<p>ive been looking around for information for weeks now on art schools, and was wondering if you guys could help point me in the right direction. ive been seeing these schools come up consistently as great art schools:</p>
<p>parsons/pratt/otis/art center/risd/cal arts/ringling/mica/u.cincinnati/laguna college art design</p>
<p>theres plenty of information on topics such as "best art schools" or such, but when looking for more specific strengths and weaknesses... im finding a hard time doing this. </p>
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<li>im specifically looking for schools with a strong graphic design program but im not exactly sure where to find this kind of information (well, ive been forum lurking alot recently lol). but thats not the only information im looking for as well. it would be great if i could figure out more indepth the strength of many of these colleges individual programs such as in illustration/animation/design/etc. well, but basically the topic question is my main question. any info would be greatly appreciated - thanks!</li>
</ul>
<p>hey, this may come off as a bit bias cause i'm going to Art Center come this fall but, heres my two cents.</p>
<p>I have spent probably hundreds of hours researching schools and from what i've seen art center has had the strongest, most consistent body of student work. I found that their work was a level up from every other schools work, and i think thats the reason why the average freshman is 23 years old. If you just compare student work to student work from other schools not only does art center have better work but it also has more work(meaning its not just 4 superstars that are great in the school but its the whole school thats teaching and pushing their students to greatness). </p>
<p>Art center also focuses on preparing you for the professional world. Art centers alumni network is extremely strong so you're pretty much guaranteed, but if you'd like an internship somewhere else art center also has the name so they'll get into contact and most likely already have a strong relationship with the studio you want to work at and try to hook it up. For example this month all of the term 5 students(juniors) flew out to new york and got portfolio reviews from Sagmeister, ogilvy and mather and a bunch of other studios. </p>
<p>Though i think its strength really comes from its courses. the first three terms every class is chosen for you because these are Graphic Design foundation classes. The foundation differs so much from other schools because instead of studying pottery or ceramics you study only graphic design foundations(this includes some drawing and painting). After those three terms you still have assigned classes but then there are also courses you can choose. The courses you can choose break down into four focuses, Print, Motion, Typography and Interactive design. On top of that there are also electives that youre able to take which you can fill with other courses from your major or other courses from a different major. </p>
<p>Art center is not for everyone.Its pretty expensive(as all art schools are) but theres also no on campus housing and the average freshman is 23.(my own personal thoughts) however, if you're going to college to learn design, how good the school is should reign over everything else. Obviously you should feel comfortable with where youre going but i think you will have just as many social opportunities at art center as you would at any other art college.</p>
<p>check out the graphic design departments website:</p>
<p>There are MANY graphic design programs as you noted including RISD ,which you seemed to have left out of your list. Some of the schools that you mentioned are more known, however, for other majors. For example: Parsons---Fashion, Ringling, CalArts and Laguna-- Animation, MICA--fine arts and education; Otis--- toy and costume design etc.</p>
<p>This is not to say that graphic design in the above mentioned schools are bad. The schools noted are just known for other majors more.</p>
<p>I would suggest that you take a hard look at University of Cincinnati. They not only have a strong graphic design major ( in fact all of their design majors are strong) but they have 6 quarters of guaranteed coop built into the program and most of the coops are PAID. Having 6 quarters of experience not only will boost your resume well above that of other students,but many firms hire the kids as a result of the coop contacts. This, combined with lower tuition, makes Cincinnati the lowest cost alternative among the schools noted above. I highly recommend Cincinnati.
You also won't need a portfolio for Cincinnati but will need very decent GPA: generally top 20% of your class or GPA of 3.5+ ( unweighted) and 1800+ on SATs. Stronger SATs can result in a bit lower GPA.
Pratt would be a good choice too for most design majors,but it does have its drawbacks. See my Visit to Pratt found in the "College Visit" forums.</p>
<p>RISD is very well known for graphic design and should be considered by you.
Also, RIT and VCU are very strong in graphic design and should be considered by you. Finally, consider Mass College of Art. It is one of the lowest cost alternatives since it is subsidized by the state ( as with Cincinnati) and has a good program.</p>
<p>Hey, I graduated from Art Center. It's an excellent professional school. They worked us like a horse, they told us on our first day that we will never work as hard ever again when we enter the real world, and it was true. It is a school for those who are serious about art and design and who want to be exceptional. Don't take my word for it. Go visit. You'll love it when you get there.</p>
<p>ive said this a bunch here, but i'll say it again, since i wish someone had told me this when i was applying to schools for graphic design.</p>
<p>research what type of graphic design they teach. not all graphic design is created equal.</p>
<p>some schools focus moreso on commerical/advertising based design. some are more experimental, some are also more vocational and really only teach technique versus concept and some do all. </p>
<p>to comment on what that person above said about art center, - that school for example is known for being very good, but very commerical.</p>
<p>versus its counterpart only 15 miles away, Calarts, which is the opposite and is known as very experimental.</p>
<p>i'm biased though as i am a student at calarts, and a transfer here [ i did 2 years elsewhere. ] and i love this school. its VERY DIFFICULT. but worth it. Taxguy says its not known for design, but it is. its just a very small selective department and is just as much a graduate department as it is undergrad. probably less than 100 people total in the department and its split between the two degree levels. also like art center, the average age is older [ probably around 21-22 ] so most people here are more serious about their craft. you're pretty much not expected to have a life outside of school here, while studying here, because its insane to manage. you spend all your time in studio. the faculty is crazy, most are somehow associated with emigre, or just generally known for pushing boundries of design. its pretty nice.</p>
<p>anyway, just seriously beaware of what kind of design you want to pursue. if you want to do more commerical stuff, risd and art center are probably a better bet.</p>
<p>on a comment on cinncinati, a friend of mine went there, did his undergrad at daap in the design dept, and didn't make it through his first year of grad school at calarts. he wasn't prepared enough.</p>
<p>I never said that Art Center isn't known for design. I said it is most well-known for Industrial Design, and I stand by that statement. That does not mean that other departments are bad.</p>
<p>i don't know a lot about MICA GD, but this handy dandy website lists all of the students who have decided to share their online portfolios with the world:</p>