Any parents going to Family Weekend at Ringling? I looked at the schedule, it doesn’t look interesting. 
@AskExperts --My kid went to Ringling years ago but we enjoyed the family weekend very much.
H and I are NOT artists so it was really a new experience to get to dabble a bit in the “art school” experience which was really fun…
Not sure it’s changed overly much since then after looking at the schedule.
We got to participate in a figure drawing class (an option) with a professor which really gave some insight as to what those classes were like and what your student was experiencing. I’m not an “art person” in the least so it was an eye opener for me and great fun. (And I got a few “pointers”!–It was truly just a typical class with instruction)
Same with doing ceramics as a family (with dessert included) --I still have the plates we made. Just a great family time that I still remember today. My kid was very excited to show us around which was worth a lot to us.
Having shared experiences let us ask better questions about our students experience and get a tiny feel at least of what was going on at school.
And meeting the parents was very fun too. It’s not a big school and so you’ll meet many of the students that your kid will interact with as well as their parents. Many sessions were separated into majors so you meet those professors and department heads that you’ll hear about for the next few years (as well as meeting the students in that class).
Sometimes your kid will talk about a classmate and you know who that is from meeting them. It was fun to hear from other parents about how Ringling became their choice and what they hoped their kids would achieve.
I lived close so it was pretty much a “no-brainer” to show up. I didn’t have to consider plane flights, hotel etc.
My kid was very excited to show me what she was working on, the campus, just everything. Plus I got to experience “art school” in a very small way that gave me a better though totally incomplete idea. I think “showing up” showed a stamp of approval on the decision of going to an art school. JMO (but easy decision for me).
Laguna is an awesome school a mile from the gorgeous Laguna Beach. My daughter attended pre-college there this summer for 5 weeks. She fell in love and has applied. She is also doing 2D character animation and has been accepted to SCAD, SVA, RIT, MassArt, Otis, and is being reviewed for Pratt. We are also waiting to hear from CalArts and Sheridan in Canada. Good luck to your son!
I know that this thread hasn’t been active recently, but given that there are many families with current and former art student in art colleges, I am hoping to reactivate it because I need your advice and perspective.
With the May 1 deadline looming large for my D19, I could really use some guidance in helping her make the final decision. Before Thursday, she was leaning very strong towards RISD. It had so many thing she is looking for in her college experience and education – excellent reputation as an art school, student body that is serious about the practice of art, a kick ass foundation year, strong commitment to liberal arts classes. She also considered the other two art schools, Pratt and Ringling. Pratt she ruled out due to Brooklyn; she loved Pratt’s intimate campus but she didn’t want to be overwhelmed by the challenges of navigating a very busy city while adjusting to college. Ringling, she really loved during precollege, the excellent teaching, committed student body, the high job placement opportunities. However, her Ringling merit scholarship, though excellent, is tied only to the major she was admitted to (VR) and it can not move with her if she changed her major if VR was the not fit. Without the scholarship, Ringling will be too costly. She won’t lose the RISD’s scholarship if she changes her major from illustration to something else after the foundation year.
She wore her RISD gear to school for a couple of weeks and informed her teachers and friends that she is mentally committed to RISD. THEN she was thrown a curve ball. Our flagship notified her on Thursday that she was awarded a merit scholarship that will cover all tuition costs, housing/board, fees, books, and give $2500 for travel and living expenses for 4 years. Study aboard will also be covered. The scholarship is only offered to one incoming student in the college of art and design every other year. This was completely unexpected and it is not something she applied for or knew it even existed. It’s truly an exceptional financial gift and it’s hard to ignore. The flagship is a very respectable big ten school, but its college of art and design is strong in some majors and in some majors we’re not sure. It doesn’t have an illustration major, like RISD. It’s student body is smaller in size than RISD and not as talented than RISD students in her opinion (which is important for her). The flagship is obviously huge in size in comparison to RISD, and the cultures of the school are very different. However, the flagship college of art will offer flexibility that she can create her own path and she can take as many classes outside of the art college or even minor in other than art if she chooses. It will take all her 24 AP credits so she can opt out of the university wide gen ed classes which will allow her to take more art electives.
Four years at RISD is essentially $200K and at the flagship will be $0. We have enough in 529 and with current income, RISD is doable. There is about $8k in gap annually for parent contribution and she’ll have to take student loans. (We have a sophomore in college and a freshman in HS as well). However, given that the flagship is an incredible financial gift, it’ really hard to ignore it. She is super torn about this. Her heart is all in RISD, but her mind that is very pragmatic knows the flagship will free her of future financial burden. If you were in our shoes, what would you do. HELP!
I also post this on the Art School admission 2019 thread as well. Thanks.