Junior year planning - portfolio or other academics?

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

<p>The long version of my question is here: Junior</a> year planning and breadth vs depth – very long, sorry - College Confidential</p>

<p>but here’s the short version.</p>

<p>She’s homeschooled, gifted artist and math kid, put art on the back burner for a few years while blasting through a bunch of AoPS courses. Now she wants to get back to art seriously, and do a double major or dual degree in art and applied math. She’s at this point interested in a range of schools – universities, LACs and engineering schools with cool high-tech art programs. (a few from the current - long - list are Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Rice, Vanderbilt, Carleton, Oberlin, RPI, Rochester)</p>

<p>So for the most part, she’ll be applying to the college or university as a whole, not to the art program. The question is, in a busy junior year if forced to choose between working on her art portfolio and burnishing her general academic credentials, which should she do?</p>

2

<p>Looks like academics were discussed pretty thoroughly in the long question posts. Bottom line on that - check the academic course requirements for the schools she’s considering to be sure you can cover them over the next two years. If you’re not sure, the admissions departments would probably be happy to answer any questions you have.</p>

<p>For the portfolio requirement, consider letting your daughter attend a National Portfolio Day as a junior to get feedback. A wide variety of schools are represented and the discussions are valuable. Another direction would be to schedule time visiting Art departments as part of her college visits. </p>

<p>What an exciting two years she has ahead of her!</p>