All because SCAD cost a lot. I mean, it’s a good art school and only focuses on art! But my mom wants me to attend USC (University of South Carolina) all because it’s cheaper and that she doesn’t want me to go into debt. The only art program I’m interested in is Media Arts, but I have a feeling it doesn’t suit my interests. I’m more into animation, concept art, illustration and sequential art/storyboarding. But USC only has animation and video game design.
I’m already stressed out about finding good art colleges and such and my mom being bickerish about what college to attend is making me feel down & feel that I won’t be able to achieve my dream career. I was thinking about attending the Art Insititute, but they barely have any good majors I’m interested in as SCAD does.
SCAD is a lot of money. If you don’t have it, and are planning on using your mother’s money to pay for college, you will have to go where she’s willing to pay.
What’s it mean to sign up for fin aid? You apply for it and they tell you what they feel you can afford…and may not offer any aid at all.
If your mom can’t afford this school, that’s not being bickerish. It’s being realistic. No one should have to go into debt just because a kid has “a dream.” You likely won’t be able to get enough loans to pay full. And would have trouble paying nack that amount.
Sit down with your mom. Run the Net Price Calculators at both university websites. Talk about where the money can come from to pay for your education. See if either place is affordable without any loans at all. Then go to the financial aid forum here, and read upon that topic.
You will only be allowed to borrow $5,500 your first year. If your parents income is in the middle to higher level bracket, you won’t qualify for any grants. I have no idea about scholarships for SCAD so you will need to dig deeper for that.
But any “financial aid” after the first $5,500 comes in the form of a private loan that either your mom has to take out or you have to take out and have your mom sign up for—either way the debt can be staggering and dangerous for a young person or an aging parent.
Find out how much SCAD will cost your mom. Then find out what she has saved up and what she can afford to pay without going into a huge amount of debt.
@milkynova , there’s a lot of talk in the art world (which I am part of) that SCAD is mainly for rich kids who aren’t that good at art. If you spend some time digging into what’s really going on at SCAD, and look at the rate my professor website for that school, you’ll get an inkling of what you’re signing yourself up for.
In addition, SCAD costs $50,000/year. That’s $250,000 of debt when you graduate. That’s a $2,000 payment every month for the next 30 years.
As an artist, I know that most artists would be lucky to see that amount coming in each month. You would be, in effect, too far in debt to actually practice art, because you’d need to get a job that pays well enough to service your debt.
Go to a school you can afford-the art departments in many schools are excellent, and you’ll get a lot more personal attention in a small art department vs being just another number in an art school. Plus, if you change your mind, you’ll have the flexibility to do that at a university. You’re stuck with art at SCAD, and you can’t even add in a minor that’s non-art.
Most concept art and storyboarding now is digital, and many universities offer an excellent digital art degree. You may need to look at your in-state directional universities-you may be pleasantly surprised to find a hidden gem digital art department in a local area college.
What matters to employers in the art world is what your portfolio looks like. With the exception of Yale and a few others, the name of your school doesn’t matter at all.
Get a solid education, and don’t enslave yourself to debt so you can’t make art.
Finances are a part of the college decision for the vast majority of people. It seems that SCAD is unaffordable so you need to move to your next best option be it USC or elsewhere.
As noted above you can’t borrow more than I think $5,500 on your own as a freshman so your mother would have to sign for any additional debt. If she is unwilling to do so, then you have no option to attend SCAD.
In addition, even if she would co-sign the debt, graduating with a ton of debt will leave you in a situation where your opportunities and decisions would be limited for years and years to come as a result of the debt payments you would be obligated to make. You would find yourself giving up that amazing job that pays less than the more boring one because you need the money, you would have less every month for rent, food etc., And you are not going into a field that has full employment at huge salaries so a huge amount of debt is a terrible idea IMO.
Sadly, it is time to grow up, face reality, and be grateful that you have affordable options.
Take the time to actually visit USC and talk with people in the department - you might be able to do some self-directed projects that fit your interests. If you are in-state for USC, you are are starting with a COA of around 24k - already much cheaper than SCAD. If you have decent stats, the scholarships are very accessible and if you have at least a B average then you qualify for state lottery scholarship. Check the scholarship link on the admissions page to see what you may qualify for based on your GPA and test scores.
The same could be true for other state schools - do some googling. I know a couple of people who have loved the program at Winthrop that brings together a lot of artistic areas. Look at offerings of CofC, Coastal, (and even Clemson).
Graduating without debt is a true blessing. Here’s the thing - take housing for instance - my D in town has found that on a teacher’s salary she can afford a decent place. If she could afford to put another $150 toward housing, her options would open up so much…but if she had ever a small amount of monthly debt payments (100-200) her options would be considerable less. When you’re thinking about it now, it seems like a few hundred a month is nothing, but it really is, and your mother knows this.
You do realize that USC is noted for its programs in the arts, entertainment, and media, yes? I am willing to bet money that there are more USC grads working in well-positioned jobs in those fields than SCAD grads, actually. The School of Cinematic Arts is one of the oldest and most respected film/media schools in the country, and USC has funneled a lot of resources into improving its ability to serve interactive media. I’m positive you can study concept art and illustration there, too, if you want to. You’ll also have all of the resources of Los Angeles at your disposal as well.
I would encourage you to think about where you would want to be if you decided you had other interests or decided to it is better to do art on the side. Maybe you want to expand into digital humanities and combine some interests. Or go more to the computer side. I would not really want my kid at a school that was narrowly focused on a few disciplines - so many college students change majors.
Don’t know much about full sail but be sure you’re comparing the total cost of attendance, not just tuition. Also, be aware it is a for-profit school and no student housing.
Milkynova–Concentrate on developing the best portfolio you possibly can and then apply to schools to see if you can get scholarships that make school affordable. Don’t argue with mom–work on your art right now.
Do more research not only on schools but what makes a competitive portfolio. Go to conceptart dot org and look at work done by others. Get feedback on your own portfolio.
Attend National Portfolio Day.
There are many paths to an art career but burying yourself in debt is a sure way to de-rail your life before it even gets going. Your mom is definitely right on that point hands down.
Art careers–animation, media arts, illustration, game art, motion arts, etc.–are very intertwined in their skill sets. There are lots of interesting aspects to each. It’s like a big tree with numerous branches–not a straight road which leads to only one place.
You won’t know really where you may eventually land (and be happy doing it!) until you start exploring.
USC has a great reputation–you need to seriously consider it despite your apprehension.
Yes, take the time to research what’s really available and don’t get so set against a great state U. Run the NPCs, which will give an idea of your cost, what aid you may get. Every college has a NPC/Net Price Calculator on its site.
You don’t need an art-only school or some random names. You can take art-only classes at a community college for far less cost.
Good artists, the sort who find lucrative work, have an educated “frame of reference.” That comes from a fuller education, not just classes in drawing or using a digital program.