I woke up around 3pm. I still wasn't really that interested in going but at 4pm, I called my Nan and asked what time she was going and she said in ten minutes so I rushed about and got ready, before her and her friend picked me up and took me into town to meet my Mum and Gary.
We talked about me over a few drinks. Specifically, we talked about the whole 30 mile radius issue. That was where Gary said he had been talking to my Mum about that and he said that if that really is the case, then he'd buy a house nearby the University that I could live in along with a few other students.
How cool is that? The thing is he probably would.
I said that that was a great offer, but ideally, I really want to live on campus. I guess I want to live in that tiny student accomodation for the social life that I'll get by doing so. By being able to see potential friends on a daily basis etc. You can't really do that if you're in a house down the road. Still, his offer would come in handy after the first year when I have to move out of my accomodation. I hope he goes through with it. He does have a tendency to say something but never actually come good on it.
My meal was nice. I also had dessert. We talked a fair bit about me and University all night. Gary also said that he would want me to work in the warehouse three days this week and that it would be handy for me, having some money. I said sure, I'd work.
I went home quite early, about 8:30pm because I wanted to watch 24 and I don't really like sitting there just drinking all night with them. It gets boring.
I asked my Mum what time she'd be coming to come with me to Cumbria the following morning and she said about 9am.
I awoke on Monday morning around 8:30am and got ready. My Mum arrived about 9am with Rob and we headed off to Cumbria. It was a pretty straight forward trip, taking about two and a half hours in total. Rob is a great guy and he can be very funny. Says some very funny stuff, sometimes without meaning to. The journey went over fairly quickly.
Once at Cumbria, I gave my name in and then me and my Mum took a seat in reception, where plenty of other students were waiting with similar A1 black portfolios. I told my Mum that she should go wait in the cafe with Rob instead so she did.
About ten minutes later a tutor came to collect us all. I had met him before when I went for the open day there in October. I'm sure he didn't remember me or many other students though. I'm sure he sees that many.
We had a presentation by a guy named Tony about what the course offers and then we were asked to get our work out and display it on the desks around the class. We were then given a tour around the campus which was a little bit more indepth than the tour I had had in October, but seemed to last forever.
After what seemed like about 30-40 minutes of walking around what is essentially one building, we were led back into the classroom and then one by one, we were interviewed by one of three different tutors. It was tense. What confused me a little though was the fact that apparantly, the tutors had looked through our work while we were having a tour. I kind of felt that this was unfair because I feel that we should be allowed to actually talk about what we have produced.
While the rest of us were waiting, our tour guide tried to ease the tension a little by talking and making jokes. He seemed like a really nice guy. He was actually one of the final year students.
As each student went into the different rooms with tutors, I noticed that they weren't taking their portfolios of work with them. I just assumed that maybe the tutors would look through them with the student after the interviews.
As the students came out, most of the students who were still waited just wanted one question answered: "Did you get in?" Surprisingly, the answer was yes to everyone who I seen come out, but that was only about three people.
And then it was my turn.
The female tutor called my name and into what looked like an office I went. In addition to the tutor, there was also a final year student. I took my portfolio in with me.
I was already feeling quite calm about this interview after the Chester one and the fact that the tutors at Cumbria University were nice. Again, I have to mention how shit Teeside is compared to both Chester and Cumbria.
I said hi to both of them and sat down. One of the first questions the tutor asked me was did I think I had applied for the right course. The reason she asked this was because currently, I'm studying multimedia, yet applying to do a graphic design course. I explained to her that graphic design has always interested me moreso than multimedia and it's what I wanted to learn. She made me aware that they did do a multimedia course there and she just wanted to check that I was happy with my choice.
She also asked me why I wanted to come to Cumbria. Unlike my fake answer for Teeside, I did actually have an honest answer for Cumbria. It was their own website that attracted me. I explained that I had looked at a fair number of University websites, but Cumbria was the only one with a gallery of work to see and that's what attracted me. I also wrote a letter to Cumbria University, telling them that I was appreciative of that. The tutor laughed and said thanks for the compliments.
She mentioned in passing that "we've looked at your digital work", which took me by surprise, considering I had not shown it to them. They had simply seen the my Biennial packaging and since it says "Interactive CD" on the front, must have assumed it was my work. Luckily, the CD that was my work was inside this case, but the case itself has nothing to do with my portfolio as such. Again, I felt a little bit cheated that I didn't have a chance to explain my work.
Another question she asked was where do I see myself in a few years time. I thought for a moment, before laughing and saying "In Neville Brody's shoes". Neville Brody is one of the most famous graphic designers out there. She laughed too, but said that that was fine and that it's good to be honest. On reflection, I probably would have said something about how I'd like to create something that looks good and perhaps even better over time and be remembered for it. While mentioning Neville Brody, I also explained why I actually liked him, even though she didn't ask. I felt that if I mentioned all of the stuff that interviewees usually get asked, then she'd be more impressed because she wouldn't have to ask me for the information first.
Towards the end of the interview, she asked if I had any questions and I asked the usual, such as what's the atmosphere like, how many people are on the course etc.
"Well", she said, "We'd like to offer you a place"
"Thank you", I said and smiled.
Three for three.
She told me that I'd hear from UCAS about it officially and that I could request accomodation information and whatnot. I thanked her again and said goodbye, before leaving. On my way out, the rest of them asked how I did and I said I had got in and they said well done. I left the class feeling quite happy.
I found my Mum in the cafe and told her the news and she was very happy for me, along with Rob who now calls me "Prof" (As in professor) after every interview. I felt good.
The journey back was straight forward and once back home, relaxed. No more University interviews for at least a week or two. I do have two more to come, but I don't know when they'll be because I haven't had letters to say when.
So, three Universities, three offers. I'm doing pretty well. What really makes me feel good is that no doubt they had about 200 applicants at least for the course and there's only 44 places on it. That means I'm one of those 44. It feels good to be chosen.
Prior to visiting Teeside and Chester, the only University I had visited was Cumbria for the open day in October last year and at that point, Cumbria was definitely the University for me. However, after visiting Chester, my mind was most certainly changed and now Chester is where I want to go. If all goes well and neither Northumbria or Bolton impress me moreso than Chester, then it will be Chester where I will be spending the next three years of my life.
These are exciting times.
