Her major will either be painting or photography. She is interested in double majoring or minoring in a non art subject too. Which is why she only applied to universities instead of art schools. We are in state for Mason Gross. Tyler is two hours away. UConn is 3 hours away. Syracuse is 3.5 hours away. She has been accepted so far to three and we have every reason so expect an acceptance to Syracuse too.
Which fine art program would you choose and why?
I’m only familiar with one. My S loved Tyler! The facilities and encouragement for exploration within the Arts was wonderful. It moved waaaaay up after our visit and his portfolio review.
@itsreallymia2 does the neighborhood make you nervous? I don’t want my D to feel like a prisoner after dark. That is my only hesitation. I 100% agree that Tyler is amazing
The area didn’t bother me but keep in mind that we are from NYC. No matter where our children attend school they have to be sure to always be aware of their surroundings, trust their instincts and put safety first.
100% agree. I went to Pratt in the 1980’s. Neighborhood is beautiful now but was very dangerous then. I do remember having to use the buddy system to go out at night. Good idea anywhere but there were absolutely times I had to take the subway alone late at night. Sometimes it’s unavailable.
I’m only familiar with Syracuse - through Ds acceptance and 2 visits (one regular tour and one accepted students day), the current head of the art department I work in taught at SU for nearly a decade and one of my main employers is a BFA alum (and loves the school and is still very much involved with alumni events). Syracuse has a strong reputation both academically and in the arts.
On the tours we were impressed with the facilities we saw, interaction of the staff and the many academic, sports, social and volunteer extracurricular opportunities the campus provided. While it is a large school, I was also impressed with their more personal outreach. D applied as a double major in art and education and received calls from both department heads happy to answer our questions and provide more information.
D’s final decision was between Syracuse and RISD. But $s and fit tipped the balance to where she finally chose RISD (in general she was more interested in an art school and the campus culture was a better fit for her personality/interests).
My D also got into there for visual arts, and of all the places, I know the least about Mason Gross. Is the drawing major mainly for fine arts, or does it also encompass things like illustration and more commercial aspects of drawing?
@Muttywaters Mason Gross does NOT have an illustration major. As far as I could tell, the drawing major has a distinct fine art emphasis. I do personally know several very successful working fine artists, exhibiting in galleries and museums, who went there. I do know they are highly selective about who they let in (maybe 18% acceptance rate?). But I didn’t get a real sense of how they prepare young artists for the ‘real working world’ (as opposed to being prepared for graduate school). It has a great reputation for music, dance and theater. It’s hard to get a sense of the visual arts department from Googling it because the performing arts tend to overshadow.
@JerseyMom2022 Thanks for your response. Yes, it’s hard to find good info on the visual arts program. It does have a great reputation for fine arts, and has a great faculty, but I’m not sure it’s geared for the real world as much as RISD or Pratt or ArtCenter. As a Jersey resident like you, I do like the cost though!
@Muttywaters as a Pratt graduate I think your assessment is spot on. I graduated from Pratt in 1989 and have never been unemployed. Always worked in the visual arts and had my first job before my official diploma arrived in the mail. To me it was worth every penny. Problem is tuition costs have risen faster than any other aspect of the economy. @-)