Students zoom in to University College Falmouth

Eighteen school pupils from across the UK made their way to University College Falmouth recently to experience university life on the BA(Hons) Press & Editorial Photography course.

The students, who are currently studying for their A levels, took part in the Pressgang Juniors day which was the brainchild of BA(Hons) Press & Editorial Course Leader, Mal Stone following the successful open days held last year, where each of the students expressed an interest in the course.

"We wanted to invite these students back for a day with us to show them what they could expect from us as a course and the type of commitment that would be expected from them as a student on our course" said Course Leader, Mal Stone. "We believe in preparing each of our students to enter this highly competitive industry through instilling in them the skills, knowledge and professional attitude that gives them the edge in such a competitive business."

The day brought together tutors and current students on the course to discuss developing a portfolio for interviews at University as well as firing their imaginations through presentations from 1^st and 2^nd year students and giving them hands-on experience of working to deadlines.

The day began with a lecture on Press and Editorial Photography from tutor, Yiorgos Nikiteas where each of the students presented a photograph they had chosen from a magazine or newspaper which sparked a debate about the visual meaning of images.

2^nd year student, Oliver Rudkin joined the students to discuss the unique and exclusive partnerships the course has established with Rex Features and Magnum Photo Agency enabling them to have use of print rooms and the library at Magnum's London office as well as internships across the globe and having their work syndicated world wide through Rex Features, a photographic press agency and picture library that also offers opportunities for work placements, enabling the students to gain an invaluable insight into the world of picture editing.

Bringing the process of gaining a place at University College Falmouth to study Press & Editorial Photography closer to home, 1^st-year students, Emma Webster and Oliver Knoop shared their work that they brought to interview and gained places with on the course, which the students found particularly beneficial as Emma had come from an A level background and was able to talk about how she approached her interview.

After lunch and a tour of the Tremough Campus the Pressgang Juniors were each given a digital camera and had 30 minutes to shoot just five frames. The brief was to shoot five portraits with the Tremough Campus as the background which were then critiqued by Yiorgos and Mal on the dohp.

For further information about BA(Hons) Press & Editorial Photography at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/pressphotography, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213854.

University College Falmouth is the only independent Higher Education institution in Cornwall with the powers to award degrees in its own name. It has two campuses in Cornwall - at Woodlane in Falmouth and Tremough in Penryn (which it owns, and jointly manages with the University of Exeter) - and a third campus at Totnes in Devon, following its merger with Dartington College of Arts in 2008.

This merger created a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing. The Devon-based courses will relocate to a new, high-specification Performance Centre at Tremough in 2010, paving the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall by 2012, that will be unique to the South West.

The College is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union, the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.

Ends

For further information about University College Falmouth, please contact Jilly Easterby MCIPR, Head of Public Affairs, Telephone: 01326 213792; or email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

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