Art School BFA vs BA in Art at Regular Uni

[Anonymous]

My son desperately wants to get a BFA in photography, which means going to art school. I want him to have a regular liberal arts education, something to fall back on and he can still major in art. Has anyone gone through this with their teen and what was the result? FWIW, I went to art school BFA and MFA and I still ended up being a physician.

[Anonymous]

Nope. My sibling has a BFA and another degree who lives at home with my parents at the age of 40+. She has never had a job for longer than 18 months and then quits for some stupid reason and takes 6 months to a year or more to find a new job. If my children want BFAs, they can pay for their own education and I will take their college fund and buy a one bedroom luxury condo so they will not be able to move in with me.

[Anonymous]

I honestly never saw much difference between a BFA and a BA. I find a BFA more prestigious, FWIW.

[Anonymous]

I have a BFA and have been gainfully employed since 2 weeks after graduating 15 years ago.

[Anonymous]

If you are a loaded physician with ties to the museum/galleries/art community then go for it because you can probably help your son get a job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. My sibling has a BFA and another degree who lives at home with my parents at the age of 40+. She has never had a job for longer than 18 months and then quits for some stupid reason and takes 6 months to a year or more to find a new job. If my children want BFAs, they can pay for their own education and I will take their college fund and buy a one bedroom luxury condo so they will not be able to move in with me.

This has nothing to do with your sister's degree and everything to do with your sister....stop blaming the school, degree and the decision she made 20+ years ago as an excuse for her problems today. She clearly needs help and if you were honest about the situation you would realize that this would have happened to her whether she had gotten a business degree or a BFA...I feel for your family since I'm sure it's hard to see, but I also feel for your sister because no one seems to want to get to the heart of the problem. God help your kids if they have any similar struggles in life - doesn't sound like they will have a strong support system to catch them and pull them up.

OP - I'm not an expert in this at all, but my DD considered going to art school so I have some exposure to it. She applied and ultimately decided she wanted a more typical college experience with more options. She is deciding now about majors and it's turning out to be completely different than what she expected - although still in an artistic field. She is also considering and researching some Master's degree at art schools both here and abroad.

I would encourage your DC to look at regular universities that have strong art programs (and many of them actually have BFA's if he wishes to go that route). He may be hell-bent on the BFA in photography now which could be done at a regular university, but he could discover that he wishes to also study something else that could add to his degree. Not to mention the fact that he may change his mind (2 or 3 times actually...) before he truly settles on what he wants. I would look at both options and really think about the pros and cons of both. He may not be attracted to the typical college in his mind, but there are so many to choose from that may offer exactly what he needs. Have you taken him to look at various schools?

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

BFA or BA at well known, prestigious art school (Parsons, Pratt, RISD) is fine, all others mostly useless.

[Anonymous]

I don't know, OP. I have a BFA from MICA, and it's not how I make my living. I'm by no means sorry I got it, though. I learned a lot of things that are applicable to real life and my career.

Photography is a medium that translates really well into real world paychecks, though (as opposed to say, lithography...which is what I studied).

I could go either way on this one.

[Anonymous]

16:39 again. If he's hell-bent on being a photographer, and a good one, then a BFA from a place with a really strong photography program (regardless of what kind of college it is) is a good idea...moreso than a so-so program at another place that may be more liberal-arts focused. The business end of things is something you can get from other classes. MICA used to have a great business of art class back when I went a million years ago, and I'm sure other places have similar offerings.

[Anonymous]

Has he attended portfolio days? Do they still have those?