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LCC, AUB, or Camberwell for Graphic Design?

Hi, I've been got conditional offers at LCC and AUB and I have a interview at Camberwell on the 24th. I was leaning towards LCC but I've heard some negative things about it recently so if any existing students could give me their opinion I'd really appreciate that.

Arts university Bournemouth had a very nice campus and much more personal interviews but I'm not sure if that's the right place to go regarding job aspects in the creative industry (london seems to be the place to be for that).

There were no places left on the Camberwell Graphic Design open day so I had to go on the painting course tour but I had a rough idea of what the place is like and wasn't overly impressed regarding the facility's and the construction work was a bit off putting.

If anyone could help me out here or if they're in a similar situation I'd like to hear what you think.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by taco12345
Hi, I've been got conditional offers at LCC and AUB and I have a interview at Camberwell on the 24th. I was leaning towards LCC but I've heard some negative things about it recently so if any existing students could give me their opinion I'd really appreciate that.

Arts university Bournemouth had a very nice campus and much more personal interviews but I'm not sure if that's the right place to go regarding job aspects in the creative industry (london seems to be the place to be for that).

There were no places left on the Camberwell Graphic Design open day so I had to go on the painting course tour but I had a rough idea of what the place is like and wasn't overly impressed regarding the facility's and the construction work was a bit off putting.

If anyone could help me out here or if they're in a similar situation I'd like to hear what you think.

You can compare the (immediately after graduation) job prospects for each course on unistats:
LCC, AUB, Camberwell

There's not a great deal of difference between them - although AUB students are less likely to be unemployed and Camberwell grads seem less likely to get graphic design type jobs.

The Study information tab shows some big differences - twice as much lecture/seminar/teaching time at AUB than at LCC or Camberwell and Student satisfaction is much higher at Camberwell than at LCC or AUB.

If you're starting without a foundation diploma then you'd be in the minority at LCC and Camberwell...and obviously the accommodation costs are much higher in London (again the unistats site has a tab on Costs and Accommodation so you can compare).

Hopefully some current students will be along soon to give you some more insight beyond the raw stats :smile:
Reply 2
Original post by PQ
You can compare the (immediately after graduation) job prospects for each course on unistats:
LCC, AUB, Camberwell

There's not a great deal of difference between them - although AUB students are less likely to be unemployed and Camberwell grads seem less likely to get graphic design type jobs.

The Study information tab shows some big differences - twice as much lecture/seminar/teaching time at AUB than at LCC or Camberwell and Student satisfaction is much higher at Camberwell than at LCC or AUB.

If you're starting without a foundation diploma then you'd be in the minority at LCC and Camberwell...and obviously the accommodation costs are much higher in London (again the unistats site has a tab on Costs and Accommodation so you can compare).

Hopefully some current students will be along soon to give you some more insight beyond the raw stats :smile:


Thanks for the response, it was the degree course I was accepted into at LCC, I will have a look at those stats now.
Original post by taco12345
Thanks for the response, it was the degree course I was accepted into at LCC, I will have a look at those stats now.


Hey, just wondering where you ended up going? I'm in a similar situation this year >.< any advice would be appreciated
Original post by taco12345
Thanks for the response, it was the degree course I was accepted into at LCC, I will have a look at those stats now.


Hey, just wondering where you ended up going? I'm in a similar situation this year >.< any advice would be appreciated
Reply 5
Original post by InnocentAngel
Hey, just wondering where you ended up going? I'm in a similar situation this year >.< any advice would be appreciated


I ended up going to LCC and I'm currently on my second term of the BA GMD course, I'm liking it so far although it's not perfect. It's not as hard as I thought it would be, which I don't know if it that's a bad thing or a good thing. As I expected the way the course is run makes it feel very impersonal, if you're looking for close relationships with the staff then go somewhere else but if you're happy working independently with the resources provided then it's a good place to be. Each day we have different tutors (but same tutors every week) which do lectures about different areas and projects, which is good for getting a diverse selection of professionals to be taught by but it's not good if you want to get to know them. Although they are always happy to talk and help after class.

Printing prices are terrible but I expect it will be similar anywhere (50p for 1 coloured A3 sheet). But then again this hasn't been a problem because unlike college there's no sketchbook it's all research document based. Also you can get 10 pound free printing credits a year each year for doing a survey, and I've not used mine up yet but I probably will by the end of this term.

The facilities themselves are great, pretty much anything design related you could ever want to use, but you won't be using them in class, any actual design is done outside of lesson term it's 80% theory with some typography workshops.

Overall I'd say go to this uni if you are the kind of person who can progress independently and actually go use the facilities instead of ignoring them (because you can get away with not using them), you feel one of many on this course but if you're willing to put the effort in you can easily exceed most the competition.
Original post by taco12345
I ended up going to LCC and I'm currently on my second term of the BA GMD course, I'm liking it so far although it's not perfect. It's not as hard as I thought it would be, which I don't know if it that's a bad thing or a good thing. As I expected the way the course is run makes it feel very impersonal, if you're looking for close relationships with the staff then go somewhere else but if you're happy working independently with the resources provided then it's a good place to be. Each day we have different tutors (but same tutors every week) which do lectures about different areas and projects, which is good for getting a diverse selection of professionals to be taught by but it's not good if you want to get to know them. Although they are always happy to talk and help after class.

Printing prices are terrible but I expect it will be similar anywhere (50p for 1 coloured A3 sheet). But then again this hasn't been a problem because unlike college there's no sketchbook it's all research document based. Also you can get 10 pound free printing credits a year each year for doing a survey, and I've not used mine up yet but I probably will by the end of this term.

The facilities themselves are great, pretty much anything design related you could ever want to use, but you won't be using them in class, any actual design is done outside of lesson term it's 80% theory with some typography workshops.

Overall I'd say go to this uni if you are the kind of person who can progress independently and actually go use the facilities instead of ignoring them (because you can get away with not using them), you feel one of many on this course but if you're willing to put the effort in you can easily exceed most the competition.


Thank you so much for your reply. What kind of projects do you get? Are they quite diverse? My offer was an alternative offer instead of CSM which I applied to unsuccessfully as expected XD I just haven't been to LCC open day, so I'm finding it difficult to make a decision. Also still waiting for CSM foundation but not really getting my hopes up there. So currently it's between LCC, Norwich Arts and Bournemouth...

I've read pretty bad things about the area though. Is it really that rough? Are you staying in halls?
Reply 7
Original post by InnocentAngel
Thank you so much for your reply. What kind of projects do you get? Are they quite diverse? My offer was an alternative offer instead of CSM which I applied to unsuccessfully as expected XD I just haven't been to LCC open day, so I'm finding it difficult to make a decision. Also still waiting for CSM foundation but not really getting my hopes up there. So currently it's between LCC, Norwich Arts and Bournemouth...

I've read pretty bad things about the area though. Is it really that rough? Are you staying in halls?


The LCC building itself is quite quirky, it's a bit grey on the outside and awkwardly shaped but I've gotten used to it and the inside is fine (although the tower block is dated). The area itself is gritty but there's tons of people and I never really feel unsafe unless I'm on a secluded street at night, the worst I've had is homeless people asking for money and you just tell them you only have card they normally walk away, don't listen to their sob stories you don't owe them anything. I'm staying at Glassyard at the moment which I've enjoyed alot, quite a nice building (as halls go). At the end of the day it's South London, it's rough but its busy and if you stay aware and alert you can avoid most problems. Don't walk around with your phone in your hand because there's alot of phone snatching going on, but that happens everywhere in London.

If you've been to Art's Uni Bournemouth then it will be quite a contrast compared to LCC which is no where near as fancy, although there are just as much if not more facilities at LCC.
(edited 7 years ago)

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