Gemma Rudd, second year BA Textile Design student, originally from mid-Wales, tells us about her student exchange at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York.
“I was in America for five months, as I went in August and holidayed with family and friends in Florida before road tripping for two days up to New York to study. I’d been to New York State before but this was my first experience of New York City. I just remember it being terribly exciting when I arrived. I shared a room with two other girls in the student residences, at The New Yorker Hotel beside Penn Station, which is right in the middle of Manhattan, an amazing location! I was just a ten minute walk to my campus.
Studying at FIT was very different. I had the same lessons each day, every week and daily homework. I really enjoyed the routine. This is very different to the structure of BA Textile Design at Chelsea where you are given a lot more freedom, but have to constantly push yourself to meet project deadlines, similar to being in industry.”
Gemma Rudd owl
“In terms of social experiences, my family, including my identical twin came from Wales to celebrate our 21st birthday on the 13th of November 2014. It happened to by our family friends’ daughter’s 21st birthday the day after. That was easily the best weekend of my life so far!
I also joined the swim team which was really fun, took in all the usual touristic sites including an awesome Halloween parade, Brooklyn Light Festival and of course a Yankees baseball game!”
For more information check out Gemma’s New York Exchange blog