<p>Its a hard decision. I am a FSAD (fashion design) major here. I personally did not want to go to an art school, so Cornell and Wash U were the only two schools I applied to with fashion design, and I didn’t get into Wash U. So for me the decision was more whether to do fashion at Cornell or history at Tufts. </p>
<p>Anyway, I get your concerns. Its the main problem with doing fashion design at Cornell as well–the lack of industry connections and inability to do internships during the school year. I can’t speak to the specifics of how DEA’s alumni connections and programs/courses are. But FSAD’s are decent, it takes effort to contact alumni and they are more difficult to connect with since there are so few of them compared to at FIT/Parson. However, they do exist and it is possible, and they are usually very enthusiastic about helping fellow Cornellians. I am personally very happy with my decision to go to Cornell over an art school, and here are some reasons why:</p>
<p>–you have you’re whole life to live in NYC, and you’re never going to have the chance to live on a college campus again</p>
<p>–the college experience here is INVALUABLE, the campus is so isolated that there is so much going on right here, versus going to school in a city where there is so much going on everywhere else but students don’t bond as much</p>
<p>–you get to meet so many amazing people and make awesome friends studying hundreds of different things. these connections can last the rest of your life. its refreshing to get out of studio and talk about things other than fashion (or interior design) with people who are passionate about their fields</p>
<p>–fantastic opportunities. if you look for them, there are amazing things going on all the time. awesome speakers, great concerts, etc. I think if you really wanted you could find free food somewhere on campus every night. There’s also the chance to do real academic research in our subjects, that isn’t really supported at art schools. I’m doing a senior honors thesis, and I have a research grant for $8,000 worth of funding. </p>
<p>–ithaca is gorges. I grew to love it after spending a summer here. it’s gross in the winter, yes, but so worth it for the few weeks of beautiful weather–picnics in the plantations, swimming in the gorges, wine tours, slope day! when else are you going to live in the middle of nowhere if you’re working in the design industry?</p>
<p>–you have your summers to intern. yes they’re harder to get and you can’t do as many, but it’s not the end of the world. I think I would hate my life if I interned every semester, at some point you aren’t learning anything new anymore and you’re just doing the same redundant work. I also honestly think that going to Cornell gives me a slight edge in applying places simply for the unexpectedness of it. I mean, they’re going through hundreds of applications from FIT, Parsons, Pratt, and maybe have 20 from other schools? I think it makes you stand out from the crowd.</p>
<p>–you can study abroad at an art school. and in a city! I went to the London College of Fashion last semester and had so much fun. But it also definitely made me thankful that I didn’t go to an art school in a city. It was nice to have such a creatively driven atmosphere for a while, but it comes at the expense of academics. To put it lightly, the people I was working with made me really appreciate the value of having intelligent and interesting peers at Cornell. Your peers really influence you, here at Cornell they challenge you and push you to do your best. At LCF…well…it was a lot of fun! I also learned that living in a city eats up your money like no other. </p>
<p>–think about how many interior design students are at Pratt compared to their faculty. then consider how many are at Cornell compared to the faculty. I’m not completely sure of DEA’s numbers, but for FSAD there are 7 design students in my year (and something like 8 management). you get SO MUCH individual attention from your professors, and they really care about you. also great for recommendations. the small number of students also makes you a really close family. you’re always in studio with these people and you really bond. </p>
<p>–the new HEB building is awesome, and DEA students got to design the furniture/layout of the Commons</p>
<p>anyway I’m obviously pushing Cornell, but Pratt has its advantages as well. obviously the connections, internship opportunities, creative atmosphere, etc. One disadvantage of Cornell that I think needs to be worked on, at least in FSAD is the outdatedness of some of the practices, due to the influence of generally older faculty. It’s changing and becoming better, but really slowly. We finallyyyy switched over to Illustrator from AutoCAD which really isn’t used in the fashion industry anymore yet was all we learned. The college is much more likely to give us funding for fiber science type studies than to give us better graphics supplies and sewing equipment. Cornell is also A LOT OF WORK. This weekend I was in studio for 32 hours. Working on things for a show on April 28th. I haven’t even started studying for my prelim, writing my term paper, and working on a project << all due this week.
The upside? I’m pretty sure life after Cornell is a walk in the park. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that the students who choose Cornell over art school are pretty much self selecting. Everyone who comes here for things like interior design, fashion design, etc. did so for a reason, and that makes us a unique and interesting bunch. But it’s a really hard decision, so good luck!</p>