@stones3 I am not suggesting anything about VCU’s rank as an undergraduate program. That’s my point. There is no undergraduate ranking of BFA programs.
What I am saying is that MFA rankings should not be used to discuss BFA programs, since undergraduate and graduate programs can be quite different.
D has already graduated NYU with her BFA. She turned down Pratt’s offer because she wanted a more academic program within a university setting. She loved NYU’s program and thrived. She’ll be graduating with a MA in art education this June from there. Down the road, she’d like to get her MFA after she’s built up her practice and saved some money. She’s shooting for Yale’s sculpture program. Bard and Hunter (very reasonable for a NYC resident) are other options.
@uskoolfish - You are fighting a losing battle, my friend. @stones3 has been corrected and chastised ad infinitum for citing misleading rankings, statistics and demographics. Citing the graduate rankings for VCU Arts is by far her favorite. When called on this, her (ridiculous) rationale is that the same professors who teach at the graduate school also teach at the undergrad. This is absurd logic and patently false. Her second strategy is to make it appear that she (and VCU Arts) are being unfairly maligned, most often in an attempt to maintain the status of ‘snobby’ elite private art schools such as RISD and others. Finally, it’s all about the kids and everyone finding the right place for their kids…as long as it’s VCU Arts (or TCNJ). I think the rep is well on its way toward speaking for itself as more and more posters on this site appear to be taking her statistics and opinions with no small grain of suspicion.
Seriously? ok its entirely up to you Koolfish if you want to discount one of the noted top arts schools in the entire country. Its a fact , not because I say but most say. Just happens our D attends and yes, I am a big supporter and huge fan. Why shouldn’t I be? D is doing great, luvs Richmond, we luv Richmond. Shes actually selling pieces while attending etc… What’s not to like? and fact is she DOES interact with the grad students daily and profs frequently.
Sorry if that doesn’t conform to what you would like to believe. Maybe why its so highly respected . PS. -fact that it has a lower tuition cost should be lauded.
BTW not that you would be open to it, but I feel I should mention that VCUARTS MFA is the #1 ranked sculpture program in the US .
@stones3 I am in no way disagreeing with your personal experience and opinion of the school. I just don’t think you should bring up graduate rankings when discussing an undergrad program. They are not interchangeable and you are therefore misrepresenting the school by using numbers that weren’t based on the BFA program.
You SHOULD share your Ds happiness and success. I am in no way discounting or discrediting VCUarts or your D’s experience.
And, yes, D has heard good things about VCU’s MFA sculpture program.
we are going to respectfully disagree on the importance of the USNW ranking. IMHO it’s a truly remarkable feat and an accolade of value for the schools reputation, the students and all those considering attending. Upon visiting its truly a unique situation ,the interaction of the undergrade and grad schools, as well as the interaction of cross disciplines with engineering and business majors. Add to that the famous Brand Center ( very tied into real world ) which D frequents often. So while it is not a direct ranking of undergrad it certainly adds merit to the universities commitment to the school of Art. Frankly , for a school of 35,000 I am blown away how the school of art is a crown jewel and treated as such. Its a unique situation , especially for a public school.
Ah, the classic “respectfully agree to disagree” ploy…as if the opinions being expressed are of equal merit. In this case they are patently not of equal merit. You vaguely refer to the “USNW ranking” as if the ones you cite actually apply to your child’s school. They do not. You talk about reputation and ‘interactions’ between undergrad and grad school, and cross-disciplines as if they are unique to VCU. They are not. You further cite these things as if they support your wholly unfounded hypothesis regarding the link between undergrad and grad ratings. They do not. Kudos to VCU Arts (which no one is disputing as a fine undergraduate art school) that it offers these things. Why must you so painfully gild the lily here? We get it. Your child is at a great undergraduate school, affording her out of this world opportunities. Lovely! Leave it at that (we are all applauding) and stop wasting our time with specious claims and statistics.
@stones3 We all agree that VCU ARTS is a good school. Based on all you say, it has a great undergrad program. And I’m not in anyway disputing its grad programs high ranking.
But, I’m just curious of one thing. Since Yale is ranked #1, what would you say to an undergrad student who wants to study art at Yale. Yale meets full need, so if it’s a student with a low EFC, money won’t be an object. Should they be pursuing Yale for studio art because of its #1 ranking?
@stones3 at some point you need to accept that no one is debating the merit of a VCU undergraduate degree. What is disconcerting is how bizarrely adamant you are in insisting the grad rankings are important to anyone looking to get their BFA.
Your D is having an unbelievable experience and that is wonderful. If you want others to consider VCU, I would suggest sticking to your D’s experience and stop pushing the grad rankings. It’s just turning people off.
Koolfish, certainly anyone gaining acceptance to Yale should seriously consider attending. But they should compare and contrast to other programs as well. Just as anyone should and determine if its the right fit. As for the rankings, I will not discount this fine accomplishment much to the chagrin of some posters. And of course we are very happy with D experience that is why I include this real life example. Look at the end of the day I am offering information about our experience and that’s all. I am NOT trying to win an argument as there is none in the first place. (as much as others want to pontificate about their “merit” over others.) All posters have the same merit unless they have a history of posting bogus employment stats. (you know who you are).
We are happy with our D decision to attend VCUARTS and its been working out great. Like many other families our
D was originally only considering the usual list of design schools. It was late in the process that a very prominent friend mentioned VCUARTS. As she bounced it off those we know in the art/design world it became very apparent that she should check it out and if accepted give it serious consideration. So my posting here is really to provide that same information we were fortunate enough to have received.
for veehee, bizarre? look if the grad school were awful certainly this discussion would be different. so it is relevant.
But its not awful its #2 in the country.
Getting back to the original thread, what I find most gratifying as a parent is how happy most dedicated art school kids seem to be at a wide variety of schools. In speaking with other parents who we met at accepted student days and at RISD orientation, as well as private chatting with many parents on this site, it is amazing (in a very good way) how happy and successful most kids are. The process can be daunting, slide room perhaps confusing, but it is ultimately a user-friendly system and the art schools offer a lot of support. Pre-application portfolio reviews, even on-site with a representative from the school, can be invaluable. Schools to which we applied later in the process actually telephoned to offer help in the process. This is a great community, filled with administrators, teachers and parents supporting a passion that it is not always in the mainstream or the popular route to a post-graduate career. Kudos to all of you!