I’m torn right now between mcad or new paltz. I’m going for graphic design though I’d really love an interdisciplinary approach where I can take courses in other mediums too.
Overall costs will be about the same, probably even slightly less expensive at mcad (they gave me a hefty scholarship) but no aid from suny new paltz.
I’m leaning more towards mcad right, being better ranked, an art school, more majors, better housing. But I’m not sure. Does anyone have any input here? I’d really appreciate it.
In your view, what are the advantages of New Paltz over MCAD?
It’s much bigger, so I’ll be able to take classes outside the arts. MCAD liberal arts curriculum seemed limited and… kinda boring. On the other hand, MCAD offers a comic art and web development majors, which is neat, I’ll probably be taking many studio electives in these two.
I feel great about Minneapolis but then I feel I’d really enjoy New Paltz suburban nature more, and proximity to NYC is a huge plus too.
My dad told me some jobs might take the ‘university’ title more seriously than ‘college’ or ‘Institute’, although I really doubt that. Also, I hear that SUNY new paltz has a more diverse and artsy student base, which again I’m not very sure about either.
BUT, MCAD has neat, inexpensive apartments very close to campus. Its art programs seem more prestigious and better ranked. And I had an online interview with my counselor that gave me a very positive vibe. Besides even though they’ll end up costing the same, still difficult to turn down a hefty scholarship like theirs.
It’s a tough decision. I really hoped I could visit but I’m outside the us 
That would have probably helped me so much figuring it out.
Those are all great reasons. My D wants to do graphic design as well, btw, and looked into several art/design schools before choosing four to apply to. They were all nationally ranked and very strong in GD. She really clicked with MCAD and would have been very happy there. The reason she chose elsewhere was to get the experience of living out of state. D applied to two state schools (I kind of strongly suggested that as a “fallback”) but was never interested in attending - she likes the ratio of 2/3-studio, 1/3-liberal arts that you get with the stand alone professional art college (those ratios tend to be flipped at a university of larger LAC).
IMHO, you needn’t worry about the type of school (“university” vs. “college” or “institute”). As an extreme example, RISD is merely a “school” LOL. CalArts is an “Institute”. I suppose you can use the analogy of The Juilliard School or The Peabody Institute. Those music programs lack nothing - particularly prestige. And bonus: most highly ranked art colleges are affiliated with local selective colleges. Not every place has the partnership of RISD/Brown but MICA allows you to take courses at JHU, and MCAD is affiliated with Macalaster College (a very selective LAC in St. Paul). You would need to double check to see how practical that relationship is (art school schedules do not tend to jive with the rest of academia and this is a problem even with the RISD/Brown partnership). But assuming you want to take physics or CS or a foreign language for your study abroad you would at least theoretically have the opportunity.
We really liked the campus feel of MCAD. Small but cohesive with a definite campus community. So you’ve picked up the right vibe. Apartment living is also WAY preferable to living in dorms. And yeah, Minneapolis is not the most diverse city in the US (far from it) but MCAD looks positively exotic compared to some of the other colleges and universities around here. Artists are a diverse bunch by nature and WAY more kids from all over are attracted to it than, say, the U of MN. The big question you need to find out is whether SUNY New Paltz is, in fact, a school that clears out on the weekends (kids go home, etc.). That’s one of the big differences between a state school and a national college. Compare the % of international students as well.
I’d definitely look into the foundation studies program and compare the two schools that way as well. As one of the AICAD schools, MCAD has a foundation year consistent with other top art/design schools.
A few other things we really liked about MCAD:
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the curriculum is structured around the development of the art professional. Internship is required (not just optional), other courses with a practical nature are required, you are required to do a senior project in your major AND the liberal arts component culminates in a capstone project (so that’s actually TWO senior projects!). They don’t stop foundation after your first year - it continues throughout the four year stay. Only after the first year it’s kind of like “practical foundation to prepare you for the real world after art school”. As a parent, I REALLY liked that aspect of the curriculum.
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The facilities are great and to industry standard for technology driven majors (M/Lab is really cool). The building is open 24/7 and I think (you’ll have to check on that) that each students gets his/her own studio space beginning sophomore year. Something I noticed when we toured is that “furniture design” is really “product design” (in fact, “furniture” is a subset) so anyone interested in ID needn’t worry about the “lack of a major there”. They had everything from the sewing room to the CNC machine and 3D printers. Plus a foundery, plus plasma cutters, etc.
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The entire student body is required to be on the same computer platform. That indicates true fluidity among the departments which you need if you want an interdisciplinary experience. This is not true for the majority of art schools we looked at. I questioned how “real” some of the claims about being interdisciplinary truly were. How can you be interdisciplinary if your major requires a Mac and someone else’s requires a PC? This might not be as much an issue nowadays but I’m guessing there are still compatibility issues. And why would an artist/designer use a PC anyway? Mac is the way to go (IMHO as I type on my MacBook Air LOL). One thing I’ve noticed too is despite all the claims about creativity and thinking outside the box, some art schools have NOT been quick to stay on the forefront of technological innovation in the art and design world. MCAD is actually an exception having always integrated technology into it’s curriculum. Nowadays designers need to keep up with the changes in media and the first place to look is what are the art schools doing about that.
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Something that not many students look into (but their parents should): the current president of MCAD is the former provost of RISD. He brings a visionary approach to the school that has helped make it a national player despite it’s size. Coogan is also a sculptor which seems like a great balance to the very “techie” reputation that the school has.
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The student work is really impressive. We saw a lot of cool GD stuff during Accepted Student Day. The alums are doing some great things! They were definitely following their artistic inclinations and making money in the process. That’s what you want to be doing once you graduate.
Congratulations on your scholarships and good luck with your choice!
Thanks, that was very informative. Suny new paltz also has the art schools structure, 2/3 studio with a foundation year. But yeah I’ll check the weekend situation.
You definitely pumped me up more about mcad. And my gut feeling is leaning more towards there, so I think I’ll go for it. Thanks!