The Student Room Group

Leeds vs. Winchester

Hi guys,

I got an offer from Leeds to study Graphic Communication last week (yay!).
Now I've got an interview for Graphic Arts at WSA on Wednesday (totally panicking.)

I went to a WSA open day, and loved it. Atmosphere was cool, and not as arrogant as some of the more prestigious unis I visited. I'm kinda thinking it's my first choice, but I've just read some bad WSA interview experiences on here... and I'm kinda worried, heh.

I didn't visit Leeds. If I'm honest, it was more of a "ahh, they don't do portfolio interviews! hopefully they'll accept me!" cowardly thing. But I've heard from people that this course is really, really good; and a friend I know has her heart set on Leeds.

Do any of you guys have any opinions about Graphic Design at these two unis?
I'd appreciate any info c:

I've also got an interview at UCA Epsom coming up. I went there, but didn't really like the feel of the place... it was a little uncomfortable, heh. But in terms of the course, does UCA crush WSA and Leeds?

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your applications c:
Reply 1
I went to interviews at Winchester and at UCA Epsom for Graphic Design too. I didn't have a foundation year, but Winchester said they'd give me an offer if I did one. UCA did offer me one, but I didn't like it there.

To be honest, I got such a bad feeling off of the people at Winchester, I felt the campus was really isolated and far, far too small. All the people I saw were international students and none were speaking English which put me off a bit. Winchester itself seemed nice enough, but expensive.

Personally, I would choose Leeds as I think it'd give a more rounded university experience. Winchester felt really college-y, but obviously it's accredited to Southampton which is a great uni. I'd still pick Leeds though :smile:
Reply 2
Hey I've also got an offer from Leeds for graphic communication and an offer from Winchester for graphic arts. It's funny because I've done the complete opposite to you. I've visited Leeds' open day and just went to winchester's interview. For me I absolutely adored Leeds. The buildings were beautiful and I can't emphasise that enough, the guy who gave the course talk was so inspirational that I could imagine myself there. They have this massive greenhouse room where 3 Walls are ceiling to floor glass (amazing views) and the floor is AstroTurf (funky I know :biggrin:), doughnut shaped tables and crazy chairs. This room is used for presentations of your work back to tutors. Also in Leeds they've got new macs put it and it seemed that the staff would make it easier for anyone who hasn't really used macs before (i.e. me). Other things I liked about the course at Leeds was that you can take optional modules from other courses too like for instance colour psychology which is clearly useful.

The other thing I liked in comparison to WSA is that the design students are still part of the university life at Leeds and not secluded to themselves. Whereas in WSA it seemed that they were just left to themselves. And my dad also couldn't help but notice the number of foreign students there.

I'm sure you read my interview bad experience at WSA, just make sure you include a lot of graphics related stuff instead of fine art I think. And just not get put off by the interviewer's wanderring eye on your work.

And if you want to visit Leeds they sent me a letter about their next open day on wednesday - clearly your interview is then but maybe research to see when the next one is and make an informed decision that way. But incase you haven't noticed my opinion is Leeds>WSA haha.
Reply 3
Oh and with Epsom, I went to the open day and really didnt like it, so my dad and I just left.
Reply 4
Original post by kat2pult
I went to interviews at Winchester and at UCA Epsom for Graphic Design too. I didn't have a foundation year, but Winchester said they'd give me an offer if I did one. UCA did offer me one, but I didn't like it there.

To be honest, I got such a bad feeling off of the people at Winchester, I felt the campus was really isolated and far, far too small. All the people I saw were international students and none were speaking English which put me off a bit. Winchester itself seemed nice enough, but expensive.

Personally, I would choose Leeds as I think it'd give a more rounded university experience. Winchester felt really college-y, but obviously it's accredited to Southampton which is a great uni. I'd still pick Leeds though :smile:


Mm, I see. I didn't really notice the international students when I went there, haha. Maybe they hid them all, lol. Do they put you off because you won't be able to get along with them well if you had lots of international classmates? Or do they put you off because it suggests that WSA isn't all that great of a uni? (I hope this question makes sense.)

Thanks for your opinion c:
Man, I should've visited Leeds.
Reply 5
Original post by r05hni
Hey I've also got an offer from Leeds for graphic communication and an offer from Winchester for graphic arts. It's funny because I've done the complete opposite to you. I've visited Leeds' open day and just went to winchester's interview. For me I absolutely adored Leeds. The buildings were beautiful and I can't emphasise that enough, the guy who gave the course talk was so inspirational that I could imagine myself there. They have this massive greenhouse room where 3 Walls are ceiling to floor glass (amazing views) and the floor is AstroTurf (funky I know :biggrin:), doughnut shaped tables and crazy chairs. This room is used for presentations of your work back to tutors. Also in Leeds they've got new macs put it and it seemed that the staff would make it easier for anyone who hasn't really used macs before (i.e. me). Other things I liked about the course at Leeds was that you can take optional modules from other courses too like for instance colour psychology which is clearly useful.

The other thing I liked in comparison to WSA is that the design students are still part of the university life at Leeds and not secluded to themselves. Whereas in WSA it seemed that they were just left to themselves. And my dad also couldn't help but notice the number of foreign students there.

I'm sure you read my interview bad experience at WSA, just make sure you include a lot of graphics related stuff instead of fine art I think. And just not get put off by the interviewer's wanderring eye on your work.

And if you want to visit Leeds they sent me a letter about their next open day on wednesday - clearly your interview is then but maybe research to see when the next one is and make an informed decision that way. But incase you haven't noticed my opinion is Leeds>WSA haha.


Oh cool, haha c:
Doughnut tables?... Astroturf ceilings? o_o
lol, I'm not sure how much I like the sound of that environment, but I guess I better go see for myself c:
I liked Winchester's studios and stuff though.

Mmyeah, I have friends in the central Soton campus, so I considered the separation too... I don't think I really mind it, heh. I guess university night life doesn't really have high priority in my choice...
But I guess it's not just 'nightlife' that's affected. I think I'll see how I feel about the place again when I go for my interview.

Haha, I completely didn't notice the international students at all.
Yeah, I read about your interview, heh. I didn't want to jump in on your thread.
Congratulations on your offer c: though you probably won't accept it.
And thank you for the advice - I think my portfolio is already pretty graphics-y... and I was a little worried it was bit too graphics-y, but I guess it should be okay.

Okay, I'll try to visit Leeds soon. Thanks for your help!


Original post by r05hni
Oh and with Epsom, I went to the open day and really didnt like it, so my dad and I just left.


hahaha.
Seems like no one really likes Epsom.
Glad I'm not the only one c:
Reply 6
Original post by r05hni
... The buildings were beautiful and I can't emphasise that enough, the guy who gave the course talk was so inspirational that I could imagine myself there. They have this massive greenhouse room where 3 Walls are ceiling to floor glass (amazing views) and the floor is AstroTurf (funky I know :biggrin:), doughnut shaped tables and crazy chairs. This room is used for presentations of your work back to tutors. Also in Leeds they've got new macs put it and it seemed that the staff would make it easier for anyone who hasn't really used macs before (i.e. me).


Oh, and juuuust in case you still consider WSA, and didn't get to see the studios on your interview...

They have separate studios for Year 1, 2 and 3, and they're all decently spacious, and kinda whimsical. Year 3's room has a spiral staircase drilling down the middle of it, and students work on their own tables around that. Year 2's room all had their own little space cornered off by these um... walls(?) that each student had covered with their work/inspiration/post-its.
I guess it's pretty opposite to Leeds' funky/modern things, haha.

I liked the guy who talked at the open day. Probably not as inspirational as the one at Leeds, but still a cool, normal guy. The uni seemed pretty well facilitated too. If you're worried about the using Macs, they have mini Apple-certified courses that you can take to introduce you (and you get a nice registered Apple certificate to stick in your future CV too c:smile:

Oh, and this usually excited most people: each student gets £400 to put towards a MacbookPro or a Canon SLR, haha.

I hope this info might interest you a tiny bit, in return for the help you gave me c:
Reply 7
Original post by speakfi
Hi guys,

I got an offer from Leeds to study Graphic Communication last week (yay!).
Now I've got an interview for Graphic Arts at WSA on Wednesday (totally panicking.)

I went to a WSA open day, and loved it. Atmosphere was cool, and not as arrogant as some of the more prestigious unis I visited. I'm kinda thinking it's my first choice, but I've just read some bad WSA interview experiences on here... and I'm kinda worried, heh.

I didn't visit Leeds. If I'm honest, it was more of a "ahh, they don't do portfolio interviews! hopefully they'll accept me!" cowardly thing. But I've heard from people that this course is really, really good; and a friend I know has her heart set on Leeds.

Do any of you guys have any opinions about Graphic Design at these two unis?
I'd appreciate any info c:

I've also got an interview at UCA Epsom coming up. I went there, but didn't really like the feel of the place... it was a little uncomfortable, heh. But in terms of the course, does UCA crush WSA and Leeds?

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your applications c:



did you get an offer from WSA and four weeks onward how do u feel about it.
Reply 8
Original post by xxsaraxx7
did you get an offer from WSA and four weeks onward how do u feel about it.



hey,
yeah, i got an offer a couple days after my interview c:
hmm, i still keep changing my mind about it.
i don't mean this to sound arrogant, but i think the guy liked me quite a lot... which makes me think that maybe their standard is um, kinda low.

i also had a chance to look around the Winchester area for a while... it's very historic and pretty quiet... not really anything to be excited about.

i still like WSA though. so i'm not sure yet.
good luck, if you're thinking of applying.
Reply 9
Original post by speakfi
hey,
yeah, i got an offer a couple days after my interview c:
hmm, i still keep changing my mind about it.
i don't mean this to sound arrogant, but i think the guy liked me quite a lot... which makes me think that maybe their standard is um, kinda low.

i also had a chance to look around the Winchester area for a while... it's very historic and pretty quiet... not really anything to be excited about.

i still like WSA though. so i'm not sure yet.
good luck, if you're thinking of applying.



why would you think there standard is low because they liked you a lot maybe you were just good. since its very quite is southampton easy to get to from WSA. I applied to WSA but just a few days a go would you say your folio was more arty or designy. Thanks for the reply :smile:
Reply 10
Original post by xxsaraxx7
why would you think there standard is low because they liked you a lot maybe you were just good. since its very quite is southampton easy to get to from WSA. I applied to WSA but just a few days a go would you say your folio was more arty or designy. Thanks for the reply :smile:


ahh, well, um, if UAL accept me, then i'll believe i'm good c:
Southampton central is about 30mins away from Winchester... so not too bad, i guess. i know people who regularly take the bus into town.

oh, good luck! was it for Graphic Arts?
hmm... i think my portfolio was roughly balanced... maybe a little bit more digital work than traditional painting and stuff. i only had about 14 A2 pages of work, and three sketchbooks (one of which only had three pages filled, haha)
i think what they are impressed by, and what they focus on above everything else is the concept behind your work. if you have a sophisticated and intriguing story behind your works, i don't think it'll matter too much if it's either um, 'arty' or 'designy'.

the interviewer was really nice, and he makes you feel comfortable, so take it easy and don't worry about it c:
good luck!
Reply 11
Original post by speakfi
ahh, well, um, if UAL accept me, then i'll believe i'm good c:
Southampton central is about 30mins away from Winchester... so not too bad, i guess. i know people who regularly take the bus into town.

oh, good luck! was it for Graphic Arts?
hmm... i think my portfolio was roughly balanced... maybe a little bit more digital work than traditional painting and stuff. i only had about 14 A2 pages of work, and three sketchbooks (one of which only had three pages filled, haha)
i think what they are impressed by, and what they focus on above everything else is the concept behind your work. if you have a sophisticated and intriguing story behind your works, i don't think it'll matter too much if it's either um, 'arty' or 'designy'.

the interviewer was really nice, and he makes you feel comfortable, so take it easy and don't worry about it c:
good luck!


yes it was for graphic art, i know what u mean about UAL (gush i have to send my mini portfolio next week :O ) i need to make more design related work right now i have about 5 :biggrin:
Reply 12
Anyone got an offer for BA Fashion and Textiles Design at WSA?? I got my offer 2 weeks ago.....:-)

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