My son accidently accepted all awards listed on the FASTawards for Pratt Institute.

Parents Forum
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<p>[Academic</a> Programs - Majors & Minors at a Glance](<a href=“Academics • Purchase College”>Academics • Purchase College)
^they even have a Painting/Drawing BFA program.</p>

<p>[Purchase</a> College - Admissions](<a href=“Search results for  • Purchase College”>Admissions • Purchase College)
^look to the right of the page in this link: tuition/costs</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.fitnyc.edu/35.asp[/url]”>http://www.fitnyc.edu/35.asp&lt;/a&gt;
^or FIT in NYC</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.fitnyc.edu/6220.asp[/url]”>http://www.fitnyc.edu/6220.asp&lt;/a&gt;
^FIT cost of attendance</p>

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<p>lovepratt,</p>

<p>What is your state university? How is their art dept? </p>

<p>That is a huge amt of debt for an art graduate! They don’t start off being paid like investment bankers you know!</p>

<p>What will get a guy a job in NY is not whether he went to Pratt but how well he did at the place he did go. If he has talent and does great work and makes networking through his profs a priority he will have connections to help him get started in NYC or anywhere else. </p>

<p>Another possibility is he could defer his admission into Pratt, and work a year. That is money towards the school that he would not be borrowing. There are very few schools that will not let a student defer their arrival for a year, especially if they say it is to earn more for college.</p>

<p>Doing so would help him get a perspective on how much he will have to earn to pay those loans, too. I am not saying I think he should not go to Pratt—but he needs to do some thinking about what he is saddling himself with when he gets out. He will find everything harder to do – buying a car & paying it off, getting together deposits for apts, being able to save for a house, everything. You watch others around you breeze into these things and then you realize, their parents paid their whole ride and they have no college debt they are paying.</p>

<p>I graduated in 1978 with 13.5 k in loans, and I found that hard enough. $300/month at the time. </p>

<p>Jeez, the President and his wife were lawyers who had gone to Princeton & Harvard, and they were saddled with crushing debt and wondering how they would get rid of it! Until he wrote that book and the sales of that fixed their loan problems! (Which is, btw, why he is so interested in financial aid & student loan reform)</p>

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<p>Even if he did get a job in NYC, he couldn’t afford to live anywhere near here with that debt. There would be nothing left over after paying it for him to have a roof over his head or food to eat.</p>

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<p>SCAD is actually a good school.
Maybe it’s just because it’s been so long since I researched art schools, but I’ve never actually heard of Pratt. The top art schools are ones like RISD, MICA, Ringling, Calarts. Cooper Union is good, but it’s kind of “out there,” as in being very conceptual and abstract.
SCAD is not the “best of the best,” but it is still an excellent school.</p>

<p>One thing I think is an issue here is that you may or may not know that art school is MUCH different from academic college in that the school you go to does not matter, at all, except in one area: connections and alumni network. In fact, it does not matter if you have a degree at all if we’re really talking about going into the art industry. All that matters, period, is your portfolio.
If you have a degree in art, but your portfolio is not up to par, you’re not getting hired.
If you have no degree from any school, but your portfolio is brilliant… You’re hired!</p>

<p>Actually, I think I should leave it to the professionals to explain. :slight_smile:
Here is a great link to a FAQ on “the reality of art school” in the conceptart.org forum (which, I think, is a much better place for the art-school bound than CC!) :
[The</a> Reality of Going to Art School and a basic FAQ for those considering it. - ConceptArt.org Forums](<a href=“http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=102315]The”>http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=102315)
These are professional artists talking about the art industry and the education it takes to make it in there. I vouch for all info there over any I could provide.</p>

<p>Oh, and just to clarify on my position: I’ve been extensively involved in online art communities since I was eleven, and have run my own online art/design business for several years. I know (and, in some cases, am very close to) art professionals, students, and hobbyists across the country and beyond. One of these friends is actually an art major at Yale, so there was a lot of celebration when we found out that where I’m going. :slight_smile: I planned on going to art school all last year, so I actually got an amazing wealth of information when I asked about advice regarding it. (To be specific, I posted a journal one of my art site accounts, and received over 100 comments and quite a few private messages.) I also did a lot of research on my own. One thing I do know for sure is that if your son is serious about getting into the art industry, conceptart.org forums is where it’s at, no doubt. Those are the real experts. Researching his options there is wise.</p>

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<p>our decision narrowed to Pratt.
I am talking to my son and he says almost everyone at Pratt Institute goes through same situation.
is it true? should i believe it?</p>

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<p>You shouldn’t believe it, and it doesn’t matter anyway, what happens to other people. When he graduates and finds how few options he has, he will very likely blame you for not preventing him from making this mistake. Is there any other possibility left?</p>

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<p>Prussia, Thank you for sharing that information. I’m going to bookmark that link. </p>

<p>lovepratt wrote,

</p>

<p>There is no way in hell that he is going to be able to secure those loans without your signature. You are the one with the power. Including the power to cut his student debt level down so that after art school he’ll be able to make a living as an artist.</p>

<p>I do know many people who graduated from art schools in huge amounts of debt. I think it’s a blemish on the good reputation of many of these schools that they encourage their students to do so. The less debt a person has, the more freedom they have, period.</p>

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<p>It appears that lovepratt is stuck on Pratt and is trying to justify going into $100,000 debt to attend. We’ve given suggestions and offered advice. It’s now in the OP’s lap.</p>

<p>by the way, this is the same screen name of a student who previously admitted to having a couple of D’s in his senior year.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/896119-does-pratt-institute-look-back-check-your-high-school-senior-grade.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/896119-does-pratt-institute-look-back-check-your-high-school-senior-grade.html&lt;/a&gt;
^“does pratt look for unweighted GPA or weighted GPA when checking the final senior grade??
I got couple of Ds in some classes unweighted… I am so worried about that.
If I have D for senior year for Pratt institute, is it really BAD??”</p>

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<p>*I am talking to my son and he says almost everyone at Pratt Institute goes through same situation.
is it true? should i believe it? *</p>

<p>According to Collegeboard…the average loan for a Pratt student is: $5,663 per year. So, about $24k total for the whole 4 years. </p>

<p>Logically what your son is claiming is impossible because most parents can’t/won’t borrow $80k in loans. Does your son REALLY believe that most Pratt parents borrow $80k? That would be impossible. Most people couldn’t qualify.</p>

<p>No…don’t believe it. That’s just a young kid talking trying to get what he wants. </p>

<p>*what is the normal salary for starters that graduated from pratt…or those who major in fasion or industrial design. i hope it is at least $30,000 a year. *</p>

<p>If he’s earning $30k per year, once he subtracts taxes, social security, and personal expenses and entertainment, how much would he have to put towards loans each year? </p>

<p>I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect your son to live some strict monk-like existence for 5-10 years while paying off these loans. </p>

<p>It also isn’t reasonable to expect that he’s going to live at home that whole time. Most 22 - 28 year olds don’t want to live at home.</p>

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<p>I agree that you shouldn’t believe it, and that 100k in loans is just a bad idea, period. I wouldn’t recommend that much debt for a kid going to Harvard, let alone art school. Due to my research, I know better than the inaccurate stereotype about art always being a “starving industry,” but even with a good-paying art job, it’d be very tough to pay that off. Many sectors of the art industry are primarily commission-based work rather than a fixed salary, too, so while it can pay very well if one is motivated and active, it’s not secure unless one has that kind of passion (along with people and networking skills). It’s hard to be specific without knowing what field your son’s interested in joining, but in general, 100k loans is bad bad bad.
Usually I’m very against “parent over child” decision-making, but I don’t think your son is making a very well-thought-out decision here at all. I don’t know if he’s enamored with the school, insecure about job prospects and looking for security in the “more selective” school, or simply doesn’t realize how much $100k debt is, but I cannot say I would advise picking Pratt in this situation.
Best of luck.</p>

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<p>This is way too much debt for a student in any economy but at the current time , it is downright scary. Can your sons debt be reduced somehow?</p>

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<p>Prussia Quote: Usually I’m very against “parent over child” decision-making, but I don’t think your son is making a very well-thought-out decision here at all.</p>

<p>I agree. But in this case, these are Parent Plus loans that the child is going to be paying on. That means that if he can’t pay it, the parents’ credit is going to be hurt unless they can afford to pay $80k+ back.</p>

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<p>Haha, well, let me clarify that statement. In general, I support parents and children working together rationally to come to a decision, with neither side having the foot “stamped down” on them. The rational compromise should win, and, in general, should promote what is best for those affected by the decision, whether student or parent. I just don’t support “arbitrary” parent-over-child decision making, if that makes sense.
In a case like this, in which the parents are significantly impacted (financially, here) by the decision, they should have a significant role in the outcome.
If lovepratt isn’t okay with being responsible for that debt, the foot needs to come down. It may be the son’s life and education, but it’s also the parent’s money (and/or credit score)-- a lot of it!</p>

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<p>The PLUS parent loans will be in your name. Are you certain he can and will pay that debt? Otherwise you will get stuck with the tab.</p>

<p>Also, I don’t see how having a plan for your kids to move back home after college for 5+ years and use “99%” of his income to pay off debts is a very good one. It guarantees he is stuck at home with you during the majority if not all of his 20s, and while that might sound cozy right now, he might have different ideas after he graduates (or gasp, if he doesn’t graduate but still carried all that debt!) and default on those huge loans - anything you co-sign will be YOUR debt.</p>

<p>Maybe you need to find out</p>

<p>1) what is the 4-year and 6-year graduation rate for Pratt? Are you ready to pay out an extra 50K if he is one of those 6-year grads?</p>

<p>2) what percentage of Pratt graduates get hired in their field w/in 6 or 12 months of graduation? what is their ave starting salary?</p>

<p>3) what are the stats from question #1 and #2 for SCAD and other colleges?</p>

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<p>what!? Ds??! i gotta talk with him
thanks for finding that nysmile.</p>

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<p>can you pay off loans when my son is still attending school when I happen to get big buck?</p>

<p>I agree it is impossible for my son to pay off loans without me. I dont want to put him in that situation. Right now I am looking for state community college for a break of one year.
I think thats wise. </p>

<p>We also got accepted to SAIC and SVA but its same as Pratt. the loan would be about 100,000 there too. I see that these art schools are very expensive.</p>

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<p>You may want to get in touch with a good financial advisor, and quickly, before your son has to actually make a commitment to school. There’s only 2 weeks left. I must say I’m a bit surprised that you, as the parent, didn’t look into these issues a lot earlier on in the process. Who was guiding your son through the process of deciding where to apply?</p>

<p>Regarding D’s on his report card, at this point he either got them or he didn’t. It’s moot. He was accepted into the colleges he was accepted to. Right now, the BIG issue is figuring out what he’s going to do next year, and how much it’s going to cost.</p>

<p>And again, I’m still confused about the whole idea of studying painting for just one year and then choosing another major. If his eventual goal is not “painting” then why is Pratt such a big deal? Let him go to a decent, reasonably-priced college for his actual major.</p>

<p>Edit: I see above you mentioned him going to community college for a year. That’s a fantastic idea!</p>

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<p>I think he better look at the foundation year, most places dont have much painting the first year. I think I remember Pratt is pretty rigid with their foundation year requirements. Also some places are more rigid than others about declaring majors. </p>

<p>Did you look into VCU? It has an excellent art program, and is much more affordable.</p>

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<p>Rereading this thread from the beginning, I’m sad that this student first thought he had a full scholarship, and now finds a vastly different scenario. This is a difficult enough time for the kids! </p>

<p>Did he get <em>any</em> actual scholarship money, or is the entire package in loans?</p>

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<p>I wish for the best for this student. </p>

<p>I also hope that the parent and the student realize that no one, not one person, thinks that this level of debt is a good idea.</p>