What's it all about?

(l-r) Ameera, Natalie, Joanna, Charlotte, Magdalena, Shady, Zosia, Catherine, Emma: first year University College Falmouth BA (Hons) PR students 2009/10

What is the University College Falmouth London Study Visit?

The University College Falmouth Level 1 London Study Visit is a critical part of the first year for BA (Hons) Public Relations students. An energetic, immersive trip, it unlocks the doors to some of London's (and therefore the UK's, Europe's and the world's!) top public relations agencies and other organisations with a PR function.

The purpose is to provide students with a glimpse into the lives of PR practitioners and hear about their work, its challenges and the passion they have for the business. We also hear about work placement and internship opportunities.

As a result of the study visits in 2007 and 2008, University College Falmouth students have secured fantastic placements at top PR agencies including Halpern and Frank PR.

The visit also prepares students for a similar study visit to Amsterdam during their second year.

So what do we do in London?

We spend three days in the capital, visiting two locations each day. Upon arrival, we meet senior staff plus, often, new graduate level employees who've just started with each organisation.

This year (2009), our visits included:

• Halpern PR: to hear about lifestyle and luxury goods PR
• Cohn & Wolfe: to hear about healthcare PR
• The Camden Arts Centre: to hear about PR for the arts
• Frank PR: to hear about consumer PR and buzz marketing
• Diageo: to hear about PR for the alcohol industry
• Weber Shandwick: to hear about how social media is used for PR

And don't worry - there's always time in the schedule to catch a few hours sightseeing and shopping in London if you like.

What does industry think?

"The London study visit provides a priceless opportunity for students to interact with practitioners in the workplace. It's a testament to the quality of staff contacts within the industry that this visit is so well-run and successful."

Jo Patterson, Head of Consumer Public Relations, Lexis PR