My Journey with the MyWorld Scholarship
I had first heard about the opportunity for the scholarship by an email from University of Bristol and after reading the criteria to see if I was eligible, I applied. I remember receiving an email from MyWorld last September, not long before my course was due to start, stating that my application was successful! I was over the moon and excited about being able to be involved in everything the scholarship had to offer.
What has the MyWorld scholarship enabled you to do?
As a mature student, I greatly appreciated the fee waiver of £5,000 for my course. It allowed me to spend less time worrying about the financial implications of being at University so that I could focus all my attention on engaging with my course.
Aside from the fee waiver, one of the most beneficial aspects of the Scholarship has been the access I have had to creative companies and projects in Bristol. This access has allowed me to take part in short courses, research projects and to be able to network with potential future employers.
What are your plans after you have completed your University course?
My plan once I finish my course is to be a full-time media composer! I am currently working on my portfolio which is my course’s equivalent of a dissertation. It will include a variety of short clips which I will have scored and my plan is to use my portfolio as a professional showreel.
Have you tapped into any other opportunities within the MyWorld programme?
As a MyWorld scholar, I was given a scholarship to attend the Introduction to Immersive Audio short course which took part at Paintworks earlier this year. It was a two-day course focussing on a variety of techniques and applications of immersive audio. I had a great time and came away very inspired! I wrote a blog post about my time during the course here.
Following the short course, I joined the Immersive Audio Network which is run by Dr Ruth Farrar from Bath Spa University and MyWorld. One of the newsletters from the Immersive Audio Network stated that they were looking for individuals to take part in a focus group for feedback on a new immersive project being developed at the Roman Baths. I really enjoyed taking part and I’m looking forward to experiencing the finished project.
Another highlight for me recently was being able to take part in a research project focussing on location-based virtual reality at UWE’s Bristol VR Lab at the Arnolfini. Marshmallow Laser Feast and All Seeing Eye partnered up with UWE to conduct research on user experiences and for me, this meant that I had the opportunity to experience VR for the first time. I didn’t know what to expect but I was blown away by the project and the technology used to create it.
Finally, one of the most exciting opportunities which has come along as a result of being a MyWorld scholar is a current collaboration I have with the award-winning visual effects company
Lux Aeterna, who are very kindly allowing me to use some of their material in my portfolio.
Final thoughts on the MyWorld Scholarship
To me, MyWorld is so much more than financial aid; it’s about giving people like me the opportunity to make connections with local creative industries. It’s helped me to get my foot in the door of places I wouldn’t have otherwise known how to approach or even know existed! It’s been an honour to be a scholar and I encourage anyone to apply and to make the most of the opportunities it has to offer.
Applications for 2024/25 scholarships close on 8 August 2024, 09:00. See webpage for full details and to apply.
Hazel Travers – University of Bristol – MA composition of music for film and TV