‘Designing’ your postgraduate studies at ECA
by Ayaan, from India, studying Design for Change (MA)
Being an international student at the University of Edinburgh has several perks. However, every student who decides to travel outside their country, stepping into the unknown always carries some questions and several expectations. For me, these were closely related to the course I was joining and more importantly, the school at the University I would study at. I always wondered if the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) would bring the same fervour and enthusiasm that art schools are famous for. Whether the environment, resources and peer network would promote and incubate creativity in the same way I expect them to. Today, I am grateful to my stars, that I took the leap of faith, to trust in the process and let the experience unfold itself to me.
Although it took me a while to settle into the cultural scape of ECA, I have now discovered various things which I believe can be of great help to you if you are aspiring to study here. Art, design, architecture and music are so integral to the fabric of Edinburgh, and Scotland at large, that my decision to study at the postgraduate level has accompanied seamless surprises. So hopefully with this tool kit, you will be able to design your own experience.
Leap, Sprint and Paint!
As I study Design for Change (MA), which is a taught, master’s level programme, I end up spending a significant amount of my time in the studio, co-working with my batchmates, or collaborating with the technicians in the workshops. An important part of postgraduate study in UK is the individualism that you get to explore, as the course lets you choose your electives from across the university and gives self-study time slots to spend time with academic resources, attend seminars and visit galleries. Critical thinking and reflection are at the core of our courses, superseding simple knowledge dissemination. However, I wish I had known about this right at the beginning of my MA, as I inevitably made mistakes in planning my time initially. However, today I feel the power of learning through experience has made me confident and self-empowered. So keep trusting the process!
Counting all the colours on your palette
ECA is unlike many schools at the University of Edinburgh when it comes to its approach, and style of conducting classes. We have our library, with special printing facilities along with a huge sculpture court where you would often see exhibitions by students. Within the campus, you would also find a beautiful cafe with serves a different menu every day. We have specialized workshops ranging from wood, clay, metal, textiles, and jewellery, which can easily be booked by any student across the courses at ECA. The state-of-the-art photography studios and 3D printing machines left me awestruck with possibilities when I first discovered them. Prior training and induction followed by technical supervision is provided to you before you get your hands dirty, which I believe promotes experimentation and innovation in the best way. We have an ECA shop where one find stationeries and tools for their projects. However, the Free-use hub is a space which I would recommend you visit, to find a sustainable and pocket-friendly alternative to your purchase. Design courses have a ‘crits session’ where every student, along with the professor gets to peer review your work before submissions. I have found this extremely helpful as it gives us the space to rethink the challenges which our designs will face and critical reflections that one might miss in their final essay. Within my course, we often submit portfolios instead of simple essays, where you have the liberty of providing visuals, videos, and audio along with text to create a synergetic piece of work. The most important part of my experience is the studio culture at ECA, which means that each course gets a designated studio only for their classes. We have the liberty of decorating it as we wish, putting up our work and arranging the room as per our desire. I truly believe that to get the most out of all these facilities, you should plan your assessments effectively so that through the medium of the assessments you can explore these resources extensively.
Navigating the Black, White and Grey
Although postgraduate-level studies are often very exhausting and time-consuming, the University of Edinburgh and ECA provide many opportunities to socialize. My course had various field trips and gallery visits planned within the first semester which helped me open up to the art community at Edinburgh. The National Museum is close to the campus which has inspired me every time I have visited it. Another key feature of ECA is its ‘Wee Red Bar’ where the student association holds events like live music sessions, theatre performances and charity bake sales. If at any point you do feel it’s become too cumbersome to manage, you can always approach the well-being counsellor at the school and they are always open to help. Life at ECA is like a spectrum of colours, and you can choose where you wish to position yourself. In my experience, there is never a dull day at ECA, even when it’s raining and cloudy outside!
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