Camberwell College of Arts (University of the Arts London in general)

Member Name: spacelamb

Product:	University of the Arts London in general
Date:	29/01/01 (322 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: london atmosphere

Disadvantages: quite a rough area, standard of teaching

I write this with great care, as I have started uni twice and detested it both times - so I wouldn't blame you for taking this with a pinch of salt! I studied for about two months at Camberwell College of Arts in south-east London and there are a few things that I would perhaps point out if you were thinking about applying.

1. The location: Camberwell is quite a rough area of London, kind of sandwiched between Brixton and Peckham, and you need to be quite streetwise to deal with day-to-day goings-on. If you're coming to uni straight from school (and particularly if you're not from the city) you might find it a bit much at first. Although you do get used to it.
2. The course: I studied Art History, so I can't really speak for the practical courses, but I found the standard of teaching low and the resources inadequate. We were generally just 'talked at' by tutors and there were not enough IT facilities, although their library - entirely arts-focused - is excellent. And there is also the new Peckham library a few minutes walk down the road.
3. Accommodation: there is only a tiny amount of student accommodation available (living in Camberwell is probably not an ideal arrangement anyway!) and it is very pricey even if you manage to gain a place. This means that you have to look around for lodgings elsewhere and on a student budget this is very hard. Luckily SE London is the cheapest part of the city to live in but there are a lot of nasty areas, and you can easily be ripped off as a student. You shouldn't have to pay more than about £50-70 p/w for a nice room if you look for long enough (and I would recommend avoiding the areas directly surrounding the college).
4. The student population: Most students here are either mature or have taken a year out. I came straight from a sixth-form and was the baby of my group.
5. Transport: Camberwell has no tube, although a lot of buses pass through it and it has an overground stat
ion - Denmark Hill - about a 15-min walk from the college. You can also walk from Oval tube if you're feeling strong - it will probably take you between 30-40 mins. Camberwell really isn't far - in miles - from the centre of London, but it can be very time-consuming to get to.
6. Recreation: the college itself has one bar which is not bad, but not enough. Camberwell itself has a couple of nice Turkish cafes and greasy spoons, but be careful in the pubs.

I don't mean this to sound like a list of dreadful things because studying in London is, overall, a fantastic experience, but I was very naive when I started. I figured if you go expecting the worst you will probably be pleasantly surprised...

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