<p>I heard all my life to stay away from for-profit schools. Well, i am interested in going to an art school which is private, for-profit. The school is accredited by the western association and the accrediting commission for senior colleges and universities. Other "fine" schools such as State Universities are accredited by them. Does this mean a degree from the school i want to attend will be as accredited (or as valuable, if you will) as from a State University? Many art schools are not accredited but this one is, does it make it any better? Is it ok that it's for-profit?</p>
<p>those things are usually not good...why don't you just go to a state school? Are the for profit schools cheaper or something? lol</p>
<p>i don't want to go to a state school because a) i will have to go to junior college for another 2 semesters to finish some math required, b) i hate my junior college and c) the only state university that offers what i want is in San Bernandino, and i'm not in position to move due to work. And the school i'm interested in is the Academy of Art university in S.F which is well recognized and known to be good (i guess), plus it is accredited so why not? Tuition is not a problem financial aid will take care of that and i don't mind paying some money out of pocket.</p>
<p>ps. i agree those schools are not good (for ex. international academy of design and tech, kaplan college, ITT tech etc) but AAU is accredited by the same associations that accredit state universities...</p>
<p>These schools are NOT good.</p>
<p>what is your major. be specific, because if its something like fashion design, there's OTHER schools that are well known in fashion design in california. if it's graphic design, almost every school is bound to offer it under their art department.</p>
<p>If a school is part of a public corporation, they are required by law to have the primary goal of making a profit for their shareholders. The primary goal at non-profit schools is usually to educate students.</p>
<p>This doesn't mean that such for-profit schools are necessarily inferior.</p>
<p>My major is advertising, focus on art direction. The state university in my area doesn't offer such program, i would have to move to san bernandino state university which i can't do at the moment. </p>
<p>But i still don't understand something. Why is the school not good? Why would it by accredited by the government if it wasn't good? Doesn't the school have to meet certain standards?</p>
<p>vossron: i see you are from the bay area. have you heard anything bad/good about the academy of art? There seem to be mixed reviews but that's true for every school. For example my girlfriend goes to s.f state and she's not happy because she doesn't get any attention or help from the counselors, she took a few classes she didn't need because the counselor told her...not to mention if she's late for registration there is no way she can get into the classes she needs.
At the academy of art you are required to talk to an advisor before you register so you keep on track and take only necessary classes. That sounds like a luxury for s.f state students</p>
<p>Merely saying these are not good doesn't address the OPs question. Will the OPs career opportunities in the art field or related pursuits be hindered by attending the Academy of Arts?</p>
<p>Can anyone working in the field respond?</p>
<p>Surprise, our daughter attended Academy of Art during a HS summer (living in their dorm) and loved it. I would say they have a good reputation. CA state schools have huge budget problems (our silly state constitution allows 1/3 + 1 of the legislature to prevent proper funding; it'll take years to get rid of those few causing the destruction of the state), so if you can afford A of A, you could very well get a better art education there, profit notwithstanding.</p>
<p>Schools are not accredited by the government, but by each other through committee memberships. The makeup of the accrediting organization is what counts.</p>
<p>For profit schools are accredited by different bodies than nonprofit schools (national accreditation vs regional accreditation). National accreditation has lower standards than regional accreditation, so for profit schools are generally considered to be worse. Sometimes credits will not transfer if you try to go from a for-profit to a nonprofit school.</p>
<p>Since AAU is accredited by WASC (regional) as well as nationally, your credits probably will transfer, and it does show that it's not inferior. The only problem I can see is that employers may not know about that, and will instead think that it's just "another crappy for-profit school. (especially if you try to get a job somewhere farther away)</p>
<p>Honestly, if you want to know why people stay away from these things other than the obvious difference in the intrinsic motivation of these institutions, go on your local accreditation committee's webpage and read the requirements for accreditation and the process.</p>
<p>It's not extensive or intensive in most cases and really, accreditation is such a low standard in many ways that it's almost scary to think of some places as not having earned that low honor. The process can be difficult for institutions to comply with because it requires substantial thought and providing a fair amount of information, but to be approved is not really the rubber stamp of quality.</p>
<p>Then again, there's Savannah College of Art and Design which is not accredited and well respected in some circles as a top art school (and looked down upon in others).</p>
<p>The above post is also true-- regional accreditation is far different than national and regional accreditation is strongly preferred. But remember, this isn't exactly a high standard just a start. There are other things to consider and weigh here that have nothing to do with accreditation.</p>
<p>Savannah College of Art and Design is an accredited school. It's accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which is the same accreditation agency that accredits Emory, Duke, Vanderbilt, et cetera. </p>
<p>I think it also has some various other accreditations for its specific programs, but I'm not positive.</p>
<p>Ah. For some reason a friend of mine at RISD always cites that school as being unaccredited. Was that a recent change? Maybe it's another school in Georgia that I'm thinking of but I thought it was SCA.</p>
<p>advertising is offered at other art schools in california, such as Otis College of Art & Design and Art Center. Art Center might be hard to get into, but at least at Otis, they do accept transfers. Additionally, at Otis, if you can or have the cal grant, they guarantee to offer you the same in scholarship money, ie if you get the maximum of i believe 8700(correct me if i'm wrong) from the Cal Grant, they'll automaticlaly give you 8700 more, which is about 17400 in scholarship money that you automatically don't have to pay for.</p>
<p>BTW state schools may not offer specifically advertising design as a major, but a lot of cal states(assuming that is the state you're in) such as cal poly san luis obispo and cal state long beach have communication design and or graphic design which is basically the exact same thing as advertising design, with give or take a couple of classes.</p>
<p>You can only become an art director through experience, rarely do people get hired straight out of school as an "art director". You have to pay your dues as a designer before you even get a chance to be an art director for any company.
DON'T get attached to one school, apply to many schools, and see what the financial aid packages will look like, because a lot of these for-profit schools, which are BUSINESS, number one goal is to MAKE MONEY. Reason why places like FIDM,which isa for profit school, tend to hire people with sales backgrounds so that they can cater to your desires of a glorified dream of what you want to do-advertising design.</p>
<p>PS the whole thing about meeting with an advisor, you really need to rethink that as an argument, because I can bet most all private schools make it a rule for advisors to meet with you(thats what they're paid for). From my experience, advising is hardly what you may think it is, it's really just someone doing all the paperwork and telling you to take "so and so" classes. You can get advising if you SEEK IT at state schools.</p>
<p>svtcobra thank you for your answer, short and to the point. You are right that employers might not recognize the school but that's their problem, the good thing is i can prove (or they can research) that the school is in fact accredited.<br>
I just really like AAU, it's very cheap compared to other private schools, with a very good program in advertising and one of the few art schools that are accredited.</p>
<p>liek, i can't move out of city right now. I opening a store and have signed a contract for 5 years so i'm trying to find a good school in the area so i can work and go to school. I'm from Sacramento,Ca and the state university in sacto doesn't offer any program related to advertising. I don't remember the programs they have but i remember having to take classes like audio editing and broadcasting, not exactly my major. AAU along with Miami Ad (which is not accredited) were my only options, i could go to IADT or Art institute of california but those are not good for sure. San Francisco Art institute and CCA are also good but too expensive. AAU seems the best fit for me.
I understand art director is not an entry level job and i'm not expecting to make 6 figure salaries right away...but i will try hard to get there.</p>
<p>The truth is employers don't give a **** if your degree is accredited. They care if it's not, but it being accredited doesn't impress them at all. You'll be at the same disadvantage of anyone who is at any school that no one knows anything about-- great you have a degree, now what else can you do for me and why should I look at you instead of this person I perceive as being more qualified out of the gate.</p>
<p>And yes, if you think it's not a problem that the sole goal of that institution is to make money off of you... as in, you believe that they are providing you with an excellent education despite the fact that their motivation is to turn profit on your money (which is already less than you'd be paying at a school that's hoping, at best, to break even while having it's primary goal being giving you a better education), then you should go there.</p>
<p>Seeking to be efficient is one thing, but when you're seeking a profit as your goal rather than offering the best education as your goal, one has to wonder where the sacrifice is made.</p>
<p>This is what I can tell you:
- The admissions office is a sales office. We had to make our plan numbers, i.e. recruit students, the same way salespeople get leads, call out, make appointments, and close. How would you feel if you knew that once your admissions person signed you up, a whoop goes out in the sales office and they add you as a tally mark on their daily/weekly/monthly totals?
- The teachers are dedicated, but keep in mind that if there are no minimum admissions requirements other than a H.S. diploma or GED, the students who barely graduated from H.S., the ones who are always lost, will dictate the pace of your classes.
- Credits are often not transferable, not because of accreditation, but because for-profit schools often operate on accelerated schedules, and their credit hours don’t match up with the credit hours at a more traditional school.
- If price is a factor, you can get the same or better education cheaper at a different type of school. I went to a state school and also took classes at the for-profit college (it was free). My state school classes were more challenging and thorough, and I graduated without debt because of grants and scholarships. The same education at a for-profit school would have resulted in $60,000 worth of debt – even with the maximum financial aid.
- I left because I have a conscience, and never got over the fact that most of the students don’t make it all the way to graduation, so end up with a lot of debt they can’t handle. If the school boasts about post-degree employment, look at how many people have been enrolled and compare it to the number who make it far enough to career services. You will find a massive drop-off rate.
- A for-profit school can be an appropriate choice for a career-changer who knows exactly what they’re getting into, is a quick study, is looking to earn a degree in as short a time as possible, and has the money/resources to spend on an education.
- There are no application deadlines. The appointment/interview is not about you proving that you’re qualified. It’s about getting you on their turf, selling the school to you, making you believe that you’ve been assessed and that you’re acceptable to the school, and giving you a fake deadline to pressure you into applying, i.e. I’m giving you the opportunity to apply right now.
- Your admissions person might have a very impressive-sounding title.
- For-profit schools use similar scripts: hands-on experience, instructors have real-world experience and/or are industry professionals, small class size, one-on-one instruction, accelerated degree, and accreditation is the same as at well-known, major universities.
- The executives of for-profit schools earn bonuses if the sales team achieves its plan numbers.
You have probably made peace with your decision and have started school by now. I wish you the best of luck. This is for anyone who might stumble in here looking for information.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any opinions about Full Sail in Orlando (for music)? My son is looking at that school, but I’m very skeptical about spending over $30,000 for a year there. He wants to go into the business side of the music industry. We live in NJ. We were thinking he was going to Morris County Community for an associates degree, but now we’ve heard it’s very outdated. We don’t have money for tuition, it would all have to be loans, and I don’t want him to start out with tens of thousands of dollars in loans for something that won’t help. Thanks!</p>
<p>[Questions</a> About Closure of For-Profit Chain / Quick Takes / 10 / 03 / 2009 / News / Home - Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/03/10/qt/questions_about_closure_of_for_profit_chain]Questions”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/03/10/qt/questions_about_closure_of_for_profit_chain)</p>
<p>Interesting trouble at a for-profit.</p>
<p>As for Full Sail–</p>
<p>I’m a guitar player and I’m really into music and music production. Everything I’ve read about working as an engineer and producer seems to suggest that Full Sail type places are a total waste of money. You gotta work your way up in a studio anyway, and you have to be extremely good at what you do to get anywhere and that only comes with a ton of practice. Full Sail you’re paying to practice something that you could be doing for free or for pay if you run around trying to find the right opportunities. People in the business often look down on people who go to school for this kind of work because they come in thinking they know what they’re doing but have little applicable knowledge and sort of have to be broken back down to be built up properly.</p>
<p>Search musicians webpages and I’m sure you’ll find a lot more information about Full Sail.</p>
<p>[For</a> Profit Higher Education: It’s All About the Money - Associated Content](<a href=“http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/69603/for_profit_higher_education_its_all.html?cat=4]For”>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/69603/for_profit_higher_education_its_all.html?cat=4)</p>
<p>I couldn’t have said it better myself.</p>