I was wondering if I should go to 2 pre-colleges over summer? Is it even possible? I want to go to SAIC’s first pre college for 2 weeks then go to MICA/RISD/CMU for 4 weeks. I feel like doing that will make me a way better artist and put me ahead of my classmates.
Has anyone done this? Does anyone recommend doing this?
I did the Tisch Summer High School program at NYU this past summer, and I hate to sound cliche but it honestly changed my life. I got feedback from professional screenwriters and now I have my foot in the door to a fantastic career. I can’t speak for any visual art precollege programs, but I’ve never heard anyone say they regretted their choice to attend one. If it sounds right to you and tuition isn’t an obstacle, I say go for it.
@lilq10 at the very least you’d have to make sure that none of them overlap. RISD, for instance, is actually a 6 week program beginning late June. My D met some kids who were at Brown for 4 weeks prior to RISD but that’s because 1) they were exploring the RISD/Brown Dual Degree program and 2) the visits worked timing-wise as Brown’s June program ended the same weekend that RISD’s pre-college began.
I agree with Rougarou that these programs can be life-changers so one should be plenty in a summer - especially out of Junior year. If you are concerned about building up your skill set or portfolio and you feel that 4 - 6 weeks isn’t enough time for that, you could consider AP art this fall and/or taking a studio class at your local art college or university. Most regular deadlines aren’t till January - February so that’s another five months AFTER you return from pre-college - still a lot of time to build up your portfolio. If neither of those options are available to you then hitting SAIC for a couple of weeks in early June (you just focus on one subject, I think, rather than get immersed into a longer “foundational” type of program) may work for skill building. Have a good reason for choosing multiple programs, however - really use the opportunity to build a diverse set of skills that you feel will help you in your chosen field.
Many kids will visit more than one pre-college program during their summer years of high school so it’s not too unusual an idea. You might want to run your idea of doing two of them back-to-back by someone who’s an expert in art and design so they can help you figure out whether that will truly be productive in your case.
My D did a one-week animation workshop at SCAD and then a two-week portfolio bootcamp at Temple/Tyler. She didn’t want to do any of the longer ones. That was plenty of art for her for the summer, and she got so much done for her portfolio at the bootcamp. Two weeks was plenty of time for her to do 10 pieces for her portfolio and get to know the school. And she still had time during the summer to just goof off and enjoy herself.