Tomas Berka

Tomas Berka profile

Film BA

This University is one of the best in the country and has the potential to help you to gain all the knowledge you need to get a job in the future. Also, if you are not from London and worry about moving here, I can tell you from my own experience that there is nothing to worry about. Despite the fact that I’m an international student, I was able to become independent pretty quickly and that just gave me a head start into life at University

Why did you choose the University of Westminster?

I chose the University of Westminster because it is one of the best universities in the UK for undergraduates to study Film. The course is known to be very practical and because I was more interested in studying the practical side of filmmaking, rather than just the theory, the University of Westminster was my top choice.

How has your experience been studying in London?

I am really enjoying it so far. Even though life in London can be a bit expensive, it is not a problem for me to work during my studies and to earn some extra money. Since London is the centre of the UK Film industry, I would not want to study in a different city as I would not have the same amount of opportunities to work with professionals. In terms of social life, there is always something to do in London and always places to go to meet new people.

What have you particularly enjoyed about your course?

As mentioned above, Film BA is a very practical course with a lot of opportunities to build up a good portfolio. The theory classes usually take one day a week and the rest of the time we can concentrate on working on the actual projects. I’m also really enjoying the fact that I’m surrounded by people with the same passion and that I’m able to work with them during course-related shoots or through our own projects.

Are there any stand-out facilities associated with your course?

There is a whole block of buildings dedicated to my course at our university. We have a huge film studio and a TV studio on the ground floor, dozens of editing rooms on the first floor and sound facilities on the second floor. The studio has industry-standard equipment and it’s just an awesome feeling to work in there. The editing suites are available for us to use seven days a week and they are a nice place to edit our projects. With all the necessary software programmes installed on them and all the screens available to us, it is much better than doing post-production on your own computer. 

Tell us about any activities that you have undertaken outside of your course 

During my first year, the pandemic, unfortunately, shut all of our course-related activities but now, during my second year, I became a student ambassador and through this scheme, I’ve been offered a lot of interesting opportunities. For example, during the Open Days, I get to do campus tours, where I get to meet potential new students and I get to show them around our Harrow campus. During these events, I get to meet and listen to interesting guest lecturers from the film and TV industry. I also recently travelled to Manchester to attend the UCAS ‘Create Your Future event. I helped our team to promote the university to potential students. The student ambassador scheme has helped me to build contacts that might be useful to me in the future. It’s also allowing me to create new friendships and earn some money on the side as well.

What would your advice be to someone considering studying at Westminster?

My advice is to attend one of the University Open Days, walk around the campus and see the facilities you’ll be able to use during your studies. I cannot really speak on behalf of other campuses and non-art related courses, but if you are a creative type of person and thinking of choosing the University of Westminster, I would just say go for it. 

This University is one of the best in the country and has the potential to help you to gain all the knowledge you need to get a job in the future. Also, if you are not from London and worry about moving here, I can tell you from my own experience that there is nothing to worry about. Despite the fact that I’m an international student, I was able to become independent pretty quickly and that just gave me a head start into life at University.

What's the best aspect of being a University of Westminster student?

Probably the countless amount of opportunities you get while studying at the university. I’m really enjoying the fact that there are a lot of creative people here and you have a chance to collaborate with them, making your vision come to life.