OVERALL UNIVERSITY RATING
Tell us about your overall college experience so far.
It's true that over my time at B&FC, there have been problems with the course. However, from the middle of my second year and...
University rating
Tell us about your overall college experience so far.
It's true that over my time at B&FC, there have been problems with the course. However, from the middle of my second year and now throughout my third, these problems have been eradicated. This is due to changes in staffing and also how effectively the staff listen to the students' concerns.
The turnaround in the quality of education and understanding from staff over the last 18 months has been impeccable. Having seen the course go from what can only be described as a difficult, confusing, and stressful to a genuinely positive and worthwhile educational experience, I couldn't be any prouder of what staff and students have achieved in order to turn the course around.
As I approach the end of my degree, I can say that I am glad that I chose to study at B&FC.
Facilities
How good are your college's facilities?
Performance Studios: The performance studios are wonderful spaces to work in, and are able to be booked for rehearsal time outside of teaching hours, should students wish to do so. Monday to Thursday the studios are able to be booked until 9pm, and on Fridays until 5pm.
Library: The library has a great number of resources that can be used, including but not limited to books, computers, macs, quiet study spaces, and online access to academic journals. If the library at B&FC does not have the book you require, you can ask at the desk and they can see if it is available to borrow from another library elsewhere in the country. I would argue that there is a need for more computers in the library, however, there are also laptops that are available for student use should all the computers be taken up.
Food: The Hub, as it is known, is a fantastic place to get food during the day. Free breakfast for students is served until 9:30am, and a meal deal at lunch time (excluding a drink) costs either £2.50 or £3.00 depending on which meal you decide to buy. The catering staff are wonderful human beings who genuinely care about student satisfaction. There is also an onsite Starbucks which serves Starbucks drinks at a heavily discounted price.
Student support
How good is the support offered by the college? Think both academic (tutors/feedback) and personal (counselling, etc).
From my first year through to my third year, I have noticed that the support offered by tutors has gotten increasingly better. Feedback is a lot more thorough (although we do not get given grades which I disagree with, just the words used to describe grading criteria, so we can estimate which grade boundaries we are sitting in). We are given verbal feedback for assessments, however we do not get given written feedback (I am unsure if this can be requested or not, however, you can voice record the verbal feedback if you wish).
The emotional/personal support offered by tutors has also improved over my time at B&FC, but sometimes the understanding for mental health conditions can be slightly lacking.
The personal support offered through other services at the college is fantastic. HELMs (Higher Education Learning Mentors) are brilliant for both academic assistance with essays and other paperwork, and with emotional support and assistance for those who struggle. They are also happy to liaise with tutors on behalf of students if the students feel unable to speak to the tutors themselves, something which can be beneficial for a number of reasons.
The counselling service offered by B&FC is fantastic - once you are able to be seen. There are only 2 counsellors working across 3 campuses, and one of these only works one day a week. I have been informed this is due to budget cuts. I am also aware that the counselling waiting list is ridiculously long - I was fortunate enough to be seen as I email right at the beginning of the year requesting sessions.
Lecturers and teaching quality
What do you like most and least about the way your course(s) are taught?
The course content is delivered thoroughly and effectively through a variety of different teaching methods. Although the basis of the course is learnt through practical sessions, there are also sections which are theory based that help us gain the knowledge before we apply it.
There have been staffing changes in my time at B&FC, but I can only say that these changes have been for the better. I can't fault any of the previous staff that have left and gone on to other things, however, the remaining teaching staff are tight knit, intelligent, and work together like a well oiled machine in order to deliver the course content in the most effective ways possible.
The thing that I like the most is that we learn to apply the theory (such as Stanislanski, Meisner etc) through practical application. We learn through being practicing actors.
How many contact hours per week do you have?
27
Career prospects
How does your college make efforts to increase your employability (careers department, work placements, transferable skills)?
In our first two years of training, we are treated as students - we are taught technique, and helped to hone our craft. However, in our third year, we are treated as professional actors. Expected to be ready to go, lines learnt for the play/films we are shooting. Although of course we are still taught what we need to know, and reminded of our technique, we are treated like professionals, and when being directed in productions by are tutors, we are expected to treat them as directors and not tutors.
Furthermore, in our third year we also study modules which are created solely for the purpose of preparing us for the industry. The first of these is Engaging with the Industry, which is a compulsory module. In this module, we are taught how to correctly write an actors CV, how our headshots should look, and how to do taxes. In addition, in this module, we partake in mock auditions - some of which have led us to getting actual roles. In my case, I have gone on to get a professional voice acting credit working with Southpaw under director Robby Graham. In this module we also have talks from industry professionals, such as Equity, and have the opportunity to ask them questions about their part in the industry.
The second module we take is an optional module that runs alongside Engaging with the Industry called Performance Entrepreneurship. This module is designed for those who wish to take other career routes rather than that of the traditional actor - such as comedian, drama therapist, stage manager, events promoter, teacher, aerialist, script writer, director etc.
These modules combined with the ongoing work and support of the staff at B&FC have prepared us to go into the industry as work professionals, and not as graduating students who have no idea what to expect.