Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Confused about a major life change

I have had an amazing opportunity pop up in which I can (hopefully) study fashion design/styling at University. Now I am torn between finishing the course I am in which I can finish in a little over a year or start again but doing what I love with maybe the possibility of getting 1 year taken off the course.

The pluses of staying at VU are

  • Finish in 1.5 years
  • Free trip to Korea for 6 months
  • Free money (scholarships galore)

The negatives of staying at VU

  • I hate it
  • I only did it to get a Visa to Japan but after I am finished in Japan the degree is useless here in Australia
  • It is in Footscray (can be a plus too because of Savers) and St Albans which is hell to get to
  • I feel that this Uni stifles my creativity with restrictions on all of our assignments, and I have said so to the head of department (The information for this course is all lies by the way, it is nothing like the brochure, it is definatly not a creativity course at all)
  • I don't feel I am learning anything, our essays are nothing more than 500 word comprehension exercises so I can't be bothered doing them, you don't go to Uni to do things you did in year 8 at highschool
  • My art class is with education students who know nothing about art and make collages about anorexia, ahhhhhhh I miss art school

Ok so obviously I hate my current Uni, lol. It's just I went to the "best" art school in Australia and now I am at the worst Uni in Australia and it just feels like I have gone backwards. I only did it because I thought it would be easy (true) and that I could get back to Japan ASAP (true) but now I am starting to worry about life after Japan, what will I do then?


My woollen accessories design

Pluses about changing to the Fashion course

  • Can get me a job in the industry in Australia or in Japan or the world
  • Doing something that I love and am passionate about
  • It is in the city 1 block from my place
  • No longer need to pay full fees you can now get HECS (government assistance for tuition fees)
  • May be able to get 1 year taken off for prior studies so can finish in 2 years
  • Project Runway is set at the Uni (lol, I may run into Henry Roth!!!)

Negatives about changing to the Fashion course

  • Not able to go to Korea and Tokyo next year
  • Not able to move to Tokyo in 2010, have to wait till 2011

Ok I think I know what I have to do, goodbye VU hello Whitehouse Institute of Design.

I spoke to the admissions office today and it looks very likely that I can get in with my experience....Ahhhhh crazy town I hope this works out but I will still go to Uni tomorrow and keep organising the Korea trip until I know for sure I guess.

What do you guys think? I am so confused, what have I been doing this year? Was it all pointless? I am going to be so old when I am finished with Uni. Will my friends in Tokyo remember me in 3 years time?

Oh and by the way has anyone else noticed the new blogger application "Follow this blog"? I added it to my blog, are you going to add it to yours?

19 comments:

  1. hey hayles, I think you should do what you love to do! go to this fashion school! I mean just do it!
    if you're friends in tokyo don't remember you in 3 years... then they're not friends honey!

    you really seem to hate ur current uni so just leave... u gotta do what makes you happy and that's the most important!!!!!!

    and hehe yes I added u to my follow this blog thingie... but I put myself into anonymous mode i dun want my the world to know who im a fan of haha!

    ps: sended u mail with my new blog adress

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  2. It definitely sounds like your heart is telling you to do the fashion course.

    I don't quite understand the "following" thing - I'll have to try harder to work it out!

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  3. I just wanted to pop and and comment for the first time, I really enjoy your blog and the unique sense of style you have.

    I'm sure that you'll make the right decision about your studies, If you hate VU just take a chance, I have no doubt that you'll get accepted into the fashion school that you want to go to. :)

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  4. I've been feeling totally the same about VU and I've already been offered other Arts courses and I've started applying.

    Apart from not being able to move to Tokyo or Korea like you planed. Doing a fashion Course is way better then VU.

    The good thing about going to fashion school is that you'll learn things you want to learn and be around people who have the same interests.

    Good Luck with whatever you decide.

    Hey when are the fashion Fest photos coming up at MSF?

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  5. Hayley those woollen necklaces are so awesome. You should definitely go into design.

    I'm currently trying to bury my arcaheology/history degree so that I can get an art degree of some description. I was thinking surface design possibly but it's all very confsuing to me.

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  6. hi,
    in the long term you really want to end up in the fashion industry right? well i reckon you should do whatever it takes to achieve that.

    i shouldn't even be giving advice. i have no bloody experience. but good luck anyway.
    one day i'll probably be asking you for advice.

    also on a random note, can you please send me henry's quiche recipe?

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  7. I think you should finish your current course.
    The Whitehouse Institute will still be there later...and with a finished degree, perhaps even more time will get taken off.
    These days, to get a decent job you need a degree (though it doesn't seem to matter what in), and the more the better.

    It doesn't matter if you are old when you finish uni (as someone who is on their third degree).

    Plus, free money...that should be at the top of the list!

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  8. Go with the fashion since your heart is obviously in it!!
    I made a bit of a silly choice going back to do my masters in architecture rather than going to start over in a fashion degree which I wish I had done. And maybe one day I'll do (but I'll be that super dorky mature age student).
    Either way you've only got a year and a half to two years left which is awesome!
    I love your blog by the way!

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  9. Good luck with your new course, I figure if you're just going to hate what you're doing now if you keep on doing it you'll change eventually anyway. Better now than never, right?

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  10. btw! today i got a package in the post and finally got my tokyomade stuff!
    thanks again!

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  11. it sounds like whitehouse is your best choice. even though you won't be able to go to korea and japan, it'd be much better to have a degree in something you love and can use as opposed to something you hate and is virtually useless. one more year to move to tokyo isn't too long, at least it isn't two (if you were taking the full-length fashion course). :)

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  12. Is there any way that you can do both? It seems a shame to give up your trip away that you did the course for in the first place. Can you maybe wait a year and do the fashion course then? Or at least get the free trip and then quit?

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  13. I think you're lucky to be blessed with such obvious talent. Go use it and go be happy hun. Korea and Tokyo will wait for you and if you're happy doing the more creative study, time will fly anyways! xxx

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  14. Hayley, I think you should ditch VU and go and do fashion - not only is it usually almost impossible to get in (so by getting in you've already won a small battle). Don't waste time doing a course you're not really going to be able to use, long term. Japan will be there even if you have to wait a year or two extra - and maybe your options will be even greater when you go there (I mean - you might not have to get a crappy "specialist in humanities" visa aka: english monkey - for japan - you might be able to work in the fashion industry there!). If you had almost finished VU and were about to throw it all in and start again - then things may be different. You're not losing too much time here so I say DO IT! How exciting!

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  15. Hayley just phoned me and she is soooooooo excited and sounded soooooo happpppppyyy...she can tell you all about it...love u Hales xxx Mum.

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  16. I saw Fashion School too. I can read your enthusiasm about it in your post.

    You're so talented though. You'd be great at whatever you put your heart into. It's very inspiring.

    I look forward to following whichever path you decide to take, and whichever journey life decides to take you on.

    All the best. x

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  17. Thank you everyone for your helpful advice. I have decided to apply and see what happens. I went down to the school today and had a tour and I got to see the Project Runway sewing room, Tresume hair salon and the Myer accessories wall. It was so fun. BTW I'm not just wanting to go there because of the tv show, I have wanted to go to this Uni for a long time but they used to be only for full fee paying students, but now I can get the government assistance so I can go. Yay.

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  18. hayley you've probably already made up your mind but definitely speak to people in the fashion industry about whitehouse becuz from what i hear it is not very well regarded. box hill, rmit and nmit are spitting out the exciting graduates. you have the skills and talents and going to a defered full fee paying private school aint gonna teach you more than the other places. another alternative is melbourne fashion school because it has night classes you could study there while finishing up at vu and still get to go to korea etc. i really think you'll be wasting your time starting again at whitehouse but defs ask more about it before deciding to go there.

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  19. Kaytee
    Thanks for your comment. I am aware of the other courses and that Whitehouse isn't the best in terms of industry here in Australia. The course I am hopefully going to do is the only one like it here though, it is the styling and creative direction course, more aimed towards being a stylist than a designer, which is what I want to be. Once I am back in Japan the Uni I went to is of no importance it is all about my folio so with this course I am going to use it as a kinda folio preparation course, they have excellent facilities so it is perfect. Thanks for the concern, I have really thought about it, all the pros and cons but I really think it is worth it.

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