@veehee - we’re looking at App and ECU, originally as safety schools for non-art D. We will add a look at the Arts programs.
@byadg123 sounds like you’ve got a good plan going! Best of luck in your journey. I found the application process to an arts program to be much more time-consuming than non-arts majors if colleges required a portfolio for admission (not all programs require one) so kudos to you for being proactive. It’ll be sure to pay-off in the end!
And I’ll just add my two cents about VCU. D applied, was accepted, received 2k in aid. As an OOS student, it was taken off the table immediately. VA public schools seem pretty stingy to OOS applicants. That was one reason D chose Tyler. Temple courted OOS and we’re paying less than NJ instate schools. (Okay that was more like 75¢!)
@veehee - you’re right about the app process. non-art D is diligent and will apply to however many places interest her be it 4 or 14. Art D gets anxiety-paralysis so we’ll have to be selective. 1 or 2 art schools plus 1 or 2 universities w/art. With a safety school that will be 4 max. We will qualify for application fee waivers so it’s a happy accident that the SAT waiver covers 4 schools!
keep in mind VCUARTS is way more prestigious and accomplished than VCU . On this campus the design students are treated tremendously well. While you probably shouldn’t expect huge aid(of course depends on your personal financial situation) remember it has a more reasonable starting point and it is a TOP school especially a top graphic design school. Our D checked out all the mentioned schools and was accepted to MICA , Pratt, etc (didn’t like RISD so didn’t apply). We toured them all. As I have said before these schools all ended up being within 5-7k per year of each other , so it didn’t factor in . For us/her she made the right choice and we had great input from industry insiders. Otherwise , it was new to us. But the proof is all the positive things she has going on after just one year. Good luck, I am sure you will find the right fit for your child.
@stones3 thanks. We will visit for sure.
What did you have against RISD? We haven’t seen yet.
@byadg123 has Art D taken any portfolio development classes? My anxiety-ridden D did and it helped her focus quite a bit. She also did a two week summer program which also gave her 6 credits which was a plus!
Beware of VCU if you are in need of aid. They are notoriously stingy. When you can attend Pratt, RISD, or CMU for the same or less it’s a no brainer. D chose Tyler which gave her the diversity and gave us the tuition break!
D is doing a week Design Immersions camp at NCSU. I haven’t looked (didn’t know about) portfolio development.
Googling now…
The local art store by us holds all kinds of art classes but the one she took was purely focused on college juniors and seniors portfolio pieces. It was really helpful as she made several pieces she was proud to use in her portfolio.
There’s Cheap Joes in Boone - lots of classes but a hike for us. There used to be one in Charlotte that would have been closer. I think the good art store in Asheville closed but that’s also a hike.
The Design Immersion Camp should definitely give her a few pieces. Most schools want a lot of observational drawing in the portfolio, so a basic drawing class at a CC might be another option
@byadg123 definitely check out National Portfolio Day schedules for this fall so that your daughter can get some valuable feedback on her portfolio. Here’s the link:
http://portfolioday.net/2017-18-schedule
Your closest is probably the MICA event on 11/19 . They don’t have participating colleges uploaded yet but you can probably google last year’s MICA event to see who attended. They tend to return to the same every year (but not all schools attend all events).
NPD is a great service offered by the NASAD-accredited institutions and an invaluable experience in the preparation of the portfolio for admission to art college. It’s a chance to meet one-on-one with schools of interest and get their advice and feedback. My daughter attended her first one during fall of junior year - shortly after determining that she wanted to attend art school. Boy, was that experience an eye - opener for her! Fortunately, she had a year to work on those things before returning senior year and then applying to art school. She also took a portfolio class at our local art college that fall and another class in the spring (maybe graphic design? Can’t remember). And then did the RISD pre-college program over the summer. The extra work really helped her get up to speed and get her portfolio “art-school” ready.
@byadg123 : if you are open to looking at ECU and APP’s art departments you might as well investigate UNC-Greensboro to complete the tour. They also offer a MFA. They all have different aesthetics & focus. I am surprised more NCSU people aren’t chiming in on this discussion.
BTW: I think a poster already mentioned this, but schools either admit directly into your major or have a “foundational year” before you get accepted into your desired intent. I think APP has a foundational year program. NCSU CoD admits directly into the major. That might be an important consideration if your D is anxiety prone. If she is certain of what she wants, then go for the direct admittance. If there is uncertainty, then the foundational year might be nice. If she can’t stand waiting until the end of the freshman year for the portfolio review, then not so great and you’re dealing with all this anxiety again next year.
D is very anxiety prone! She has also never expressed interest in anything other than Graphic Design though the Design Intensives camp at NCSU will expose her to new things. We’ll see after that.
For my non-art D we plan to visit a number of the NC public schools for financial safety and/or academic safety. So far we’ve seen UNC-CH, and NCSU though neither of those qualify as academically safe.
i had nothing against RISD though I believe VCUARTS a much better value. It was D that didn’t like it. She is very familiar with the area having friends, family and spending a lot of time on the campus of both RISD and Brown over several years. Simply put she does not like the feel of the school and wasn’t impressed. Her words not mine. No doubt its a top school just wasn’t her cup of tea.