Best Graphic Design School?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hey everyone</p>

<p>I am a senior in high school at the moment and am very heavily interested in graphic design; high chance of having this major.</p>

<p>I am just interested to see everyones opinions of art schools (especially for graphic design, photography... possibly illustration?)</p>

<p>So, I have seen a few colleges and am also planning to see more. This is my take on what i have seen</p>

<p>Pratt Institute (Pratt) -
Pros: Amazing campus, loved the surrounding area (unusual i know), Good teachers and graphic design department, Fantastic area to be in (new york)
Cons: Heard the buildings themselves are not very good (though i didnt notice), very expensive with low chance of scholarships, good sports, didn't see much of student clubs/activities (though just because i didn't notice....)</p>

<p>Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) -
This school was phenomenal, took a summer program there.
Pros: Good teachers (graphic design just sold company in NY), fantastic resources, good student morale (everyone loved it there, tons of groups) easy scholarships
Cons: Not in a good location for graphic design, Haven't heard much about internships OR study abroad (apart from lacoste), could be easily distracted</p>

<p>Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) -
Sorry guys, wasn't impressed
Pros: Prestigious as ****, excellent location, excellent FINE ARTS
Cons: Graphic design didn't seem too good, very expensive, scholarships arn't as common, not as many student run / student based activites/clubs etc., Facilities ok, nothing to brag about.</p>

<p>colleges i am going to see soon (this coming weekend for CA ones - so will post known info. after visit):</p>

<p>Art Institute of Boston (AIB) -
I know very little about this college, though i think Massart > AIB but could be wrong</p>

<p>Art Center College of Design (ACCD) -
Have heard amazing things about this school though still unsure. Very small school, NO HOUSING!?!? though could be worth it....</p>

<p>Massachusetts college of art (Massart) -
Fantastic city, Excellent price, (live in MA) once again, you get for what you pay for though have seen amazing work come out of here, not too sure what the facilities are like or student clubs activities etc.?</p>

<p>California Institute of the Arts (Calarts) - Heard very good things about this also, very small school though not as prestigious / held high as ACCD i think? Solid work from Calarts</p>

<p>Colleges i wont be able to visit:</p>

<p>School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) -
Seems like a lot of people really respect this place, rightly so also it seems, 80% kids out of state! Very strong photography have also heard which is good (my possible minor)</p>

<p>MICA -
It seems like RISD MICA and Pratt are all ones to compete to me, all in the same league. Of the three this is the only one not visited, and possibly by the sounds of it the one that might best fit me, i know very little of this college, Please inform me!</p>

<p>No other colleges come to mind as of now, would love to see a huge discussion of this, especially for graphic design field. Here is my art if any of you are interested.
Some of my portfolio is part of it
Orbilis</a> on deviantART</p>

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<p>Why is University of Cincinnati NOT on your list? In many ways, it could be the best of the bunch. See my review of University of Cincinnati on top of the Cincnnati forum and in the college visit forum.</p>

<p>RISD is highly ranked in Graphic Design, I loved the school;however, I can see that it isn't for everyone.</p>

<p>I also did a review of Pratt. See my review at the top of the Pratt forum.</p>

<p>You should also read over my review of RIT.</p>

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<p>Tyler</a> School of Art/Temple University</p>

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<p>Thanks for the prompt responses! Yeah i took a look at both colleges. They both seem like excellent universities. I especially liked Tyler so thanks a bunch! And thanks taxguy for the reviews =)</p>

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<p>And in case you didnt know, Tyler is moving from the Elkins Park campus to the main campus.</p>

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<p>Rutgers--Mason Gross School of the Arts. One of my good friends (a graphic designer--I work in publishing so I know a bunch of them) went there and is doing very well now. Easy enough to commute to city for internships. He was OOS, but I think it's still cheaper OOS than private art schools.</p>

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<p>Rochester Institute of Technology - traditional graphic design plus the latest software and technology</p>

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<p>I participated in a summer program at MassART, and while the facilities are not fantastic (the buildings are kind of unattractive and slightly dysfunctional), the location is awesome and, from what I saw/experienced, the teaching is good.</p>

<p>I have a friend who's really interested in graphic design, and she just LOVED MICA. Apparently it has a kick-ass graphic design department and is really beautiful.</p>

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<p>SVA, Pratt, & CCA are the top three schools for graphic design in your list as far as I have researched. Really depends on if you want to be like a commercial graphic designer. If that's the case, then I would aim for SVA because of its location. </p>

<p>SCAD is eh. RISD has a great everything. Pratt has a great design program in general. MICA is good for photography. SAIC is known for its traditional arts mentality. </p>

<p>I am applying to SAIC, RISD, Pratt, SVA, UMich, Yale, & SCAD as a photo major.</p>

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<p>gettinin- Thanks for the info, thats actually really useful, I've never heard of that school so thanks very much!</p>

<p>collegehelp- Yeah I've heard RIT isn't that bad for art, though sorry to disappoint I don't believe i will be able to focus as hard at RIT as i would straight Art colleges because I get lots of inspiration from other artists, their work and development, but thank you very much for your input =)</p>

<p>thisisfurious - Cool thats really neat you took a course at Massart! Yeah i am really inspired because its a VERY old State art college, and its really nice because the teachers obviously aren't teaching for the money there, so i could imagine that it is really good. In regards to facilities, I'm not sure how important they are, and i have heard the buildings and such are kinda disheveled but i really like the idea of being in boston, and also they do a good international exchange, im interested in Japan, and so it would be pretty beneficial to go there for a while studying, and convenient because it would be a LOT cheaper to go there, other places i may not be able to afford to study abroad.
Have also heard MICA is great, though i have heard the school is fantastic Maryland really puts a negative side on that school for me, i can't see any reason to go there over Pratt/Calarts because the location for graphic design wouldn't seem very good, none the less i am very interested in MICA - Thanks!</p>

<p>Brokenapertures - Yeah i never checked out SVA when i was in New York, unfortunately had not heard about it at the time. To be honest, the photography summer seminar course at SCAD was a bunch of BS, i do a tiny bit of photography, and I learned nothing there. However the professor for graphic design was fantastic. How come you're not applying to MICA?</p>

<p>Anyway i leave tomorrow to go to california, so will write what i thought of ACCD and Calarts when i get back, I'm hoping i love them both</p>

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<p>When did you do the SCAD Summer Seminar? I did it too! Haha.</p>

<p>And I'm not applying to MICA just because I am already applying to 11 schools. I don't know much about the school in general other than its photo program. Not much interest in going there.</p>

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<p>Wow! I did it this summer, seminar 2!! When did you!?</p>

<p>To be brutally honest, I would love to go to Pratt also, it is just that i am worried about the financial stuff. My parents said they will without me asking for for 80k of college, but they can't pay any more, which will leave a lot up to me if i go to pratt over SCAD, unfortunately.</p>

<p>So question for everyone</p>

<p>i could go to pratt and take huge student loans (maybe not that much depending on scholarship)
or
go to SCAD without much student loan (possibly none again depending on portfolio)</p>

<p>Is the education that much better?</p>

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<p>I'd go to Pratt. My couz goes to SCAD, and IMO he's getting a terrible education there. Big waste of money when he could've gone to Temple for $17,000-20,000 a year versus SCAD for $34,000 a year.</p>

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<p>I agree with above, minus the education part. SCAD's actual education is actually very decent comparatively to other schools. I would choose Pratt over SCAD even if it was just for the location and atmosphere. A friend of mine is an illustration major at SCAD, and he has experienced an absolutely awful awful time in just the few weeks that school has been in session.
Pratt is in NYC and in my opinion, that takes the cake. lololol.
And I went the Summer of '07.</p>

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<p>RIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My Girlfriend goes there. She loves it!</p>

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<p>Hey guys im back!</p>

<p>Sorry for the long delay.</p>

<p>Anyway, my trip to california was fantastic.
I'll get right to the point.
Would I like to go to college in California? Yes
Are the colleges there good? Yes
Am i realistically going to go there? no</p>

<p>here's why</p>

<p>Art Center College of Design:
This really is all its hyped up to be
Pros: AMAZING facilities, teachers and opportunities. This is the best art education you could possibly get in the world. All 4 undergraduate years are directed specifically to refine you in your major.
Cons: Only 10% of people who go there every year, are kids directly from high school. Around 50% of undergrads already have a BFA. They are really expensive (30k+ / year) PLUS they expect you to get your own flat, pay for your own car, all your bills..... Money is a big issue.</p>

<p>Yes i would Love to get their education! But I would not like going to a school not having dorm rooms / active clubs / other kids around my age in the same situation.
Even if i could afford to go here, i think i would turn it down.</p>

<p>California Institute of the Arts:
If the education was better, this school would be perfect!
Pros: Has many different schools, including music (i love to play guitar + drums) and dance (would love to learn breakdancing hip hop, though they wouldnt teach this, there are solid clubs due to dance school). Campus was AMAZING, fantastic area, surrounded by mountains, good facilities
Cons: I feel like i wouldn't learn much here. At the portfolio review, being told "you are leaps and bounds ahead of a lot of people" by the admissions officer, though comforting, is actually a bad thing. I want a college where i struggle to keep up with the necessity of the course. </p>

<p>So yeah, i think these two are out, will definately apply to Calarts (will be a good safety), but Pratt and SCAD definately win in terms of education as of now.</p>

<p>Checking out Massart this thursday. Would still love to keep hearing your feedback.</p>

<p>Grantortue- i do indeed keep hearing how fantastic RIT is... I guess i should really consider checking it out, thanks!</p>

<p>Brokenapertures - Yeah I do think i am indeed leaning towards Pratt, especially (if i remember correctly) the last couple of years in graphic design you actually work on the manhattan campus with amazing internships across the city. Phenomenal segue to almost limitless amazing jobs after college!!</p>

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<p>And
TUOwls2011 - do you know anyone that has been to tyler? You've sparked some interest in me</p>

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<p>Yeah, I know a good amount of people in Tyler, and everyone really loves it. I'm really glad they moved it on campus, although the new building it's in is architecturally one of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen. It looks like a community high school's swimming facility or something :P The new business school is awesome, though.</p>