Thank you for your replies and advice to apply early to precollege programs, @gouf78, @JBStillFlying, @AskExperts.
My D loved her experience at SAIC, but would like to try precollege at a different school. She really liked SAIC’s instructor, love the physical space of SAIC, and the enormous dorm rooms. However, she did not love the location of the dorm; she felt it was in a quite touristy area and too many homeless people along the route from dorm to SAIC She also felt there was a wide range of skill level, at least in her session but not so much in her figure drawing class. She is seeking a program where the instruction and student skill level is higher and more consistent. She wants to push herself. She saw some of the portfolios at the recent NPD and realize that there is definite bar she wants to try to achieve.
@JBStillFlying RISD’s precollege is definitely the most expensive and we have to seriously consider if that’s financially sound. My daughter thinks RISD is her reach school and we wonder if attending its precollege would help figure out if it’s the right school for her if she does get accepted. @gouf78 and @AskExperts Ringling’s precollege is also very attractive because of computer animation and because 4 weeks vs 6 weeks at RISD. Though she would like to go to a longer program, but she does have other commitments over the summer. Also, my D really likes to illustrate digitally and is very comfortable with the technology, but many schools told her at NPD that she should not include digital artwork in her portfolio.
My bigger question is how important is it go to an art school with prestige to find employment after graduation? The answer may help us figure out which precollege program to applied to and considered. I have learned from your previous comments in other posts that art school is expensive and offer few opportunities for merit scholarship. Many mentioned that schools like MICA, Tyler at Temple, and Pratt offer merit scholarship, though I don’t know how big the merits are. Our only experience with college apps is with my S17 who is majoring in Electrical Engineering. Because our EFC is high, he applied to a range of schools to compare aid. Out of 13 schools, he received need aid of $25k only from Northwestern and the rest only offered merit aid ranging from $0 to full tuition. He ultimately decided on a school that offered full tuition even though its EE program was not as highly ranked as other nationally stronger programs.
For our D, our EFC will be very similar, so our presumption is that need aid will be $0 or minimal so targeting schools that offer larger merit scholarship will be important to have in the mix. She does have high academic stats, but not tippy top perfect, close thoug. She also has meaningful and long term activities. Does the latter matter for art schools? Her days are so full and physically exhausting due to academics especially as a junior, robotics and hockey that there is so little time to do personal art outside of art class. She would like to drop something but can’t due to the fear that it may hurt college applications.
@cag60093 D received a $14K a year merit aid award when she applied to Pratt EA several years ago. It was purely merit aid (no need) and talent based. But if your son qualified for some financial aid at Northwestern, it is possible for your D to qualify for a combination of merit and financial scholarships, too. When I said we did not qualify for aid, it is because our FAFSA showed our expected family contribution (EFC) to be $99K plus. If your EFC is below the cost of tuition, you still may qualify for some need based aid in addition to talent scholarships if a school really wants you. And in that case, I would say that academics could help as well.
@uskoolfish Thank you for sharing your D’s experience. Our FAFSA EFC is not high as yours, but is higher than cost of tuition at private schools. I would like to proceed with the thought that receiving need aid is unlikely so that we don’t get caught off guard. My D’s academic stats may be competitive, but I don’t yet know if her talent warrants merit aid yet.
Northwestern and other tippy-top elite uni’s have more in the way of institutional funds for need-based aid. In contrast, most art/design colleges offer merit but not a lot of need-based (other than federal grants and loans). RISD may be changing that a bit - @BrooklynRye has a kid there and can chime in.
In terms of prestige, the nationally-ranked schools obviously will have more name recognition which certainly helps in terms of job placement. It’s very important to check out things like placement rate in your field, professional development opportunities, internship opportunties, etc. Selectivity can be very important because it signals quality and - very important! - restricts the supply of competitors from your own school!
Engineering is a bit of a different animal from art/design just due to the high degree of consistency from school to school in terms of curriculum. Not sure if that’s due to ABET or not. Art/design BFA programs accredited by NASAD tend to teach a very similar foundation year but are still highly individualized in terms of philosophy, style of instruction, degree of flexibility in the program, etc. Not that this means some are more rigorous than others because a BFA studio program is definitely rigorous and challenging. It’s just that your degree of success can have as much to do with a good match to a particular school as it does with degree of rigor, quality of instruction, professional development, and overall reputation.
@cag60093 Forgot to mention one thing. During the closing ceremony, the VP said they were thinking of extending the precollege program from 4 weeks to 6. Please consult with the school first.
@cag60093 Hello!
I actually attended Ringling Precollege over the summer, even though RISD is my top choice. The reason being Ringling fit better in my summer schedule, and it was a bit less pricey. Also, I had the ability to experiment both with animation and illustration to see which one I liked better. If I had gone to RISD Pre-College, I would have had to decide between one or the other.
I have a friend who attended the RISD Pre-College over the summer, and I have to say, either one your daughter goes to, her portfolio will improve immensely. Both my friend and I have way more of a solid portfolio after the summer was over.
I went on a tour of RISD over a long weekend recently and found out that RISD doesn’t prioritize people who went to their Pre-College, but I was told by the Ringling Admissions Office that they do take into huge consideration those who attended Ringling PreCollege. So that’s something to keep in mind.
I really really loved my experience at Ringling over the summer, and definitely recommend it, but RISD is great too, it’s just not as great for your wallet.
@JBStillFlying Your comments were helpful. Yes, ABET accreditation for engineering schools definitely provide consistent curriculum. In addition, according to all the CC regulars concerning engineering schools, it does not matter where you go, especially if financing COA is a concern.
Yes, the rigor, instruction style, higher standards, opportunities for internships and jobs are valuable my D. She is a practical artist and want to be employable and productive. She definitely wants to attend a school that will provide excellent instruction and guide her about various industries.
@pastelrain Thank you for sharing your experience at Ringling. I like the idea of trying illustration and animation. She also likes both, but is leaning towards illustration. Though she’s worried that illustration major is the most competitive at Ringling and RISD. At the time, 4 weeks vs 6 weeks is definitely more ideal for many reasons - cost is definitely one of them. It looks like November 1 is the opening date for Ringling and RISD. She will have some work ahead of her. I would love to hear about your application process throughout this year. Thanks again.
Ringling is MOST competitive for 3 D animation. The acceptance rate to CA hovers at 10% but you may be offered acceptance in motion design, gaming etc which may be even a more desirable major depending on your interests.
I would check those options out. Keep track of application deadlines. They differ.
Statistically RISD is much more competitive for illustration major…
Ringling has a fabulous career services department.
Hi, I am a prospective graphic design student completing my SlideRoom portfolio for early action.
For parents and students who have gone through the portfolio application process, do schools want you to write additional details in the space provided on each piece in SlideRoom? I haven’t found much of an answer through online research.
I am applying to PRATT, Parsons, SAIC, and SCAD if that’s any help!
@BadKerning - best advice is follow the directions on the individual school websites. My kids’ experience has been that some schools welcome a little detail, others want the work to stand on its own so additional detail isn’t necessary. Some don’t really comment on it one way or the other (so it’s probably not something they even read). You should provide the Title, date created and the medium for all, of course. Perhaps original size too, if it’s an image of an original painting or 3D piece. I’ve heard that the adcoms can flip through the slides pretty quickly so the best way to get your stuff noticed is to have a good quality image in the first place.
@gouf78 Thanks for the heads up. My D19 is leaning towards an illustration major, but would like to how she fairs in computer animation or gaming art if she can attend Ringling’s precollege program this summer. She is anxiously looking forward to Nov 1 application opening.
@cag60093 The application process was super easy. No portfolio or transcript was required for either, just some short answer questions. I do believe if you are applying for scholarships you do have to submit a couple of art pieces though. I heard back in probably 2 or 3 weeks from Ringling and maybe a month or so for RISD. After all, it’s Pre-College so they don’t expect /too much/ at first.
@BadKerning It really does depend on the school and they may not list all the requirements on the slideroom site itself. My S went back to the schools art web sites for the specific requirements. One school asked for an individual inventory sheet of each item with title, date created, medium and size I think. They also had a specific method on the labeling of each item and it had to be sequential. Just follow the instructions on each site and if in doubt call or email to ask.
Just a little check-in after visiting my daughter at SVA. She is loving school, loving life in NYC, has great friends, and a busy life. Classes are great, she loves them! She loves her intro to animation class and story pitch the most. I have been impressed with all the industry extras they have for the students (something every week) for them to attend. They have tons of social opportunities for the students as well. She is so happy! I’m breathing a sigh of relief after our visit. Turns out the school she felt all along was “her” school was the right fit. For now, it’s worth the extra money we are spending (future will tell if it’s the right decision). I will say that even with no meal plan, my girl has lived very frugally in the city, and done great budgeting her money, so that has been a pleasant surprise. I’m sending good vibes for all of you in the application process… it was super stressful this time last year!
@moonpie I’m so happy to hear she’s loving the city. My daughter is doing early action for SVA…her application is almost done. Just finishing up her portfolio
@moonpie I’m so happy to hear she’s loving the city. My daughter is doing early action for SVA…her application is almost done. Just finishing up her portfolio
Good luck!!! @NYCMomof3 such a stressful time!!! Mine did EA as well, and it was so nice to know she had early acceptance (and scholarship) before christmas!!
DS applied to SCAD. He submitted his Portfolio as well for scholarship consideration. For those who have heard from SCAD, how long did it take once everything was submitted? Did you hear via email or through traditional mail?
She also felt there was a wide range of skill level, at least in her session but not so much in her figure drawing class. She is seeking a program where the instruction and student skill level is higher and more consistent. She wants to push herself. She saw some of the portfolios at the recent NPD and realize that there is definite bar she wants to try to achieve.