My experiences of applying to University through UCAS

This article was written by Press & Editorial Photography student Matthew.

When deciding on my university, I not only considered what would be vital for me to grow professionally, but also what would be the best environment for me to learn in.

Being someone who’s extremely driven in photography, it felt like so much pressure to make sure I picked the right University. I had to consider the things that were important to me, which were the environment, the facilities and the quality of the education.

Having grown up in the countryside my whole life, cities weren’t really appealing to me. I also knew I wouldn’t be able to afford to live in a city such as London. All the other universities I had visited didn’t scratch this rural itch, however, once I visited Falmouth which, despite the temperamental weather, has an idyllic landscape which supports your mental health as you learn. There have been times when everything got a bit too much and I just need some space and silence. Going for a coastal walk and a freezing swim reset my mind and helped me to de-stress. Whilst I am only just going into my second year, I can’t exaggerate enough the benefits of studying in an environment where you can separate work from personal life.

When visiting an Open Day, it felt too good to be true - studying in this beautiful environment, there must be issues with facility access, being so far out of London... This was completely not the case! Speaking on behalf of the photography facilities, you can book out all the equipment that you will need to carry out any idea or project. The word ‘extensive’ would be an understatement. Being a photographer, for me to properly build my portfolio and carry out project work, it is vital for me to have access to equipment that allows me to turn my ideas into reality. Since being on my course, I’ve curated my own exhibition in a bar in Falmouth, developed/printed an unbelievable amount of film, used almost every type of camera in the Stores and have been able to use top-notch industry standard studios. This isn’t an exception for the photography department either. I have friends on other courses at Falmouth, who have explained how amazed they are with the quality of their facilities. So, I’d say if you are sceptical about what kind of facilities Falmouth might have, don’t let a location in the South West mislead you and investigate what they have to offer for your course.

My final decision choice came down to what my course could offer me in terms of education. Again, I was very sceptical as my two other boxes had been ticked, I felt that this may be the caveat. However, I was completely wrong. Since being on my course, I’ve learnt so much about what it means to be a photographer and a photojournalist. My whole course is structured to encourage self-lead project work, which is exactly what we will be doing post-university. I’ve learnt what it means to work in the industry and am already building a commercial portfolio and working with clients, to help support my journalism. I remember in my interview that I was supposed to go in for about twenty minutes and ended up staying for around two hours with the head of my course because we just couldn’t stop chatting.