Student Samantha Ridgway joined Camberwell last year after studying Apparel and Textile Marketing at the Kansas State University in USA. Originally from Lenaxa, Kansas, Samantha shares her experience of how she decided to change her career path and study the Foundation Diploma - Photography and Time Based Media Specialism at Camberwell College of Arts.

Why did you select Camberwell ?

I came across UAL when researching schools for fashion. I had planned on applying for my Masters after I graduated. During my third year in university, I decided to study abroad for a year in Florence, Italy. It was a life changing experience for me. After spending the year traveling throughout Europe, meeting different people, and settling in a new culture, I realized that what I was doing in Kansas was not who I was nor who I wanted to be. The experience ultimately aided me in creating myself. Needless to say, I abandoned everything I knew back home and applied for a Bachelors course at UAL. After my portfolio review, I was accepted into the Foundation Diploma at Camberwell.

When I learned I had been accepted into a Foundation program I was a little frustrated, considering I had already attended university for three years and now had to start over. Ultimately, I thought I already knew what field I wanted to go into. Looking back now I can honestly say that everything happens for a reason. The diagnostic mode in the Foundation course opened my mind to many possibilities. In the end, I specialized in photography, which was not my initial choice. Read the rest of this entry »