Does DPS Worth It?

Koar Tsinarian

​Three years ago I applied for the Graphic and Media Design course that
University of the Arts London was offering. One of the most exciting parts of this
course was the Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS). It was a great opportunity
between my second and third year to work in the industry and learn how real
world works.
During my second year DPS was an extra course for those who wanted to work
between second and third year. Once a week I had to go to the university and
participate into different projects. I had few opportunities to present our ideas to
different companies. In addition, during this time we designed our portfolios, our
business cards and CVs. This was very helpful to be fully prepared for this year
we were going to spend outside the university. The final selection process
included an interview. On Tuesday the 13th of June 2017 I received an email with
an unconditional offer for the Diploma in Professional Studies.
At the beginning I was very excited but soon I realized how hard was to find an
internship. Many of the companies were not replying to the applications I was
sending and this was something I had to deal with. I could understand that due
to workload they have they might not be able to answer to every single person
applying for one role. Soon, I got used to it and I was not taking it personally. It
took me some time in order to understand how the whole system works. If you
don’t experience it you don’t know how the real world works.

One of my first internships was at Selfridges where I was part of a team helping
with the Christmas decorations. It was very interesting experience and I learnt
many new things. I was very interested to be part of the team and work behind
the scene. Selfridges is an impressive department store. It is very popular in all
over the world and being part of the team was a lifetime opportunity and I felt
very lucky for being part of it.

After that I worked for SirPlus, a men clothing brand based in London. This is
small company with great potentials. I was a graphic design intern designing
banners, promotional materials, newsletters and anything related with branding.
The environment was surrounded with friendly people willing to help. My time
at SirPlus taught me how to collaborate and how to work independently at the
same time. Except my position I was also very interested about marketing and
e-commerce. It is very helpful for a designer to see how people react with your
creations. My manager was very helpful and she was explaining me how
marketing and e-commerce works. Learning about different areas related to my
job made me think how I could extend my knowledge in the fashion area.
Part of the jobs I did during this year was working as a freelancer. I worked for
an advertising agency called ‘The Hand’ which offered me an opportunity to
design banners, newsletters, promotional and advertising materials for their

clients. Freelancing is a different experience than being an intern. When you
freelance you work by yourself and you need to manage your own time.
Except freelancing I also worked for EVARAE a luxurious swimwear and
resortwear company where I am a graphic design intern. I design swimwear
labels, online and printed look books, retouch images and help with anything
needed.
This year I realized finding an internship is not as easy as it sounds. The whole
process of applying and doing everything by myself helped me to understand
how life will be after graduating from the university. At the beginning of the year
I was excited and scared at the same time, I did know what to except. DPS is a
great opportunity for those who want to learn, work hard and end up having
working experience before they graduate from university.