<p>I've created a thread before asking anybody about probability and chances and/or the solution to/of my precidament. Now I'm just wondering if there are any other fresh ideas for me.</p>
<p>I'm strongly interested in art college and have been from the beginning of high school. The unfortunate thing is my school record. I've done poorly in most every one of my classes, including art classes, and not because I'm not capable of doing well, I've just figured that my problem is how oppressive high school is for me and a good amount of everyone else. And it doesn't do me any justice to my learning abilities/creativity/"thoughts on the world." There is a strong possibility that I'm exaggarating my situation for compensation, but to be honest, that's the gist of what it is. I'm not trying to make excuses... because I know very well that that's not going to get me anywhere in where I would like to take myself. Also, I go to an alternative campus that my high school offers, and I feel it may lead to bad connotation, but not really a correct one. Maybe because I have a less stressful school day, that may hurt my chances of getting into anywhere?</p>
<p>To those that were helpful in my last thread, I'd just like to say thanks for your input, and I'm certainly going to work on that. Their advice was to go to a local college around, take some classes, do well, talk to the person in charge for admissions, present my case, and also present the hopefully very well marked grades for the classes taken. Definitely something I'm going to need to do. I've also considered going to a community college for a year, pull up my grades, and then start applying after that. I've considered taking a year off to focus on my portfolio, going to some sort of continuing studies for art nearby, and stuff like that. Now I'm just wondering if anyone else has any feedback for me.</p>
<p>I know it sounds like I'm pretty set, but I'm still at a loss of what art college is really like, what they're looking for, and how my plans of actions sound so far.</p>
<p>These various courses of action sound like a good idea. Many of the art schools my daughter checked out have extremely work intensive programs. “Foundation” years at many schools are notorious for a heavy workload and kids spend many hours outside of their scheduled studio classes completing assigned projects. </p>
<p>Therefore colleges want to see from your high school record (or your college record) that you CAN DO THE WORK. Can you complete an assignment on time? There will be many assignments required. Also, many good art schools require liberal arts classes such as English Composition and Art History. Are you able to write a coherent essay or memorize material for a midterm or final? Colleges will see your academic record from either high school or college as reflecting these abilities. </p>
<p>A strong portfolio, especially one that shows self motivation and a dedication to the arts, will compensate for a weaker academic record. Many of the schools that we spoke with are looking for an ability to draw from life, even if you are planning to major in say, photography. You will most likely need three to five examples of drawing from life in your portfolio, so make sure you work on that skill and prepare for that requirement. Also, schools like to see work done out of “art class”, so if you are a free spirit who likes to do work on your own, that will help you. If you have a sketchbook filled with thoughts, drawings, sketches and even doodles, colleges often like that kind of a glimpse into your creative process. </p>
<p>Finally, being an artist is not just a matter of being able to draw or paint or sculpt. Art is a creative process that is extremely intellectual. Artists comment on history, culture, ethics, philosophy and assorted subjects all the time in their work. Figure out how you will showcase your “learning abilities/creativity/thoughts on the world” because colleges will want to understand how you think and how you apply your intellect to creative problems and challenges. </p>
<p>I want to compliment you on a decently written post. You have a couple of minor spelling errors, but overall your post reflects a competent level of literacy, which is more than can be said about some of your peers who throw grammar and spelling out the window when posting on the internet.</p>
<p>Thank you for your thought-out and depthy response. It’s nice to see that I have some encouraging feedback. I most certainly can do the work, it’s just a matter of proving it with a strong portfolio and a strong written piece, which I know I am capable of. In my post, someone mentioned explaining my situation in a personal statement, or at least explaining why I will not continue my situation. Would that be alright? I want to make sure I don’t pull a sad-story, woe-is-me type thing. I guess I would just have to be careful as to how I write it?</p>
<p>I’d strongly suggest you take some classes at a community college. Focus on art classes, so you can build a decent portfolio, and as Westchestermom said, make sure that some of those classes are life drawing classes, because almost every decent art school will require that you show examples of drawing from life in your portfolio. </p>
<p>In addition, also take a few of the basic academic classes. Specifically, take English and math. If you also want to take other academic classes, do so; but take English and math and do okay in them so you can show art schools that you have the basic skills they expect in those areas. This is especially important if your English and math grades in HS aren’t very good. </p>
<p>If you can prove, via community college classes, that you can handle college-level work, your poor performance in high school will not matter nearly as much as it does right now. Your college transcripts will trump your high school transcripts - in fact, if you take enough cc classes, a lot of art schools won’t even want to see your high school grades. They will only care about your cc classes. </p>
<p>Your plan to go to cc and take classes is a very good one. CCs are inexpensive, and the classes there tend to be of decent quality. Think about how you want to approach the community college, though. Know yourself well. Will you be all right if you jump in and take a full load of classes? Or will you be better off starting with just 2-3 classes at first, and if those go well, then taking on a full load? You need to have a hard, realistic look at yourself, and then make the smart choice on courseload. </p>
<p>Where are you located? Some community colleges are great in the arts. Some less so. If you can find one that’s got a decent art program, that might be the one you want to target.</p>