Progression and portfolio
To prepare for my UCAS application and University interviews, I have documented my process of creating a portfolio and personal statement.
During this unit I have explored my progression in my access course and my future career and education past this year. We began the year by researching into future careers and higher education degrees that appeal to us.From a young age I have always had a clear vision of what I want to do and what my passion is, however, I didn’t have the skill set and knowledge to know how to get me there and that is why I am so thankful for this unit during my access course. After researching courses and career paths, I realised that my photography niche was a degree in itself! Many universities up and down the country offer advertising and commercial photography degrees and using the UCAS website I could start to explore what the requirements where to get in! One course really caught my eye was the Editorial and Advertising Photography at The University of Gloucestershire. I had visited the Uni a few years ago, as my Mum attended the Cheltenham campus to do her BED Early Years Teaching Degree. I had already fallen in love with the beautiful campus and surroundings, as well as the University ethos of sustainability, something I am very passionate about. The course information sounded so suited to me… The course is designed to give you the creative skills and business know-how you need to be outstanding as a professional photographer. You’ll incorporate all forms and genres of still and moving-image making from fashion to music, sports to food, interiors to celebrity, beauty to travel, and more. You’ll learn from leading industry professionals and gain high-profile professional contacts. Developing your own industry-facing portfolio, you will be able to gain live commissions while studying. One of the leading professionally-focused BA photography degrees, we’re ranked in the top 10 for photography degrees by Guardian University Guide 2019 and Winner of the Course of the Year 2020 in the prestigious Association of Photographers Student Awards. - University of Glos Website. To find out more about the course and what they offered I followed their course Instagram, where they did Live Instagram with their past and current students! I loved how interactive and involved all the tutors where! Although my heart was set on Gloucestershire, I had to think realistic, I think that was one of my successes during this unit, as I had back up options to ensure I would be attending university not matter what! Because I am not in the position to relocate, due to money and commitments in the Cotswolds, I could only apply for courses that I would be able to drive to, my back up choices where BCU and Coventry University. Having these fall back options took pressure off of my UCAS application. After choosing three UCAS choices I could then write my personal statement and prepare to apply. I definitely found this part of the project the hardest, when I started writing I had little confidence in myself and my achievements, however, after some group online Teams sessions and the Personal Statement guide, I was able to write a piece of work that I was confident in and that I felt sold me as a person. I have always struggled with spelling and grammar, so before sending my application off to UCAS, I made sure to get my work proofread by my tutor and my mum, this ensured that my personal stament sounded and looked professional. I was so happy and proud to receive interviews with all of my options, to prepare for them I had a mock interview with my tutor, where we went over important questions and worked on my portfolio. This really helped my confidence when in the interview, additionally, as we were in a national lockdown, due to COVID-19, I had to do my interview online. This was another worry as I was thinking about connection and having a good quality camera, however, I found it easier to talk over zoom than face to face so this was a success. Putting together my portfolio was a fun part of this project, as I was able to look through all of my work and pick out my best bits! We had lots of online sessions, looking at different styles of portfolios and how to lay it out. These sessions where very valuable as Gloucester picked up on my ‘professional looking’ portfolio. I was really pleased with my interview at my dream University at Gloucester! They offered me an unconditional offer on the course, on the spot and I was so overwhelmed and proud with this! They also left this feedback; I believe that Jasmine would be an excellent match for our course and vice-versa. Jasmine has an outstanding portfolio and clear aspirations, and I would be excited to welcome her to our course community. Overall, this unit has taught me so much about how to present my work, who I am and what I want as a person! Although I faced challenges, as I mentioned, I was able to defeat the obstacles and get into my dream course!
0 Comments
I have had a passion for Photography since childhood. I have a very creative eye and find great satisfaction in creating beautiful images by capturing the colours and textures around me. My aspiration is to turn this artistic passion into a career as a successful photographer. After researching the career paths available within this industry, I have become increasingly drawn to commercial and editorial photography because I feel it would allow me to exercise my creative passion to tell a story or connect with an audience. I am inspired and fascinated by the powerful ways in which images can be used to influence or inspire in advertising, on social platforms and in the world around us.
In order to learn the skills required to study Photography in Higher Education, I am currently studying an Access to Higher Education course in Art and Design at Solihull College and University Centre. Through this course, I have learnt a multitude of skills which will benefit me when studying a challenging degree at University. For example, in my Study Skills sessions, I have mastered different referencing systems, source evaluation, note taking techniques and reading strategies. The Photography skills I have enjoyed covering include: image retouching, utilising Creative Cloud software, such as Photoshop and Lightroom; experimental Photography, using the darkroom to create chemigrams and pinholes and working in a professional studio. In my current module, Advertising Design, I am learning how colour theory can be used in effective advertising. This is particularly relevant to the area of Photography that I am interested in pursuing. My experience in the area of Photography began during my time in secondary school. In Year 10, I grasped an opportunity to take an additional GCSE, a year early, at Stratford Upon Avon College. This was a voluntary opportunity, to be undertaken in my own time after school. This was an invaluable experience for me. I realised my aptitude for the subject and gained the skills and knowledge required to take me forward into further education. My life and work experience thus far have provided me with many of the skills that a Commercial Photographer requires. For nearly three years I have worked as a Food and Beverage Host at Warwick Castle and through this I have gained relevant transferable skills. My role at the castle has required me to be highly motivated and work to tight deadlines. I have developed excellent communication, organisational and teamwork skills with a can-do attitude. This has been recognised on a number of occasions by company employee awards. My hobbies and interests have a strong relevance to a degree and profession in photography. I have a flare for using social platforms. I have been working on a personal Visual Communication blog where I have enjoyed applying my creative and technical abilities. I have made and added Youtube tutorials of my Photography techniques to the blog and documented my research. Alongside this, I have set up an Instagram account dedicated to Veganism and environmental awareness. This has given me the opportunity to combine my two main passions in life in order to showcase my talent for food photography. In closing, I feel that my passion, talent, knowledge, skills and experience of Photography make me an ideal candidate for a place on a Photography degree course. In turn, this would give me the perfect foundation for a long and successful Photography career. I am excited, motivated and inspired by the prospect of having the opportunity to learn and I am dedicated to working hard to achieve my ambition. Step ThreeWriting a Personal StatementNow that I have chosen my options, to complete my UCAS processes, I need to write a personal statement to support my application. This can only be 4,000 characters, so it is very limited. I started this process by reading through some personal statement guides, this gave me an idea of what to include and what a personal statement should look like. These guides then helped me write some notes to structure my statement. Using mind-maps helps me spread out and section my ideas, which I could later form into paragraphs. Reading through the course content of my number one choice, UO Gloucestershire, really helped me tailor my personal statement plan to the course. I then started to write up my first draft, using the personal statement guides to help.
Spelling and grammar has to be perfect in the personal statement, as once it's sent off, you cannot go back and edit it. As well as using words checking function, I also got my mum, who is a teacher, to proof read my work.
Each time I edited my personal statement, I created a new draft/ document, to highlight my progression.
Finally, I also got my tutor to read through my work, to ensure that it was what the university recruiters would be looking for. I learn it is so important to get feedback to help develop to the best of your ability. I finally edited my personal statement down to fit within the character count, I ended with 3,621. After three drafts, I saved my work, proof read it for the very last time and copy and paced it into the UCAS application form. Meaning my application was complete and I hap applied for university!
Step ThreeMy Final ChoicesAfter researching my options and attending virtual open days, I now have a big design to make... What Universities do I want to apply for? In my previous post, I went through the pros and cons of each course, factoring in location, this helped me come to a final decision that I put through to UCAS. Choice One (In Order)The University of Gloucestershire - Ed and Ad Photography Advertising and Editorial at Gloucestershire University is my top choice! After attending their virtually open day, I researched more about the university ethos and student life and was so inspired! The course modules are really interesting and suited to what I want to do in the future. They have lots of different contacts with brands and companies, where they work on live briefs or invite for talks, meaning I would be exposed to amazing industry links. All the tutors are so passionate and have had students go on to do amazing things! Finally, the location is perfect, as I can travel from home! Through out lockdown, the tutors on the course have been running live talks on Instagram, with past and current students. This has given me a massive insight into what life would be like on this course. I have been following their Instagram since the open day and have been really excited about the content they have been updating. Additionally, I have learnt that they run a very small course, and, although thus may make it harder to get in, it does mean that the connection between student and teacher is stronger and more personal. Finally, their studios and equipment is really advanced. They have lots of different studios and darkrooms, meaning I can make the most out of their advanced technology. These are just some of the reasons why this is my number one course! Entry Requirements On their course website they do not mention specific UCAS point requirements. Their course is based upon creativity, and although you have to be studying a level 3 to apply, (which I am) offers are granted after interviews, rather than based off of predicted grades. Choice TwoPhotography at Birmingham City University My second choice is Photography at BCU. Although this is more of a generalised course, as appose to just focussing on commercial, I am really excited by the idea of going to university in such a cultured and diverse city. Birmingham has some amazing galleries and art centres, additionally the equipment they have in the university is so advanced. My only issue with this course, is that it is really big and their intake numbers are high. Therefore, I would worry about that connection with the tutors and that I would just be a number. Despite that, I really like the modules they offer and the location, that is why this is my second choice. Choice ThreeProfessional Creative Practice at Solihull College and University Centre My final choice would be to stay on at Solihull and complete their creative practice degree. This is in-expensive option, as it based at the college. However, I was really drawn to this course because of the tutors. They really inspire me and I would love to learn more for them. This definitely not my first choice as it is not as focused on photography, however, I would really enjoy staying on at Solihull. Why Only Three Choices?In the end, I only choose to use three out of my five UCAS spaces. I feel really confident about these choices and didn't feel a need to add more for the sake of it, entry requirements are below my predicted grade, therefore I feel happy with my decision not to research any further.
Step TwoVirtual Open DaysThis year has been different in many different ways, due to COVID and lockdown a lot has changed. This includes the process of choosing a university, where students would normally visit different campuses and see what universities they want to attend, this year we do not have that option, everything is virtual! This week I have attended an open day for one of my choices, The University of Gloucestershire. Although I would've preferred to attended the open day in person, I do feel I could get a good feel of the university because of the amount of material they provided! I was given access to the open day at 10am, when I got onto the website I could explore live talks, with course leaders, past students and finance advisors! I found it really helpful that I was able to live chat with students, as this could give me a real inside as to what life would be like on the course. The open day was well organised and easy to navigate around. Additionally, they left all of the videos up after the event, so I could go back and watch anything I missed. My favourite part of the virtual interview was the live talk with the course leader. She was so passionate about her course and it made me feel so excited! I have definitely enjoyed attending the talk and am so inspired any the course! Gloucestershire offers such an amazing course that I am really interested in, its values are so similar to mine. It has become my number one choice by far! Step One |
Pros
|
Cons
|
Jasmine Victoria Morris
All
My Choices
My Personal Statement
Open Days
Researching Universities
Unit Evaluation
Writing A Personal Statement