Is the School of Design a poor stepchild at CMU?

<p>My D and I were at Sleeping Bag weekend a couple of days ago, and got to see CMU for the first time. Although I left with a very favorable impression of the University overall, I have to say I have a less favorable impression of the School of Design. My daughter still feels very good about CMU and the School of Design, as she did before we visited, and I have not shared my concerns with her as of yet. I really want to like this school.</p>

<p>The first thing that surprised me was that the School of Design building itself (I think it's called Margaret Morrison) seems a bit worn. The floors are in poor shape and the walls are a dull beige color with almost nothing on them except a couple of flyers about an Anime club. What a contrast to the beautiful College of Fine Arts building! It also seems ironic because design is supposed to be about aesthetics and functionality.</p>

<p>What concerned me more is that the students we ran across in the Design building did not seem happy. And I know it was Sunday and they probably had work due, and I certainly don't expect students to be friendly and smiling all the time, but the overall "vibe" was pretty glum. Even the three design students who gave a talk (while the faculty were in a nearby room reviewing portfolios) did not seem all that energetic or pleased to be there. Again, maybe it was the weather or maybe the students even sort of adopted the mood of the audience - maybe WE were the ones who were too subdued.</p>

<p>I always hear that as a whole, CMU undergrads and grads are much sought after for summer jobs and "real" jobs. But again, this did not seem to be the case as much with the School of Design, especially with Communication Design majors. I believe they named some firms that come to campus looking for Industrial Design majors, but I didn't hear company names that made me think of Communication Design majors. </p>

<p>And just looking at the "rankings roundup" link from their website, their ID program is ranked in the top 10, but not Communication Design. It's ok that CD is not in the top 10 - I just want CMU not to neglect or abandon it.</p>

<p>So please, people... tell me I am wrong or jumping to conclusions. Actually, just tell me what you really think. My hope is that CMU is truly committed to its Design programs, both CD and ID, and to the success of its students in those programs. Overall, I think it is a superb school.</p>

<p>As a senior design student at Carnegie Mellon, I can safely say that you are both wrong and jumping to conclusions.</p>

<p>As for the students not being perky, I’m guessing you probably caught them around a deadline. The design program, especially freshman year, works you to death and eats your soul, so that’s most likely the explanation. Though I’ll also point out it gets less insane after freshman year.</p>

<p>I’m in industrial design, so I’m less familiar with the job prospects of communications designers, but I do know that the CD majors have no problem getting good internships. Even though the industrial design program may be ranked higher, the CMU School of Design is very highly regarded as a whole, and CD has some fantastic professors. We also have access to great resources (I’m sure you didn’t get to the B-level basement, but that’s where we have our design-only computer lab, just refurbished with state of the art computers equipped with Adobe and all sorts of design centric software, a large-format color printer and a 3-D printer). We also just got a new laser cutter, and have access to the CNC machine in the C-level basement.</p>

<p>After semi-living in Margaret Morrison for over three years, it’s proven to be a fantastic setting for designing. Wood floors, large windows, and high ceilings, and that worn-in old-building atmosphere. At least CMU provides studio space and individual desks for everyone in the class. I know some kids at Pratt and one guy had to work in his dorm because they didn’t have enough desks in the studio. Margaret Morrison’s shabbiness also ties into the fact that we don’t have as many filthy rich alums as Tepper, SCS, or even MSC or CIT. So we get less donation funding than other departments, but that doesn’t mean at all that we aren’t taken care of (ie awesome new stuff mentioned in above paragraph).</p>

<p>Another aspect that CMU has that many other design schools have is the setting of a technical research university. The majority of other design schools are set it art schools, where you don’t have nearly the diversity of opportunities. A big trend in design these days is moving into the technological sector. At our last job fair, the firms were looking for interface and interaction designers. Once you get into the school, you’ll find that CD is far more than just designing posters and fonts. It’s about the presentation and communication of information and ideas, which is a prevalent part of the technological sector. And Carnegie Mellon excels in technology. I myself have been taking computer science courses and love it. Oh, and while at CMU design, you have easy access to courses at the top-ranked computer science school in the nation. CMU is also very strong in business, psychology, robotics, biology, any technical field. Another strong factor is that unlike an art school, CMU is very focused on giving you technical and practical skills for the real world . The whole mindset of the school is very grounded in reality and practicality.</p>

<p>So really, even if the CD program isn’t ranked top ten, and Margaret Morrison is sort of beat up, and you figure out how to take advantage of what the university as a whole has to offer, then CMU is pretty damn hard to beat. I even turned down a $100k scholarship from Pratt to be at CMU. Your daughter will receive a very worthwhile education and I’ll say again that you’re jumping to conclusions over inconsequential things.</p>

<p>Thank you, Demon Thermos, for taking the time to advocate for the School of Design. The perspective of a current design student is extremely valuable and is exactly the sort of information I’m seeking. All too often, people get a first impression of something or someone and then look for data to support that impression to arrive at a conclusion - I found myself doing that with the School of Design and wanted to STOP and ask for more information, both objective and subjective. So please, I’m interested in hearing more from you and others who are familiar with the program.</p>

<p>And yes, we did see that design cluster, which was very impressive. The tour guide mentioned that it was recently opened to freshmen; he also mentioned they were getting that new laser cutter. The advanced technology throughout campus is a huge benefit for students.</p>

<p>Let me ask: Of the CD seniors you know, do they have job offers? I ask because we also attended a student panel on Sunday, and the Tepper senior there had 3 job offers, even in this economy. I was wondering if you knew how the CD seniors were faring. Maybe Confluence is the big recruiting event, after which students and employers will presumably be on their way to determining a mutually beneficial fit. The one hiring manager I know here, who works at frog design, was the person who originally extolled the virtues of CMU’s Design program to me, but now I’m wondering if she was referring only to the ID program (and if she hires only ID students). </p>

<p>Lastly, I do wonder if design students are well, happy. I don’t mean happy as in gleeful/joyful/perky/merry, but happy as in contented that they’re there, pleased with the program, wouldn’t wish to be at another school/program, and that they enjoy the company of their fellow design (and other) students. Admittedly, this is a subjective question and hard to answer in a way other than by generalizing. But I have to ask because I really care that my D is happy wherever she ends up matriculating.</p>

<p>Again, many thanks to you for taking the time to post. As someone who has almost completed the design program, your opinions carry a lot of weight.</p>

<p>Because CMU has art and design programs, DS chose CMU, specializing in ME and HCI (multidisciplinary, selective). He would love to do Industrial Design and if he could, design the ‘better mousetrap.’</p>

<p>To answer some questions…</p>

<p>For job prospects, I don’t about any specific job offers for members of my class yet, I just haven’t been asking. But then Confluence hasn’t happened yet, and that’s usually when interested firms start courting seniors for jobs and other years for internships. Even in this economy, I haven’t been hearing about any huge difficulty for CMU grads finding work. Many graduates choose to freelance for a while after graduation, and are typically successful and many end up getting permanently hired by whoever is contracting them. Again, regardless of the ID/CD difference, CMU Design is highly sought after and is a leg up in the resume process, so CMU would be preferred over lots of other schools, and even outside design, you can say you went to CMU and it’ll look very impressive. And as for Frog Design, they do a very broad spectrum of design, which includes branding, packaging, and web design, which fall under CD. Several of their projects reside exclusively in those areas. Also, most design firms I’ve visited will hire a broad range of designers, both ID and CD, and cover much more ground than just the product (you still need the brand, packaging, web identity, and even documentation/manuals/etc, which is primarily CD work) and some of the more product-oriented firms will also employ engineers.</p>

<p>As for happiness, aside from the heavy workload and lack of sleep, I can attest that we’re all pretty happy. During my entire time, only one person in our class has transferred out (two were kicked out after freshman year), so the retention rate is very high. Designers have the reputation around the school as being the most cliquey out of any major, and sometimes we get made fun of for being obsessed with ourselves. This can be attributed to the fact that we do all our work in studio together and end up spending a lot of time together. This generates a healthy social environment for designers. The approach in the program is extremely collaborative. We all help each other out, and our professors will do everything they can to see us through, which is great, and adds to the general contentment with the program. It’s probably one of the least cutthroat majors here. </p>

<p>Hope that answers the questions. I’ll try to remember to ask around about job status.</p>

<p>how long was the interview? I am going for the review next week…</p>

<p>Thanks again for your feedback, Demon Thermos. I’m really glad to hear that you see the Design faculty as supportive and the students as collaborative. I’m especially glad to hear that the students seem happy - it allays my fears a bit. I hope you and others will continue to post any additional insights and observations about the program. (But I’m sure you’re quite busy, so no worries…) Other questions I have are: Those 2 people who were kicked out - was it because they couldn’t handle the workload? How big is the typical freshman class? About what percentage go on to CD and what percentage to ID? </p>

<p>To answer your question, manikinbrahma, the onsite portfolio review last weekend was with a group of about 20 or so applicants. All of the applicants set up their pieces on the carpeted floor of a room whose edges had been marked up into little areas of about 4’ x 4’. The applicants just set up their pieces, in no special way that I could see, and left the room while the 4-5 faculty members reviewed them for about 45 mins or so. Then they called the applicants in, 4-5 at a time (one per faculty member), and one faculty member interviewed his/her particular applicant for about 5-10 minutes.</p>

<p>I’m a senior computer science major, and I would just comment on the general atmosphere of students. It is certainly the case that the weather makes a big impact, which is why if you visit in the Spring when the sun is back, you see students with a lot more energy. (I mean walking around with the wind piercing your skin, tends to wear you down). But more fundamental factor is CMU’s challenging academic environment, true for all departments and majors. People almost always have assignments due, but for the most part students are willing and glad to rise up to the challenge.</p>

<p>The appearance of the buildings would also hardly reflect the distribution of funds. I would argue that the campus focuses on maintaining the practical over small aesthetic details. Classrooms, studios, computer clusters, are all well equipped, maintained and often renovated. Throughout my years here there has been constant renovation throughout campus. CFA may have a nice aesthetic on the first floor, but if you go up a few levels, you’ll see the same wear as in Margaret Morrison.</p>

<p>Thanks for your perspective, XuSCS09. It sounds like brutal weather + brutal workload = not the cheeriest of student bodies. But it also sounds like students are in general, committed to their studies and their future, pleased to be there, and proud of CMU (and I’m guessing the Steelers at this point!).</p>

<p>This is a bit off-topic, but it’s interesting and related to design. Various design professionals & faculty reviewed Obama’s vs Bush’s whitehouse.gov homepage for the Boston Globe:</p>

<p>[Extreme</a> makeover - Boston.com](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/graphics/020109_extreme_makeover/]Extreme”>http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/graphics/020109_extreme_makeover/)</p>

<p>I’m guessing this is one of the kinds of projects that CD majors or grads would collaborate on…</p>

<p>I think the general feeling at CMU for most students is that of being worked to their limit, but loving every minute of it. I know when I was a student there I’d have nights when I’d wonder why the heck I decided to overload in a semester I was taking only engineering classes since I knew it would be late nights almost every night of the week. But, in the end, there’s a real feeling of accomplishment that makes it all worth it.</p>

<p>Also, CMU does a fantastic job with encouraging cooperation in assignments, so often times you’ll be spending all of those late nights working with friends in studio, in a computer lab, in a science lab, in a library, at someone’s house, or anywhere else you can think of. Some of my best memories from CMU were the times my friends in materials and I were pulling marathon homework sessions together.</p>