One year ago, I began my first year on the Fashion Communication and Promotion course here at Trent. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect or what was expected of me. Like many of you, I had just finished my A Levels; so making the transition to a course that relied more on my own creativity was a little daunting.
Those of you reading this who have just completed Art Foundation years or college courses that focus on Fashion Communication, Fashion Design or Fashion Marketing; are probably also curious as to what exactly is expected of you throughout your first year of study.
Well, Fashion Fresher’s, you’re in luck. This article is your guide to surviving a Fashion course at Nottingham Trent: a guide that provides helpful hints and reassuring advice to keep in mind when you find yourselves stressing out before a deadline, or confused about a project that’s been set.
Fashion, I’m sure, is an interest, love passion (insert appropriate word here) for all of you. I’m also sure that many of you purchase magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Wonderland, i-D, POP, Dazed and Confused etc. to keep yourselves up to date on the goings on of within the fashion industry. However, now that you’re studying Fashion full time, it’s even more important that you keep your knowledge of the latest trends, innovations and general news from the fashion industry. And if you haven’t heard of the last few, don’t worry, neither had I- and you’re not expected to know every publication. This is where the lectures are useful. They’ll provide you with all this information, and introduce you to new publications and sites where you can source inspiration and innovation. It’s then up to you as to how you use the information given to you.
That’s another thing about the Fashion courses here at Trent. Be prepared to put in the hours and work for independent study. This brings me to my next piece of advice; use your time wisely. Yes, it sounds obvious; but it could be one of the most useful pieces of advice you may receive. They’ll be times you’ll need to print your work out, and it may take more time than you think. So remember this: set yourself individual deadlines. A deadline to finish your work and another to print it. You’ll find yourself less stressed if you adopt this work ethic.
And lastly, here’s something I wish someone had told me about before I started at Trent. You’ll be expected to attend lectures and seminars one day a week on a subject called, “Design and Visual Culture”. Much of what you’ll be asked to do will require you to collect images to use as evidence to explain the point you are trying to make. I will pre-warn you that it is a large possibility that you may find yourself confused about what is asked of you. DON’T PANIC! I’m 99.9% positive that everyone else around you will be just as confused as you are. The best piece of advice I can give you is: don’t be afraid to ask questions. E-mail or go to your DVC tutor and get them to explain the project in more detail. If there’s a group of you that feel the same way, go together. It’s always reassuring when your course mates find themselves in the same confused state.
I hope this guide has been of some use to you, and made some things clearer. All that’s left to say is… Good luck Fashion First Years!
Brogan Lipman
Tags: course, fashion, nottingham trent, survival guide
What was the interview process like for this course?
Hiya,
As long as you meet the grade requirements for the course, you’ll be invited to interview. It consists of 2 parts: a group interview/task and an individual interview.
The group task is a chance for you to get your voice heard and show you work well in a team- which is an important quality for this course.
For the individual interview, they’ll send you some questions to prepare some answers for, e.g. who is your role model? who do most aspire to be like? etc.
They’ll also give you some questions to prepare for discussion within the group. Make sure you have some detailed points to bring into discussion that show you’ve really thought about the subject matter.
Hope this helps,
Good luck with the interview process!