7 London Schools With Great Short Courses

[Originally published on aynbernos.net on June 19, 2016]

Me with some of my classmates at UAL: Central Saint Martins

In 3 weeks, I am flying out to London to attend a series of short courses over the summer. I’d love to pretend that it is no big deal, but how can I do that when I’ve dreamt of this opportunity practically my entire life? Absolutely. No. Chill.

I’m not taking up a new degree nor am I pursing my Masters, but a summer abroad by myself is more than anything I can ever ask for. It’s my long-awaited sabbatical break, my soul-searching trip, my “law school” (not), and my 2am Internet-lurking materialized. I’ll be spending the next two months in a different country, after roughly two years of planning, researching, and waiting. Wooh.

It wasn’t a simple ride, quite frankly, but it could’ve been, had I found the right resources at the right time. There is a ridiculous scarcity of study abroad blogs and vlogs, let me tell you. There is just never enough!

Now, because I am a firm believer of paying it forward, I’ve decided to dedicate time and effort to make information on study abroad much more accessible–most especially to Filipino aspirants. In the next few months, I will be publishing killer content on the FAQs of Study Abroad. So stay tuned!

Anyhoo. Here are 6 London Universities To Consider For Study Abroad:

1. University of the Arts London (UAL)

UAL Central Saint Martins

Of course, topping the list is the university I ended up applying for! University of the Arts London boasts of numerous short courses on Performance and Fine Arts, Design, Fashion, Journalism, PR, Marketing, Communications, and Photography. It’s home to a roster of prestigious colleges that you may have already heard of: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion, and Wimbledon College of Arts.

Based on personal experience, booking and applying for courses in UAL is a breeze. Everything can be found on the website, the admissions team is always an email or call away, and best of all, the classes are scheduled perfectly. By that last one I mean there’s always a class for anyone, anytime. I’ll expound on this soon enough on my YouTube channel!

2. Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design

Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design

Sound familiar? Yes, Condé Nast–as in the company behind Vogue, GQ, and Cosmo, among many others. That Condé Nast.

This was one of my top options, as I do believe that anyone trying to break into the fashion scene would benefit greatly from their array of short courses. You’ll get backstage access to the pinnacle of fashion journalism and business. It doesn’t teach design or clothing tech, but it teaches everything else you need–styling, photography, journalism, marketing, what have you.

I didn’t pursue Condé Nast because I’m still not decided on the whole fashion track. I needed to go for something with a broader scope. But otherwise, this is the place.

3. London School of Journalism (LSJ)

London School of Journalism (photo from Google Earth)

Another one of the schools I considered! I first heard about LSJ from Bianca Gonzalez’ study abroad blog, and it was then that I realized short courses were actually an option.

Just like UAL, LSJ has a pretty good system going on for short course takers and study abroad students. It also has a wide array of journalism courses that can be taken individually. Choose from Media Law, Creative Writing, New Journalism, Lifestyle Journalism, and Journalism Intro to name a few.

I didn’t consider the next three schools as I was pretty happy with UAL + I tried to narrow down my options to arts/journalism-focused colleges. However, I’ve read really good reviews about these three so I’m including them in the list in case anyone is interested. The more the merrier! Click the links for more info!

7 London Schools With Great Short Courses

1. University of the Arts London (UAL)

2. Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design

3. London School of Journalism (LSJ)

4. City University London

5. University of Westminster

6. University College London

7. Imperial College London