Auditioning for 2017

[itsalongshot]

hi aliarts
very well done to your dd , mine too.
excellent news.

[Aliarts]

hi aliarts
very well done to your dd , mine too.
excellent news.

Thank you and well done to your DD too. Is that for MT or Acting? Do you think she will go there or does she have other offers? Mine can't wait to be sent the accommodation information and get sorted with flat mates! She is so excited!

[Caroline A-C]

Well done in getting into Arts Ed! My DS went there on the MT BA and graduated in 2014. He had an absolutely fantastic three years there and still goes back every now and then. Made some fantastic friends for life too.

[Live_thedream]

Congrats to everyone who's DC are getting offers. DS has still had no luck, Mountview being the last try next week. Just wondering if anyone's DC has been to Sote in Birmingham where they run foundation courses?

[jasmine2]

Congrats to everyone who's DC are getting offers. DS has still had no luck, Mountview being the last try next week. Just wondering if anyone's DC has been to Sote in Birmingham where they run foundation courses?

Have you looked at EDA in Hitchin?

It is a fabulous place and the majority of their students get offers at the top colleges/unis

Good luck

[fatladysings]

Hi There. I have just noticed that Mummyofthree has a DC starting at Hammond on the BA course this September. It is extremely likely that my DD will also be starting there at the same time on the same course. I hadn't given any thought to accommodation as yet but on reflection perhaps this is foolhardy! Someone mentioned that most of the students stay in Tramways. I have since looked up the website and there seem to be three accommodations very close to each other - Tramways, The Towpath and Abbeygate. This is all very well if you have a child on the main campus but I am assuming that the whole BA course takes place at Hammond. From other posts I gather that there is little or no accommodation near Hammond itself. I wonder if there are buses from Hammond into the very centre of Chester eg near these three accommodations - I know my DD is almost not a teenager anymore but I still worry about her walking up little dark country lanes by herself if she has a late rehearsal etc.
Mummyofthree - I have sent you a PM on this subject. I wonder if it worth contacting Hammond directly or whether they will say 'nothing to do with us - just be here at the correct time each morning!'. Rather worryingly some of these accommodations seem to already to full up and we haven't even accepted the offer as yet!! DD will also be completely reliant on a student loan so am not sure whether this will even cover the places listed above although they do look lovely. I would really like to have a look around them but living 4+ hours drive away it isn't a simple matter of popping over there for an afternoon.

[kzgirl]

Hi There. I have just noticed that Mummyofthree has a DC starting at Hammond on the BA course this September. It is extremely likely that my DD will also be starting there at the same time on the same course. I hadn't given any thought to accommodation as yet but on reflection perhaps this is foolhardy! Someone mentioned that most of the students stay in Tramways. I have since looked up the website and there seem to be three accommodations very close to each other - Tramways, The Towpath and Abbeygate. This is all very well if you have a child on the main campus but I am assuming that the whole BA course takes place at Hammond. From other posts I gather that there is little or no accommodation near Hammond itself. I wonder if there are buses from Hammond into the very centre of Chester eg near these three accommodations - I know my DD is almost not a teenager anymore but I still worry about her walking up little dark country lanes by herself if she has a late rehearsal etc.
Mummyofthree - I have sent you a PM on this subject. I wonder if it worth contacting Hammond directly or whether they will say 'nothing to do with us - just be here at the correct time each morning!'. Rather worryingly some of these accommodations seem to already to full up and we haven't even accepted the offer as yet!! DD will also be completely reliant on a student loan so am not sure whether this will even cover the places listed above although they do look lovely. I would really like to have a look around them but living 4+ hours drive away it isn't a simple matter of popping over there for an afternoon.

As far I could see there are buses to the end of the lane near to the Hammond. When we went for the audition we were told by the staff that students leave the Hammond in groups or pairs in the Winter or car share. My husband was a little worried about DD walking down the lane in the dark winter evenings as it is very isolated. I thought the Uni halls or studio appartments looked very nice as well I wouldn't dismiss that accommodation and it was a little cheaper than Tramways. I think Tramways was expensive for what it is but it does look nice. Our DD has secured a very similar accommodation at Chichester which is so much cheaper. I guess they are cashing in as student accommodation doesn't seem to be as easy to get in Chester. Whether your child is in the centre of Chester living or on the Uni campus didn't seem to much difference in distance getting to the Hammond. Student at the Hammond also use facilities at the campus ie the library etc. I was worried that I didn't want our DD to go where there wouldn't be any other students living that didn't go to the Hammond as I was concerned about her walking down that lane in the dark. Good luck with your search for accommodation.

[2dancersmum]

Having had a DD on the diploma course at Hammond, I can assure you that there are always plenty of students walking together down that lane, since they all finish at roughly the same time and everyone leaves in the same direction. There always seem to be a quite a few with cars too and a lot do share lifts. Buses run to the centre from the end of the lane. Some of them get taxis from the school - its a couple of years since DD graduated but it was about £5 to the centre, so not bad with 4 to a taxi. My DD was within easy walking distance and always had people to walk with, even when a lot of her friends lived in the centre and car shared. There was no BA course when DD was there so I cannot comment on the university accommodation. Diploma students tend to live in rented houses - 4 or 5 of them together and quite a few of them were a mix of students from Hammond and university. Some of the rented houses are in the centre but there are also quite a few in the housing areas between school and the centre. I don't know if parents went through letting agents or a list from the college as my DD was 16 and under 18s are in landlady accommodation so we had a list from Hammond. The Hammond list is not usually available until about May half term though.

[islandofsodor]

My dd is only 15 and in Lower School but sometimes she gets a taxi into town to catch the train. It would be expensive for her to do this every day (most of the other under 16's board) but I can see that if shared between 3-4 students could be more economical than the bus.

[itsalongshot]

hi aliarts
very well done to your dd , mine too.
excellent news.

Thank you and well done to your DD too. Is that for MT or Acting? Do you think she will go there or does she have other offers? Mine can't wait to be sent the accommodation information and get sorted with flat mates! She is so excited!

Mt for mine yes very exciting times

[itsalongshot]

Anyone else had dc at arts ed or anyone going .

[oscar]

Anyone else had dc at arts ed or anyone going .

Feel free to PM me x

[Caroline A-C]

My DS did the MT BA at Arts Ed and graduated in 2014. Do message me if you want any info.

[martint]

Does anyone have a DC starting at Laine in September! My daughter starts then and looking at accommodation, wondering if anyone wished to share?

[fatladysings]

Hi There. I have noticed a couple of questions which have been posted regarding whether Hammond offer a final showcase for the BA students at the end of their third year which would then travel to London with the opportunity for agents to watch and possibly make offers?? I know the diploma students do as it was taking place on the day my DD had her Hammond audition and it said on the poster that they were then going on to the Shaw Theatre in London to do the same show. I think another mum on this site might have emailed Hammond asking if the final year BA students do a showcase with an opportunity to get an agent at the end of the course but I don't think Hammond responded which is a bit ominous! It's odd/annoying if they don't as other non-London places like Chichester have now started to do this and I don't really see how the leavers are supposed to progress once the course has finished without this. I have no idea about getting agents to be honest but would imagine that this final showcase is one of the main ways in which ex-students pick up an agent. I wonder if anyone else has any thoughts on this. My hope is that even if Hammond don't do this for their BA students at present they will consider 'up-grading' over the next three years to 'catch-up' with places like Chichester. I don't suppose anyone saw Miss Saignon at the Hammond a couple of weeks ago did they?? I was wondering how many of the BA students were involved and how good they were in comparison to the diploma students. Hammond do advertise the BA course as vocational and I should have thought that all vocational courses should offer a showcase/opportunity for agents to watch you at the end of the course otherwise I'm not sure how one is supposed to have any realistic chance of finding work other than combing through The Stage newspaper along with every other person in the universe for open auditions etc.