3D Design At Uni

[Dwarf Shortage]

Filling out my UCAS and don't have a clue about which University to go to, I can remember some people talking about having done/currently doing a 3D design course at Uni, thinking of doing the same so after help with choosing where to go, if you enjoyed your course/thought it was worth it, etc., just details on your course and how you found it, also what the criteria was to get on the course, and what you're thinking of going on to do.

[weirdoku]

I did 3D Design down portsmouth uni. Mostly hands on making things that didn't really have to be product based. My course ranged from furniture to jewellery to graphics based deigns. Heck, one girl printed words on calico cloth and got a 1st for her 3rd year final. But on my course at portsmouth uni you can talk bullshit and the tutors will still agree.

It varies with different uni though, when I had my interview at southampton solent uni, the course there was very product based. They also had many cool machinery to play with, portsmouth uni didn't, the coolest thing was probably the laser cutter.

I mostly did my work on paper, cardboard. In my third year I made a full size cardboard desk (using it now infact) for my final piece. Best I did was made a few blogs and got a little corner in a trade magazine a few months ago. The course was very self directed, tutors was only really there to give you advice and didn't really taught as anything to be honest. I only had 1 hour of lecture a week, 2-3 days I had to be in uni and the rest of the week it's "self directed" but I just did something else.

I only got a 2.2 though, as my research and sketchbook was crap. But I always complained that other peoples research folder was full of unrelated shit haha, some peoples had random bits of cloth stuck in it, some had half the internet printed out and stuck in their sketchbook, it was just tacky if you asked me.

Did I enjoy my course? Sort of. I liked the freedom of choosing my own area, but I didn't really find that till late in my last year.

Was it worth it? No. For the £3000+ I paid a year I barely got anything back, tutors didn't really teach us anything. Lectures was useless, I once had a lecture on bowler hats and another lecture on some war event called "the last stand". The only thing I got out of uni was the bit of expensive paper that says I got a 2.2. I met some awesome people and made some friends I'll keep in touch with for the rest of my life, the freedom away from home was also great, the rent and bills and money management wasn't so great haha.

I didn't even plan on going to uni to be honest, haven't even planned my future! I really don't know what to do to be honest, I quite like to work with a design company that specialises in recyclable furniture but I haven't really started looking for a job like that yet. Right now I work in Halfords full time to pay off some debt, then save up some money to move out and start looking for a job that's related to what I did in uni.

But if you think that the course will help you in your future and you're set on that route then of course go for it, a degree is better than no degree I guess when you're applying for a job that you want.

I probably didn't help much but oh well, that was my uni experience!