The last higher education blog for a while...from Tom McNulty
My path through higher education has been a little different to the one people normally might choose to follow if they wished to work in the performing arts industry, study for an acting/directing/stage management course or attend a well respected and professional drama school somewhere in London, for example…Although my career ambitions, plans or as others would see them as “dreams”, still remain the same as they have changed over the last 5 years or so. My choice for how I wanted to achieve the right level of training, study, experience and knowledge of said craft and industry, I feel isn’t at all different to what you might get at LAMDA or RADA (granted they are professional institutions that have funding and the highest level of training anyone would wish to receive)…Because of the path I had taken the last few years in order to gain my current qualifications and degree, any kind of decision of where to study, how to study and where to go or not go seemed unnecessary to think about or worry about, as long as I was happy with the choices I made, and the places I felt best would be help me study in Higher Education (never follow the crowd, you just become a copy cat then). And to me, that should be the message that students should be taught. That they should enjoy what they have and decide for themselves which way they wish to excel themselves in their chosen fields…To cut a long story short, I left high school in 2006 with 9 GCSES and then had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so I decided to try out Drama because I enjoyed doing it…I then auditioned for Wakefield College and then spent 4 years training as an actor, doing a BTEC ND in Performing Arts and then a HND in Theatre before doing a year at Leeds Met which got me my BA Hons degree…So instead doing what I know other people have done which is leave college after two years and go straight to university or drama school somewhere to an acting degree and start working in theatre, or take gap years and then do all of that, I decided to stay where I felt would be the best place for me grow as an individual and student. Where I could be comfortable learning and developing as a performer in the best place amongst friends and teachers that where always professional, and would make a professional as well. That would give me the skills and preparations needed to go into my profession the best way I can, and in the way I want get into it as well….Although the idea of travelling, living in student accommodation, moving away and living in the big city is very appealing for young students and suits many of them very well and is the best choice for them, to which I'd say, go forth and do that! But for others it can be very different, who might not want that sudden change or weight thrown down on their shoulders, especially before they can understand who they are as a person and what they wish to do in life. And so studying at your local university or college, having the same experiences as everyone else and getting the same treatment and professional experience, but at the same time knowing you are in a safe and homely environment can make a world of difference…But its really then all down to the student and how they wish to live their academic lives, and what end result and memories they wish to have at the end of it.
My path through higher education has been a little different to the one people normally might choose to follow if they wished to work in the performing arts industry, study for an acting/directing/stage management course or attend a well respected and professional drama school somewhere in London, for example…Although my career ambitions, plans or as others would see them as “dreams”, still remain the same as they have changed over the last 5 years or so. My choice for how I wanted to achieve the right level of training, study, experience and knowledge of said craft and industry, I feel isn’t at all different to what you might get at LAMDA or RADA (granted they are professional institutions that have funding and the highest level of training anyone would wish to receive)…Because of the path I had taken the last few years in order to gain my current qualifications and degree, any kind of decision of where to study, how to study and where to go or not go seemed unnecessary to think about or worry about, as long as I was happy with the choices I made, and the places I felt best would be help me study in Higher Education (never follow the crowd, you just become a copy cat then). And to me, that should be the message that students should be taught. That they should enjoy what they have and decide for themselves which way they wish to excel themselves in their chosen fields…To cut a long story short, I left high school in 2006 with 9 GCSES and then had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so I decided to try out Drama because I enjoyed doing it…I then auditioned for Wakefield College and then spent 4 years training as an actor, doing a BTEC ND in Performing Arts and then a HND in Theatre before doing a year at Leeds Met which got me my BA Hons degree…So instead doing what I know other people have done which is leave college after two years and go straight to university or drama school somewhere to an acting degree and start working in theatre, or take gap years and then do all of that, I decided to stay where I felt would be the best place for me grow as an individual and student. Where I could be comfortable learning and developing as a performer in the best place amongst friends and teachers that where always professional, and would make a professional as well. That would give me the skills and preparations needed to go into my profession the best way I can, and in the way I want get into it as well….Although the idea of travelling, living in student accommodation, moving away and living in the big city is very appealing for young students and suits many of them very well and is the best choice for them, to which I'd say, go forth and do that! But for others it can be very different, who might not want that sudden change or weight thrown down on their shoulders, especially before they can understand who they are as a person and what they wish to do in life. And so studying at your local university or college, having the same experiences as everyone else and getting the same treatment and professional experience, but at the same time knowing you are in a safe and homely environment can make a world of difference…But its really then all down to the student and how they wish to live their academic lives, and what end result and memories they wish to have at the end of it.
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