Gave a very polite 'F*** you' to an art lecturer after horrible interview experience

[Tulvander]

So last month, I applied for an Art and Design Foundation Course (Level 5) at my local college. I had a BTEC Level 2 Art and Design Certificate from 2014 which I received a D*. Had a GCSE B in English and GCSE C in Math. I even got into a Foundation Course (Level 5) in the same college after completing my Level 2 Art and Design because I was really good at what I did but had to drop out because of family circumstances.

Fast forward 10 years and I have decided to go back to education. For this particular college that I am applying to, my current grades meant that I did not meet the full requirements to enter the course but as long as I can provide a great portfolio, I wouldn't have a problem. I applied and was then invited for an interview which happened a couple of days ago. Prior to this, I had contacted the lecturer to let them know of my circumstances: Mature student, has a kid, need to work part time, require help with student finance, would like to go university to become an illustrator...yada yada. She replied back and her response to my message was pretty blasé and she even told me that I should try doing a Level 2/3 course in art and design rather than applying for a foundation in college. I politely replied and said that I currently have a level 2 certificate and for a mature student such as myself, it would make more sense to enter the foundation course. I explained that I have a portfolio and that I have done a lot of large artworks for companies in the past so I don't get why she wants me to redo my studies to which she did not respond back.

Come the interview day and everything was quite unorganised. We had to be moved from a small room to a larger room because we couldn't all fit. Eventually, students were taken away in dibs and dabs for interviews. This all started at 3:30pm. It was already 4:30pm and I was still not seen to so I patiently waited and even took my laptop out to watch some series to calm my nerves. I was so freaking nervous because I really wanted the lecturers to see that i was a capable individual with talent. 5:00pm and I was still in the room; the place was half empty already and most of the people there were parents waiting on their kids. It wasn't until it was 5 30pm that a student ambassador asked if everyone was seen to and when every parent said yes, I said no. He asked for my name and discovered that someone had accidentally marked me as 'interviewed'! I was waiting this whole time for nothing! He immediately let a lecturer know and this was at 6:00pm! The guy was apologetic but everything was rushed. I was only interviewed for less than 20 minutes and, despite being impressed with my portfolio, he didn't even say or ask much about my work because he was rushing to get the interview done. He said that after seeing my portfolio and hearing me talk a little, I had successfully passed the interview and that he would offer me a place in the college but I felt like I didn't even earn it. I left the place crying because I felt like all my hard work had been for nought.

I got an email today from the lady lecturer who I first contacted and she apologised for her colleague's mistake. Apparently, he shouldn't have offered me the place without a conditional offer task because I didn't have a Level 3 qualification so she had asked if I could come meet her next week. I replied to her saying that it wasn't her colleagues fault and that if the admin hadn't made that error, I could have been given more time to show my skills and prove myself. The whole experience brought me to tears and I no longer wish to apply for the course because I did not feel an ounce of sincerity, compassion, and dedication from the lecturers when I told them about my goals. I felt fobbed off and all I did was waste my time.

I have another interview with a lecturer from the same college but for a different course this time and she sounded way more kind, knowledgeable and dedicated in providing help to her students.

Did you have something like this happen to you before? Let me know.

You don't sound very resilient or very realistic. You don't meet the course requirements, so either apply for something that you are qualified for or go and get the qualification required. Not sure why you get to skip that step because you're a mature student.

Came as a shock to my son and his girlfriend how disorganised, average some lecturers were on their courses. We were reminiscing about some of their experiences last weekend.

Don't take it personally OP

Oh mate, tough day.

But your expectations might be off, and I mean that kindly. All students get offered the same education no matter their circumstances. The question at that level is whether you access the additional support available. So, your circumstances aren't what the admissions team are interested in. They're interested in whether you meet the entry requirements.

That said, the open day sounded disorganised and left you at a disadvantage. And the mistake over the offer is horrible. There may well be some truth in the idea this isn't the course for you, imagine if the whole year is like that!

Try and chalk this one up to experience, dust yourself off and move on. Good luck!

so I patiently waited and even took my laptop out to watch some series to calm my nerves.

Nerves are horrible, but as a mature student, surely you can see that really doesn't give the best impression?

Is it possible that you could have spoken up sooner if you weren't quite so engrossed?

I think you've cut your nose off to spite your face

"I explained that I have a portfolio and that I have done a lot of large artworks for companies in the past so I don't get why she wants me to redo my studies to which she did not respond back."

I'm afraid I'm going to go on a tangent a bit. If you have all this under your belt, do you actually need a qualification and is it expensive?

My last formal studies were more than 20 years ago and many places seemed to be a bit disorganised then. My lecturers were very blunt that they were there to do a job, which was fine with me, because I was doing a professional qualification.

I'm not sure how realistic you are being. A badly organised open day isn't great, I agree. But in general, everyone is doing a job. I've never seen more general incompetence, ineptitude etc in all the industries I work with than I see now.

But also, I've had some forays into places that run creative writing courses. It seems to just be a money making situation. So it will run the way they find easiest and most profitable. I feel as if you have an idealised perception of education.

As I say, I apologise if I am way off base. Also, crying because of the experience suggests it means a lot to you on an emotional level - rather than you going for a qualification that will help your career.

I've had job interviews where no one gets in touch to let you know you weren't selected. It's unprofessional but seems to be acceptable, sadly.

Sounds tough OP. Don’t take it personally though.

Very gently OP, it sounds like you had gotten quite wound up while waiting (not a criticism, lots of us get nervous while waiting for interviews) - I wonder if that then made you extra sensitive? Do you have a history of this? It often goes with creative temperament, but can make us over react. This bit jumped out at me

I felt like I didn't even earn it. I left the place crying because I felt like all my hard work had been for nought.

I am not sure how this follows when you had been told the offer was based on looking at your portfolio and listening to you talk?

I’m going to blunt, your attitude stinks. Go to the meeting and discuss it but leave the attitude behind.

What @Thehamsterthatcametotea said.

You come across like you think you're too good for this course when you don't even meet the entry requirements.

I don’t understand why you cried after the interview and I think this was probably an unhelpful thing to tell them- a better line would have been that you’d been thrilled to be offered a place so how can they now withdraw it?

I’m afraid pulling out for these reasons just makes you seem uncommitted. There will be bigger hurdles along the path so I would think hard about whether you actually want to do a course and whether you feel resilient enough.

I'm confused... you're changing courses based on the lecturer being kinder, more knowledgeable and more dedicated to providing help?

Did you want to do the original course or not? because i find your reasons for switching odd, lecturers priorities are to teach, not tip toe around sensitive students, especially slightly older ones who should have thicker skins.

If you're in tears at the interview stage, you'd be up shit creak (to put it bluntly) at the Crits ! where believe me, you sometimes have to stick up for your work and views bigtime!
(One of my lecturers threw a fellow students work out of the window, which they'd worked on for weeks, that was pretty normal)

Adding my voice to those questioning if this course is going to give you what you want out of it. I'd guess that your time and money would be better spent developing industry contacts, further adding to your portfolio etc then gaining this piece of paper.

Academia is usually horrendously run, and I say this with love for the industry. What your saw is what you will get. If you're wanting the qualification as a means to a career, go another cheaper more effective route.

Yes, I'm another one who thought that.

Obviously, in more academic courses such as A-Levels, a D is, well....quite down the list after the top grades of A, B and C.

I forget these BTECs and vocational qualifications have a different scoring method!

D for distinction! 😂

@Grimchmas do you work in education?

@Jellykat Okay, that does shock me - totally unacceptable.

I went on a screenwriting course where two people were asked to leave after a few classes. They got refunds but the class was led by a retired TV director with a huge CV and he said that he absolutely wouldn't tolerate someone below his expected standards and he didn't think anyone else should either.

This was a completely private organisation, you just got a certificate if you completed it, and I thought he was an excellent teacher but a lot of people wanted him to be more....gentle?

Friend went to acting school recently and one tutor mostly yelled at people. After my friend's first solo, the teacher shrugged and said "well, it was a bit gay". The tutor is gay and my friend is gay, so we weren't sure what that meant, but the written remarks came out fine, so I guess not being yelled at is the main good sign.

I don't consider that acceptable either.

but I'm just sharing because I think, OP, you have a slightly wrong idea of how things are going to be in education? I'm sure some places are lovely, you might want to research their ethos.

Apply somewhere else that impresses you more.

I have had art degree interviews before and it sounds as though they are disorganised but unfortunately need to tick some boxes. If you have done professional work for companies then your portfolio will be very strong compared to people who are just leaving college. It sounds as though one of the entry requirements is that you hold a level 3 qualification, which they thought you did but you don’t, and they probably can’t pick and choose when to bend the rules. I agree they haven’t treated you well and haven’t been very clear about everything. But you were offered a place based on the interview and your portfolio, and I know that hasn’t come to be but it sounds like you definitely were good enough for the course, just didn’t have the qualifications they needed

I agree with this. I have 3 friends who did illustration at uni.
2 are now postal workers and one is a French teacher 😂

By all means, be confused by the grade because you didn’t know what D starred means for BTEC. (OP has D * not D)

But please don't be snobby

(Bloody formatting makes text bold with the ( * ) ugh

They don't really require much by way of portfolio or experience to get into art foundation. They basically let anyone in who's keen.

It sounds like you are already to go to uni, but if you don't like the sound of this course, I would do the Access To Uni art course if the college does it. There are more mature students on those courses and you still come out with a portfolio of work - which is the only reason you'd do a foundation before applying to uni

I don't understand the set up with courses here, sorry.

But if - I realise it's an if - this is acting as an access to uni course...then three years of uni at, what, £10k pa?

Sorry, OP, I am repeating myself but I think if you are already doing okay work wise, getting yourself into debt is not wise. In fact, if it requires time out of the workplace, it might damage your prospects.

The only people I know who have taken this kind of path have found it didn't benefit their career, and in some cases, are still paying back debt in their 40s.

You've come at this from the angle of you need this, that, and the other from them, almost entitled sounding. But it's you who wants to be on the course. You need to be meet the entry criteria. It is a big leap to go from L2 to university level so you should expect a conditional offer, not have built up in your head how you were going to wow them with your portfolio and a keen eagerness. It's real life, not a TV show.
You're doing this for yourself, to better your life, not theirs. They don't care about your 'fuck you'. You're only fucking yourself.

In this day and age you’d be better building a very strong Instagram account than doing a degree.

You need to detach from your emotional response and focus on what actions would result in the best outcome from you.