Phoebe
Oldfield

Why did you choose NTU and your course?

The University is well-established and reputable within the design industry, with strong ties to a variety of companies. When visiting NTU, the staff and current students were very welcoming, and I just felt that NTU and Nottingham would be the best fit for me to spend four years of my life. The option of completing a placement year also strongly appealed to me.

What is the best thing about your course?

I don’t think that there is just one ‘best' thing about the course; the facilities available to us are fantastic and the lecturers and tutors are really great mentors as they all bring so much experience and insight to the table. Studying with so many like-minded people is a real inspiration as well.

Have you been involved in any live projects or exciting briefs? What has stood out to you?

We were given three live briefs during my second year and they all offered different ways in which designers can operate within the industry. For me, our project with PearsonLloyd, for Vitsoe, was the most challenging and exciting to work on. I really learned a lot about how a design consultancy could approach a new brief and the opportunity to pitch my project to Vitsoe at their headquarters was an added bonus!

Have you completed any work placements on your course?

I’m currently on placement as an assistant at a timber project run by Caerphilly County Borough Council as part of a Rural Development Programme. Since starting this placement, I’ve had so many opportunities to improve my making skills in the workshop as well creating technical drawings to send to manufacturers and liaising with local makers – all of these skills will definitely benefit me in my final year.

How did you source your placement? Did you get support from the NTU Employability Team?

One of my tutors went to university with the Project Manager, so she very kindly put me in touch with him. The Employability Team worked very hard to offer a range of placements for us to apply for, especially during such uncertain times of the pandemic. I was very lucky to be offered a placement that was so close to home.

Have you been on any trips with your course?

Our study trip was to the Vitra Campus in Germany followed by a few days in Paris. The Vitra Campus was amazing to visit; we were given a tour and saw so much design history and iconic points of design thinking. Our days in Paris were packed with guided tours and a visit to Maison&Objet – a trade show in which designers, companies and artists exhibit their work every year – which was so inspiring to walk around. There were so many new ways of thinking being showcased and it was a fantastic place to network with people.

Does the “real” NTU match what you’d imagined?

My university experience has been better than I had imagined; I didn’t expect to be working with so many different people from other courses and from industry; the opportunities I have been given at NTU have been amazing!