MFA in the UK

[illum]

Any replies and insights will be greatly greatly appreciated!!!

I'm torn between moving to Edinburgh and moving to London... for MFA program in Mixed-Media Art / New Genre.

Edinburgh College of Art (part of U of Edinburgh) vs. Central Saint Martins (part of U of the Arts London)

I haven't been to either school. Can someone familiar with the cities or schools help me with some insights?

I've heard good and bad things about London, and praises (beautiful) and complaints (too small) about Edinburgh. So I really don't know what to think. I can only imagine that...

Edinburgh College of Art (ECA):

part of the University of Edinburgh so more resources beyond visual art, which can be very inspiring for me and my interdisciplinary works

beautiful city with open-minded friendly people, a combination of old and modern

gorgeous landscape in Scotland - i'm always drawn to beautiful landscapes

seems to have a more friendly, community feel comparing to CSM

better ranking (?)

Central Saint Martins (CSM):

big design and fashion programs so more exposure to different types of art/design business and possibilities

london is the center of, well, everything! possibly more exhibition opportunities and network building

the city - active, diverse, historic, etc.

seems to be more ambitious comparing to ECA

more prestigious (?)

Edited May 23, 2011 by illum

[Cotton]

I don't know too much about Edinburgh College of Art but I can tell you about CSM as I attended there.

CSM is a great school, it's very conceptual and really promotes the overall idea than the final outcome. It is primarily driven by graphic design and fashion—and they do both of those very well. It's a bit too competitive for my liking, but everyone is wonderfully talented and you'll learn just as much from the teachers as from your fellow students. By the way, they are making a big move (this year or next year?) to a new site at King's Cross. They're trying to merge all the CSM buildings across London to one site, which I'm not exactly happy with. In my biased estimation, I'd say choose CSM. More exhibition opportunities in London, more networking, more concentration of incredible artists from all disciplines. Hope this helps.

[illum]

yeah that's very helpful to hear from someone who actually went to the school! thanks a lot!

Does anyone know anything about Edinburgh or ECA?

[Tini]

I actually have the same dilemma!!! I have received offers for masters in Fine Arts from both Central Saint Martins (CSM) and Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) and I am finding difficulty choosing.

[Bukharan]

I am not in your field but I thought I'd post. I actually live opposite the Edinburgh College of Art. I pass tens of its students on my way to school (U Edinburgh) in the morning.

I hope you know that it was incorporated into the University of Edinburgh just this year, so I am not sure how tuned their programmes are at the moment.

Edinburgh is a great great great place to live. I love it here: it is a small yet also a big city with a vibrant cultural life. Yes, people are way nicer here than in London. Persoanlly, I can't imagine living in London - you do know how expensive it is, right? (you do know how cheap Edinburgh is compared to other big UK cities, right? ) Rent in London is excruciating and getting home from school may take more than an hour. In Edinburgh, you can get a great apartment for half of what you'd pay in London for something very small but central (or something bigger but suburbian) and everything is within walking distance.

As for the reputation of the two schools - I can't comment on that. I think St. Martin's is more of a brand name - everything knows about it. But, really, you probably know more on this.

Good luck deciding! You have two great options there!

[illum]

hey~ Thanks a lot for the input! It's very helpful to know the place/school in more dimensions. I'm a bit worried about the school merging into U of Edinburgh too. Though, some people seem to see it as a positive thing since U of E is so prestigious and that the two together would make the school even more comprehensive, which will be a further boost for its name. But of course, I also heard that they have a lot of adjustment to make and might be a bit disorganized at the moment. ugh....

Oh, and I saw you are heading to Stanford! Congratulations! It's a wonderful school and you'll love the place!

I am not in your field but I thought I'd post. I actually live opposite the Edinburgh College of Art. I pass tens of its students on my way to school (U Edinburgh) in the morning.

I hope you know that it was incorporated into the University of Edinburgh just this year, so I am not sure how tuned their programmes are at the moment.

Edinburgh is a great great great place to live. I love it here: it is a small yet also a big city with a vibrant cultural life. Yes, people are way nicer here than in London. Persoanlly, I can't imagine living in London - you do know how expensive it is, right? (you do know how cheap Edinburgh is compared to other big UK cities, right? ) Rent in London is excruciating and getting home from school may take more than an hour. In Edinburgh, you can get a great apartment for half of what you'd pay in London for something very small but central (or something bigger but suburbian) and everything is within walking distance.

As for the reputation of the two schools - I can't comment on that. I think St. Martin's is more of a brand name - everything knows about it. But, really, you probably know more on this.

Good luck deciding! You have two great options there!

Edited May 25, 2011 by illum