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!?

I did my degree at Goldsmiths (not Fine Art) over 12 years ago. I can't comment on the Art department, but I will say that a lot of students lived in other areas where it's cheaper / still at home and only traveled to New Cross for lectures / to use the library etc. For me it didn't have the same community feels as the universities my friends went to where most students lived reasonably locally. Also some halls were much nicer (and a lot more expensive) than others. There used to be halls above Iceland on the high street with regular infestations of mice.

With hindsight I wish I had looked at other universities that had more of a community feel, as it was difficult to make many friends when so many people on my course lived 2 hours away.

Goldsmiths is an intellectual shithole.

I also went to Goldsmiths also not for art and agree with others about the lack of community feel. It doesn't feel like a campus like some other unis I've visited; it's just a couple of buildings, halls that are a bit spread out and otherwise there's nowhere much to hang out on campus itself. Over half the students in my flat in halls were visiting students from the US or Asia and went home at the end of the term or year, many others already lived in London. I didn't really make good friends at uni at all, a few I've stayed in touch with on FB but none of the lifelong friends so many people seem to make.

It is also very political...

@DebtheSander

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.

Yes, I have read some really unsettling stuff about Goldsmiths recently. Enough to put me off TBH.

I also get the impression that there is far less of a student community feel there than Newcastle, and it is less safe. There is a Goldsmiths student who posts on the WIWIKAU Facebook page, and her experiences don't make happy reading.

I agree with @Sortilege's comments about Newcastle. Public transport is pretty good. Most students live in Jesmond (which is pretty nice) from year 2, and the coast is only a metro ride away.