Foundation Art & Design at Camberwell?

I've just finished my foundation at Camberwell and had the same concerns raised here before I started on the foundation and moved to the area (I opted for bernard myers) and personally I think if you're just moving into London and going to Camberwell, bernard is brilliant, slightly ridiculous rent aside. I read some worrying things about bricks through the windows etc before getting here and obviously if you're not used to this part of London it takes some adjustment, but being a five minute walk from our studios means you dont have to worry about lugging heavy portfolios on busses and it's a only a little walk if you want to stay late in the library or the studio (I think our studios were open until 8pm as long as you werent alone in there.) plus the halls themselves are pretty nice, we have 3/4 sized beds which means you can easily share the bed, three definitely fit if you have reasonably proportioned friends/lovers/lodgers. obviously it's not always wise to be around on your own at night but the 343 bus goes almost to the door of the halls, and seeing as so many people here do go to camberwell I've never felt like I'm stranded or unsafe, and all my flat mates have been really great. plus we have a curved kitchen/sitting area where the windows open right out and you can see over london! it's grand and really cosy in winter. (having said that, there are sometimes mice around, but they're really quite nice when you look at their little faces.)

as for the foundation itself, I'm sure people have very different experiences but it teaches you to be self motivated more than anything, and that's never a bad thing. I don't know how much the course will change next year, but it did feel like a large year, especially as my specialism was illustration and packed with people. in the end I found that having that number of people coming in for crits with work that was so varied and exciting was far more encouraging than being a negative aspect of the foundation. if you're not working at camberwell I think it's quite easy to slip under the radar and happily slack off, nobody is really going to question you or push you to be there more or do more, but when you are working and discussing your work with your tutors, (although sometimes you have to plan ahead to get face time with them) then I found them so so helpful and encouraging. as long as you're personally engaged with the projects and you really care about what you're doing there, I think the guidance and support is available if you're persistent in harassing your tutors. I wouldn't assume you wont 'warm to the place' at all, in your individual groups it can be pretty homely at times. hope that's helped a little!