Loughborough or Oxford Brookes for Graphic design (or other)

[Ackie]

My daughter received the bad news today that she hasn't been accepted from her first choice Uni for Graphic Design = Edinburgh.

She holds offers from LBO, OxB, Bristol and Man Met. She doesnt want to go to any of them. She is distraught and not willing to discuss it.

WE know LBO is the "best course" after Tees (more illustration) but she know LBO as her brother is there and doesn't want to do Nottingham has a student town as LBO town is a "sh%* hole".

She doesn't like the Bristol course so at this stage Man Met is the next best she thinks.

However, I think OxB would suit her but reluctant because of that "reputation": those who wanted to go to Oxbridge/Exeter/Dur etc but not bright enough...dont shoot me...that's what she feels, with her cousins been/at DUR she got the story from there and some of their friends from boarding school went to OxB for that very reason.

My daughter state educated, struggled with lockdown and wanted a more collegiate feel to uni hence Edin. Then again Man Met will be massive.....

Anybody has direct experience of either or both?

thanks

But the OP’s daughter isn’t planning on teacher training? And Harcourt Hill is rather distant from Headington. And Headington is a leisurely stroll from the city centre. Honestly there’s no discernible geographical difference / distance between Oxford Uni and most of OB. Most days I inevitably pass between the two if I leave the house. Headington / Cowley Road / Jericho / Westgate all merge into one in the way one navigates Oxford. No one only exists in just one area. And students walk or cycle between them all.

I should say I have no connection to OB! Some connection to Oxford Uni. And although I’m familiar with the Oxford - cough - Brookes attitude, it simply isn’t a recognisable thing amongst the gazillions of students or residents who live here. They all interact formally and informally.

Obviously your daughter should go to the university that is best for her, @Ackie- and I have no idea which that might be. But I’m currently relaxing at home about 15 minutes walk from Oxford Botanic Gardens and it really is heavenly here. Woods and meadows and rivers and ancient buildings and cocktail bars all within touching distance …

Excuse me 🤣 for all the AI in the world the industry will still exist
in one form or other we can’t afford to just write off a 124 billion industry - we still need new ideas and new creative ideas and the people to control the Mac and machines. if anything clients are looking for stand out creative solutions instead of the canva, AI generated dross.

Sorry this is Google below, but the industry is well worth getting into especially as a female.

In 2024, the UK's creative industries generated around £124 billion in value added (GVA), accounting for 5% of the total UK economy. Creative industries goods exports were worth £9.1 billion, representing 2.7% of total UK goods exports. The creative industries also contributed 7% of all UK jobs

Its not stopped growing even during covid, and it’s one industry you can transfer across the world.

Have you looked at Reading? It's well ranked, has good employment figures for graphic design and nice campus.

@AckieI know Oxford pretty well and the nearest “feel” is actually Bristol. I’m assuming uwe. Lots of dc really enjoy Bristol and it’s more laid back than Manchester.

It’s not remotely true to think Oxbridge, Exeter and Durham rejects end up at OB. It’s the former Oxford poly and very different from top RG unis. It’s far more practical and I agree, Headington is a great place to be and enjoy all Oxford has to offer. Also state educated dc are far and away the majority! Why reject somewhere based on prejudice? Would she think the same about an employer? Time to mature.

Meant to add: Loughborough probably is best but it’s got no decent city nearby - it’s campus and that’s it.

Reading campus is lovely, and you can take a dog to the open day if that’s relevant!

LBO town is a "sh% hole"*

Yes, it is. I grew up there and it was a sh*t hole in the 90s. It’s even worse now. If the town itself is likely to swing the decision, don’t pick Loughborough.

Loughborough uni campus is very nice, but are the Art and Design departments actually on the campus itself? I used to attend Loughborough College and all the Fine Art/Graphics courses used to be part of that campus as it was part of Loughborough College of Art and Design rather than part of the university itself. I may be mistaken and the department may have moved sites now, but it may still be the case.

You're right that the art dept is not on campus.

I think no one goes to Lboro uni for the ambience and attractions of the town. If that's a big deal you should pick a big city like Leeds or somewhere cute abd charming like Winchester*

• I don't think this is a good way to pick a uni tho. Lboro has many positives beyond the town.

My daughter is also wanting to do a degree in GD.
She applied to L’Boro, Lanacaster, Falmouth, Norwich & Staffs. A very mixed bag but she based her choices on a number of factors including campus v non campus, town, halls, facilities etc.
Has 5 offers (inc 3 unconditional..she’s seriously good, has won regional & national competitions & will likely get a DDD*).
She’s struggling to pick her firm and insurance now, but think she is leaning heavily toward Norwich because she absolutely fell in love with the town. She thinks the course at Falmouth is probably better but she said she can’t really see herself living there. Whereas Norwich really suits her and her personality.

@almostbloody50

I'd like to be as optimistic as you, but my guess is that by 2030 graphic design will be an unrecognisable industry.

AI is on the march and improving constantly.

DN is a GD having graduated from UAL 4 years ago. She’s not been out of work since. Latest job allows her loads of creative licence and she’s loving working in a young, exciting sector.

Surely your daughter should be the one deciding where to go…
not some random people on mumsnet?
A more mature (by age I mean) person will have totally different opinions to a 19yr old young woman…this more mature person (me!) thinks she needs to decide herself even if it means she has to do a gap year.

@Gall10 So why does MN exist then? Surely it’s for additional information? To help with decision making? No one is making the final decision. Plus what 18/19 year old knows everything about choosing a course or university? What teen really knows Loughborough or Falmouth or Lancaster or Stoke on Trent? The OPs DD has mostly got offers from large city universities (Bristol, Manchester, and Oxford) but doesn’t know which might suit her best. As the op says her DD is distraught and cannot make a decision, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask for advice.

Obviously she’s not applying elsewhere now and needs to review what she has. The compromise university is probably Oxford Brookes.

Of course it's got to be her decision. But at the moment, she's just completely floored by her most hoped-for university having rejected her and although presumably there were positives about the other four when she was choosing where to apply, just now they are universally awful because they are not the one she really wanted. There's no way that the OP can compel her DD to choose somewhere just because one pf us randoms on the Internet came up with a new slant on one of the other four options which makes it sound the bee's knees to the the OP, regardless of her DD's thoughts on the matter (at least, the OP doesn't give the impression that theirs is that sort of family).

And of course all of us here are not a teenage girl, but you know, it's not totally impossible both to look at somewhere with one's mature eyes and to be able to envisage how a young person might see it. Also, for someone studying Graphic Design, I can't think that an 'old' person's Ooh, lots of lovely galleries and museums and the student's where can I turn to for inspiration?, for example, are necessarily worlds apart?

Oh dear - that does make me sound ‘old’!😂 My point about galleries was that they provide source material for study and research.

Dear all
Thanks for all the imputs and considered thoughts, much appreciated.

• Certainly not going to be OP choice.
• We/she knows LBO well as she has been there over the years as her brother is there
• courses like GD cannot be driven by the traditional "get to a RG/RedBrick/Oxbridge" uni (like her OP did). Tees is consistancy considered the best course but more illustration so she's not suited to that course. LBO. being an old tech college and historically close to industry "2nd best course" as it is for product design, then it is OB. Like product
• Just back from DUR after watching nephew play for the Barbarians had chance to chat to lots who had friends at OB so have got lots other thoughts.
• I have my view where she should go, it is only my view but the above has helped immensely, but it will always be her choice.
• Other challenges are also "xyz is too close to home", "abc is where relatives live and will cramp my style" "would like to be near some of my best mates" and as we know, uni is just as much about the experience than the course and that is different to each individual.

So thanks once again all
A

MN exists for those of us who have nothing better to do with our!

@Gall10 I’m a very effective multitasker!

That’s so good to hear. 🙌

Bit late here... DS at UWE in Bristol doing an art based degree (i am guessing UWE if she wants GD?).
It's a buzzing, young city with a lot of art based industry.
DS loves it here. GD based at Arnolfini in city centre.
DS was in Leicester for Foundation..there was no art/ art based community in the city really. It does make a massive difference to the experience/ networking/ volunteering/ work experince options. So I'd discount L'boro on that alone.

Thanks for the input. Yes our DD liked the city but not the GD course.
Our original advice was a foundation course at Kingston, living at home, then having the choice of uni course into second year especially Edin. Penny dropped on the day the Kingston applications closed.

Surely you do a GD course to get work. Personal preference might not be what employers really want. What huge differences can there be?

Harcourt Hill campus is closing as you say, but everything is moving to the Headington site, I wouldn't say it's unexpected as the Wheatley campus is also transferring to the Headington site as part of the Campus redevelopment master plan. I think the financial difficulties situation is also slightly overblown. The financial statements are pretty healthy and there are no cashflow problems.
I also wouldn't say Headington isn't in Oxford. It's definitely a suburb of Oxford.

@AllthegoodnamesarechosenDo you know Oxford?!!! Headington is just up Headington Hill out of the city centre. Most people think the Headington campus is Oxford. If it’s not, there’s a lot of non Oxford beyond the campus to the Oxford Ring Road!

Exactly. It's a bit like saying Twickenham isn't in London.