<p>Does anyone have any info on College of the Visual Arts in St. Paul, MN? We visited MCAD, DD loves the Minn area, and so far MCAD is her first choice out of all the schools we've seen, We saw CVA listed on a Google map, and thought I'd check into it. Other than that I've never heard of it. She's looking to major in illustration.</p>
<p>Also, we visited SAIC last week and altho she liked it, is not convinced it is the right school for her (not enough structure and maybe a bit too conceptual), and thought the no grades thing would complicate grad school acceptance. She did have her portfolio accepted by them. Any ideas on a northern school for illustration that falls in between RISD (which I understand is VERY structured) and SAIC? Thanks.</p>
<p>We live in that neck of the woods, and my daughter has taken a class at CVA. It is a newish (accredited 1998), smaller art school that lacks some of the resources of most of the larger schools. My D took a class there last year and found the instruction good, but most of the students were older adults. The school doesn’t have anything approaching a campus.</p>
<p>MCAD is an excellent regional art school, located adjacent to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and not far from the dynamic Uptown area of Minneapolis. I was at the Uptown Art Fair yesterday, which is a huge art fair (the largest of three in Mpls that day). The Twin Cities has a robust and vibrant arts community, with a full calendar of events, although they tend to be spread throughout the city. </p>
<p>I don’t think MCAD has quite the resources of the NYC schools, RISD, MICA and some other big schools, but will provide an excellent education. My only concern about MCAD would be that the Twin Cities lack a very good public transit system (although our light rail is expanding, which will help), and so for MCAD students to get out and about, it is quite helpful to have a car, especially after foundation year. The other issue is winter, which can be quite a challenge for some people. It is cold (and dark) from November to March, which puts some people off. </p>
<p>My D had the same concerns about yours about the lack of structure at SAIC. She needs the structure. We had a hard time deciding between MICA and RISD, and RISD won out, despite the much greater cost. She didn’t apply to MCAD because it is too close to her parents.</p>
<p>Has your daughter looked at Columbia College Chicago?</p>
<p>Thanks - Yes, we looked at Columbia - we liked the school altho the neighborhood can be a little sketchy at night, but was not a deal breaker. The other problem is that it is not accredited by NASAD, which, from what say is important, and the large student body - plus the campus is all over Chicago. She measures every school we have seen against MCAD and nothing seems to compare. We live in Florida, so she’s tired of non-stop heat, and is actually looking at all cold weather northern schools.</p>