illustration degree?

hi

i'm in a bit of a tricky situation in terms of my education right now. i finished a levels last summer and went on to an art university at the start of september, but dropped out over christmas as i felt that the course at that particular university would not offer what i needed - my older brother, who is now a successful graphic designer, studied at that university and then changed to brighton, and said that if he had stayed at that other uni he would not have reached where he is now... but, he has also said that he could have probably been successful without uni.

i applied to universities that have better reputations for their courses (brighton, kingston and ual) over christmas but was rejected from all 3. i dont think my art is all that bad, but i do somewhat lack the motivation for it sometimes and i think that came through in my portfolio and made my applications unsuccessful. i received an offer from london met for illustration and animation however but im not too sure on the standard of work there ?

im really torn between giving up on my pursuit of going to a university and instead self-studying, applying next year with an updated portfolio or going to a university for the sake of it... i know in art courses the main benefit is networking, and i dont really know if i have the confidence or ability to do that without education - ive always struggled a bit socially so out of classrooms im a bit lost lol. i think the hardest part is that i have this idealistic university experience in my mind that i would have to sacrifice.

on the other hand, i believe i have the ability to self study efficiently on my own. in the time ive been home ive studied art a lot more than i had at uni, but i just have no idea of any career path i want to follow and had hoped that university would be some kind of safety net for me to explore those options. there is a possibility that i could study foundation next year but my family and i would have to worry about the cost as i would be 19 then.

could anyone provide some insight on this? are there any benefits from art uni other than the networking aspect?

thank you

Hey!

A foundation course would not be costing you out of your own pocket dont worry! its the same deal as with uni luckily, student finance will cover the cost so I suggest looking into that because honestly it is very helpful with portfolios and getting u into the uni that u want. Otherwise, if ur looking for free courses maybe try to look at some ACCESS courses, because they also help you get into university, most are part time and all the students will be above 19! Hope this helps and good-luck on ur applications. Out of curiosity what university did you and your brother drop out of ?

oh thats so relieving to hear!! i didn't know student finance would cover foundation. i went to norwich university of the arts. its not that the university was really that bad... i just received an unconditional last year and accepted without looking elsewhere