Are undergrad Art programs in Cornell, Brown, Columbia, harvard, and Yale good?

College Search & Selection
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I’ve heard different opinions about those schools. Yes I am also applying to art specific schools such as RISD, but I prefer those art programs in universities more. I know for a fact that those Ivy’s grad art programs are top tier, but I’ve found limited info about their undergrad art programs.

Can anyone know things give me a comparison between art programs in those schools with art specific colleges like RISD?

My art level is no problem, only the academics are my concern. Do those art schools in Ivy universities also look greatly on the portfolio and consider less on grade& scores just as art specific colleges such as RISD?

PS: can anyone give me a basic idea for the academic requirements for those art related schools? I have a 2200 SAT, 4.5 WGPA, and 4 and 5’s on 8 APs. Are those academic stats solid for top national art/design schools/programs?

Thanks for all answers!

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bump

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Re your PS: Yes, your academic stats are good enough to make you a viable candidate for admission at these schools. FWIW, the way to research this is to look at Common Data Set filings for each school and specifically the range of scores for the middle half of the entering class. There’s also info on class standing which reflects grades. But, as you probably realize, grades and scores are just the first cut rather than what determines who actually gets admitted. So it’s still a long shot but you’re in contention and, whatever the outcome, it’s unlikely that grades and scores will be the factor that determines whether you’re admitted.

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I am aware. I am just curious how those top schools treat undergrad art applicants. Do they treat me differently because of the art? Is there a way to look specifically for those undergrad art applicant’s scores in the whole student population in the common data set filings?

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From an industry perspective you should also be considering RISD.

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Since you meet the general cut-off for grades & scores and since, beyond that, most of these schools aren’t choosing/ranking candidates based on their grades and scores, it’s a non-issue. Whether you get in is going to be more about recommendations, demographics, and whether your portfolio or essay impresses the people who see your file. Basically, after the academically qualified hurdle, the next hurdle is “wow me” and/or “help me further some institutional goal.”

Common Data Set doesn’t break down HS credential stats by prospective major or area of interest. In your situation, the question I’d be curious about is which of these schools (if any) give arts faculty input into admissions decisions. Typically, faculty don’t get involved in undergrad admissions, but arts/music may be an exception. Here, for example, is Harvard’s policy on that issue: https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-process/application-requirements/supplemental-application-materials

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D looked into a range of schools for art.

A self standing art school will always have a portfolio review and will consider portfolio above all else. Some art schools will look at academics more, some less. Obviously your academics are not a concern for any art specific school, so for you admissions will be based on portfolio. That said, it can still be a highly competitive process, especially at a school like RISD. And remember that your grades will NOT help you get in. D mainly considered Pratt and Parsons in this category

Next D considered highly rated universities with portfolio based art programs. This includes schools like Carnegie Mellon and NYU. Both of these schools offer very strong art programs (BFA degrees) in a university setting. Both of these schools have portfolio reviews. Carnegie Mellon bases most of the outcome for admissions on the portfolio not grades. For NYU admissions is based 50% on portfolio and 50% on grades. At NYU this means that you must pass the portfolio review and then that is cross checked with admission’s decision that considers grades, scores, recs, EC’s etc. So grades won’t help with the portfolio review, but someone with a great portfolio may be rejected without the grades required. I would say that with an accepted portfolio, your scores and grades should be at the 25th percentile for accepted students as a minimum. Boston University and Syracuse also offer BFA’s in strong programs.

The next category we considered were colleges and universities that had a reputation for having strong art programs. D applied to Brandeis and Skidmore in this category. The ivies fall here too, but I have not heard much about their undergraduate programs. (Yale and Columbia are particularly strong for graduate MFA’s.) These schools offer BA degrees in studio art, so there will be fewer studio art credits required and more academics. Portfolios are not required for admissions. So basically you are getting in using the same admissions criteria as everyone else applying. It would be important to send a portfolio for a review by the art department, and that may give you a slight bump for admissions if it is exceptional, but it will not make a huge difference for admissions-- not in the way a portfolio is considered in BFA programs.

D is now in her senior year at NYU in their studio art program with a sculpture concentration. She applied ED so she withdrew her other applications. She did get accepted to Pratt as well (EA) with a nice merit scholarship.

D loves the balance of academics and studio work at NYU. It is a contemporary/ conceptual program, so plenty of academic discourse, readings and papers as well as high caliber art. The professors are all working artists in NY and D has a sense of what the art world is like in NYC.

She is planning in getting her MA at NYU in art education ( a one year program) and then getting an MFA down the road especially if her teaching job will help pay. Her plan is to balance being an art teacher ( perhaps eventually ban art professor) with being a working artist.

Have you gone to national portfolio day to get input in your portfolio from various schools? Some schools have separate review days-- or will allow you to come to campus for a preliminary review.

It’s important to understand what each art program offers, the philosophy of the program and the balance between academic requirements and art classes. Also consider the student body, location of the school and who the professors are and whether they are active in the art world currently.

I would be less concerned about whether a school is ivy-ranked, since that criteria just doesn’t apply to highly ranked art programs. It is very valid to want strong academics, but the ivies might not offer strong studio art on the undergrad level.

Good luck!

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Very helpful, @uskoolfish, as always!

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(x-posted with above forgot to click post)
I think when you ask about comparing art offerings you have to talk about what fields, as a RISD is going to have more offerings in more areas. Or are you talking about a studio art major? Then look at the universities course selections. Also it would be smart to look at the graduation and major requirements for these schools as well as compare them to art school. Brown has completely different graduation requirements than Columbia for instance. The schools you mention will all have across the board selective admissions and you meet the criteria. They do not break it out by major or dept, and most do not particularly admit by major. However demonstrated ability in art and uploading supplementary material to slideroom will get you evaluated by the department I’d think. Talent/ability in a particular artistic area is part of holistic admissions.

I don’t know too much about the Brown art dept but I am told it is quite good. You can take maybe 4 classes at RISD, which is down the street, also on College Hill. Jonathan Adler went to Brown and spent all his time at RISD ceramics studio he says but I don’t know how. Now they have a dual degree program but it is extremely selective, no more than 25 a year. I am super impressed by this, glimpse of her art at the end.
http://browncreativemind.com/conversations/lizzie-kripkie-brownrisd-dual-degree/

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@Autofire, You’ve received some good advice, so I’ll just add a few more points.

The undergraduate art degree at Cornell is the BFA. Students apply directly into the program, and portfolio submission is a required part of the admissions process. A portfolio interview is strongly recommended.

At the other schools, the undergraduate degree offered is a BA which is somewhat less studio intense than the BFA. Columbia has a core curriculum, Yale and Harvard have distribution requirements. Brown has an open curriculum.

Students are admitted to the university in general. They declare their major at a later point, usually sometime in their sophomore year. All of these schools have excellent graduate MFA programs and good to very good undergraduate programs. The teaching focus varies from more concept driven to more technique driven. You would get a better feel for the differences when you visit the departments.

My son’s favorites for their undergraduate art programs were Yale and Brown, but personal preference is variable. He ended up at Williams and went to Cornell for graduate school, but in architecture. My impression of Cornell is that while their studio art program is solid, it is overshadowed by the architecture program.

The Brown/RISD joint AB/MFA program is a different animal.

For the BA degrees, portfolio is not required, but is certainly a good idea if art is your major extracurricular. Your grades and scores plus a strong portfolio would make you a viable candidate for any of these schools, but as admissions is highly selective and competitive, so there’s no guarantee. Your essays, recommendations, other ECs, demographic and life experience will also be significant factors. As always, you will need one or two safeties.

I would also suggest that you also consider academically strong small liberal arts colleges that have excellent art departments. I would look at Williams, Wesleyan, Vassar, Skidmore, Conn College, Pitzer. Smith if you are female.

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thanks for all the advices!

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@BrownParent Thanks, so for those ivies I can only get advantage of my art through sending art supplements? Since I dont really apply to one major or program but to the entire school in general?

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@uskoolfish Thanks for the paragraph! tbh I am not really putting those ivies over art schools, I am just getting more side options beside art specific schools.

From what I understand, the category 3 colleges treat art kids the same, so I only could get advantage of my art talent through form of art supplements? However, if a category 2 college let you to apply to an art program, which requires a portfolio, my art skill will be weightily judged? So those ivies in 3rd category are generally not too concerned about the portfolio, but the overall abilities as a student to fit in?

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@momrath Thanks! I am also interested in Cornell’s architect. So are you saying Cornell is different from other schools since the admission looks at portfolios in specific programs heavily?

May you explain this sentence? “Columbia has a core curriculum, Yale and Harvard have distribution requirements. Brown has an open curriculum.”

I don’t quite understand what are the “core curriculum, distribution requirements, and open curriculum”?

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Core curriculum means that there is a set of courses that every student must take (see Columbia’s core requirements [url=<a href=“http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/%5Dhere%5B/url”>http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/]here[/url] includes specific classes in Contemporary Civilization, Literature, Art, Music, Science and Writing.

Distribution requirements (which Columbia has, in addition to the core curriculum) are designed to make sure that all students have some exposure to the major disciplines. Using Columbia again, all students have to complete specific requirements in science, ‘global core’, foreign language, and physical education.

Open curriculum means that there are few if any requirements beyond the ones that specifically link to your major. At Brown, for example, besides your major (called concentration), you have to do 2 writing courses - 1 in the first 2 years, and 1 in the second- or document that your other coursework has had an adequate writing component.

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Don’t you do any reading of the college websites or self education, needing spoon feed from 3rd party website is no substitute for your own reading of the basics on a particular college you are interested in.

Core is used to describe the comprehensive requirements a few colleges like Columbia and Chicago have. Distribution or general ed requirements are breadth classes you need to take to fulfill graduation requirements at most colleges, open curriculum means few colleges like Brown that do not require specific core or distribution but you fill required total credits by choosing yourself, except in your major usually (but then you can put your own major together with an adviser.)