Trying to choose between the usual suspects (SCAD, SAIC, MICA, Ringling, Cal Arts, etc) and the lesser known “University” programs at RIT and Syracuse. Anyone know anything about the SU program? Any other thoughts?
We visited RIT and hated it. Facilities for animation were mediocre at best. The film program is really the star there. The campus is dreary and winters there are harsh. My D has applied to Syracuse too, but we don’t know much about their program; if she is accepted we will go check it out since we live only a few hours away. (She is waffling now on animation and may end up at Temple/Tyler to get a more traditional BFA and then decide whether to go on with animation at the graduate level.)
SCAD has a very good animation program, but the building where the animation labs are is pretty far from the rest of the campus so you will have to be able to put up with a lot of shuttle bus riding. My D did a one week animation workshop there last summer, and liked the instructors and facilities, but the distance between buildings was a real turnoff for her and she did not apply. You can also study animation at their Atlanta campus, which is more compact but really small. The facilities and equipment at both are excellent though.
Ringling, CalArts, and SVA seem to be the top “art-only” schools for animation. I don’t know much about the programs at SAIC or MICA, but my guess is that animation and computer art is really not a top focus of those schools because they are so strong in traditional arts. My D was accepted at SAIC but really wants to attend a university so we haven’t even visited there. There are a few other threads here about SAIC that have more information though.
Thanks for your thoughts. We had a very good visit to RIT and SCAD but agree with your comments about both. Finding just the right place with a strong animation program and balanced university life is proving to be a challenge.
I think SCAD is great if you can handle the spread-out campus. It has lots of diffferent majors besides art - including Equestrian! And pretty good sports like lacrosse, so it feels more like a university than some of the others. It has over 10,000 students and is by far the biggest college in Savannah, so there’s that. The people of the city really embrace SCAD too. Our high school sends lots of really good art students there. The girl my daughter roomed with last summer is going there for fashion design, as is one of her own HS classmates. I have a friend whose son is there now as a film student and is doing really well, playing lacrosse, and enjoying himself. He chose SCAD over RIT. It was my daughter’s original dream school, and we were surprised by how much she didn’t like Savannah. That’s just a matter of taste though.