Newcastle or Goldsmiths for BA Fine Art?

[RainyDaysAgain]

DS has offers for both, he has no idea which to choose! Any tips/advice on either university for fine art that would help him to make a difficult decision!?

Goldsmiths.
Great place and location

Goldsmiths.
Newcastle is a brilliant ( my friend did textiles there and rated it ) but it’s not Goldsmiths.

What would benefit your DS most though? A great three years at a top Uni up north or the cache of a London art school. Will he do well anywhere or need an art bubble.

Is cost a factor?

Cost is definitely a factor, but is it worth the extra cost to go to Goldsmiths? Newcastle ranks higher and seems a more supportive environment and better course, facilities etc, Goldsmiths just seems to be about the reputation...even though it ranks lower in league tables.... it is DS's decision, but he's as stuck between the 2!

What will he specialise in, Fine Art is a wide field?

BTW, all the people I know with a FA degree (from Camberwell & Goldsmiths) are working in completely unrelated fields.

There's less pressure outside of London, to do the in art thing of the time. Can he go to their degree shows before making a decision?

I'd consider Newcastle. Goldsmiths is very political from what I hear.

Also definitely consider facilities, as you've mentioned, and how much studio space students are given etc.

He has been painting and photography but I think he would be open to trying all different types of art which I think would be easier at Newcastle as they are less self directed. The facilities seem better at Newcastle. I think he would prefer the university at Newcastle but would love to experience living in London. There is also an element of being offered a place at Goldsmiths so you 'have' to take it!

Has he visited? Goldsmiths is in Lewisham, not central London. Still it's London and Goldsmiths I suppose.

He has, he's been to the open day and had his interview there. He agrees it's not the best part of London! I guess it's the 'prestige' of going to art school in London...is it worth all the downsides or can you do equally well in your future career as an artist if you study fine art outside London.

Where do you live? Will ease of getting home for the odd weekend play a factor in his decision? Travel is expensive, even with a railcard.

I went to Goldsmiths and loved the vibe. Studied MFL not art though.
Went to Newcastle once for the weekend. Hated it.

@RainyDaysAgain - someone just wrote this on another thread about moving to Newcastle "One of the reasons that DD chose Newcastle to go to university is that it is more compact than other cities, but has as much to offer. We are rural and the bigger cities - Bristol and Manchester didn't appeal because getting anywhere involved having to use public transport all the time. Whereas most places are within walking distance."

Newcastle is a nice little city. I'm from London, but did Fine Art in the North-East many moons ago. London is soooo expensive to go out in; I imagine Goldsmiths students hang out in Deptford rather than going into London all the time. Where do you live? I do think living costs should be considered.

I hear there has been quite a contentious relationship between staff and students at Goldsmiths. Not sure how that would impact day to day though.

Hi! I studied at Goldsmiths and worked at Newcastle University. (Not FA).

I think it would be worth considering how confident your son is meeting new people and making friends. Confident? Pick Goldsmiths. Bit more shy - Newcastle could be the better choice.

I attend Goldsmiths 10yrs ago now so things might have changed, but many of the students were from London and lived at home. They already had well rounded social lives and tended to keep to themselves. Students at Newcastle in general seem more open to making new friends. More living in halls.

New Cross takes a little getting used to, but it's brilliantly placed for trips to central London and also green areas such as Greenwich and Blackheath.

Goldsmiths. Newcastle is good but Goldsmiths is famously one of the top art schools in the country. Half the YBAs studied there.

Also, in terms of inspiration - although Newcastle has a quite good art scene, London has world class exhibitions all year round. He has the Tates, White cubes, National Galleries, Courtauld, RA, Wallace collection as well as all the tiny galleries in Hackney and around Spitalfields.

If I were studying art I'd choose London for inspiration over Newcastle any day. And I love Newcastle as a city.

Thanks all, definitely some thoughts to pass on to him. My concern is Goldsmiths is very self directed and Newcastle is more 'taught' which I think he would benefit more from, worried he would drift if wasn't on a course that was more timetabled. Don't hear great things about Goldsmiths as a Uni either whereas everyone who goes to Newcastle always raves about it!

In terms of distance, it's the same for both...and he says he's not planning on coming home very often anyway! There is the worry about how much more it will cost to live in London.

If cost is a factor, then Newcastle.

Housing especially is really reasonable.
My son is there studying mfl and he loves it.

If the only thing going for goldsmiths is reputation i wouldn't think that was enough to justify all the additional costs.

Ordinarily, I would say Goldsmiths. But there are huge problems at the moment at Goldsmiths re leadership and finances. Industrial action over redundancies. Have a look on Twitter.

The students at Goldsmiths on WIWIKAU are very unhappy at the moment with what's happening there.

You can probably find out more on Twitter but I would take that into consideration if it were me.

Can’t comment on Fine Art specifically but, you say the Newcastle course is more “taught” which would suit him better. That’s huge for a creative course at UG.

Newcastle (IMO) also wins hands down on; cost, area, crime levels locally, campus politics, having a whole city easily accessible, and the possibility of staying on in the city after graduation (see again affordability etc).

I wouldn’t choose Goldsmiths at the mo with the staff/student strike issues. I know many people affected.

He agrees it's not the best part of London!

Oi!

@TheWayTheLightFalls

I wouldn’t choose Goldsmiths at the mo with the staff/student strike issues. I know many people affected.

He agrees it's not the best part of London!

Oi!

😂...sorry! He would live in central London if he had a choice...not happening!! I've had a look at Twitter, agree...very concerning.

Fwiw they have a (more than one?) halls in Brockley, where the view out the window looks like this, so not exactly the mean streets. But yes, the industrial dispute is a major factor against imo.

Yep, came here to say Goldsmiths is in a serious mess right now.