The students’ work at LCAD seem to be very impressive, however, there isn’t much of discussion about the school. Most discussed schools are like Catarts, SCAD, SCA …etc.
Anyone willing to share your LCAD experience with me? Many thanks.
We toured there this summer and kid2 still has it as a top school to apply to. He was very interested in it’s ties to Blizzard Entertainment (a big gaming company, currently their “Overwatch” is really popular) which is literally like 15 minutes away.
But I’m bookmarking this thread too hoping to hear more.
Since LCAD is such a small school, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of information in one single place. I found a lot of information, experiences, opinions by collectively reading these sources: conceptart.org, animcationcareerreview.com, game-artist.net, quora, reddit, unigo, collegeniche. It is helpful to search using both “Laguna College of Art and Design” and “LCAD”.
We visited last summer and my son fell in love with it. We are from CA but don’t currently live there. We are hoping to move back but the move isn’t happening as soon as we would like and he doesn’t drive, so LCAD is a difficult school for us to work around due to those constraints.
What we loved:
- Size: The small size really does mean more attention. The professors seemed very committed, most had worked in the industry in the past, are connected to the industry, etc....
2…Location: It really is an excellent location. So many opportunities there and from what they said, those in the industry often come and give a lesson or look at student work.
- Faculty: They were all very friendly and helpful. They weren't pretentious at all and any questions we have had, they have been very good at getting back to us.
What we didn’t find info on:
- Internships. It wasn't mentioned during our tour/open house day. I mention this because at the time we didn't think much about it, but in touring other schools, they talked about how much they help students get internships and get out there into the work force.
- Housing: I know there is an apt. complex around the corner (not theirs but they house a lot of the students) and a shuttle, but unless you drive, you may be up a creek when it comes to feeding yourself. They were rather vague about how it all worked, which I guess I can understand since they ultimately aren't in charge of it.
What concerned us:
- They wouldn't take as many classes/credits in transfer as some other students. My son is coming from a Community College and we would like as many as we can get!
- In ranking, they are 17th (depending on the year) of Animation schools in the country. This isn't a huge concern, but when comparing it to other schools, it is something to consider.
Not sure if this is the info you are looking for, but it was just our impressions. My son has ultimately decided on a different school, but LCAD was def. on his list.