Congratulations on an excellent--IMHO--choice of graduate program. I did the History MA, but did attend some of the general type design lectures because I'm such a type geek.

Did you check the student board on the university's site?

thank you tiffany, i am very much looking forward to it. by the way, to choose wasn't hard, but rather to be accepted. and thanks for the hint to the student board!

I enjoyed staying in Hillside Court from '02-'03. I don't know how it compares to renting a flat, but it is one of the most affordable University owned accomodations. The best part is that it was inhabited by a diverse range of students, most of whom were enrolled in graduate programs. Part of a University education is being able to meet and learn from other students who have experiences and backgrounds different from your own -- which Hillside provided.

And Hillside is closer to the town centre too, isn't it Bart? Easier to walk to town and not be so dependent upon the transit.

Sherfield was great for me, peaceful and quiet with a nice little 'pub' where you can meet loads of people.
The downside is that you have a loooong walk to get to the department : )
(when it's raining cats and dogs... not nice!)

So my advice would be, buy some comfortable shoes and start off with Gerry's reading list as soon as possible!

Natasha

thanks for the replies! you're both recommending to look for accomodation at the campus - is it uncommon to search for a private room to rent? (i guess i'd prefer that option - i couldn't stand a catered room!) as far as i have seen the prices are pretty much the same.
long walks are no issue for me as i'll take my bike there - but gerry's reading list might be an excellent idea!

The place to look for accommodation that isn't on campus is here. No brokers fees and what not, and you can find roommates on that page also. I'm in Sherfield, and enjoy the nice bike rides in the morning, but if you are part time, two years of a hall would be a bit much. Yes, start on Gerry's reading list and start brainstorming ideas for your dissertation!

I stayed in Sherfield and it was great. It is generally accepted as the best at Reading but the priciest. Still, I found it worth the extra money. It is self catering, and it has a computer room (you won't find internet connection in the rooms except via dial up). The Junior Common Room is great with lots of nice activities (quiz night, pub crawl, xmas dinners...) and the rooms are ok. Also, we had cleaners come and clean our rooms once a week, and the kitchen everry weekday. Seeing the long reading list you have to go through, you wouldn't want to waste time cleaning your room.

Also, the way it is situated, you get lots of socializing happening in the kitchen that you share with 7 other people. I had amazing friends there...

It is 25 minutes walk away from the typography department. 40 minutes from the town center. Not so convenient but it's worth it. Still, it was close to the sports center on campus (8 minutes). It is around 1.5 hours away from St. Brides in London where you will be spending a lot of time...

A very popular restaurant is Katmandu Kitchen on Christchurch. Ask for the Chicken Dry Fry with Pilau rice and Pashwari naan. mmmm.

Since you are staying for 2 years, you might want to first stay in a Hall (definitely self catering though) and to move out later.

Best of luck for next year... I am jealous :)

By the way, an amazing book is Creative Lettering Today by Michael Harvey. I would start reading there. Type Sign Symbol is a good start. Also, Gerry's recommendation to me as a first book to read was Counterpunch. All good books. Enjoy... Last time I checked the list was 7 pages long.

Hint: learn how to properly type set a bibliography, it will come in handy. Also, would be good to start practicing with a broad nib to get the feel of letters.

A very popular restaurant is Katmandu Kitchen on Christchurch. Ask for the Chicken Dry Fry with Pilau rice and Pashwari naan. mmmm.

Mmmm indeed. I'm very fond of the Katmandu Kitchen and always manage to arrange to eat there at least once when I am in Reading. Some of the Nepalese dishes, which all seem to include fruit, are interesting and not typical 'Ruby Murray' fare. Last time I was there I had a mild curry with lychees in it. To be honest, I probably wouldn't order it again, but it was good in a horizon-expanding way.

ben, nadine,

thanks a lot! i dont think that i'll afford sherfield, as it costs almost twice as much as childs or bridges, still it's good to know what is generally accepted as the best ...
you might want to first stay in a Hall ... and to move out later. - this might be a reasonable option indeed.

i am already practicing with the broad nip, but mainly because i'm tackling on arabic right now - what a beautiful script! - btw. any news of koufiya for the public? :)

Titus, if you can get around to it before the deadline, send your Arabic script into Linotype's Arabic Type Design Competition.

You mentioned that you'll be studying part-time at Reading. Will you be working in Britain during the rest of the time?

__
www.typeoff.de

dan, thank you for the hint to the arabic competition, but i'm only taking a course in arabic, i presume that i am very, very far from my first arabic typeface!

Will you be working in Britain during the rest of the time?

- that's exactly what i'm planning to do. as you know britain is a quite expensive place, therefore i actually have to work part time to finance my study. is there a certain reason you're asking?

No, I was just curious to learn if you had found a job that was as equally fabulous as the school you'll be attending.

I'm quite a fan of combining work with graduate study in another country, but that is another matter.

I'm sure you'll have a great time in the UK.

__
www.typeoff.de

I'll point out that now all the halls have high speed internet. A change, I guess, for this year.

If you decide for one of the University's Halls, don't make the mistake of choosing a fully-catered room. Not only it is twice the price of a self-catered one, but also because the food choice is not worth of the difference (too much fried food for someone used to good fresh fish, like me).
Besides, you would have to follow their very strickt mealtimes, and find yourself wasting money on meals that you couldn't "attend", or running back and forth to the department/hall to be on time for lectures/meals (and I'm not even accounting the queueing time...).

I'm staying in Bridges, right next to the department, in a self-catered room and I quite like it. The JCR (Junior Common Room) fee, that every student has to pay (40 pounds/year), covers for lots of things you can use and do, including tennis court, pool table, TV room with cable channels, music room, computer room, newspappers, DVD movie nights, bar quiz, karaoke, etc.
ASDA, a big supermarket, is not far. It's also very cheap, and groceries for a whole week (breakfast, lunch and supper everyday) hardly cost over 25 pounds.
The kitchen is fully equipped with 2 stoves (with oven), fridge, freezer, microwave, toaster, boiler, cutlery, crockery and individual cupboards.
The floor is shared by 12 students, mainly post-graduates. We also have a (very nice and friendly) cleaning lady that comes 4 times a week, to do the kitchen and bathroom.

That's about it!

PS: In addition, this year's students are leaving a pair of top-notch tennis rackets as the legacy ;)

Hi Titus,

Martin Tiefenthaler mentioned that one of his students
is considering to do an MA in Typeface design in Reading
– I suppose you’re that guy. I did the course in 2003–04.
If you want to contact me, please feel free to do so:
w.homola@gmx.net

I stayed in Hillside – it was ok.
Try to avoid the undergraduate student halls.
Sadly, life in UK isn’t as cheap as in Austria:
You should multiply your living costs in Vienna by 2 or 2.5
to get a realistic idea.

As for the reading list: There are titles
which are important for the academic writing part
and some which may actually help you for your practical.

I would suggest that you start with Walter Tracy: Letters of credit,
carry on with Fred Smeijers: Counterpunch
and Richard Southall: Printer’s type in the twentieth century.
Read also John D. Berry: Language Culture Type.
If you want some advice on academic writing, have a look at
Umberto Eco: Wie man eine wissenschaftliche Abschlussarbeit schreibt.

Other books that might be useful are
Noordzij: The stroke of the pen
Harry Carter: A view of early typography
If you’re interested in Arabic type, probably also:
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFaries: Arabic typography

Have also a look at:
John Hudson: Windows Glyph Processing. An OpenType Primer
at
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/Glyph%20Processing/intro.mspx

And: enjoy the course! I am sure you’ll like it.

Wolfgang

Hi Titus,

I'm part-time this year, so I'll see you in October!

I rent a private flat found through the university's website. Ben posted the link above; you may need to email them for a password. Halls wasn't an option because I dragged my partner and kid along with me. A few people on the course flat/house share and it seems to work out, for the most part.

Gerry posted a 'starter' reference list (pdf) on his website.

Look forward to meeting you :)

ben, mike, wolfgang, brook,

thank you so much for your help! by now i am taking the halls as a reasonable option into account as most of you seem to recommend it.

mike: a catered hall was never an option for me, as i love cooking and eating and therefore i am a bit choosy ... ;) the bridges hall is also an option for me as it is so close to the type department and one of the least expensive solutions.

wolfgang: thanks a lot, i'll contact you off-list.

do you know if john hudson's article also exists as a printable version? john?

brook: i am looking forward meeting you! i suppose the halls are a bit cheaper than private rent, given the range of features included in the price. (?)

I stayed at the foreign ghetto in Bulmershe Hall; wahey!!! Bulmershe rules!

Friday nights were rough sleeping since the pub/disco with Robbie Williams 'Angels' late.. last call keep you up and Saturday 9am lecture was tough to get to.

But fun... lots of late fire calls.. from Greek smokers... setting of the alarms!!!

They had big kitchens at the each end of the halls, 2 per floor. No catering so cooking yourself and big meals with all the foriegners everynight!!!

I stayed in halls that were condemned the following year. Now, I ask you, what does that mean for safety? I wish I wouldn't have stayed in catered halls. That was a huge mistake.

Cool that they now have high speed internet for the rooms.

Sorry, Titus, the MS article is only available in the form on their website.

john, if i'd make a printable version of that text (hypothetically), and made a pdf from it and post it here - would i violate copyright laws? and wouldn't it be pretty useful? (personally i can't stand reading longer texts on screen)

Yep (close to Katmandu Kitchen, too), and you have to cook your own food.

Don't worry Tiff nothing is safe.

My little Rover Metro that we drove around and got you to the shipping place was condemned the following year too.. poor little rover.

Titus, you can feel free to make a printable version for your own purposes, but you would be violating Microsoft's copyright if you were to distribute it. The best thing to do, if you do make such a version, is to ask Si Daniels at MS Typography if you can either distribute it or if they might distribute it from the MST website.

Vince: It was? Oh sheesh. Poor thing.

I would like to point out that, wherever you choose to stay, studying at Reading vastly improves your physical appearance, as evidenced by Vince's photo above. We don't charge for this service.

john, thanks. perhaps i'll ask si daniels about that issue. copyright laws tend to be a little inpracticable from time to time.

gerry, i am so glad to hear that! ;)

does anyone know how the sibly hall is? hillside and sibly are my favourites by now, while the latter is cheaper hillside sounds/looks much nicer.

Sorry, Gerry, but Vinnce's transformation into a glamourous blond is clearly due to his time at Dalton Maag, and not to his time at Reading. Actually, I've noticed that most Reading students tend to look much healthier and fitter about a year after they finish their studies and top eating lunch at the Blue Room every day.

No it's a rebirth of my first university major in photogrpahy in NYC and promoting the wonderful TV presenter and stylist Hannah Sandling. Shot at her London home last month.

Thanks to fontshop 'I am Orange'

http://www.connare.com/portraits/portraits.htm