Art university and your future
Art university; Where to even begin? Art university can only be described as a parallel universe. The person you are before and the person you are after are two completely different people. You tell yourself you’re not going to fall into the stereotype of the typical art student, but you can’t help it, it’s inevitable. The best thing for you is to just accept and embrace it.
There are many stereotypes about going to an Arts university, some of them true, some of them false, one stereotype in particular is that your degree is useless. Something that you will get asked when attending Art university is why? Why did you choose an artistic course? Many people feel embarrassed when they tell others that they attend an Arts university out of fear of being ridiculed. There is a common theme in society in which Art university is portrayed as being a walk in the park compared to academical courses, students of the arts told their degree is pointless and it won’t get you anywhere in life.
If you’re an arts student feeling like this, don’t lose hope yet because despite all of these claims, going to Arts university can actually help your chances at a career. There are many skills you learn at Arts university that employers are now realising are crucial. Not only does an art degree teach you about team work from collaboration projects, it also gives you the ability to think critically as well as solve problems and learn how to communicate properly, all are skills important to have. Art students are also more likely to know how to use a wide range of software that other employees may not, making them a valuable employee to have.
Tia White, 21, a Graphic Design student studying at London College of Communication spoke about her past embarrassment in telling people what she studies but now realises the pros to her course “Every time I would meet new people I wouldn’t like telling them about my course at uni because people tend to belittle art courses but studying graphic design has helped me get advanced in software many people don’t know how to use, affording me the opportunity to get ahead of the game”.
University of the Arts London is the 2nd best art university in the world. It has noticeable alumni such as actress Bonnie Wright, Fashion Designer Henry Holland, Singer Rachel Stevens, and many more. UAL keep tabs on their graduates, wanting to know where they are in life since leaving university. According to data reports, 4,750 graduates were asked where they are since leaving UAL, over 83% of UAL alumni end up in a positive destination.
UAL have many contacts in the professional industry, big names such as Penguin Books provide mentoring programmes and workshops for M.A and now B.A on Magazine Journalism and Publishing. Having contacts like this makes it easier when applying for graduate jobs as already having the experience especially with notorious companies makes you stand out from the crowd. Derek Yates, Course Director at Camberwell college of the Arts says, “Students should be, from the first minute they walk into a course, connecting with the world they’re going into in a very real way, in a generous way.” Over 50% of graduates said they found work from the networks they had made whilst studying.
Ben Cooper, 22, graduated from a B.A Film Studies course in 2020 talks about how he made connections whilst studying and is now part of an ITV graduate scheme “when I was at uni I was constantly told to look for more practical jobs because being successful in the art field is apparently unlikely but I didn’t listen as I knew they were wrong. Low and Behold I am now a part of a graduate scheme by ITV and I couldn’t be happier”.
Arts university will make you realise a lot of things; you have more in common with the mad man at the end of every high street who blasts Binaural Beats, a Sainsbury’s shopping receipt stapled into a frame at Tate Modern can be considered art, but most importantly, despite being stereotyped and ridiculed, your arts degree is important and attending an Arts university is the right choice. You now have skills that will make you stand out from the crowd and contacts that set you up for life.