FASHION BUYING WITH DESIGN BA (HONS) INTERVIEW ADVICE

FASHION BUYING WITH DESIGN BA (HONS) INTERVIEW ADVICE

FASHION BUYING WITH DESIGN INTERVIEW DAY Your Fashion Buying with Design Interview Day will combine a short interview, portfolio review and a variety of optional activities designed not only to assess your suitability for the course but also to support you to make the right decision about university. On the following pages you ll find lots of useful information and advice to enable you to prepare for your day to help make the experience as useful and positive as it can be.

YOUR INTERVIEW University interviews are often a new experience for applicants and we want to ensure that anyone applying to De Montfort University (DMU) is given the most useful information to make the experience an enjoyable one. WHY DO WE INTERVIEW? Our interview days are designed not only for us to assess your suitability for the course, but also to make sure you are choosing the right course for you. During your Fashion Buying with Design interview day you will be given the opportunity to see current student work and tour our facilities supporting you in the decision making process. Universities interview in particular for courses where a specific skill set is required: Fashion Buying with Design requires design ability and we will assess this within your portfolio review. CAN I BRING SOMEONE WITH ME? You are welcome to bring a guest with you to your Interview Day and they ll be able to come along to any of the activities that do not form part of the selection process. Where it is not possible for your guest to stay with you (i.e. during the interview) there will be plenty of places they will be able to wait or talk to current students and staff. WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON THE DAY? The day will include selection events comprising a portfolio review and interview. The itinerary also includes a course presentation and there ll be opportunity to go on a Campus and Accommodation tour. On the day you ll also be able to speak to staff and current students about the range of facilities and support available at DMU. See dmu.ac.uk/applicantinterviewdays for further information and help to plan your day.

WHAT TO EXPECT HOW LONG WILL THE INTERVIEW LAST? The interview is likely to last 10-15 minutes. You will have the opportunity to ask questions about the course at the end of the interview. WILL I BE INTERVIEWED ON MY OWN OR IN A GROUP? You will be interviewed on your own by one of the course tutors. HOW WILL THE INTERVIEW BE STRUCTURED? The interview is designed to be friendly and informal and will involve a discussion with a course tutor about your interests and a review of your portfolio. The course tutor will be looking for you to demonstrate: Creativity Originality An eye for fashion A good sense of colour A good sense of general aesthetics WHAT CAN I DO TO PREPARE? Think about why you have applied to study Fashion Buying with Design and why you have chosen DMU. Read your application and remind yourself what you ve said. You will be given the opportunity to ask questions at the end of your individual interview, try to think of two or three questions in preparation to ensure that you are able to engage in that part of the interview. Consider carefully what work you would like to include in your portfolio. Our portfolio advice can be found online at dmu. ac.uk/portfolioadvice and is a really useful resource to help you to develop and present the best portfolio that you can. We suggest that you include 10-15 pieces of your best work which illustrate a spectrum of your abilities. You could include examples of: Life drawing Fashion illustration Photography Graphic work Don t worry if your previous course has not focussed on fashion or buying; in this instance we suggest that you produce an A3 mood board illustrating key tends on the high street or future trend predictions. This can include magazine tears, photos, sketches and fabric swatches as well as annotation. You may also be asked general questions about the fashion retail industry so conducting personal research will be of benefit to you.

DON T FORGET DURING THE INTERVIEW To bring along your invite to interview, reminder email detailing your registration location and itinerary To bring your portfolio, clearly labelled To make sure you have planned your journey in advance see our website (dmu.ac.uk/applicantinterviewdays) for travel information To have read our course pages to help you prepare for and anticipate interview questions (dmu.ac.uk/fashionbuying) YOU MAY BE ASKED... Why have you chosen Fashion Buying? Why have you chosen DMU? What do you hope to do when you graduate? How have your current skills and experiences helped you to prepare for university study? Remember that you have been invited to the interview as you have already shown potential so try to relax, smile and be confident. Make eye contact and smile Listen and consider your replies. Ensure that you are not just giving yes/no answers If you don t understand a question, don t guess, politely ask the interviewer to rephrase or clarify Be enthusiastic. Course tutors will be looking for applicants who share their enthusiasm for the subject WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM RUNNING LATE ON THE DAY? We know that delays are sometimes unavoidable so if you are running late on the day, please contact us as soon as you are able to and let us know your estimated arrival time. If necessary, we can tell you any alternate arrangements for your interview e.g. change of registration location. In some instances, if you expect to be significantly late, we may suggest you book for a different date. WHEN WILL I HEAR IF I HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL? We aim to make decisions as soon as possible after the interview. In most cases these are communicated to you via letter and an update on UCAS Track within a week of you attending the event. We will also be in touch if we are unable to make our decision straight away. FURTHER INFORMATION AND ADVICE For lots more information and advice about the Interview Day, including help to plan your travel, catering options and what else you ll have the option of seeing and doing during the day, go to dmu.ac.uk/applicantinterviewdays

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR INTERVIEW DAY PLEASE CONTACT THE ART, DESIGN AND HUMANITIES ADMISSIONS TEAM: dmu.ac.uk/twitter dmu.ac.uk/facebook dmu.ac.uk/youtube T: E: +44 (0)116 257 7555 adhadmisisons@dmu.ac.uk dmu.ac.uk/pinterest dmu.ac.uk/instagram W: dmu.ac.uk/fashionbuying dmu.ac.uk/applicantinterviewdays dmu.ac.uk/googleplus dmu.ac.uk/linkedin dmu.ac.uk/socialmedia Front cover: Rochelle Byron, Fashion Buying BA (Hons), graduate Please note that this information is correct at the time of publication.