1. You need to really, really love what you're doing. You need to love it so much that you can't imagine doing anything else with your life. It needs to physically pain you not to do it. Why? Because you will not get a job with this degree. You will hone your skills and become a better artist/writer/whatever because of it, but you will not be highly employable.
2. You don't need a degree to become an artist, filmmaker, or writer. Qualifications have nothing to do with these career paths - these degrees are all about improving existing skills, not giving you something to put on your CV. It might be more beneficial for you to complete a degree in a more generic or employable subject, while pursuing your artistic endeavours in your own time (night classes, self-teaching etc). You'll still get to follow your dreams, but come graduation, you won't be crying and wondering how you're going to make ends meet for the next fifty years. And, hey, you can always do a Masters.
3. Your art will be marked, and it may not to be your tutors taste. This is a biggie that few people consider. Trust me, I found out the hard way. You may be the best artist on earth. Your tutor loves you! You may even have a bundle of firsts to show for it. But then next semester approaches, and guess what? You're in a new group, with a new tutor. And this one isn't quite so keen. He favours another method to yours, or maybe he's a harsher marker than the last one - either way, he gives you a substantially lower grade than you've come to expect. You're heartbroken. When you enter the creative degree arena, you need to realise that there is no type of course less objectively marked. There is a basic criterium for grading, of course, but when it comes down to it, your tutor's personal preference trumps your own talent.
4. Three years is a long time. Think of all the projects and experience you could have undertaken in that time. While at uni, I kept getting alerts from My First Job In Film (aspiring filmmakers/screenwriters - highly recommend!) about wonderful opportunities that could've launched my career, but I couldn't do any of them because I had classes. Maybe, as they say, if you want to write, just write. On the other hand, you should be informed of opportunities while studying (e.g. competitions, artistic work experience) that you may not have known about otherwise. If you're a go-getter and really serious about being an artist, you can hunt these down yourself, though.
5. Education will help you, but it will also flatten your creativity and personal flair. Now, this is the controversial one. While style will - or at least should - be encouraged at university, you will almost certainly find yourself moulding your art in order to please your tutors. Art and fiction is supposed to be innovative, to push boundaries, to say something fresh, but it's hard to be experimental when you've got tutors to please and grades to achieve. I'm not saying your creativity in its entirety will be wrung out of you 'til you're bone dry, but your edges will be at least somewhat rounded by the time you're up there in your mortarboard and gown.
That's it. Just to clarify, I'm not trying to put anyone off studying a creative degree. They're a great deal more interesting than most, and I'm sure anyone studying them will have a wonderful three years. I just think that it's important to take these things into consideration when making your choice. All in all, it comes down to that first point, really. Don't take one of these courses because you're quite good at it and don't know what else to do - take a gap year instead and think it through, or do something else. After all, you can always transfer.
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