Falmouth University (UK)
For creative students wanting to study off the beaten track in a beautiful part of the country, Falmouth University in England's southwest is a great option.
Set in the county of Cornwall, an area famous for its coastline, the university is a small, specialist arts institution with about 5,000 students.
Here are some of the highlights from my visit!
Falmouth
The town of Falmouth has long been a holiday destination for Brits from all over, and it's easy to see why.
Rolling hills, peaceful waters, cute cafes and shops -- the scene is quite idyllic.
Sure, the water is freezing (even in the summer when the sun doesn't set until after 10 p.m.), but it's good for the soul!
It's also home to the world's third largest natural harbor.
The town itself is quite artsy and regularly hosts things like beer festivals, music events, foodie fairs, sea shanty celebrations and sailing regattas.
And you don't need to have a boat to enjoy it!
Falmouth University
Art classes in Falmouth have been offered for more than a century.
The university itself dates back to 1902, operating as the Falmouth College of Art.
Ultimately gaining university status in 2012, Falmouth nowadays has two campuses.
The Penryn campus is the larger of the two and shared with the University of Exeter.
Here, you'll find the Fashion & Textiles Institute, Games Academy, Institute of Photography, School of Film & Television, Academy of Music & Theatre Arts and Cornwall Business School.
It's super green and peaceful, with lots of gardens and even a little greenhouse / farm.
I visited the Fashion & Textiles Institute, which was an amazing facility with all open plan rooms.
This helps students from various fashion courses easily collaborate.
Falmouth has one of the best Textile Design courses in the UK.
It also offers Costume Design for Film & TV, which is the only Costume Design course that is film & TV focused (others are mostly theatre).
Another unique aspect of this program is its object-based teaching, as they have more than 5,000 pieces dating back to 1850 and a wardrobe store with 4,000 garments.
Interestingly, it also covers anthropology in the first year to help students understand why people select the clothes they wear.
And in the Fashion Photography course, students benefit from the £3.5 - £4 million worth of equipment and one of the best studios in Europe (you can drive a large bus into it!).
Overall, the campus is a sustainable one; in fact, no meat is offered on Mondays!
The Falmouth campus, on the other hand, is a 10-minute walk from the town centre.
Walking onto this campus makes you feel like you're walking into a botanical garden.
This campus is home to the Falmouth School of Art, the School of Communication and the School of Architecture, Design & Interiors.
I loved how open and airy the facilities were -- modern, with lots of plants and natural light.
Summary: Falmouth University
Falmouth University offers a student experience really unlike any other -- a small but vibrant community of creative students set in a relaxed, scenic part of the UK.
Sure, it takes a little while to get there (about five hours on the train from London), but once you're there, it's quite unique!
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