I'm a Direct Entry Student

I'm a Direct Entry Student

So for those of you who don't or didn't already know, I've moved away for my final two years of university. It's been a mixed journey so far: I've felt homesick but then I've been really enjoying the independence and I'm slowly adjusting to the sudden realisation of what proper adult life will be like.

Budgeting, cooking and all that jazz is NOT fun.

With me already having completed 2 out of the 4 student funded years at Staffordshire University means that right now, I am a direct entry student into Second Year of my costume design course. Direct entry basically means you can join a university course in any year without having to complete the first or second year, depending on which point of the course you join into. It's a very good option that universities have here and I'm very grateful the uni I'm at now thought I was good enough to go straight into second year.

How am I finding it though? Erm, a little bit of everything really.

You might agree with this,  but the first thing I worried about when I moved to uni and settled in with my flatmates (love these guys btw) was, "Am I going to fit in with these costume students? They've already got their little friendship groups, so does that mean I'm literally going to be the odd one out? Will they include me?" etc, etc....This was going round my head sooo much. For freshers, I was learning about the university and the course and the local area and joining in with the activities with costume students who would be in the year below. I loved this week a lot because I actually got on well with a small number of these girls and when I see them around uni, we have a little bit of a catch-up which is lovely, but again, all I kept thinking was, "Are the second years going to be this sociable to me? Will I be able to be really sociable with them or am I just going to be an awkward m***** f*****?" Yeah...I worried a lot about this.

Another thing that went round my head was my sewing skills and knowledge of the costume industry. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have been let onto the course if I didn't have the skills and style of work they would want me to have here, but sewing and making costumes is a whole different ball game from just designing them on paper. I worried that my new class would already have a better understanding of what was in store for them after summer. And they did: they had a presentation on a summer project they all did about what research to do for millinery. So the week before the first lesson did I find out THEN that I should have a theme chosen along with what hats I want to accurately make. Literally? Shortest. Presentation. Ever. But I did what I could over the summer and in that short space of a week to tell the class what I want to make.  I know my garments I made in my previous two years of study were costumes, but this was on a FASHION course where the costume element wasn't really there. The jump from fashion to costume is big. Costume is more in-depth and I was worried that the others already had that first year advantage over me.

Their methods of work is also so different to what I did before. Where I would print out, photocopy and annotate all my research in an A4 lever arch file, they all complete their research on a PowerPoint. Already in the first week was I finding this difficult to adjust to but, in all fairness, I prefer their way of work. It's so much easier, less hassle, and less money spent on printing credit. Plus I get my own little desk!

My own little desk!

Basically, the past month has been a case of adjusting to a new step in what will hopefully be my future costume career. And to be fair, I've felt I have been alright within the last 2 weeks as I've been chatting to more people in my class and getting on with them which is lovely. I've even signed up to pole fitness with my first session being in an hour tonight funnily enough - can't wait!


I wasn't expecting the jump to be easy but I wasn't expecting it to be as tough as it has been at the moment. But that is university for you, and I am going to make sure I make these last 2 years count so much. That being said, this blog will still continue and I will try my very best to post great content for you all to enjoy.

I hope you all can stay along for the journey x

Until next time...
Much Love
V A x

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