architecture... ual:csm or Manchester (msa)?

hi there! I have received all but one (waiting on you, Edinburgh...) of my uni offers back, and as I'm hoping to apply for deferred entry, I want to make my decision soon. this is somewhat helped by my certainty that I want to study in either London or Manchester.

the dilemma, then, is whether to pick ual's central saint martins, or Manchester school of architecture. London is my dream, but financially it's going to be difficult. I am hoping somebody has some input which might sway me either way?

kind regards

Reply 1

Pedr0

13

Original post by jjjjjjosep

hi there! I have received all but one (waiting on you, Edinburgh...) of my uni offers back, and as I'm hoping to apply for deferred entry, I want to make my decision soon. this is somewhat helped by my certainty that I want to study in either London or Manchester.

the dilemma, then, is whether to pick ual's central saint martins, or Manchester school of architecture. London is my dream, but financially it's going to be difficult. I am hoping somebody has some input which might sway me either way?

kind regards

Manchester is a bit more prestigious and ranks higher than CSM I believe
I would recommend checking out some of the student work as that'll give you an idea of the sorts of projects you'll spend a lot of your time working on, and the kind of work you'll be expected to produce
CSM (scroll down and filter by subject 'architecture, spatial and interior design')
CSM MArch work
MSA

Reply 2

normaw

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

19

Original post by jjjjjjosep

hi there! I have received all but one (waiting on you, Edinburgh...) of my uni offers back, and as I'm hoping to apply for deferred entry, I want to make my decision soon. this is somewhat helped by my certainty that I want to study in either London or Manchester.

the dilemma, then, is whether to pick ual's central saint martins, or Manchester school of architecture. London is my dream, but financially it's going to be difficult. I am hoping somebody has some input which might sway me either way?

kind regards

You don't have to make your decision until 6 June so take your time and go to offer-holder days. They really do help with decision making. Have another look at the facilities, talk to staff and students, ask about links with local practices and visiting lecturers. Research the staff to see what areas they specialise in. Then compare locations in terms of costs, accommodation availability, social life, transport in and out of uni, etc. Make a decision and then live with it for a while before updating UCAS.

Reply 3

jjjjjjosep

OP

8

Original post by normaw

You don't have to make your decision until 6 June so take your time and go to offer-holder days. They really do help with decision making. Have another look at the facilities, talk to staff and students, ask about links with local practices and visiting lecturers. Research the staff to see what areas they specialise in. Then compare locations in terms of costs, accommodation availability, social life, transport in and out of uni, etc. Make a decision and then live with it for a while before updating UCAS.

the issue is that im hoping to request deferred entry (didn't apply with this), so I want to make a decision soon as places are first come first served. leaning towards csm at the moment...

Reply 4

Pedr0

13

Original post by jjjjjjosep

the issue is that im hoping to request deferred entry (didn't apply with this), so I want to make a decision soon as places are first come first served. leaning towards csm at the moment...

from what I read of their syllabuses (? syllabi?? idk), at either uni you'll be working a fair bit in the city that the uni's in (ie a lot of MSA's student projects are gonna be sited in the city of Manchester, and CSM's will be in London). so if your heart is absolutely set on living and working in London then CSM might be better for you. how difficult will it be to live in London though, as that could be a big factor in your mental health and ability to do well in the course...

something you might wanna try too is reaching out to current students of CSM and MSA on Instagram/linkedin/other social media etc. to get some first-hand opinions on the course, facilities, accom and stuff. may be better than TSR too for that purpose, personally i never looked at TSR while i was actually a uni student haha

Reply 5

AmeliaFerg

1

Original post by jjjjjjosep

hi there! I have received all but one (waiting on you, Edinburgh...) of my uni offers back, and as I'm hoping to apply for deferred entry, I want to make my decision soon. this is somewhat helped by my certainty that I want to study in either London or Manchester.
the dilemma, then, is whether to pick ual's central saint martins, or Manchester school of architecture. London is my dream, but financially it's going to be difficult. I am hoping somebody has some input which might sway me either way?
kind regards

This is not that helpful but just to let you know you’re not alone - I’m trying to choose between CSM, MSA and Glasgow School of Art 😬

Currently leaning most towards CSM because of its prestige as an art school- if I have a sudden realisation that I don’t want to do architecture I could still pursue jobs in other creative industries with a degree from there as they’ll all have heard of CSM but might not be that impressed by a degree from MSA?

As a side note, does anyone know the size of these courses? Have not been able to find the information and I won’t make it to any of the offer holder/ open days as I’m abroad!

Thanks (:

Reply 6

Pedr0

13

Original post by AmeliaFerg

This is not that helpful but just to let you know you’re not alone - I’m trying to choose between CSM, MSA and Glasgow School of Art 😬
Currently leaning most towards CSM because of its prestige as an art school- if I have a sudden realisation that I don’t want to do architecture I could still pursue jobs in other creative industries with a degree from there as they’ll all have heard of CSM but might not be that impressed by a degree from MSA?
As a side note, does anyone know the size of these courses? Have not been able to find the information and I won’t make it to any of the offer holder/ open days as I’m abroad!
Thanks (:

I doubt CSM will do much more for you than the other two as a name on your CV as in creative fields your portfolio is what employers are looking at. All 3 schools are very well known and regarded in any case so I would suggest that you don't make that the deciding factor; consider things like where you'd want to live, what the course covers, cost of living (especially in London)

Not sure if this is the same at other unis (though from the data I've seen this seems relatively typical) - my undergraduate had 120 or so students per year.

Reply 7

jjjjjjosep

OP

8

Original post by AmeliaFerg

This is not that helpful but just to let you know you’re not alone - I’m trying to choose between CSM, MSA and Glasgow School of Art 😬
Currently leaning most towards CSM because of its prestige as an art school- if I have a sudden realisation that I don’t want to do architecture I could still pursue jobs in other creative industries with a degree from there as they’ll all have heard of CSM but might not be that impressed by a degree from MSA?
As a side note, does anyone know the size of these courses? Have not been able to find the information and I won’t make it to any of the offer holder/ open days as I’m abroad!
Thanks (:

very difficult decision, I think at that point id be focusing solely on location and course content as pedr0 mentioned. don't look at reputation too much: CSM has an incredible rep but central London life on an arty conceptual course won't be for everybody...
you'd struggle to make a mistake choosing between those schools. personally, i'm going to accept my offer for csm and defer entry for a year.

architecture... ual:csm or Manchester (msa)?

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