Art Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RISD— get to hang with the Brown students.

That’s why I wanted to Brown! (I mean, I didn’t, but I thought I would go to awesome parties)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RISD— get to hang with the Brown students.

That’s why I wanted to Brown! (I mean, I didn’t, but I thought I would go to awesome parties)

DS is at RISD, and having access to all of Brown's classes, clubs, and facilities (gym, libraries, etc.) has been a huge plus. It really broadens the college experience.

[Anonymous]

I’m an art school grad. It really really depends on what your dc is interested in. SAIC and Carnegie Mellon are very conceptual. RISD is more traditional. Ringling is a pipeline to Disney and Pixar. Pratt is great for illustration and architecture, and being in NYC offers a ton of work and internship opportunities in a wide range of artistic or art adjacent fields.

I went to SAIC, btw.

[Anonymous]

I went to Chelsea College. My cousin went to Central St Martins. Both excellent. Was actually cheaper than the US school. And London. So good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't forget about MICA in Baltimore!

Please forget about MICA. I have a family member who has worked there for many many years and they are in terrible financial trouble. He took the buy out and left last year because it’s not a positive place to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just art schools, or is DC also interested in universities with large art programs?
My DC applied to both. The big art school names are RISD, CalArts, Pratt, SAIC, SCAD. There's also Ringling and Parsons. Each school has a unique reputation and they vary wildly with regard to acceptance rates. SCAD accepts the majority of applicants; RISD accepted 14% for the class of 2028.
DC should attend National Portfolio Day to see where they stand and to learn about the different programs.

SCAD is questionable due to the administration. Think twice and do your research before going there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here - thank you for replies. Everyone mentions RISD as top, what other art schools are 2,3, 4 in terms of reputation.

Cooper Union
Yale

I am not sure whether Yale is also great for undergrad but it is for grad.

[Anonymous]

Colleges with strong undergrad art programs:
Williams, Yale, UCLA, VCU, USC, Wash U, Michigan, Indiana.
An alarming number of art colleges have dissolved over the last year. If your kid is going to art school, I'd only send her to the most reputable, wealthiest schools, which will likely remain solvent in the decades to come. If your kid isn't likely to thrive at one of the best art colleges, I'd recommend enrolling in a regular college/university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m an art school grad. It really really depends on what your dc is interested in. SAIC and Carnegie Mellon are very conceptual. RISD is more traditional. Ringling is a pipeline to Disney and Pixar. Pratt is great for illustration and architecture, and being in NYC offers a ton of work and internship opportunities in a wide range of artistic or art adjacent fields.

I went to SAIC, btw.

This!

I went to RISD.
Though I think RISD also has a strong illustration department. Also has 5 yr BArch if that is your interest.

Would not consider MICA (not selective) or SCAD (not selective, hear mixed things about the experience)

VCU is also very, very strong.

Really depends on anticipated major and areas of interest.

[Anonymous]

Ranking are meaningless in art schools. You go to the program that is best for your area of study. The best ceramic school is Alfred university. But I guarantee no one has ever heard of it. We felt RISD had a weird vibe and dc did not apply there. They spend too much time boasting on their link with Brown, and little time telling me what they offered. Also a good one is Temple University. They actually just absorbed another smaller art school in Philly. There art studios were impressive. National Portfolio Day is vital.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ranking are meaningless in art schools. You go to the program that is best for your area of study. The best ceramic school is Alfred university. But I guarantee no one has ever heard of it. We felt RISD had a weird vibe and dc did not apply there. They spend too much time boasting on their link with Brown, and little time telling me what they offered. Also a good one is Temple University. They actually just absorbed another smaller art school in Philly. There art studios were impressive. National Portfolio Day is vital.

We crossed Temple off our list bc of the extreme high levels of violent crime around campus.

[Anonymous]

If you live in Virginia, the value of VCU cannot be easily dismissed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colleges with strong undergrad art programs:
Williams, Yale, UCLA, VCU, USC, Wash U, Michigan, Indiana.
An alarming number of art colleges have dissolved over the last year. If your kid is going to art school, I'd only send her to the most reputable, wealthiest schools, which will likely remain solvent in the decades to come. If your kid isn't likely to thrive at one of the best art colleges, I'd recommend enrolling in a regular college/university.

Op here - Are the highly competitive schools listed above looking mainly at the art portfolio or the students academic grades ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges with strong undergrad art programs:
Williams, Yale, UCLA, VCU, USC, Wash U, Michigan, Indiana.
An alarming number of art colleges have dissolved over the last year. If your kid is going to art school, I'd only send her to the most reputable, wealthiest schools, which will likely remain solvent in the decades to come. If your kid isn't likely to thrive at one of the best art colleges, I'd recommend enrolling in a regular college/university.

Op here - Are the highly competitive schools listed above looking mainly at the art portfolio or the students academic grades ?

Both. Also, for the highly competitive schools your child should submit test scores (SAT, ACT). I didn't mention CMU, which a PP noted above, as also an excellent college with a strong art program. As an out of state applicant, DC will need to be extremely competitive all around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ranking are meaningless in art schools. You go to the program that is best for your area of study. The best ceramic school is Alfred university. But I guarantee no one has ever heard of it. We felt RISD had a weird vibe and dc did not apply there. They spend too much time boasting on their link with Brown, and little time telling me what they offered. Also a good one is Temple University. They actually just absorbed another smaller art school in Philly. There art studios were impressive. National Portfolio Day is vital.

Alfred is very well known for their ceramics program. And rankings/name recognition definitely matters in certain ways and in certain artistic fields.