Interview: A 2024 Admit to Loughborough's MA User Exp. & SD

📍 Interviewee background

Aurora

Bachelor's: National Dong Hwa University

Major: Arts and Creative Industries

Average: GPA 3.98 / 4.3

Admitted to:

Loughborough - MA User Experience and Service Design

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📍 Why the UK?

A master's takes only 1 year~ and there's a post-graduation work visa too! Also, I'm absolutely fascinated by art in the style of Leonardo da Vinci, so I really wanted to see it in person.

📍 How do you choose a program?

You still need to be clear about why you want to study abroad. Think about why you want to study this subject. Is it out of interest? Or for your career development... and so on?

📍 Why Loughborough?

I'm a UI/UX designer myself, so I wanted to keep improving in this field. In the end I chose Loughborough's user experience program because it's one of their strengths and it's well known in the UK~ Plus, after asking quite a few alumni, they all agreed that Loughborough's overall "student experience" is excellent, so it should be well worth the money and I'd actually learn things, haha. Also, as everyone knows, some UK schools are really slow to reply~ especially when it comes to visas, which can make you anxious! From the moment you start applying, Loughborough offers info sessions, Q&A with alumni and so on... Most importantly: if you email them a question, you'll almost always get a reply within 24 hours. That alone shows how much they care about "user and service experience"~ I'm sure I'll get a lot out of it

📍 Time to go abroad!

When I graduated from college I wanted to go straight to grad school abroad, but back then I didn't know what path I wanted to take or what career I wanted in the future. So I chose to work first. My first year at work was really busy! I didn't have much headspace to think about it, and then, worn down by work, I suddenly started feeling that maybe it was time? It was also through work that I really figured out what I actually like, and what I want to get better at!

📍 The portfolio was the hardest part

There was never enough time~ Besides the basic SOP, CV and RLs, the portfolio took up the most time! There isn't much information online about UI/UX portfolios and it's hard to find references~ so I also wasn't sure whether I could get into the schools I wanted~ (Along the way I kept venting to Harry, thanks to him for patiently cheering me on every time, ha)

📍 How I chose a study-abroad agency

Since I was preparing to go abroad while working, I really didn't have much time~ At first I went with another agency! But they were really terrible, and in the end I was lucky to meet Harry! Not only was it free! He also replies to messages super! duper! fast! which made me feel totally at ease with him.

📍 A few words for everyone

Start your application timeline as early as you can! Design programs especially usually require a portfolio~ If you're working, preparing for English tests and getting all kinds of documents together at the same time... without good time management, everything gets very rushed~ I suggest making a schedule so that you finish each task on time as much as possible.

[OfferLand partner study-abroad consultant]

🙋🏻‍♂️Harry, independent consultant for the UK and Australia

👉🏻 Click to ask me 👈🏻

Want to study in the UK but save on agency fees? Want to study in Australia but save on application fees?

Want to apply on your own, but still have someone helping you?

✔ A consultant who really looks after students, efficient + quick to reply!

✔ The key point: [no agency fee]. Only certain specific services carry a fee! You'll be told in advance about anything that costs money

✔ Helps you plan your study-abroad timeline, watches the application details, and also does admission-chance analysis and strategic university applications, tailored document coaching, plus follow-up accommodation (off-campus), visa and pre-departure services