Below is a transcript of an interview I did with a student at Falmouth University. This interview was recorded with consent and transcribed by myself.

FR – Thank you for meeting with me today. I wanted to talk to you about your experiences at university. I believe you studied at both an arts specialised school and a non specific university?

RP – Yes, that’s right. I did my BA at art school and then left to go elsewhere for my MA.

FR – Was there a specific reason you made that decision?

RP – Yes and no. I honestly hated art school. I suppose I wanted a change of scenery with less pressure.

FR – Did you hate art school because of the teaching side of it or was there something else?

RP – I didn’t fit in there. I mean, I tried. But I couldn’t afford to socialise as much as I wanted and no one seemed to understand that. I came across as introverted and shy, I think and I struggled to make friends with my class mates. I was so scared of failing or being taken off the course because I didn’t come from the same background as others did.

FR – I’m sorry, that sounds like a tough experience for you. Did you ever talk to the university about how you were feeling?

RP – No I couldn’t. I was scared that they would tell me to leave if I was struggling so badly. I know that there was counselling they offered but I never took advantage of that. I didn’t want to admit that, I don’t know, I was seconding guessing everything? I love art, I really do. But being at art school felt like I was living in a pressure cooker and the lid could blow off any minute. Wow that sounded very dramatic *laughs*

FR – I understand what you mean. I think there’s an illusion of art school being glamorous and such fun. But there’s also a feeling of being like a fish out of water. At least from my perspective. Would you agree with that?

RP – Yes absolutely. I don’t know if that feeling is exclusive to students who come from poor backgrounds obviously but it’s a tough place to be if you are surrounded by people in paint covered designer clothes and you’re wearing Oxfam from head to toe.

FR – Talking about being a fish out of water, would you say that you struggled from imposter syndrome?

RP – I don’t know. I think that’s a term that is batted around a lot nowadays and has maybe lost its original meaning. But I do know that I felt like an imposter and as though I was a placeholder for the student who was meant to be there instead.

FR – So going back to your academic journey, once you’d left art school. Did you have similar feelings once you were at a generic university?

RP – I knew you’d ask me that. And honestly, I didn’t. I saw a lot more students that sounded like me and were also working two jobs to pay their tuition. And honestly, people were a lot more open about their lives and where they came from.

FR – That’s interesting. I wonder why that is. Do you have any thoughts?

RP – I have a theory.

FR – Would you be willing to share it with me?

RP – Absolutely. Art school is high pressure, as I mentioned earlier. There’s an expectation that you’ll do your degree and form amazing connections that will set up a career once you’re done. But a normal university? There are so many varied courses, and it mirrors society more. You’re not trapped in a building full of artistic temperaments.

FR – I’ve never thought about how a non – specialised university mirrors society. That’s really interesting! Thank you so much for your time today.

RP – You’re welcome. Good luck with your project.

This interview was very interesting to me. The thing that I found the most interesting was that this student studied at an arts institution and then made the decision to do their MA at a non arts based university.
After conducting this interview I endeavoured to find out if there was a way I could find out how many students study at an art school and then leave that environment to carry on their education, studying a creative subject in a ‘normal’ university. However, I couldn’t find any figures around this – maybe I was searching for the wrong thing or in the wrong places. But the more likely answer is that data around this isn’t collected or is unavailable to view if it is. There is data around retention rates of students, however it doesn’t tell you where the leaving students go so I didn’t find this helpful.

Another thing that struck me about this conversation is that this student was reluctant to say that they experience imposter syndrome but would say they feel like an imposter. I also found it interesting how this feeling went away once they were studying outside of an arts education environment.