The Student Room Group

CSM or LCC for Graphics

I've just been offered a place at Central Saint Martins for Graphic Designing but I'm not sure if I should accept that or check out the London College of Communication first :/

Does anyone go to either of these colleges for BA Graphics? What do you think about the courses?

Reply 1

Wow Go to CSM! :p: I only say that because personally I want to go there but i've read the courses for LCC and for my own personal goals id have said CSM is better for Graphics for its rep. and course structure, but thats just me :p:
What kind of work was in your application portfolio? x

Reply 2

Heey.. its funny you ask. I applied to both as well for that course! but i got rejected, so I'm doing foundation and then going.. heh.. thought i may aswell have a go!
I haven't looked at either, but i hear a lot of great things about CSM.. and the course seems to have a larger breadth, and more opportunities in my opinion... well done you for getting into there.. you're lucky!

Reply 3

Wooot! Thanks to both of you! :biggrin:

LadyEnglish: I basically had my foundation work in my portfolio but I was studying Fashion Communication. I had projects on 3D, making a Fashion book and Photography :smile:

Wanderingdreamz: I got rejected when I applied in March. It broke my heart but I applied via route B and I wasn't going to give up till they accepted me! :biggrin: I think doing the Foundation is really good - I had a really fun time! :smile:

Reply 4

CSM is sucks, since I am a LCCer... keke... they are both very good in graphic. CSm is more conceptual and LCC is more practical, so depends on what you want.

Reply 5

I went to CSM today for their degree show and was seriously unimpressed. Everything seemed so pretentious and trying to be 'different' when in face most stuff just looked the same. There was a sense everyone there was carried away by the fact they go to Saint Martins so therefore they can do what they like and people will think its amazing when frankly, personally i thought the degree pieces just wern't all that. And the 'graphics' pieces were ridiculous, almost none of the work had been done on a computer. Basically by the looks of things, if you're going to CSM to do graphics, you better like doing art :rolleyes:

Reply 6

LadyEnglish
I went to CSM today for their degree show and was seriously unimpressed. Everything seemed so pretentious and trying to be 'different' when in face most stuff just looked the same. There was a sense everyone there was carried away by the fact they go to Saint Martins so therefore they can do what they like and people will think its amazing when frankly, personally i thought the degree pieces just wern't all that. And the 'graphics' pieces were ridiculous, almost none of the work had been done on a computer. Basically by the looks of things, if you're going to CSM to do graphics, you better like doing art :rolleyes:

Lol.
Well, I AM acomputer person but it's just that CSM loves doing traditional techniques with Graphics :smile:

Not all Graphics work have to be done on the computer :smile: Heck, I wnt to learn some traditional ways!

Reply 7

I'd say go to CSM as their Graphic Design course is more highly regarded than LCC.

Well done on getting in! :smile:

Reply 8

To be honest with you, both CSM and LCC are sucks as colleges as a whole. I work for the student union and I represent a couple thousands of students across the uni. I have never heard ANY positive comments about all 5 colleges under the UAL. So I really have no idea why are we so famous, none of us do... but yeah, if you want the name then got for CSM, but I think LCC would be slightly better since they have just had a new graphic dept. Bastard, using all the money so we photography dept has nothing left. I hate the graphic dept to bits, but it's just me...

Reply 9

To be honest with you, both CSM and LCC are sucks as colleges as a whole. I work for the student union and I represent a couple thousands of students across the uni. I have never heard ANY positive comments about all 5 colleges under the UAL. So I really have no idea why are we so famous, none of us do... but yeah, if you want the name then got for CSM, but I think LCC would be slightly better since they have just had a new graphic dept. Bastard, using all the money so we photography dept has nothing left. I hate the graphic dept to bits, but it's just me...


It's funny you should say that as I had a particularly bad experience on one of the Central St Martins postgraduate courses and I have also questioned why the UAL seems to have this great reputation.

But it does produce notable alumni from its colleges so it can't be doing that badly. I think people who go to UAL have to be alot more independent than at other art colleges. You are expected to just get on with your work which I think (to look at positively) does instill a degree of independence. They also do just specify in the arts and (if in the right colleges), the equipment is very good. It also gets a lot of attention at degree shows and looks good on your CV, which I agree is ridiculous if the tutoring and teaching feels nonexistent (which was my experience at CSM!). I'm lucky as I'm very independent so I just made the most of it by spending more time on my own project.

I just hope that now that all students have to pay for their undergraduate degrees UAL will improve in its tuition and the time the tutors spend with the students.

Reply 10

Hi there, I am telling you the management is not willing and we doubt the will even be willing to improve anything. About the equipments, dont get me started on that, they are all RUBBISH, absolutely rubbish, both LCC and CSM, and I believe they are not a lot better at the other 4 colleges. Teaching and supporting is nearly none, we have started sth called reading week, come on, it's an art college, artists dont read anyway, I mean we probably dont need to read as much as other subject such as laws or business. A reading week we think is an excuse for the tutors to go awasy and have a extra PAID week off, coz whenever reading week happens, almost all tutors are not around. What an old fashion uni we are, apart from the new LearnZone that remains onpen till 11pm, all other facilitites close at 8:30pm the lastest, what the hell is it? And for teh LearnZone, the student had been flighting for more that 2 years to have it built, and although it's a sucess, coz the students love it, but the managment hates it, coz it cost the "extra" money to have it open, extra staff, anything is seen as extra by the managment, A group of ass holes really. Go ask anyone at the uni, from people who work in different to technicans to students to even the cleaners, if you can find a way to make them talk honestly, you would knwo how horrible the uni is actually is. I happened have to lead some facilities tour, and I had to lie about how good LCC is, bull****, I so much wanted to tell all the students to just go home and find a better uni, any other uni in the world is far better than us. I had a chat with a staff the other day abt why are we being so famous, we think it's just because we happened to have a lot of talented people we came to us. And the honestly, who are the most recently successful artists coming from us? 10 years ago? We are going down hill, this is the fact, I am glad I am levaing soon. About the final year shows? Catching attention? Yeah right, once in mant years, how many people are picked from their shows? One? Two? Three? I will give you four as max. Well, to be fair, if any of you guys wanna join us, you better be quick, we think within the next 10 years, the whole dream of UAL would go, so you better be quick. If you want the name, then welcome to the clud you sad people, but if you want proper teaching and getting sth properly out of your degree, honestly, go somewhere else, at the end of the day, it doesnt where you have studied, it is all down to your portfolio.

Sorry if I am being a bit too over the top, but having worked in the SU since day one of being at this uni, I have seen, heard and experienced too much, and if I was god, I would say this university doesn deserve to be here in terms of the stupid management and absolutely rubbish teaching quality.

Reply 11

Lol hi.

Thanks for your input everyone but 2 days after I posted this thread, I accepted my offer from Central Saint Martins. My mum things I am capable of doing things by myself and independently :smile:

and I just found out my final grade this year at CSM foundation! It was the top grade so I personally feel I am capable :smile:

and I agree with the above post. It is all down to your portfolio :smile:

Reply 12

P for Photographer
Hi there, I am telling you the management is not willing and we doubt the will even be willing to improve anything. About the equipments, dont get me started on that, they are all RUBBISH, absolutely rubbish, both LCC and CSM, and I believe they are not a lot better at the other 4 colleges. Teaching and supporting is nearly none, we have started sth called reading week, come on, it's an art college, artists dont read anyway, I mean we probably dont need to read as much as other subject such as laws or business. A reading week we think is an excuse for the tutors to go awasy and have a extra PAID week off, coz whenever reading week happens, almost all tutors are not around. What an old fashion uni we are, apart from the new LearnZone that remains onpen till 11pm, all other facilitites close at 8:30pm the lastest, what the hell is it? And for teh LearnZone, the student had been flighting for more that 2 years to have it built, and although it's a sucess, coz the students love it, but the managment hates it, coz it cost the "extra" money to have it open, extra staff, anything is seen as extra by the managment, A group of ass holes really. Go ask anyone at the uni, from people who work in different to technicans to students to even the cleaners, if you can find a way to make them talk honestly, you would knwo how horrible the uni is actually is. I happened have to lead some facilities tour, and I had to lie about how good LCC is, bull****, I so much wanted to tell all the students to just go home and find a better uni, any other uni in the world is far better than us. I had a chat with a staff the other day abt why are we being so famous, we think it's just because we happened to have a lot of talented people we came to us. And the honestly, who are the most recently successful artists coming from us? 10 years ago? We are going down hill, this is the fact, I am glad I am levaing soon. About the final year shows? Catching attention? Yeah right, once in mant years, how many people are picked from their shows? One? Two? Three? I will give you four as max. Well, to be fair, if any of you guys wanna join us, you better be quick, we think within the next 10 years, the whole dream of UAL would go, so you better be quick. If you want the name, then welcome to the clud you sad people, but if you want proper teaching and getting sth properly out of your degree, honestly, go somewhere else, at the end of the day, it doesnt where you have studied, it is all down to your portfolio.

Sorry if I am being a bit too over the top, but having worked in the SU since day one of being at this uni, I have seen, heard and experienced too much, and if I was god, I would say this university doesn deserve to be here in terms of the stupid management and absolutely rubbish teaching quality.


I understand your points but to be honest I do think that some of your comments are overly negative. Firstly out of ANY student shows, four students being picked in a few years is actually very very good. Even the Slade School of Art and Ruskin etc don't have more than a couple being picked in years if that! I think it's wrong to believe that a degree show is going to bring you sudden fame...It takes a lot of hard work over years to get recognised, yes there are the lucky few but they are among the minority. Plus most galleries take the MA shows far more seriously.
And as for the UAL not having any successful artists in the last 10 years, have you looked at the nominations for the Turner prize? Also have a look at bloomberg newcontemporaries (which is a prize and touring exhibition of selected graduate works), and check out big galleries such as Victoria Miro etc. If the UAL haven't produced any famous artists in the last 10 years then Goldsmiths certainly haven't either!

In regard to the equipment I personally thought it was good enough, but I can only speak for Chelsea college of Art as I went to their open day. CSM's equipment is standard and I know nothing of LCC.

To be honest, I actually believe that the UAL is getting bigger and bigger, why else have Chelsea had millions of pounds of funding for their new location and CSM have possible plans to move to state-of-the-art facilities in Kings Cross?

I understand that working in the SU will make it easy to feel fed up with the place. As I mentioned before, I wasn't too happy with my experience at CSM, most specifically the tutors, but I did still make the most of what was there. There are a lot of very talented people who walk through the doors of the UAL and I think as an arts student you'll always get more inspiration from your peers than the tutors. Believe me, there are negatives things about other art colleges as well. I've heard from people about bad experiences at Goldsmiths, RCA and the Royal Academy (believe it or not!).

Reply 13

Friend of mine went to CSM the other year to do Fine Art and jacked after 6 months. They were just left to it! - Said staff didn't care at all and there was no studio space, crap technicians. She's thinkin now of coming to Bedfordshire (I'm doing the BA in Digital Photography & Video Art there) It's much smaller but they do care and it's a great atmosphere, real chilled. We mix it with dArt guys - I'm loving it! peace

Reply 14

I'm applying to CSM and LCC, but have been told that because they are under the same University code i cant apply through UCAS, is this true? As it would appear i have applied to the same university but different courses.

Reply 15

anyone whos applied to lcc foundation art and design have the date of their interview yet?xxx

Reply 16

I've got an interview on the 25th of January at LCC for Graphic and Media Design.

Quick Reply