Hi there!
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! That is wonderful news- I might see you around the building next year!
My experience at university has been awesome! Just to give you a little catch up, I began on the 2D Pathway but after a few months I realized I wasn't actually too keen on animating! Luckily (because you share the pathway with 3D, VFX and Games Art), I found my passion for VFX instead. Not everybody is so lucky when it comes to accidentally stumbling across something you really enjoy, and quite a few people do drop out because they discover it might not be for them. It has simultaneously been the best and most difficult two years of my life. The work load is
intense (they're really not lying when they tell you in emails & at your interview)
, often times I found myself thinking I might not actually be able to finish an assignment even though I was working on it every day since getting it, but you do manage to pull through! As you're in 2D it might be a good idea to dabble in 3D as well, this will make Semester A of first year
a lot easier. I didn't take this advice before I arrived and I had quite the steep learning curve. I recommend downloading a program called Maya and having a play around with that just so that settling into the course isn't too overwhelming. First year has a cool set of 2D briefs which include some environment/street digital painting, character concepts, life drawing etc.
Once you get past first year it does get a lot easier! I think first year is designed to teach you all the information you need to know before moving on with your own projects. Both 2nd and 3rd year revolve around group or solo film projects- tutorials and one on one advice are more common in these years vs. getting lectures. If you get good at time management (or if you already are good), second year will come naturally to you and give you the creative freedom to pursue what you want to do. Some 2D artists freelance as concept artists for the other pathways or make a 2D animated film- there's a lot of creativity!
As far as the University of Hertfordshire goes, the campus isn't comparable to the much older universities (i.e. Oxford, Cambridge, Durham) but it does have a lot of green space. We also have a pub and a club on campus which can make going out a lot easier (if you're into it). The town of Hatfield itself definitely leaves something to be desired but we do have a 24 hour Asda, a shopping mall and a cinema. All the more exciting things you might like to get up to, London is only a 20 minute train ride away! The newer accommodation on College Lane is amazing and you won't find it hard to get to know your flatmates. I can't say much for the De Havilland campus but I believe a few people found it quite annoying having to travel to the other campus for lectures, flat parties, going to the uni pub etc. so if you're able to, I'd recommend College Lane. As far as the facilities go, the LRC is one of the most wonderful student librarys you can get. It is open 24/7 pretty much every day of the year and we have a dedicated computer lab (with special software) downstairs to get on with work whenever we choose to (I'm in there pretty much every day!). I have also found that the University really does seem to have your best interests at heart. A lot of people tend to develop some mental health problems and find that the university services (counselling etc.) do help a lot. I know this isn't something you might normally consider when choosing a University but you don't know how much you might struggle with being away from home, coping with the stress of assignments etc. so it's good to keep in mind. They also have a good free gym class timetable (
http://www.activestudents.co.uk/?ai1ec=action~agenda|page_offset~-1|request_format~json) which I didn't really have time for in first year, but have been enjoying a lot in second year! It's great to be able to get fit without having to spend a lot on gym memberships!
I would highly recommend checking out
http://www.3dhit.co.uk/ . Students from all pathways and years post their work on here to get feedback. Have a look at the 2D section to see what some of the students get up to there. A lot of people from UH Animation really respect the community feeling you get from being on the course so are more than happy to answer your questions, give you advice on your choices. If you make an account on 3DHit you can message people through there, don't be worried! If not, you can message me personally through here and I might be able to get you the details of some people on 2D that might be able to get you a better review than mine (as I did switch to VFX after first year Christmas).
Please feel free to message me personally so we can chat somewhere else that might suit you better!
If not, I wish you all the best with your decision making- have a wonderful summer!