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.