Deciding What School I Should Go To?

Pre-College Issues
1

Hi everyone,

I’ve been accepted to School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and Pratt Institute (the one in Brooklyn, New York). UC Merced accepted me out of the blue a few days ago, but I don’t really want to go there. I’m also wait listed at UCSB. My major is Fine Art (Painting and Drawing) at SAIC and Painting at Pratt. Both SAIC and Pratt have given me roughly the same amount of scholarship.

I simply don’t know what to do.

I’ve been researching SAIC and Pratt, considering I want to to go to an art school. I’ve narrowed it down to those two, but I have my doubts about both of them. SAIC has a very low graduation rate and a very high freshman drop out rate. I’ve searched everywhere online and I can’t find a reason why so many students have a tough time graduating there. Pratt’s graduation rate, on the other hand, is a little bit better; over half the students there graduate within four years.

I must graduate in four years because my parents will not pay for my undergraduate education further than that. Money isn’t really an issue for the school I choose because of the scholarships and my parents’ support.

I visited both campuses and I haven’t fallen in love with any school yet. People around me keep saying I’ll get “that feeling” and know what school I belong too. I know NYC will give me a ton of opportunities, but I find the city life very suffocating and I know going to Pratt will hurt me emotionally and I won’t be happy there. I’ve dealt with depression for about five years, (I’m completely fine now!), but I fear it will return if I go to New York. I don’t think I can handle the city. I feel like going there would be better for me, though. The one thing I liked about Pratt is that they have a campus. And Pratt is generally more well-known outside the art world, too.

I feel more at home in SAIC. The city life isn’t for me, but if I had to choose, I would choose Chicago. It’s a lot less hectic, cleaner, and less claustrophobic. A family member lives in Chicago, and I know I shouldn’t make my decision based on who I know will be close to me, but I can’t help but feel comforted at the fact that someone will be there. I’m very attached to family and the idea of living by myself is exciting but whenever I think about it I feel homesick already. I’ve had several meltdowns thinking about my future.

I prefer the residence halls at SAIC over the dorms at Pratt considering they are larger, have their own bathrooms and kitchen per room, and every floor has its own common room. There’s even a studio at the top of every residence hall. The dining hall is a lot prettier than Pratt’s too. The downside is that there’s no campus.

SAIC seems like the better option and I’m starting to lean towards it more, but I’m still unsure.

I don’t think I’ll be very happy at either school, so I’ve decided I could transfer to another school after my freshman year in college or to attend a graduate school to enhance my college experience. I’m worried that if I go to SAIC I won’t be able to transfer to Yale’s fine art program because SAIC has a pass/fail grading system. Yale is my dream school and they have one of the best fine arts programs. They have the traditional university campus feel and if I go there I’ll be challenged academically as well as artistically.

Do colleges not accept transfer students or students for grad school if they graduated from a college that has no GPA system?

Thanks for the help! Sorry if I seem whiny, but I’m kinda freaking out.

2

OK. Let’s go through the issues:

First of all you posted in the pre-college forum. You ARE talking about entering as a first time freshman and not a pre-college summer student, correct? Because if the latter then that makes the decision SO much easier!

Assuming you were accepted as a freshman you need to know a few things: 1) neither has that stellar a grad rate; 2) scholarship students have a much higher chance of graduating on time - that’s why they are given a scholarship; 3) the low grad rate is in part due to transfers out - you mentioned this as an option and art/design schools take in a lot of transfers - even RISD; 4) you should NOT go where you believe that your depression will kick back in; however 5) both institutions are going to have a TON of resources to help students deal with depression and anxiety so make ample use of these resources, please! (whichever you choose).

Now for the differences in curriculum, etc. SAIC is very multidisciplinary - you major in “studio” rather than “painting” or “graphic design” etc. As a fine arts major you are free to chart your own path and take what interests you once you get past the foundation year. Pratt, on the other hand, will have a more structured curriculum after the foundation year (you’ll need to confirm that - I’m going off of my D1’s plan of study but she’s in the school of design not the school of art). Also, SAIC is very strong in painting and drawing - one of the best (along with MICA). For that alone I’d strongly consider this school. Pratt has a strong design culture and is known for it’s architecture, graphic design, interior and industrial design majors. One can absolutely be a fine arts major at Pratt and I believe they have really strengthened the reputation of the fine arts program - esp. in animation and film. Just know that it’s known more for design.

Yes Pratt has a campus and it’s beautiful. SAIC has the Art Institute right there (not in Manhattan 30 minutes away) and the students apparently have access to it (including the stuff that’s not on exhibit). The SAIC dorms are also nicer (and newer). These are differences that are important (they were to my D1 who really needed a campus and didn’t mind older style dorms). If you are at home more in Chicago than NYC then lack of campus may not be as much an issue.

Your post reads like you would prefer SAIC. Having family nearby, especially with your previous history of depression, may be a very important benefit.

@GrnMtnMom has a kid at SAIC (in painting, I think) and can be a great resource for you as you make this decision. By the way, she says that the studios are beautiful and open. Perhaps she might be able to weigh in on the lack of grades and whether that would be issue in a transfer to a university program (rather than another art/design school). Crits and portfolio are really what matter for the BFA and I’m pretty sure that SAIC students are subjected to the same demanding standards as at any top art school. There may be a possibility that transcripts can be “translated” into grades for transfers and/or grad school. You might check on that with SAIC.

3

Mamelot,

Yes, I was accepted as a freshman. First of all, thanks for replying! I’ve been thinking a lot about this and I’m 90% sure I want to go to SAIC now. The graduation rate makes a lot more sense now. Like you said, I decided to check with SAIC about going on to graduate/transfer school; they responded:

“Graduates of the BFA program can go onto any graduate program. Most graduate programs don’t care about your GPA. They mainly care that you completed your degree, but if you would like a GPA you can request letter grades from your faculty.”

I’ll speak to GrnMtnMom like you recommended.

Thank you!

4

PM-ed you again :slight_smile: