My son is interested in visual arts, graphics design and entertainment design. There will be a national portfolio day coming up in October. Can anyone share your experience with him? How to prepare for it? Bring laptop/tablet to show the work? Sketch book?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
S attended Portfolio Day and also helps set up Portfolio Days for his art school.
Find out what schools are going to be there and S can choose which ones he most wants to talk to. If there are long lines donât find that time has run out without making it over to their tables.
Get there early!
Bring best work, clean work, have it ready for them to flip through quickly. A teacher can help choose best pieces. Work should not have tape or evidence of it, ripped edges, etc.
In the moment students get nervous. Hint: as you approach the rep, hold portfolio in left hand so you can shake hands with right hand without fumbling. Introduce yourself first then put portfolio on the table. Move quickly but purposefully. It is intimidating to show your creative work, and this tip helps kids feel more confident.
Be ready to discuss any pieces the rep lingers over. What was the idea, what were the challenges, what works / doesnât work, etc.
Have a sketchbook ready in case the rep wants to give some time to it, tucking it into a pocket or fold of the portfolio. If rep does not seem interested nothing is lost.
@AskExperts your son is a rising senior, correct?
Here is a thread which may be of assistance. It started more than 10 years ago but was resurrected in recent years. The commentary even from 2005 is helpful.
My daughter had a portfolio booklet (the kind with clear sleeves) - I think hers was 18x24. This was a good size in that it wasnât so massive to carry around or put on a desk in front of the college rep. Any pieces which she really wanted to show, but were much bigger we thought about photocopying at Staples for inclusion. However, she didnât like the color changes so brought along some much bigger originals in a larger portfolio bag which also included her sketchbook if she was asked about it.
Also if you can find any regional portfolio days in your area they are much less overwhelming and often have the same slot of schools. Ask around with the art teachers or search online. We had two outside NYC that worked out well for my daughter.
And adding to the above (since I peaked through the thread @Mamelot linked to) definitely explore getting portfolio reviews during a college visit if you can. While I wasnât in the room, daughter certainly came out of those experiences so much happier! She related that they asked her tons of questions, got to talk on a wide range of subjects etc. Overall it sounded much more relaxed & she got valuable pointers on what to include or not in her final submissions for each school she visited.
Honestly the only reason she went to them her senior year was to try to get an edge in with RISD since they donât do on-campus reviews and only Portfolio Days.
Thank you for all the replies.
My son will be a junior this fall. Is it too early to attend national portfolio day? Any value to attend it? Thanks in advance.
No way is it too early. He should be getting lots of expert advice on his portfolio for the next year - 18 months. NPD is a great opportunity for that. Plus itâs good practice for senior year NPD with little pressure. Heâs there just to learn and grow.
One of the things that we found was that there were lots of different opinions that were expressed by different admissions people who viewed Dâs portfolio junior year. Some loved certain pieces, others skipped over the same pieces quickly. Some wanted certain types of work using certain medium, others not so much. Some wanted lots of realistic work from observation, some had enough of that after a piece or two and wanted to see more creative and conceptual pieces. Some of these differences had to do with the emphasis of various programs, but some were really just preference. Itâs important to take notes from each school and when you actually submit your final portfolio senior year to customize it as much as you can. One portfolio does not do the trick. So NPD gives you an opportunity to see what it is that a school wants to see and how your specific pieces are seen.
Junior year is definitely a great time to attend a NPD! My daughter attended the Philly event in November of her junior year and received a lot of good feedback on her work. Since the more popular colleges had very long lines, she went to a few lesser known schools and they took time to really discuss her work. By her senior year, she knew the schools she was interested in applying to and set up portfolio reviews when we visited the schools. NPD was a great experience! Good luck!
Thank you for all valuable feedbacks!
Are there any specific questions my son should ask the school representatives?
Letâs say my son has a painting. Is it better to bring the painting or a digital image of the painting?
Thanks.
A digital image will be fine. Most recommend that. Have him take excellent photographs of his work (which heâll need to do for Slideroom anyway when he submits his applications) and bring along an iPad or tablet or laptop. Keep in mind that there wonât be plugs available so itâs best to be fully charged. It can be a very long day!
Edit to add: If he has a good quality portfolio case and can pull out his work from that, thatâs fine too. My D1 actually did both. She had a lot of digital work but also brought along a few of her best drawings. Have him bring his sketchbook too - very important!.
For more information/guidelines check out the National Portfolio Day website. Also, AICAD might have some good tips.
My Dâs art teacher required her sophomores who were serious about taking AP 2D as juniors to go to NPD. RISD and VSA were specific and helpful in review. Neither MICA nor SCAD were there. Iâd advise a kid NOT to start off with the #1 choice, but rather to go through one or two others first as practice for the top choice.
If my son does not do well with a school on NPD, will it affect his chance of admission? thanks.
@AskExperts not sure but if it helps but my daughter had some up & downs going 3 years in a row:
Sophomore - her school buses them to a regional one so teachers encouraged her to go for experience, most of her art was not art that made it into her senior portfolio and I think reviewers adjusted their critiques knowing her grade level and talked more about what classes to work on to develop her skill
Junior year - got some great feedback (& one on the site acceptance) which then possibly made her a bit cocky/lazyâŠbecause
Senior - early portfolio reviewers were tough on her since she didnât add many new pieces from what they saw last year & she panicked thinking she wouldnât be accepted anywhereâŠbut that lit a fire under her and she worked on a lot of new pieces from late fall to early 2016 & beefed up her portfolio.
So what she submitted to slideroom was much different than what she presented at NPD her senior year. Ultimately I donât think those âbadâ reviews at NPD her senior year hurt her because she was accepted into all 6 that she applied to. She also had on-site reviews with all of the schools except RISD (& she tends to do well in one-on-one settings like that) & sometimes with the same folks from NPD.
So my takeaway is that my kid probably had âokâ reviews her senior year, but they clearly noted she wasnât pushing herself and then her final slideroom submissions showed she DID commit more time and effort & that worked to her advantage.
Those that had my daughter fill out a form her junior year NPD had her check the box that said she wasnât a senior. One school - I think SAIC - had separate lines, seniors vs. younger. The younger classes were clearly âassessment onlyâ and wrote their reviews on her form and handed it back to her. So no official record. I think that happened with Pratt as well.
Everyone weâve checked with has assured us that these reviews are to help the student. However, if a review goes very well, they will obviously make a note of that and the school might have a policy of accepting certain ones right on the spot. Itâs important to realize that all these reviewers work for admissions and are admissions counselors so they do remember you if they see you more than once. (my D1 had her portfolio reviewed twice by MICA and three times by Pratt before submitting). So if you didnât follow their advice the first time, expect them to make a note of that. Again, that doesnât mean they will ding you as much as they are underscoring what they are looking for and hoping you are able to make that improvement.
D1âs first Pratt review was at NPD and was . . . interesting. They definitely hated some of her stuff. She spent a lot of her junior year improving her work and had her portfolio reviewed again when we visited the following spring. Much more positive - she was definitely on the right track with them. Also, it was a different reviewer and the spent some time talking about the ComD program. Very useful review overall. The following fall (senior year) they had her on a list for a more private review to avoid the large crowds which was GREAT! She was accepted Early Action with a nice scholarship that December. She just left yesterday to begin her sophomore year. Loves the place. So a bad junior review doesnât mean you are dinged. D1 also had high stats which Pratt and other places really liked so that had to be helpful as well. When you show up for a review onsite they will ask for the standard info such as GPA, test scores, etc. When you come to NPD as a senior they will do the same thing (they may also do that for juniors but as I said prior, D1 had her form handed back to her with comments).
While one canât be sure of what these guys are making note of (they are admissions, as I mentioned earlier) the benefits of an early review clearly outweigh any risks. Portfolio reviews also reflect demonstrated interest which is very important for an art/design school (they and you want a good fit). D1 opted to take the risk and have her stuff reviewed a few times by each institution she was interested in and it paid off for her. She really needed the advice and totally benefitted from it. She also learned a LOT about the schools through their comments.
If you and your son plan any campus visits, he should try to have reviews at those as well.
Good luck to him!
good things about NPD --practice critique, gain experience presenting and talking about your work. BTW being able to
clearly articulate about your work is just as important as what you submit. Ok having said that, there are also clear disadvantages, there very very often is no consistency between each reviewer. One might be in a bad mood, one might hate indigo and so on. So take it for what it is, just some free feedback but donât bet all your effort on what one reviewer says either positive or negative. Generally you want to come away with some helpful critique and an explanation of how you can implement any suggested changes . Also ask why they specifically like or dislike a piece.
Too often these reviewers (many of them) simply pontificate about art. You need specifics and the whys, why did they like something specifically? What specifically made them dislike something? and how could it be changed to their liking?
Please also know that getting a great review , like they give you a personal application with a notation on it for your submission (this happens as it did for D) does not mean ANYTHING other than that reviewer like your kid. The school could care less what that reviewer thinks unless they are specifically on the admission committee.
NPD is good experience, learn what you can, have a outgoing personality, articulate your work. But recognize at the end of the day it is in ALL these schools best interest to get your kid to apply. Good luck
Thanks of all, thank you so much for all your valuable feedback. My son attended his first NPD and he found it extremely helpful. He now knows his weakness and he needs to work hard on those areas. He collected the most comments from Rangling. Some schools suggest to sign up for precollege summer programs.
Any suggestion on precollege summer programs? does it help on admission of that school?
Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
@AskExperts thatâs awesome that your son attended an NPD and got valuable feedback - heâs well ahead of the game. Yes - a precollege program is highly recommended. Most of the stand-alone art/design schools will offer a multi-week in-residence program that will be an intense studio experience of some sort. Itâs not only a great test of whether a BFA program is truly appropriate for your son, it also will provide major additions to his senior year college application portfolio.
And yes, it will help with admission to that school (it might even offer some college credit for the institution) AND . . . it will help with admission to any other school as well. In fact, a makerâs portfolio of some sort will help with ANY college application, even those for science and engineering programs. Colleges in general love seeing those kinds of supplements.
My D15 attended RISD and loved the experience. RISD is probably one of the more intense ones out there. It runs for about 6 weeks beginning at the end of June. Applications should open up in December or January and they are first-come, first served. No need to submit a portfolio unless you want to apply for a scholarship. Weâve known other kids who attended MICA, Pratt, SAIC, and SCAD. Other posters on this forum have had kids at other places (including some of the CA schools). Some of the programs might require that you submit a portfolio to be accepted, while others wonât. Now is the perfect time to be researching these opportunities.
Good luck to him!
@AskExperts I would highly recommend a pre-college program for all the reasons @JBStillFlying mentioned. My D attended a two-week program at New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, NH. She chose that one because it was a shorter 2-week program. Most are 4 weeks (RISDâs is the longest @ 6) and she didnât want to be away for a good part of the summer since she was planning on working over the summer also.
Another great benefit was that it gave her practice in living away from home and being around some really awesome artists. Both overwhelmed her at first, but she soon became more accustomed to it and I think it helped when she left for the real thing in the fall!
Many schools offer some scholarship money for the summer program or if they apply in the fall. Plus the portfolio pieces they create are usually pretty impressive.
Most of the art schools have programs. We looked at Pratt, University of the Arts (in Philly), VCU, Maine College of Art, MICA and Ringling. Some start in June and others in July. They usually start accepting applications in January or February. And most donât need a portfolio since the reason they are attending is to work on one!
Good luck!
My D attended the NYU studio art pre-college program and it convinced her that she wanted to get her
BFA, attend a city school and be in a university setting with strong academics. She ended up applying ED NYU and EA Pratt and was accepted to both.
Five years later, D ended up being a ceramics instructor at the program and that made her decide to pursue her MA in art edâalthough she still plans to get her MFA in a few years.
The NYU program required a slide room portfolio for admissions to the summer program, but allowed incomplete work. I think about half the applicants were accepted as the number of spots were limited.