<p>hello, ive been accepted to MICA and still waiting to hear for Ringling and I just cant decide were to go. My work is right between fine arts and illustration and I love doing both. Originally I wished to go to Ringling due to their connections to Pixar,EA games and other places were I could work as an illustrator or character designer. I like Ringling but their price tag is huge and I dont want to be 200,000 dollars in debt by the time I graduate. Ive heard some great things from Mica's painting program but nothing about their illustration one. </p>
<p>Is their illustration program good or should I do painting if I go to Mica?</p>
<p>Do their graduates end up in good jobs?</p>
<p>also I would appreciate any other miscellaneous information on both schools that might help me make my decision.</p>
<p>My impression from when my son applied to MICA is that illustration is very strong and that they work hard for student placement. There is not hte direct link to the big companies but some very strong game companies are located in the area and pull from MICA. MICA is also expensive so you are right to be leery of taking on debt. When we toured MICA we met an illustration student with a great portfolio who was minor/double? in electronic media–animation. Her work was very impressive. She had linedd up summer and school year internships in Baltimore area. </p>
<p>In the end, he did not choose MICA because he wanted a university experience and wanted to minor in robotics. Not an option at MICA but they had some scultpure/robotics classes.</p>
<p>My S did a lot of animation in hs and continues with it at CMU but he wasn’t interested in applying to a school like RIngling or SCAD that emphasized technique over concept and would limit his exposure to other media and approaches. CMU, like MICA, has a conceptual approach which he really appreciates. The technical stuff for animation can be self taught, he says, but he feels that the concept studios as well as required 2-D and 3-D studios in foundation year were critical for giving him a much more balanced art education. He didn’t want to be doing rigging only for the rest of his life. I can see him working as a character artist, game artist, special effects artist, or in costume design, animatronics, etc. but if he had gone to ringling it would have probably meant only being fit for game design. MICA offered more variety, flexibility and broad based skills than SCAD or RINGLING but he also felt he needed a broad liberal arts/science education so that is why he is at CMU.</p>
<p>I hope you also have a financial safety as an alternative choice. Art major + debt is a scary combination.</p>
<p>yeah the financial problem scares me, im hoping for scholarships and finacial aid for both schools,i would probably also do work/study and loans and my parents are willing to contribute around 4-10 thousand a year but i would have to pay all my loans so i need to make a good desision and i dont know what to do.</p>
<p>I want a balance of conceptual and technical</p>
<p>My D’s friend made it through Ringling on scholarships but I will say it was a lot of work for applications etc.
Ringling is KNOWN for it’s strong art background. CA majors from Ringling are sought after by companies BECAUSE they emphasize art! ALL the major studios regularly recruit from Ringling. I have no idea where previous poster got the idea that Ringling emphasized technique over art.</p>
<p>My daughter goes to MICA and started out as a painting major. I visited their “art market” in December and was very impressed with what the illustration department had put out. Everything I bought was from one of their tables. In general, MICA does seem to have it’s act together with helping the students navigate the professional world for all disciplines. </p>
<p>Can you visit either of them before you decide?</p>
<p>i visited ringling and loved the area and the artwork and everything. mica is too far away and my parents cant afford a trip up north:( thats why I want as much information as I can on them</p>
<p>If your parents are too far away to be able to visit MICA then will you have no way of getting home for breaks? That is something that you really need to think about. Ringling is a great school and is in a really nice area. If it is close to home then that should be a large part of what helps you to decide where to go.</p>
<p>It is also smart to think about the Pixar connection that you mentioned. If you are going to school just to get a good job then utilizing that connection is a good idea. Some people get started at Ringling and then end up getting jobs through Pixar before they finish. That is a pretty good choice for an artist.</p>
<p>No matter where you go to school you will end up with some debt, especially if everything is through college loans. they do add up quickly. Think about the whole issue before making the choice.</p>
<p>Consider the location in proximity to family and the fact that you already like the school since visiting. If you have the skills, you will be able to learn and grow no matter where you go.</p>
<p>D is a freshman at MICA in Illustration. She LOVES it there. As I understand it, Illustration is the major with the most students. You are looking at 2 fine schools with a similar cost structure. In the end, you need to decide where you feel most at home. D is learning a great deal, loves her teachers and has amazingly transitioned from insulated suburbanite to independent city dweller. We looked at Ringling as well, but in the long run, it was a personal choice.</p>