<li>What was the foundation year like?</li>
<li>How good was each course and each instructor?</li>
<li>What was the registration process like?</li>
<li>Were the instructors very available for help and questions?</li>
<li>What were the dorms like?</li>
<li>How was the food in the cafeteria and off campus?</li>
<li>Was there any crime?</li>
<li>What is the area outside of Pratt like?</li>
<li>What did your daughter do for fun?</li>
<li>What were the other kids like?</li>
<li>Why did your daughter change from interior design to communications?</li>
<li>What is parking like at Pratt?</li>
<li>What are the liberal arts courses such as art history like?</li>
<li>Are most students very serious about their work or more serious about playing?</li>
<li>If your daughter inquired about the placement office, how good is their placement office?</li>
<li>Does she know what types of things they like to see in portfolios?</li>
</ol>
<p>I will be visiting Pratt in Spring; thus, I will post my usual “take” on the school.</p>
<p>Taxguy,
I will ask her some of these questions when she comes home. She changed majors because of her foundations year experience. She is realizing that her strenght is in her drawing skills as a fine artist. She has been very encouraged from feedback from her profs. She wants to go into a field where will be marketable and also be able to use her drawing skills, thus she wants to become an illustrator (preferably a children's illustrator). She is concerned that Int. Design is too much rendering and not enough creative drawing. Actually this is how I always perceived her interests before she went to Pratt, but like anyother 18 yr old she had to find out for herself. Within the Com. Design Dept. you can choose to major in specific fields in your junior year. Sophmore year is a foundation year for Communication Design majors. Yes she really likes it there and it is a great fit for her. Many of the profs utilize the wonderful access to NYC by having classes meet at specific sites and museums. She has become a real city girl and I have seen a certain sophistication that in part comes from being in the city and being surrounded by kids from all over the world.
Regards,
Cama</p>
<p>Cama, your daughter's experience should remind us all that college major preferences are subject to change through experience. It appears that the foundation did exactly what it should have for your daughter, by confirming her strengths and helping her to find a track that will meet her interests. What's really important in this case is that she seems to have reaffirmed her decision to attend an art school and has attractive options at such a strong school as Pratt.</p>
<p>My daughter started out without knowing whether she was going to go in a fine arts or a design direction. She, too, is really strong in drawing. But she figured out during her foundation year that she could also follow her interests in ecological design (and making some money) by taking her artistic skills in a more practical direction, and so she chose ID after exploring illustration. (She now lives in Brooklyn not very far from Pratt and has talked about possibly taking a course there.)</p>
<p>Mackinaw,
I do think that Industrial Design is probably more lucrative then illustration, and I have pointed that out to her. Right now she is set on illustration but who knows maybe after spring semester she will change her mind again. We have started discovering downtown Brooklyn. Even though we are from LI we were not familiar with that part of Brooklyn. We have been pleasantly surprised. There is a really interesting artsy community in Williamsburg and I know Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope have become very expensive for housing. Does your D want to take some ID classes at Pratt? I know they offer a Masters in that field, though I suspect from your very insightful posts that you already know that.
Regards,
Cama</p>
<p>Hi Cama. My daughter now lives in Carroll Garden (in fact, on Carroll St.). She previously lived in downtown Brooklyn, on State Street. We visited her over Thanksgiving holiday. There are some fine restaurants in that general area, including Al Di La in Park Slope (on 4th Ave.) and The Factory in Carroll Gardens area (Smith Street).</p>
<p>Actually, my daughter's thinking of taking a jewelry-making course, though she may have found another course elsewhere where she can learn the particular skill that she's interested in (working in gold). I'm not sure where this might head, but she's always had an interest in jewelry-making and did have some coursework at RISD -- as well as a couple of silver jewelry items in her professional portfolio. In longer term, though she's very happy with her current job at a small design shop (which is located in Long Island City), she may eventually look for a masters program in urban design. At this point, though, it's really too early to say. She's only been out in the working world for a year.</p>
<p>Thanks Cama. I can't wait to hear your daughter's answers to my questions. We will be checking out Pratt in April. We loved RISD but also like the numerous offerings that Pratt has. My daughter, Allie, is a design kid. There is no question on that in my mind, as is my wife (who is a published interior designer). Allie is more interested in digital design and 3 D modeling and maybe web design.However, who knows what will happen?</p>
<p>I think Mackinaw is right. The foundation year should expose kids to areas that they never thought of doing. It seems to have worked for your daughter. I think she can make fine money in illustration, especially in NY. Also, being the entrepreneur that I am, she can become a free-lance illustrator and make even better money, if that is her wish.</p>
<p>Anyway, congrats to your daughter.</p>
<p>By the way, if Allie decides to attend Pratt, maybe your daughter can show her the ropes.</p>
<p>Taxguy,
Thanks for the encouraging words about the free lance aspect of illustration. We will see what happens. I did talk to D last night and did ask the questions "what do you for fun"? Perhaps this was the wrong time to ask as she is in the middle of preparing for final crits. Her reply was "Fun? This is art school, they work us to the bone". I do know however she did go the Holloween parade in the Village, visited SOHO frequently, and a few times when I called her on her cell she was in a dressing room in the city shopping. She also has frequented bars in the Pratt neighborhood, but according to her there really isn't too much time to have fun as the work required, especially in her studio classes is tremendous. She is very motivated and it is extremely difficult to get A's in her studio classes. In fact in the beginning of the semester the profs told the class that they do not give out A's for midterms and that the majority of the students will get C's. As it turned out she got B- in her Drawing class and in Light Color and Design Class which was the highest grade given. Interestingly she said that there is a certain amount of competition and when asked by some other students what she got she was very vague. She also said that the Profs have no problem giving Fs if you do not come to class and or keep up with the work. Her goal is to get A's for final crits, which she thinks she might be able to do.</p>
<p>P.S. D did have an extensive 10 day orientation ( in fact there were times I was wondering when actual classes will begin) which helped to acclamate the students to city life. During that time they had group activities such as going to see the broadway show Wicked, going to MOMA before it relocated back to Manhatten and many other experiences that got them used to traveling by subway and life in NYC. Her and her friends want to go see AVE Q another show, and if they time it right they might be able to get student rush tickets which allows students with student ID to see shows on that day for $20.00. Dorms do not close during vacation due to the large amount of out of state and foreign students, therefore she will be able to go into the city during Winter break and then if she wants to she can utilize her dorm.</p>
<p>"I did talk to D last night and did ask the questions 'what do you for fun'? Perhaps this was the wrong time to ask as she is in the middle of preparing for final crits. Her reply was 'Fun? This is art school, they work us to the bone'."</p>
<p>Perfect answer, especially for foundation year.</p>
<p>Mackinaw,
Thanks for the restaurant web sites. I printed them out for future reference. My fingers apparently seem to be working faster then my brain. When I re-read my posts I noticed alot of syntax errors... a bit embarrassing. Thanks for all your insight. I was thinking about what you told me about your D and what she is doing and where she is living. That is probably what an artist needs to do , explore and keep growing and living in a community where she is able to do that. I can see my D following that same route.
Cama</p>
<p>We visited Pratt and Parsons last Friday and I have definite impressions of both. My D is applying to RISD and Mass Art as well. I loved Pratt. Great facilities, history and campus. I was very impressed by the prople we met who were all very engaging and personable. We had lunch with the son of a frind of mine who is a junior in communications and loves his experience there. My D is interested in industrial design or architecture and both programs suit her.</p>
<p>My D liked both, but she liked Parsons more than I did, especially for the location in G Village, 5th ave, etc. I found Parsons sort of dinky and cramped. Not as many welcoming souls as I saw at Pratt. It also felt exposed and not as safe.</p>
<p>Her transcripts are good, B+ student, SAT 1100, good science and calculus. She attends a small private day school in Maine near our home. Bright and articulate, but not IVY material. She wants an art school, not a university with and art department and she wants to be in a city.</p>
<p>My D had an interview scheduled which went very well--so well that they accepted her on the spot! None of us were prepared for that. Her portfolio is recent and focused. Not a lot of pieces, but she is a good draftsperson. All the schools told her at portfolio day in November that she needed to work larger, from observation and more foreground and background. So she did what they told her (amazing) and they liked whatever it is that they saw in her work. It has of course, gone to her head, but she still has a lot of assignments for RISD, and Parsons..</p>
<p>I am likewise very interested to hear more from your daughter's feedback.</p>
<p>Interesting report about Pratt, and congratulations to your daughter. That she learned so much, and was able to act on what she learned from her portfolio reviews is very promising.</p>
<p>I have a nephew in his third year at Parsons (my daughter attended RISD), majoring in illustration. My nephew likes Parsons' location in G. Village, though the rent (once you're out of a dorm) can be very high for anything decent nearby. He also likes the program at Parsons but one disappointment was that last year they reduced the faculty in art (painting), which is one of his areas of interest.</p>
<p>I'm very interested in attending Pratt for interior design, but I hear a lot of students complain about the building falling apart. Can you ask your D her view on Pratt's buildings and environment? Are they fixing the school?Thanks. But I guess I still I have to go see for myself though.</p>
<p>My impression was that over 1/3 of the buildings had some sort of scaffolding on them, I would guess that the campus is undergoing major restoration. That said, there are some very interesting old buildings on campus, The library was the first free libary in Brooklyn--interior ws done by Tiffany. It is extraordinary. The original building was a shoe mill--Pratt figured if the art thing did not work out he could turn it back into a mill. Very practical and the philosophy is reflected in the school I thihk. This building has winding corridors wide enough for big carts to pass filled with shoe materials. Very high ceilings, wooden beams, etc. Some 1950's campus ugly, but mostly very nice. The NY sculpture museum dumps its overflow on Pratts lawns so there is art everywhere you look.</p>
<p>Many of the buildilngs are declared historic landmarks by NYC, therefore any restoration takes much longer then usual and is very expensive. Specific codes have to be followed in accordance with their designation as landmark buildings. My D's dorm is pretty decent as far as dorms go. Special lighting that resembles natural light in each room, drafting tables for each student, and studios in her dorm for pulling those all nighters, especially now during final crits. There is guaranteed housing for all four years. After freshman year students have the option of going into student apartments directly across the street. The cafeteria is not that big and this is in part due to the fact that after first year many students are in these student apartments and tend to eat there. Also being in an urban environment there are many many places to eat right in the neighborhood.</p>