Agree with above posters, definitely go for the scholarship. Congrats!! @magnetnh
@pastelrain I didn’t know about the SCAD GRAD path program. That’s an interesting program!
So DS went to upload for the portfolio scholarship but it said that If you have already submitted a portfolio to Slideroom for admission, the first 10 images of your portfolio will be considered for Tyler’s Merit Based Portfolio Scholarships (One MUST be a self-portrait). You do not need to resubmit your portfolio. I guess he is all set!
You know, it’s amazing how this process works out in the end! Here’s how our process has gone so far: daughter looked at SCAD in 10th grade (because we happened to be in Savannah), liked it, did a weeklong summer program there, and while she enjoyed it, decided it probably wasn’t the best fit for her, mostly program-wise, but also wasn’t thrilled with having to take buses to get from place to place on the campus. Visited MICA and RISD, both of which she really liked while visiting. Went to visit SAIC, and immediately fell in love with Chicago. As a New Yorker, I think the ‘big city’ felt familiar and she loved the location of campus, etc. Toured SAIC and she was inclined already to love it–and I immediately had reservations about it being a good fit for her (things like the open curriculum and no grades, while they seemed attractive to her at the time, would probably NOT be best for her for a variety of reasons). She did 2 sessions there last summer, had a blast (while complaining that one, she didn’t learn anything in her first session, and two, couldn’t stand the second teacher, and three, basically found nothing she wanted to eat in the dining hall for four weeks except mozzarella sticks). So, basically she loved the dorm, loved the city, and loved her fellow students, but I kept pointing out that she didn’t love stuff about the SCHOOL itself. Still, it didn’t deter her.
Fast forward to now. Accepted to SCAD, plus UVM and Bard, and then MICA (deferred to regular decision at UMichigan, which she didn’t love anyway). And strangely enough rejected outright from SAIC. For a week, devastated. Then, she starts looking through the MICA materials. Looking at the Foundation Year program. Looking at the Liberal Arts/Humanities offerings (one of the reasons she applied to Bard and UVM was that she wasn’t sure she was willing to give up access to good literature/humanities/social science classes). She joined the MICA accepted students Facebook group and has met some wonderful and very talented people there. And suddenly she’s acknowledging the stuff about SAIC that made it a not-as-good fit for her. She’s concluded that the rejection from SAIC was the universe’s way of pointing her in the right direction (because if she’d gotten into SAIC, she would have gone).
There’s still RISD to apply to, but she’s never believed her portfolio was good enough for them, anyway, and is a little worried about it being more “intense”, so she’s fairly sure she’s going to be in Baltimore next year.
So I guess we can call this process a big success?! What a wild ride!
Oh, an interesting side note, we visited Johns Hopkins over the summer with my younger daughter (now a junior). My art kid was with us. Art kid had the best time on the JHU tour, LOL! Clicked with our tour guide, loved the campus, loved the quirky diner we ate at nearby. We kept saying, “If you weren’t planning on studying art, this would have been the perfect school for you!” No idea how practical/feasible it is for MICA students to take classes at JHU, but the fact that they CAN also feels like a sign from the universe!
Oh, and I should have noted, when I’m talking about “fit” I’m mostly talking about the things she’s interested in studying. Originally she thought sequential art, which is why SCAD was on her radar first. But then she decided that was too narrow, and she probably will major in Illustration. Especially looking for Illustration programs that include sequential/comic art, graphic novels, but also character design and she’s also interested in/experienced in game design and game art. When we watched MICA’s video on their Illustration program, the first three things they mentioned (in addition to traditional illustration) were comic art, character design, and gaming! I swear, I was thinking, “Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!”
@KCHWriter That’s incredible! It’s exactly the reason why I’m trying not to get too attached to my top choice, RISD, because in the end it may not be the best option for me; we’ll never know until looking through which schools felt like I’d be a good fit for their campus. I’m so glad your daughter is warming up to the idea of MICA and is forgetting about the heartbreak of SAIC.
I GOT INTO RINGLING!!!
I’m so incredibly happy. This is one of my top choices after RISD, I fell in love with the school during pre-college. I started crying in the middle of my french class when I found out. I’m so so so happy!! 
Congrats @pastelrain!
@KCHWriter MICA is very interdisciplinary and encourages exploration among related fields. It’s possible to major, minor and I think concentrate in three different areas! Or something like that. It made my kid’s head spin - she wanted the school to let her know what subjects she should take (and is very happy with the structure of Pratt as a result). Me - had I been art-inclined - would probably have chosen MICA for the more free-range approach.
WOO-HOOOO!! Congrats, @pastelrain!!!
@KCHWriter Your post couldn’t have come at a better time for me. DS and I are both on edge, waiting for an admission decision from the last two schools, wondering which will be best for him. It’s so stressful. DS loves graphic design and photography, but he also is a sports junkie who would love to be at a college with big football and basketball games to attend. So it’s a constant back-and-forth. I have to trust that the right schools for him will become increasingly apparent as we visit more schools and get all decisions. It will be a long two months! But I’m so happy that you all have narrowed in on MICA That’s awesome that she’s excited about it! It’s a lesson in trusting the process.
@pastelrain Congrats on Ringling! You have so many good options, can’t wait to see what you decide!
@pastelrain CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Thanks, @JBStillFlying, I think you articulated it well for me. Yes, she’s definitely looking for enough “free range” so that she can maybe craft a major that includes a few interrelated interests, but not SO free range as the schools with the open curriculum (from what I can tell, SAIC and UMich/STAMPS) whereby you basically just need to accrue a certain number of credits that you can pick from anything. I’m sure some kids do wonderfully with that, and can self-focus and self-direct in a meaningful way. I worry that my ADHD kid (with many interests) would basically end up with a BFA in “dabbling”–and not really get an in-depth education in anything, if that makes any sense!
@KCHWriter sounds like she’s truly found a great fit! It’s so amazing to see these kids find a place that feels so right for them. I certainly can relate to the “free range” issue. My son is at a point where he’s truly finding who he is as an artist and is willing to try anything new then craft it in his own way so he loved everything at Tyler…and I do mean everything! I know my kid and I was admittedly a little worried that he’d be so caught up in trying everything that he’d end up as a “master of none” if you know what I mean. He’s definitely a kid that needs structure.
I totally know what you mean, @itsreallymia2 --and that was exactly my worry with open curriculum, the ‘master of none’ thing. I wish we had looked at Tyler! It didn’t even enter my radar till very late in the game and at that point she already felt like she had enough schools to apply to. We probably should have looked anyway. Especially if it’s the “flexible, but not too flexible” category. 
@KCHWriter try not to second guess yourselves at this point, especially since it sounds like she’s found her fit. I know That’s easier said than done
Congrats @pastelrain!! Your journey is fabulous to follow!
@KCHWriter @itsreallymia
I think the nature of being an artist just lends itself to dabbling. Not only in different art forms but in all sorts of creative outlets. Look at all the above posts seeking art schools which also offer x, y, & z. That curiosity will serve them well!
The expression “jack of all trades, master of none” is always cut off from the rest of the phrase: “but oftentimes better than a master of one”.
Perhaps the best fit is the one that suits your style. Some prefer structure, others a more open curriculum. If you like them, and they like you, that’s another indication of a “best fit”.
@NYart15 @JBStillFlying I certainly agree with you both.
There are students who can handle more of a “free range” style. With my son it’s a delicate balance. He loves to explore but has very specific goals so that exploration still needs to happen within certain perimeters. For him that means that he needs the freedom to explore “conceptually” and be challenged as an artist while continuing to hone his game art design skills. For him, Tyler wasn’t strong enough in structured game design.
CMU is his fit. He spent the summer at their game design precollege and fell in love. He kept saying how he’d never worked so hard without it feeling like work. He met So many artists that were in to tech and tech/science kids who were in to art that he said he found “his people”.
@pastelrain Congrats on Ringling! DS met a rep and loved it but it was too far from him. You have great choices.
Thank you everyone I’m just so thrilled, Ringling is amazing. I’ve been smiling ever since I got the news, haha.