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2023/24 Ask a UAL Student

Hello and welcome to our Ask a UAL Student Ambassador thread!

Whether you’ve received a place, already applied, or are thinking about applying to UAL, post any questions you have here and our Student Ambassadors will do their best to answer .

A little intro to our Ambassadors currently running this thread:

Name: Weronika
Course: BA Architecture, Central Saint Martins

My name is Weronika. I am a final year BA Architecture student and a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design graduate, both at Central Saint Martins. I moved to London almost 4 years ago for my studies. Apart from university life, the city offers incredible amount of events and opportunities to grow. I took my first steps into a creative career by working in an art gallery, starting some freelance design work, as well as assisting a visual artist in their exhibition preparation. At the moment, my research concentrates on sustainable city planning..

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have and share my experience. Don’t hesitate to contact me!


Name: Tejaswini

Course: MA Fashion Futures, London College of Fashion

Greetings, I'm Tejaswini, a dedicated MA Fashion Futures student at London College of Fashion (LCF). I moved from India to the vibrant and diverse city of London, and it has been nothing short of a transformative experience.

My time at UAL has been full of challenges and opportunities, all of which have contributed significantly to my personal and academic growth. I fully understand that navigating this path can be both thrilling and demanding, and I'm here to offer guidance and support throughout your journey.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out I'm here to help! 😊

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Reply 1
hello, what will the interview process be like please?
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Hello,

Happy to help!

Weronika
Original post by g.race02
hello, what will the interview process be like please?

Hi,

Which course are you applying for or planning to do so?

Generally, the interview is online for many courses. It was the case for me when I applied the first time and then I had an in-person interview after the Foundation Diploma. You would usually get a few questions like why would you like to study this course at this university, to tell something about your portfolio, which project was the most important for you, who inspires you, what was your journey to the final outcome like and finally whether you have any questions for the university. Along this, your portfolio will be displayed. I also brought my sketchbooks for the in-person interview which was quite helpful to talk though the creative process of my works.

Best wishes,
Weronika
Reply 4
Hey guys, was wondering if you had any insight about best accommodation options for an international student coming to do their MA. From what I've seen, student halls and private accom are roughly the same price (i.e. expensiveeee) with student halls having the benefit of taking care of some admin stuff (e.g. internet, bills, etc.) and also the social life aspect. My other concern is that I'll be 24-25 when studying. Will there be other people around that age too or are most students living there around 18-19?
Hi @sharynb,
Congratulations on getting an offer and I'm excited for you to be taking this new step.

I'd love to know what course will you be studying, the duration of the course and which college is it in?

As an international MA student myself, I personally was more keen on being in a student accommodation. My reasons being, like you've mentioned, social life and the admin stuff handled. Unfortunately, I could not get the halls of my preference and ended up in a private (non-student) accommodation set-up. I personally feel as an international student it might be an easier transition if you are at a student accommodation as you will be surrounded by students; provides a great space for networking and collaboration. I also understand your point of age difference and I assure you, you'll find many people from the same age group, field and various other things in common.

I would also recommend maybe listing your priorities when it comes to your future accommodation.
For example,

Location and/or proximity to your campus

- You can look at the UAL website here for information on all available halls in different parts of London. Apart from the halls, the Accommodation Services team can also help you with privately rented property! There is also a webinar taking place on the 21st of November that you can attend to gain a better understanding of the options.

Budget

Even though budgets are a very personal preference, in my personal experience finances in privately rented accommodation can be harder to handle and control. Depending on the type of accommodation you're in, unexpected expenses, maintenance etc can come up. Within a student accommodation, there's simply more of a support system to help you handle all of this.

Space / Size / Sharing etc

Some MA students, in my experience, might find the student hall rooms or space in general a bit less. I'd recommend thinking about the time you'll be spending at home, how much space would you like etc. Again, all this information, different room sizes and setups is available on the UAL website. Similarly, if you're okay with sharing a kitchen, bathroom etc are things to consider.

Facilities

The type of accommodation and the area it is in can also determine the variety of facilities you might get around. I believe it's worth thinking about any facilities that you definitely will require and keeping that in mind.

Overall, I'd say they both have their own pros and cons and it's a personal prioritization process. Please do let me know if I can answer any more questions or help in any other way.

Best,
Tejaswini :smile:

Original post by sharynb
Hey guys, was wondering if you had any insight about best accommodation options for an international student coming to do their MA. From what I've seen, student halls and private accom are roughly the same price (i.e. expensiveeee) with student halls having the benefit of taking care of some admin stuff (e.g. internet, bills, etc.) and also the social life aspect. My other concern is that I'll be 24-25 when studying. Will there be other people around that age too or are most students living there around 18-19?
For Weronika:

Could you tell me a bit about your experience studying architecture at CSM? I was lucky enough to visit for a tour a few months ago, but our tour guide didn't know the building very well and unfortunately could not tell me anything about the architecture course or facilities.

Do you feel architecture is well represented at UAL, despite being situated in a more general arts building?
How much time do you spend at UAL in person?
What is your favourite facility at the university (e.g. woodworking)?


Thank you!
Joseph
Hello Joseph,

Thank you for reaching out. Of course, I am happy to help.

Architecture is part of Spatial Practices Department which is where most of architecture related activities and spaces to raise your voice would happen. From this year, there is also a Collaborative Unit introduced where as part of curriculum you would collaborate on a project with people studying entirely different disciplines, which could be seen as an advantage coming from arts and design collage, rather than only architectural one. Aside from this the exchange of knowledge would happen on a campus where all courses study in the same building.

Generally, I had 2 studio full days in person and 1/2 days of in person lectures. This depends on the year of study. The course is full time, so Fridays you would usually have as an independent study day, but have access to workshops/library and studios if they are free.

I enjoyed working in the wood workshop the most as most of my projects were designed to be out of timber. There is a metal workshop, printmaking one, clay and 3D printing.

I hope this answers your questions.

Best wishes,
Weronika
Original post by josephengland
For Weronika:

Could you tell me a bit about your experience studying architecture at CSM? I was lucky enough to visit for a tour a few months ago, but our tour guide didn't know the building very well and unfortunately could not tell me anything about the architecture course or facilities.

Do you feel architecture is well represented at UAL, despite being situated in a more general arts building?
How much time do you spend at UAL in person?
What is your favourite facility at the university (e.g. woodworking)?


Thank you!
Joseph
Reply 8
May I please ask, a friend just applied for the art and design foundation course through the UAL site but at no point on the form was he asked for a college preference (csm, camberwell etc) is this asked / decided at a later stage?
Thank you very much for your help!
Reply 9
This is a question for Tejaswini,

I heard that some universities in the UK do visa checks / attendance checks. Is this also the case at UAL? What's it like? Thanks!

So far I've only applied and gotten an interview offer but according to the website they'll get back to us applicants by end of March. Hoping for the best.
Original post by mmc_vienne
This is a question for Tejaswini,

I heard that some universities in the UK do visa checks / attendance checks. Is this also the case at UAL? What's it like? Thanks!

So far I've only applied and gotten an interview offer but according to the website they'll get back to us applicants by end of March. Hoping for the best.

Hi @mmc_vienne

Thankyou for reaching out and Congratulations on getting an interview call. Could you clarify what you mean by an interview offer?
About the offer, you should be receiving a formal email confirming your acceptance with a conditional or unconditional offer depending on your case.

Also, I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean by visa checks/attendance checks? Could you please elaborate a bit more?

Best,Teju
Reply 11
Original post by marvellve
May I please ask, a friend just applied for the art and design foundation course through the UAL site but at no point on the form was he asked for a college preference (csm, camberwell etc) is this asked / decided at a later stage?
Thank you very much for your help!

Not a representative of UAL, but I believe that they're moving the Art and Design foundation course to their Lime Grove campus in West London for 2024 onwards
Original post by mjane5
hi,
i have applied to LCF for two different courses a few weeks ago and only one has asked me for my portfolio so far, how long may it take to hear back to submit my other portfolio?
thank you :smile:

Hi @mjane5

I would recommend emailing [email protected] with your student ID to check up on this query.

Best,
Teju
Original post by marvellve
May I please ask, a friend just applied for the art and design foundation course through the UAL site but at no point on the form was he asked for a college preference (csm, camberwell etc) is this asked / decided at a later stage?
Thank you very much for your help!

Hello @marvellve ,

Thankyou for reaching out.

The pre-degree course have now moved to the Lime Grove Campus in Shepherd's Bush from September 2024 and are no longer based at CSM or Camberwell.

Best,
Teju
Original post by University of the Arts London
Hello and welcome to our Ask a UAL Student Ambassador thread!

Whether you’ve received a place, already applied, or are thinking about applying to UAL, post any questions you have here and our Student Ambassadors will do their best to answer .

A little intro to our Ambassadors currently running this thread:

Name: Weronika
Course: BA Architecture, Central Saint Martins

My name is Weronika. I am a final year BA Architecture student and a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design graduate, both at Central Saint Martins. I moved to London almost 4 years ago for my studies. Apart from university life, the city offers incredible amount of events and opportunities to grow. I took my first steps into a creative career by working in an art gallery, starting some freelance design work, as well as assisting a visual artist in their exhibition preparation. At the moment, my research concentrates on sustainable city planning..

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have and share my experience. Don’t hesitate to contact me!


Name: Tejaswini

Course: MA Fashion Futures, London College of Fashion

Greetings, I'm Tejaswini, a dedicated MA Fashion Futures student at London College of Fashion (LCF). I moved from India to the vibrant and diverse city of London, and it has been nothing short of a transformative experience.

My time at UAL has been full of challenges and opportunities, all of which have contributed significantly to my personal and academic growth. I fully understand that navigating this path can be both thrilling and demanding, and I'm here to offer guidance and support throughout your journey.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out I'm here to help! 😊

Heyy could you tell me about the MSc cosmetic science interview questing. I applied 3 days back, how long do they usually take to respond?
Reply 15
This is for Teju

What kind of questions are asked in the interview ?

How long it takes to get the results after the interview thanks
Reply 16
Original post by University of the Arts London Student Reps
Hello @marvellve ,

Thankyou for reaching out.

The pre-degree course have now moved to the Lime Grove Campus in Shepherd's Bush from September 2024 and are no longer based at CSM or Camberwell.

Best,
Teju

Thank you!
Original post by Yes863
This is for Teju

What kind of questions are asked in the interview ?

How long it takes to get the results after the interview thanks

Hi @Yes863


Thankyou for reaching out!

Firstly, If you applied in the first round of applications, you should receive an offer by the end of March. In case you don't hear in March or applied in the second round then you will hear from UAL in June.

The interview is an opportunity for the University team to get to know a lot more about you, your work, your interests, ambitions and expectations from the course. I'd say it is an opportunity for both parties to ensure that the course in consideration is the right fit.

The questions asked can be something like:

of course starting with your basic introduction,

questions about your submitted work, portfolio, statement, video etc,

discussion about your inspiration in the field you are applying for, what motivates you,

your strengths and weaknesses,

your ambitions and how you visualise this course helping you,

in the case of a post-graduate degree, your background, experience and why you would want to pursue a post-graduate degree,

incase your background is very different from the course you are applying for, then discussions around that,

You will also have an opportunity to have any questions you might have about the course etc.


Overall, the interview is an informal chat to discuss your application more.

In my personal case, my interview was with my course leader. it was very relaxed and conversational and lasted thirty minutes. She described the course, it's expectations and what it will be like and I asked a few questions and expressed my ambitions with the course.

Some resources you can look at :
Interview Prep
LCF Interview Tips

Be confident and don't get intimidated.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck for your interview. Do reach out with any more questions!

Best,
Teju
UAL Ambassador
Original post by University of the Arts London Student Reps
Hello,

Happy to help!

Weronika

This is for Teju,

Hi Teju, I've applied for the MA Fashion programs at both LCF and CSM. I recently received an interview invite from CSM, and I'm eagerly awaiting news from LCF.
[start]Do you have any insight into the typical timeline for receiving interview invitations from LCF? And any advice on how I can best prepare for the CSM interview would be greatly appreciated.[/start]
[start]Thank you![/start]
Hi, I just wanted to know if there will be interviews for Home students applying for the Foundation Diploma course and for diagnostic? Thank you!

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