I want to apply to a fine arts school or program and I’ve live in VA, so I will be applying to the VCU arts program but I’ve been told that they are extremely selective when choosing in-state students, because they get more money for out of state applicants. Besides VCU there are no good art programs or schools in my state, so I’ll have to pay a lot to go to art school since I don’t apply for a drastic amount of financial aid. Also, I started film photography freshman year so I do have somewhat of a background in art, but I started oil painting and drawing in my junior year, I know that its late but I’ve improved so much and have the basics down, but of course I still have a lot to learn. I’m so passionate about art I want to go to a good school more than anything & I’m in 2 different art classes & went to the summer program in SAIC on $750 merit scholarship. I have a 3.6 GPA and I’m expecting an ACT score of 24-26. So my questions are, are there any more affordable art schools/programs that still are accredited and have good opportunities? What are my chances of getting in? & what are my chances of getting into any art schools in England, such as UAL? Am I aiming too high? Are there any other options? I don’t want to end up not getting into any art school or program and be forced into getting a different degree in a random university in my state.
My schools in mind are…
VCU
SVA
MAIC
Pratt
PAFA
SMFA (I think Tufts is above my academic level though)
SAIC (so expensive though)
UAL
Paris College of Arts
Cleveland Institute of Arts
BU College of Arts (BU has been emailing me to come to visits but never for their art program, so I don’t know?)
My son got into VCUArts with a lower GPA & test score than you but we’re out of state. I would really concentrate on putting together as good a portfolio as you can. My son was torn between VCU & Tyler (Temple U) but decided on Tyler since Philadelphia is closer to home. BTW, he loves it! I didn’t see SCAD or MICA on your list and as long as you’re considering BU you might want to look at Mass College of Art.
Check out MCAD (Minneapolis). Lower tuition than Pratt/SAIC etc. and very reasonable room and board costs. Plus they are very generous w/r/t scholarships. If you apply early action by December you will get the laptop scholarship as well.
Your GPA is fine but a lot depends on your courses as well. The art schools like to see a good college prep program. I know that at SCAD and MICA scholarships begin at a 3.0 GPA (not sure about Pratt). I predict that with your stats you’ll get some merit aid. Obviously your portfolio is important but if you attended the summer intensive at SAIC you should be pretty good shape - those precollege programs are serious portfolio builders.
Okay thank you for your help, what was your sons portfolio mainly based upon? I’m not sure if vcu would rather variety in mediums or one consistent theme because I’ve been told both
I don’t see Laguna College of Art and Design in CA on your list. You might want to read @gladiatorbird’s post on them - his son went there and loved it. Our DD2 did a precollege program there last summer, and our friend (who is a professional artist) said that the work they did was more demanding then what she was assigned in college. Coincidentally, there was a rising BU senior in her class who had taken the precollege program while in high school. She had returned to the precollege class for the summer session, and told our daughter that she learned more at LCAD than she had in three years at BU. She was planning to return there after graduation for a post bac. I love BU (DD1 graduated in May) but just reporting on what she said. I can tell you from personal experience that the foundational and figure drawing teacher, Hope Railey, is incredible. www.lcad.edu is their link I believe.
By the way, I would say that LCAD’s emphasis is on employ-ability (they have a very good reputation) and representational art of all genres. One thing that I am beginning to notice as we start looking at college programs is that figure drawing is often a class offered as upper division. At LCAD, foundational drawing is required for freshman year, and figure drawing for sophomore, but students are allowed to take it in the pre-college program instead . This saves them buckets of money. Last summer, it was 22 days, 3 hours each day from about June 22 - July 29th. Many high school students and entering freshmen took the courses concurrently, so they were there from 9 - 4 Monday through Thursday. It was surprisingly inexpensive (maybe $800 for the figure drawing class) although housing is not included.
If you are mainly interesting in painting and figure drawing, then you should know that the best training in classical realism-style is in the atelier system, which is for the most part not offered in traditional colleges. For those who want to work as successful freelance artists, take portrait commissions, etc., the atelier method is the best training.
The best schools for this are in Florence, Italy, with the Florence Academy of Art at the top.
LCAD, mentioned above, is included in this list of schools.
I am not an artist, but my daughter is a successful full-time professional classical realist–style painter who exhibits internationally. I believe she is giving another workshop at LCAD soon. She was impressed with the work of the instructors and students that she saw while there.
Can your family afford to pay for private, or OOS schools if you do not receive merit aid or need based grants? If not, you may want to add one or two more in state options as financial back-ups.
@woodwinds Just because someone expresses interest in painting, one can’t assume that they want to be a realistic painter as their end game. And to say that they need that training to work as a “successful freelance artist” is just wrong. D attends NYU which is very contemporary and conceptually based, but students do have a wide range of styles in painting and do have foundation classes which expose them to more classical training.
uskoolfish, the OP is asking what is out there. He/She said their interest is painting and figure drawing. Figure drawing means realistic/skill-based drawing, for if the drawing is done without skills or training it won’t look like a figure, naturally. High schools are not normally aware of the atelier training programs, therefore I will mention it if I read that someone expresses this interest. The OP can get on the websites, read the information, and decide for themselves what they want. And I don’t agree that a school which is mainly contemporary/conceptually based is a good fit for someone wanting to develop skills in realistic art. An aspiring classical realist artist will be far behind if she/she takes only a few foundation courses during four years of study.
Many of the students who study at the ateliers first got a BA in art at a university, only to find their skills lacking. IF one wants to work as a successful freelance artist in the classical/skills based area, the atelier method is the best training, and the fastest way to get there.
More information is a good thing, not a bad one. There have been quite a few parents and students who have PM’d me about this, and then attended ateliers.
@woodwinds You misunderstood my point. The only info that the OP provided was that he was interested in painting and figure drawing. That is not the same as saying that he was are interested in realistic drawing or painting. I agree that a contemporary based program might not be the best fit for someone who wants to do realistic work and is less interested in conceptual thinking as it pertains to art. But that doesn’t mean that they want to forsake a college experience to study classical art at this juncture. Painting can be done in many styles and many contemporary programs have excellent painting departments. There are many freelance artists who do not do classical work. Also, figure drawing on the high school level is often quick sketches and studies of the body. It does not mean that a student who does figure drawing will end up a realistic painter. Personally I think that if anything, most high school programs emphasize realistic work over conceptually based work. But it probably is true that they will steer students to colleges where they can earn a four year degree.
Wow! based for your post you really have your eye set on quite a lot of schools. I think you might want to focus on what it is you are truly aiming at. Though I think we have the same situation it’s just that I feel like you’re all over the place you know?
@sasha10 my son’s portfolio was primarily drawing since that’s his strength but did include a print and some sculpture that he had done in hs art class & summer programs. Schools really like to see drawing from observation - (do not copy photographs) I think most schools want to see between 10 & 15 pieces in your portfolio but you would need to check with the individual schools to see what their requirements are. Aside from drawings, stick with including the type of art that you’re best at.