UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 09 FEBRUARY 2016
Applicant Visit Days at Birmingham School of Architecture and Design have recently been reconstructed in a new format to give applicants an insight into the broad spectrum of specialisms on offer. This includes courses such as BA (Hons) Architecture, BA (Hons) Interior Design, BA (Hons) Product Design and BA (Hons) Landscape Architecture.
“Talk and Tour”
Commencing with a "talk and tour" introduction to the School, the visiting applicants are received and welcomed by the staff and Head of School, Professor Kevin Singh.
The presentation
A presentation explains an overview of the philosophies engrained throughout both the School and Birmingham as a city. This is followed by course specific talks to give a more detailed insight into the courses on offer. Victoria Farrow, Programme Director for BA (Hons) Architecture said:
“It is important to us that our new students feel happy when they arrive and feel fully prepared for the journey ahead. The Applicant Visit Days give the team and the new students a chance to meet and provides an opportunity for students to orientate and familiarise themselves.”
Guided tour of the studios
After the talks, the visitors are given a guided tour of the studios, the state-of-the-art Parkside Building housing the School and the facilities within it, including the workshops, IT suites and teaching spaces.
Replacing formal interviews
“Replacing the previous system of formal interviews, the Applicant Visit Days create a dynamic, natural and engaging atmosphere within which we are then able to speak to our visitors and the applicants are able to ask the questions they wish.” Victoria Farrow added.
Short project
After a lunch at one of the university food outlets, the new applicants return for a short project in the studios with their dedicated tutors. This presents a taster of what receiving a brief, working in a studio and working with the tutors is really like. It also goes some way to alleviating first day nerves in September.
The project brief set is an extract from a Level 4 brief, giving current students the chance to speak to the new visitors and develop conversations on their reflections and experiences as a student. Current students show their work and the "studio environment" created during the project, allowing for a relaxed assessment of work produced.
The project ends with all applicants visiting being given the opportunity to view each other's work and to show off their creations to parents.
Taking care of applicants and their parents
Taking care of both parent and the new applicant is a fundamental factor of the experience. While the project is taking place in studio, guests, parents and guardians receive a brief presentation and are offered the opportunity to ask different questions of the staff, which may relate to financial enquiries, assessments and accommodation.
Question and answer session
The day concludes with a question and answer session, with guests and new applicants being guided towards the tours of accommodation and to view the surrounding facilities and buildings the university has to offer.
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