Brighton College of Advanced Technology

This is the college I attended from 1963 to 1968. For the first two years it was for 15 weeks per year (5 weeks in September/October, 5 weeks in January/February and 5 weeks in April/May). For the last three years we dropped the Spring session. It was called block release and was for the three examinations of The Institute of Quantity Surveyors. This was a very unusual method of part work experience and part college. Previously it was all day release, but this new course enabled more time for study. It must have been quite successful as I managed to get my qualification in the five years. The Institute prided itself that it's qualification was as good, if not better, than it's competitor The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors who did not allow entry for Contractor employed QS's.

College was great. Although we were not there as long as the full time students, we still felt that we were as much part of the college as they. We joined in Rag Week, in fact our group were responsible for lighting the windows of the building above to spell out "RAG WEEK". And one of my friends from my year at George Wimpey, Rowena, was voted Rag Queen. That might have been at the David Bowie "Ragextravaganza" concert. This was a first for the College who had very few female students, and one up on The University of Sussex. Sometime after we left, the college became Brighton Polytechnic, and is now part of The University of Brighton. How things change.