I am Alex Parker from Texas in the USA. I started the MA 3D Computer Animation at BU in September 2016 and this is how it all started…

“You need to change your grad school plans,” is a hard thing to hear in the first place, but it’s admittedly a whole lot harder when it comes from a highly respected studio supervisor, in the middle of an interview. The plans I had to stay at the school I’d loved for four years were completely demolished in about ten minutes, and when I left the room I did so with far too many of my own business cards and the end of what used to be a pretty solid grad school plan. The words that helped to change my plans even further came from a beloved professor, telling me “I’ve been to other places, and you need to go to other places. Have you heard of Bournemouth?”

Two suitcases and plane ride to the other side of the planet later, I’m knee-deep in a Master of Arts in 3D Computer Animation at Bournemouth University and I couldn’t be happier. From the cosy campus to the studio that has quickly become family, I’ve found myself in a place surrounded by students and faculty, all driven by a common need to create, in an environment that promotes a constant strive for innovation and progress. Lectures are given by a faculty with a passion for animation, and a passion for the people that create it.

Exploring everything from the stories we tell to the software we use to tell them, MA3D is a course focused on producing capable, creative, and technically competent artists, and each day leaves me feeling more and more prepared for the world ahead. When it comes down to it, I’m a long way from home, but after a year in the MA3D program, I know I’ll be a whole lot closer to landing my dream career than I’ve ever been.

By Alex Parker