Are design courses better in India or abroad?

Design is a field that encapsulates a little bit of everything within it. To be a designer you need have a tad bit of all the goodness. And to get that, what do we do? We go to a design college. Now comes the question; Which design courses are good? The ones available in India, or the ones abroad?

This is an unsolvable debate, but we'll go on to decode it just a bit. It comes down to your preference of many things. The subject you want to major in, the expenditure, the proximity and of course the familiarity. All these things are different for everyone. Someone might really like the idea of studying abroad for the exposure value, while someone else might like to learn staying close to their home, all comfy.

Either ways isn't wrong. They both will work out fine enough. Since in the end, what matters is if you are actually enjoying what you are doing and how much of sincere effort you are putting into it, for you to progress.

As an Indian though, it might be a good idea to first study design from the Indian perspective and then go on to see how the world does it. That's how we usually start off with new things, right? We learn how they are done at our homes and then how the rest of the world does it. Design education abroad caters to the needs of that country. Learning there will broaden your spectrum, but first, it's necessary to have a spectrum.

There are many great design colleges in India. Like, the National Institute of Design, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Indian Design Centre etc. To apply for any of these, do visit the admissions page on their website. All these colleges require you to go through their entrance examination process.

Design courses abroad also have a lot of options. Each country has a variety of colleges to offer. You need to choose. Colleges abroad usually grant admissions on the basis of your secondary education merit and your creative portfolio. So, make sure you have those things ready if you want to apply.

Here is a list of options of some of the best design schools abroad:

Other things that could make one college more preferrable over another could be:

1. The subjects of study

Some design colleges offer the 3 verticals of design as a conglomerate, whereas others offer them separately. For example, In NID Ahmedabad, Communication Design is sub divided into 8 more fields, whereas in the other NID's there are no subdivisions. Only the major 3, communication, industrial and textile.

2. Proximity

As we talked about before, this one is really subjective. Moving away from your hometown gives you a lot of exposure and shows you a new side of things, but, hold on a sec, you might not want to that. You might not want to leave the comfort of your own home, and that's perfectly okay too. Though, you should definitely take into consideration the quality of education that you are being provided with. Don't stick to that niche, if you aren't getting the best of the best!

3. Financial Ability

Design education isn't cheap. Definitely not abroad as an international student. There are many more added on expenses other than the tuition fees and living fees, and they can be hard to meet. Choosing colleges on the basis of their fee structure and the scholarships they are providing is something to keep in mind whether you choose colleges in India or abroad. Though colleges in India do provide education at a more reasonable price compared to colleges abroad.

4. Familiarity

Going to a college where the language is the same as your own, the people match your vibe and he locality isn't so alien, makes life easier definitely. If you're this sort of a person, be sure to check out the college's environment.

5. Infrastructure

You in for a posh infra, or you okay with any sort of infra as long as what they teach makes sense? If you are thinking about the infrastructure at all, do take a look at all the images you find while scouring the web, or go on a visit, if it's nearby. Sometimes colleges, don't have the best facility and you may need to arrange a lot of things on your own. You may want to look out for these things before you get roped in, as it might not be what you're looking for.

Other than this, there are obviously a variety of other things that would be tickling your brain right now, cause it's a really big jump no, from school to college? They're worlds apart, trust me. But you're gonna have the best time of your life wherever you go, so choose wisely!

For more Information on all the colleges mentioned in the blog, visit their official websites.

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Parinita Manchanda

Communication Design/NID Vijayawada

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