Okay so I dropped out of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago because I really kind of hated it. I realized art school is probably not the place for me because I have other interests. I still want to do art for sure, but I also want the opportunity to learn about things that aren’t necessarily related to art.
Next year I will probably attend a community college just so I can be back in a school environment and get credits and whatnot.
But after that I’m not so sure. Does anyone know of good dual degree programs with art and humanities? Or of any liberal arts colleges with solid art programs?
If anyone has any personal experiences with anything related to my issue, please share because I’d love to hear it.
If you did one semester at SAIC, at most colleges you could apply as a first-time freshman (some colleges will still want you to apply as a transfer student). What were your SAT or ACT scores in high school?
[url=<a href=“http://collegelists.pbworks.com/w/page/16119381/BFA-BA%20Dual%20Degree%20Programs%5DHere’s%5B/url”>http://collegelists.pbworks.com/w/page/16119381/BFA-BA%20Dual%20Degree%20Programs]Here’s[/url] a list of such kinds of programs. The best-known of these kinds of programs is probably the [url=<a href=“http://risd.brown.edu/%5DBrown-RISD%5B/url”>http://risd.brown.edu/]Brown-RISD[/url] program; it’s a five-year program and you earn a BFA from RISD and a BA from Brown. Obviously it’s an elite liberal arts education as well as a top-notch art school. There’s also one between Reed and the Pacific Northwestern College of Art, between the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts, and between the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and University of Pennsylvania.
You can also go to a liberal arts college/university that has a cross-registration agreement with a nearby art college. At Occidental College, sophomores and up can take classes at the Art Center College of Design. There are also several colleges in Boston that have this agreement with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Another college that has both a college of fine arts and a liberal arts tradition is SUNY College at Purchase.
Thanks for all the info! I plan to take one year of community college before applying to a LAC or a dual degree program. Will they still look at my high school stats at that point? I got a 29 on my ACT and didn’t take the SAT.
What is your financial situation? Can you afford private college or do you need financial aid?
Here are some small liberal arts colleges that have strong studio art programs as well as strong academics. Most of these offer good need-based financial aid.
Wesleyan, Conn College, Vassar, Hamilton, Kenyon, Skidmore, Scripps. Smith if you are female. (Smith is an especially good choice for women with a story to tell.)
Your GPA (if based on a 4.0 scale) is excellent. You should take the ACT again or try the SAT to get your scores up.
I will definitely need financial aid, but I heard financial aid for transfer students isn’t a priority at most schools so I don’t know that will go.
If I don’t take the ACT again will my score hold me back with all of these colleges or will I still have a chance of getting in if everything else I have is pretty strong?
First, you should run a few net price calculators to determine how much need-based aid you may be eligible for. If that doesn’t work, you will have to look for merit aid which is in short supply for transfers.
I think you have to look at each college’s website for information on transfer information such as standardized testing and financial aid.
You should be looking at large and medium sized privates too. Some State Universities give financial aid to out of state students; some do not.
You may be better off taking a gap year and reapplying as a freshman. Some schools offer Spring admissions. Using Smith as an example again, for January admission you apply by November 15.
Try posting your questions on the Transfer board of this site.
If you know that you need financial aid, taking one year at a community college might actually be a bad idea.
Currently, given that you have only one semester and thus less than 24-30 attempted credits, most colleges would consider you as a first-time freshman applicant. First-time freshmen get the best financial aid and scholarship offers to attract them to the college. So if you wanted to go somewhere elite, like the schools I or @momrath suggested, applying this fall for next year and NOT attending a community college would get you the best aid at those places.
If you took one year of community college, most college wouldn’t look at your high school stats. There are a few elite ones that do. For example, Columbia looks at all their transfer students’ high school stats.
I agree with the suggestion that you should try to retake the ACT (or maybe try the SAT). A 29 is a good score, but a higher score will make you more competitive at some of these top schools that offer excellent merit aid.
Is it possible to go to community college part-time (just for my own sake in figuring out what I’m interested in) and still enter as a first-time freshman?
I think I might retake the ACT, that sounds like a good idea.
Thank you all for your responses, they have been extremely helpful!
If you have college credits take after HS I don’t think you can apply as a freshman for scholarships and you may want to check if you can take the ACT after you have graduated. YMMV
For both admissions in general and financial aid you are better off applying as a first year. Because yours is an unusual situation you might ask a few colleges if you could apply in November to start as a first year in their Spring term, even though this option is usually used by transfer students. Wesleyan, Smith, Hamilton, Skidmore, Vassar also have Spring admissions for transfer students.
I would contact a few of these schools and explain your situation. They might be be able to work something out.
My guess is that schools that attract “off the beaten track” students such as Wesleyan and Smith might be responsive to this idea.
The flexiibilty of a small liberal arts college sounds like what you’re looking for. The degree at most would be a BA. You could most likely double major in art studio plus any other discipline (which is different from a dual degree).
I would think that you could attend community college for a semester under the radar, but please check into this carefully before you commit. You don’t want to do anything to jeopardise your eligibility for financial aid.
Another school that I would recommend is WUSTL. They offer a BFA and several other options such as minors and dual degrees. Good financial aid too.