From 27 August to 7 September, high school students from YWIES Shanghai Gubei and YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang participated in the Art Study Tour in Somerset, UK. The students engaged in intensive portfolio workshops, preparatory sessions for personal statements and interviews, and university visits.

Mr Nick Strong, YCYW CUGO Regional Coordinator for the UK and Europe, explained that the programme stemmed from YCYW's long-standing and close connections with UK universities, including the Glasgow School of Art, which ranks 13th globally in the QS World University Rankings for Art and Design. In September, YCYW signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Glasgow School of Art for academic cooperation, several months after YWIES Shanghai Gubei had established an academic partnership with the school in June this year.

Read more: YCYW Established Cooperation with the Glasgow School of Art

During the Art Study Tour, Ms Christine Novosel and Ms Iona Roberts from the Glasgow School of Art visited YCYW's Knowle Hall campus in Somerset. Over a three-day workshop, they guided students in exploring observational drawing, mixed media techniques, and mark-making, as well as how to apply these skills to areas such as fashion, graphic design, and architecture.

Mikaela, a Grade 12 student at YWIES Shanghai Gubei, was particularly impressed: "My favourite and most enjoyable time was sketching outdoors with the two Glasgow teachers. I loved being close to nature, and I learned how to sketch quickly and to create art by using multiple media. This experience helped me discover my own painting style." Mikaela will graduate next year. Through this trip, she found a new interest in various types of media. This is why she is now even more interested in trying to study various media at the university.

Mr Strong, together with Ms Jennifer Cheng and Ms Daisy Fang, Careers and University Guidance Counsellors at YWIES Shanghai Gubei, conducted a two-day workshop focused on interview preparation and the writing of personal statements. The goal was to help students improve their art portfolio presentation skills and the writing of their application statements.

Ms Cheng explained that some schools require interviews after the submission of a portfolio. Mock interview training is therefore important for students. "It is a challenge for students to clearly articulate their artistic concepts in English or respond to questions about their portfolios during an interview," she said.

Zeina, a Grade 11 student at YWIES Shanghai Gubei, knows that she wants to study architecture. During her time at Somerset, she asked many questions about portfolios, personal statements, and interviews. When she mentioned that her dream school was University College London, Mr Strong sought out examples of portfolios and personal statements from previous applicants in architecture to that university for her reference.

Mr Strong recalled that during the outings, Zeina also asked many questions about the history, materials, and design styles of British architecture. "The students clearly have a lot of curiosity, and that's one of the things that we really value and encourage. We want our students to be curious, to ask questions, to try to understand why—and not just to absorb information," he said.

In addition to the workshops at Knowle Hall, students had the opportunity to visit various universities: Bath Spa University; Cardiff Metropolitan University; Arts University of Bournemouth; Goldsmiths, University of London; Central Saint Martins; and the London College of Communication.

Mr Douglas Woodruff, Western Co-Principal of YWIES Shanghai Gubei and a key facilitator of the study tour, hopes that students will be able use this opportunity to explore and identify universities that best meet their individual learning needs.

He said, "Students had the opportunity to attend experiential classes, interact with professors, and experience campus life first-hand, rather than relying solely on rankings to make judgements. This immersive experience provided students with a fresh perspective, enabling them to make informed decisions and choose schools that are better suited for their future."

The creative atmosphere of the university campuses greatly inspired Lucky, a Grade 12 student at YWIES Shanghai Gubei. "We visited an exhibition of student work. Seeing their creations and learning about their creative processes and stories gave me a deeper understanding of the diversity and depth of art. I now look forward to having my own art exhibition in the future. We also had portfolio improvement sessions with the professors, and I felt honoured to ask them questions about art. The one-on-one portfolio discussions with various teachers gave me a clearer understanding of my shortcomings and the areas where I need to improve."

At Arts University of Bournemouth, students even participated in portfolio feedback sessions and pre-application interviews. Because of their outstanding portfolios and interview performances, three Grade 12 students, including Mikaela and Lucky, received pre-admission offers.

Having university professors provide face-to-face portfolio coaching during art study tours is very rare. Mr Woodruff noted that these interactions with admissions officers and professors also dispelled a common misconception. The students learned that portfolio evaluations do not focus solely on highly polished, carefully crafted, finished works. Instead, portfolio evaluations also value the applicant's day-to-day accumulation of experience and the documentation, including daily sketches related to their projects.

"I think the other thing that the students learned a lot about was the process of reviewing their practice. Instead of just doing things, they need to understand what they did that was good, what they did wasn’t so good, how they can improve the practice," Mr Strong said.

Read more: The CUGO Somerset Cultural Centre programme

After this art study tour, the Somerset Cultural Centre programme, which a team of YCYW CUGO experts developed, will focus on applications to top universities in the UK. That programme will begin in late September.

The programme will invite experienced experts on UK university applications to provide in-person counselling to our students. The students will visit several prestigious British universities, such as Oxford University and Imperial College London. They will also participate in various cultural activities designed to immerse the students in the learning environment and the local culture of their dream schools.