<p>Hi everyone! I'm a foundation year (freshman) student at DAAP majoring in industrial design and I was wondering if anyone had any questions about DAAP, foundations year or UC in general. This forum, especially ineo42's post from 2009, was such a great resource for me when deciding on an industrial design program so I'm hoping I can return the favor with some updated answers for any questions</p>
<p>Hi! I am a high school senior and just applied to study industrial design at UC. I am kind of nervousness about getting in, since a didn’t realize how competitive DAAP is until recently, and I can’t seem to find an acceptance rate anywhere. I am really excited about the program, as I have had a very hard time finding strong ID schools for undergrad that fit my criteria. How much hands on work do you feel like you get to do at UC, and what are your average class sizes? Also, if you don’t mind, what do you think got you in? strong grades/scores, or essays? </p>
<p>congratulations on applying to such a great program! I was so nervous about getting in and literally checked my status every hour for months till I got accepted! I was a different case than most because I transferred in from another college. The transfer application is literally just test scores, class rank and grades from high school and college. No portfolio, essays or recommendations which shocked me. But I was set that I wanted to go to UC so I wrote my own essay saying why I though UC was the school for me and my qualifications and I bugged the admissions office with any questions I had just to show interest. I also had pretty high grades in high school (3.8) and my previous college (3.7) with an above average SAT (I forget the exact score). I’m not sure exactly what got me in but from what I’ve seen, the other kids in my program are all very smart, with high grades/test scores from high school and also quite well rounded. </p>
<p>Since I have only been in foundations classes, I haven’t had hands on training in industrial design yet but the projects in my classes were very involved and extensive. Though these classes weren’t directly in our major, I think we all got a strong sense of how they applied to our individual field of study. Also, I know from my friends in upper level classes that there is quite a bit of hands on learning the higher up you go, especially with co-ops. The second years just finished making models for a tool project which were some of the most impressive I’ve seen, even in the professional realm and I know a fourth year who is working on a project for a big name company. One thing that stood out about UCs program is that it is very hands on, as opposed to conceptual, like many art school programs I visited. In foundation year, you are put into sections so all your DAAP classes are with the same people from different majors in design. My section had 20 people but it always felt small and the teachers will give you as much help as you seek out so that was never a problem. </p>
Dhuggins, I saw in another post you got your acceptance! Congrats! I’m sure you’ll be a great fit for DAAP