bachelor thing is a really amazing opportunity, I don't want to miss out on it.