@Mamelot I didn’t get financial aid (I’m an int’l student) But they sent me a financial form which mentioned tuition costs, room&board, health insurance, books&supplies, fees, and their laptop. So I think other than personal expenses and meals that’s about it, right?
2k seems reasonable for their cafeteria (at least relatively to other schools) and I read you can get refunds on spring if you end up using less, so it wouldn’t be an issue. Thanks so much for your help! I’m probably going to enroll there this fall.
@artstudent21 we live in MN. My D opted for another school out East but we like MCAD a lot. It’s a great school! Good luck to you there. Minneapolis is a wonderful city and there is a lot to see and do, not to mention it’s one of the best art scenes around!
Yes, I think you hit all of the expense categories. MCAD is actually less expensive than other schools and the apartments allow for you to save on food money because you are cooking for yourself (even if your cooking consists of heating up frozen burritos and popcorn shrimp, it’s way less than most college meal plans, believe me!). You can load up the Bistro card with some cash and see how much you are actually there. I’m guessing that foundation students will be relying on it a bit more than other students. Personally, I really like the Bistro and the space it’s in. It’s quiet, sunny, and the food is good. You might get tired of it (it’s not big) but then you have other options including restaurants and shopping for groceries. It’s actually a great situation for the students.
Good luck to you!
Having trouble accessing the MCAD website today…can anyone else?
I was just able to access it. Hopefully it’s working now. Many times colleges will schedule maintenance on Sundays due to lower usage that day - but that can’t be helpful this time of year!
D wants to decline her awards at the U of MN (she sent in her withdraw) but THAT website is out of commission till the 21st - then it’s a new rollout and I think she’ll have to sign up again or something which is a real hassle. I feel sorry for all those kids waiting to hear of an award decision being put on hold while the web people update their website. The timing is poor to say the least.
Thanks! I can get on there now!
It’s official! S will be attending MCAD this fall! Feeling excited and nervous and a whole bunch of other emotions. He is the baby and even though he has been at a residential arts high school, I still can’t believe he will be so far away~! Those who are from the area or have/had students attend MCAD please give me advice! What all do we need to have for the apartment? We have requested a furnished…but is there a microwave? coffee maker? pots/pans? dishes?
What specific types of cold weather gear should we be on the lookout for? We are from South Carolina, so obviously do not have that sort of thing!
Thanks!
Congrats to your son! May he have a wonderful experience at MCAD.
Definitely purchase a coffee pot and/or electric tea kettle - I don’t think there was one there in the kitchen we looked at (you should probably check with Housing to verify that). We opted to buy our D a Keurig system for Christmas (found a reasonably priced one at our local Walmart and ended up getting a $20 gift card on top of that so it was a great deal!). The k-cups can be expensive but you can order online and we always manage to find something around $.50 a cup. That’s super expensive compared to a coffee maker or electric tea kettle but . . . much cheaper than buying at Starbucks or Caribou so we figure it was worth the expense. Plus, you can make coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc. so it’s really handy. A Keurig or a regular coffee maker would need to be run through with white vinegar once in a while to get rid of deposits. Midwestern water is very, very hard.
Check out the following link for what to bring to your apartment. It definitely mentions microwave and pots and pans.
http://mcad.edu/considering-mcad/housing-and-student-life/housing-and-dining
For cleaning supplies: broom and dustpan, stuff to clean the bathroom (toilet bowl and shower), stuff to clean the kitchen counter (like Fantastic or Mr. Clean), stuff to clean the floor (Spic N Span or equivalent), sponge mop, cleaning rags. For food storage in kitchen: plastic storage bags (sandwich, quart, gallon); GladWare, garbage can and kitchen sized trash bags (If they have one in the apartment still buy another one your S will not regret it), a big pack of paper towels, sponges, dish cloths and towels, dishwashing and dish soap, rack for drying pots. Also purchase a supply of paper plates and cups to get them through the transition of living on their own and washing dishes, etc.
He’ll probably want a blender as well.
Some of the bigger items he should coordinate with his roommate so that they don’t go purchasing two of everything.
Winter outerwear: down parka or coat, hat and gloves are a must for the really cold months. Probably boots too because some days he’ll be going out during a blizzard or before the sidewalks can get cleared off.
Some purchases can be put off till later in the semester. The parka and boots, for instance, really won’t be needed prior to January or Dec. at the earliest. If he brings a heavy jacket, scarf and gloves he’ll be fine through Thanksgiving at least. And here in the Midwest layers are the key to comfort. No need for long underwear if he’s not doing any XC skiing LOL. But if he buys a parka with enough room for a fleece jacket underneath he won’t be unhappy. And it’s amazing how light and breathable wool is as a layer.
If you start putting a list together now you’ll have lots of time to add/update before he actually needs to begin purchasing stuff. You would also have plenty of time to take advantage of sales.
Thank you, Mamelot! So much great info!
No problem @luvmiballerina. The website link for admitted students is going to be very helpful for you - the housing handbook will specify what is included in each type of apartment. One thing I noticed is that unlike most other colleges MCAD does NOT have XL twin beds. The mattresses are standard size. So do keep that in mind when you and he are putting together his dorm pack.
Hi, was surprised to see this whole MCAD thread, I’m not on here much anymore! My D graduated last May and has been doing freelance work, as well as starting a job at Starbucks shortly. She has done the illustrations for a African Folk Tales series, the first book to be released in May. In addition, she has an Etsy shop going with handdrawn greeting cards and does animal portraits and has written and illustrated several children’s books.
We are from Florida,and after graduation, she decided to remain in Minn, as the opportunities were much greater there than where we live. She loved the school and the city. She currently lives in a house in the Morris Park neighborhood, near Cap’s Grill (best BBQ brisket, if you haven’t been there!!)
At MCAD, she had 3 roommates for the first 2 years, ( 4 girls in a 2 bedroom apt) then we rented an apartment across the street which she shared with her long-time boyfriend who moved up from Florida as well. They did most of their cooking, but she still ate some at the Bistro. I can’t remember if it was open on weekends or not, but I don’t think so. Eat Street has plenty of places, altho the kids usually avoided the Bad Waitress because it was expensive. They did a lot of Domino’s delivery. For medical, she usually went to the CVS clinics or to the urgent care places. I made sure she had a list of the places that were on the approved list from my insurance policy. She doesn’t drive, so the public transportation was a definite plus. The security at the school can’t be beat. They have a shuttle type service that if you find yourself stuck somewhere outside the campus (within a certain radius) and no way back, they will come and get you. D used that service a couple of times when she had walked too far and couldn’t get back. All the security really keeps an eye out for the students, and she never felt afraid there.
Mamelot is right about layers for the cold weather. We send her with 2 coats,one expensive one from Lands End, and a $10 one from the Goodwill. The latter was a down coat and she wore that one the most, she said that was the warmest. I would suggest looking at your local thrift stores. We have a lot of them down here, when people from the north move to Florida they figure they don’t need their heavy coats anymore and give them away. You might have the same luck in SC.
They have something called the"Free Shelf" where students can drop off things they don’t want any more, and the items are free to anyone at the school as well as members of the community. My daughter got quite a bit of things from there, especially at the end of the school years when everyone is moving out. If some of those parents only knew what those kids were getting rid of… LOL
Make sure to coordinate with the roommates, there isn’t a lot of room to store 3 extra microwaves or 3 toasters. I did not send anything really nice, just basic stuff, as it tends to get ruined/broken/destroyed when you have 2 or 3 other people using stuff. Lots of food burning = ruined pots and pans. We would refill her Bistro card and that way she wasn’t looking for cash all the time. There is also a Service Bureau (printing) card that will be very important to have and keep filled with $. The last thing you want is to have no money on it when your project is due!
If anyone has any other questions, just holler!
Hey @redbug thank you for providing an update on your daughter! Sounds like she’s off to a great start. My D’s good friend from high school just got everything figured out finance-wise and will be attending MCAD for illustration as well. They were wonderful about making it doable for her. She’s thrilled.
And I guess I didn’t realize there was a southern contingency attracted to Minneapolis what with your daughter and @luvmiballerina’s son. There must be more. You guys are definitely thinking outside the box - most admitted students considering MN (including not a few engineering kids over at the U of MN website) are “very concerned” about the winters here. It needn’t be a hangup (we are a metropolis, not a wilderness outpost!!!) and a sense of right priorities should make that conclusion obvious. Art students rock!!!
D hated Florida - heat, bugs, lack of culture, not much public transportation for those who don’t drive. She was excited to go to a metro area, and has has never complained about the winters there, altho it did take her a couple of years to get used to bringing her mittens with her everyday!! All the schools we visited were either in the northeast or midwest. She wouldn’t even consider a Florida school. If your daughter’s friend would like some inside info on the illustration major and the classes and profs she had, pm me and I can connect the two of them.
@luvmiballerina - there is also a van shuttle that runs on weekends for the kids to a shopping mall that has a grocery store, Home Depot, etc. They need to have a plan as to what to buy before they get there, because there is not a lot of time allotted for just browsing.
Thanks for so much awesome info! Can you guys give some insight on what the first year schedule might look like?
I looked up her first year schedule - it is a foundation year, like the majority of schools have. Here is the breakdown of what she had:
Fall semester:
Intro to Art & Design History 1
Reading and Writing 1
Foundation: 2D studies
Foundation: Drawing 1
Foundation: Media 1
Winter semester:
Intro to Art and Design History 2
Reading and Writing 2
Foundation: 3D studies
Foundation: Drawing 2
Introduction to Illustration
It’s pretty intense, kids are either working, eating or sleeping, and most of the time in that order!!
The Art Cellar, right on campus, is the best place to buy supplies - its is VERY reasonable and my daughter still buys her supplies there.
They also have a card that you can load with $$, as does the Service Bureau for printing. They prefer a card with $ loaded on it, especially at the SB because then they are not handling cash.
I like the fact that the foundation students at MCAD are pre-registered for their classes. Kinda hoping Pratt does the same thing.
I think they do that pretty much the 2nd year too,at least until you decide a major. D had a lot of choice about what to take.
So do they basically have the more academic classes (art history and english) in the morning with the art classes in the afternoon? What time do classes typically start and end?
If I remember correctly,that’s correct. I think the earliest class she had was a 9:30 am a couple of days a week. The studio classes run 3- 4 hours and those are in the late afternoon and evening. I know some of the studio classes started at 1pm, and some at 6pm I believe. It’s almost as if the school knows that these kids aren’t morning people and schedule the studios for then. After her foundation year, her schedule usually gave her one weekday off.
Will he be living in the dorms?