Hi - I’m a high school senior who recently applied to mostly art schools and a few universities for undergrad arts programs under Graphic Design. I just heard back from a couple this month, and I’m already having a hard time deciding where to go.
I’m an American citizen who hasn’t really lived in America long enough to know the lifestyle differences between the East and West coasts, or their stylistic differences regarding art. I have heard that art schools in California tend to be more experimental with their approach to art than the East coast.
Schools that I’ve heard back from so far:
California Institute of the Arts (No Scholarship)
School of Visual Arts ($50,000 Scholarship)
School of the Art Institute of Chicago ($63,000 Scholarship)
Maryland Institute College of Art ($20,000 Scholarship)
I was really thrilled initially when I received my acceptance to CalArts because its been a dream school since I was young, but now I’m really troubled because I need to consider offers from other schools with higher scholarships.
Any help/suggestion/insight is highly appreciated!
Might CalArt consider providing a scholarship if they knew you had scholarships from other schools? I’m not familiar with art institutes, but many private US colleges will negotiate the financial aid package with proof that the student they admitted has a better offer from a comparable school. (The key word here is comparable - they don’t usually offer anything if they feel the other school(s) were less selective.) Get in touch with financial aid at CalArt and let them know that they are your first choice - but you need more aid. Of course, if that’s not the only issue - and a comparable financial package would not be decisive - then you don’t want to start down this road.
Also, I can’t speak for the others, but I know that CalArts is very highly regarded in Graphic Design. My brother got his degree in Graphic Design from CalArts some years ago and 100% of his class was hired straight out of college (he was hired by a top ad agency where he is now a creative director). Very experimental, cutting edge. Bear in mind he also said that the course is tough and 1/3 of the class dropped out before the end. But worth it. Whether it’s worth $50K more than your other options I can’t say, but I would contact CalArts and see what they’d give you based on your other scholarships.
Just want to mention that the high drop out rate isn’t necessarily because the course work is too tough. The CalArts student I know got an amazing job offer in his second year, which he took fully intending to finish the degree later. His career has taken off so he’s not graduated yet. But that doesn’t mean he (or others) dropped out because the coursework was too tough.
Have you visited any of these schools?
Have you communicated with faculty or students?
Have you seen their work?
Have you analyzed the net costs, considering all factors (including room, board, and travel)?
What matters isn’t the size of the scholarship but the net, total cost of attendance … and of course, what your family can afford. Is CalArt even feasible without a scholarship? How far apart are the others in net costs? Does the cheapest one (Art Inst of Chicago?) have the programs you want and is it in other respects a good fit?
Insanedreamer: I don’t know much about CalArts’ program in graphic design but after reading about your brother it seems that It’s very well known! Has your brother talked to you about his experience studying Graphic Design at Calarts? How did he describe his experience there, other than the rigorous courseload? The only thing that is putting me off about CalArts right now is my lack of understanding of the program (like what they emphasize and what they don’t, what they value more)
N’s Mom, I haven’t negotiated with CalArts about scholarships yet but I recently received a scholarship notification of $8,000 from CalArts. None of my other schools can really compete with CalArts’ selectivity, so I don’t think they will be willing to give me more than that, but thank you for the advice!
tk21769, I’ve visited all of those schools and looked at the prices for going to college at each and I don’t believe money will be a huge problem for any of those schools - the main issue for me is to pick the school that can offer the most opportunities and nurturing environment. The hardest thing for me is that I feel each of those schools ‘fit’ me in different ways, which is why its hard to eliminate any one school off the list.
US news and world report just issued the rankings of Best fine arts programs #1 is yale and tied for #2 is UCLA and
VCU. Both have tremendous undergrade programs . VCU in particular is a great program and priced reasonable!
Unless money is no obstacle for you, I would go to the most affordable option, because those are all good schools and I don’t think there is a significant stylistic difference between the west and east coast art schools. I’d look at SVA in NYC and Art Institute in Chicago and price out the living costs as well as tuition after scholarship. Also, visit if at all possible to get a feel for the art styles and vibes there and also to get a feel for whether you see yourself living in that city. But here it is May already so you may have already chosen one ;-).
the top school and reasonable priced is VCUARTS ranked #2 fine art program in America only behind Yale #1.
However very competitive to get in and stay in.