<p>No matter how early you arrive before 10:30, there will be a line, altho I recommend doing so. Registration is just filling out a form (name address, field of interest, major, etc) so they can see who was there. In Miami parents had to fill out the form too, before they would let us in the door with our students. Last year I took my D plus 2 classmates. They went to see the schools they were interested in and then I found them sitting in the hall. They said they were done. I got them on their feet and made them go back in - told them they were there for all the critique they could get. They did a couple more schools then quit and were ready to go home. D on the other hand, kept going like the energizer bunny, and they had to wait for her til the end. She wouldn’t stop until they just about turned the lights off. The first portfolio day she saw at least 10, and close to that number or more the second time she went. She had one of us to wait in line, and the only “popular” school she did was SAIC. She wasn’t interested in Pratt, RISD, RIngling, MICA, where the long lines were anyway.</p>
<p>Agree, get there early, bring your best work and a snack. But most important, do homework before you arrive.<br>
- Find out which schools will be present (ask the host school for a list)
- Decide which 5-10 schools you want to see based on your selection criteria and if possible, rank them so you can dash to your top choices early. We combed over and over the Petersons College Guide for Visual Arts Majors to help us narrow the list based on our criteria, but in the end, the individualized discussion and review was more insightful that words on a page. For example, we were excited to talk with Univ of Michigan about their program, but the reviewer panned Ds work as too conceptual. And that may be so for U of M, so we will not apply there. Portfolio was accepted by MICA, so she must be doing something right.
- Remember that it is like going to an amusement park the most popular schools have the longest lines. You can decide to visit only a couple popular ones or more if they are not as popular.
- Decide on your objective: Do you want to get on-the-spot portfolio acceptances, feedback from only the schools on your list or feedback from any of the available reps? Some schools will not make a portfolio decision at NPDs, so it is good to know before you get in line with that expectation. Although, you could always ask them How does my portfolio compare with those of students you have accepted? </p>
<p>Our strategy has been to visit in-person the high profile schools that D will apply to in order to receive a more personalized, less rushed review. We only had the stamina for about 4 schools at the NPDs weve attended, but well worth the time spent.</p>
<p>mom4art - How and where did your D get an acceptance to MICA? Was it at a NPD? I am using my daughter’s user name (actually taken over by her from my son) because I can’t figure out how to make a new one with the same email address but I have seen several of your posts and you sound like a research type person as I am. I would love to pick your brain for information you have gathered. In particular what schools like what in portfolios. I didn’t know MICA was more interested in the conceptual. My D is looking at a major in illustration and will be applying early action to Pratt - she went to their summer program and loved it! Need to fly right now but am so glad I have found some people who may have some insight - our academic focused high school has absolutely no guidance to offer in this matter!</p>
<p>mom4art: “Portfolio was accepted by MICA…”</p>
<p>When they accept a portfolio at NPD do they give you a ‘ticket’ or code of some sort to submit with your application, or do they record your name and info… how does that work?</p>
<p>Good School and SNL - MICA was one of the high profile schools i mentioned. We showed them an abbreviated portfolio at NPD when D was a Junior (and by some miracle the line was not long) and received great feedback from them, MCAD and Art Academy. We made a trip out to visit MICA this fall and had 1:1 time with the reviewer. That is when the portfolio was accepted verbally with a confirmation letter sent about a week later. Good School, you can pick my brain, but I think it is mostly full of stuffing at this point. I only know about a small handful of schools we have done intensive research on. D is picky.</p>
<p>SNL, to sort of answer your question, I think each school has their own way of handling things at NPD. When in doubt, call the school of interest and ask how they handle NPDs. They’ll tell you. RIT accepted her portfolio at NPD and handed her the duplicate copy of the sheet saying so. That was not the purpose of our visit, so it was nice, but not expected.</p>
<p>BUT, that just means that we now have the privilege of applying. The hard part starts now to develop a scholarship-worthy portfolio. ugh</p>
<p>thanks for your reply - i have a picky D as well so I know where you are coming from - and yes, yes scholarship consideration is the big step! Best to you and your D in this process, hope you don’t mind if I shoot you a few more questions in the days to come.</p>
<p>@Goodschoolhopefully:
Feel free to ask more questions - I visit art schools regularly. Re your ? about what specific schools are looking for, you can usually find that info buried in the portfolio requirements on the school website. It would be good if your D made contact by calling admissions or emailing them for clarification. Colleges track interest…</p>
<p>@mom4art:sound like you have a great system for navigating NPDs. How many have you attended?</p>
<p>Thanks chiaro - I think most of the schools have pretty general information regarding portfolios - seems to be some inside information floating around that goes a little deeper. Might be interesting to start a thread that addressed this. For example RISD - likes conceptual, sketches etc. Pratt - not big on sketches, prefers finished work. Anybody like to see work in a series? These are just examples and the type of information I am looking for - I am not saying these are facts for the examples I have given. People could maybe add on from what admissions reps have told them - could be informative although it would also be interesting to see conflicting opinions.</p>
<p>Chiaro - Attended 3 NPDs. Operational efficiency is my day job, so just applying it to college search :-)</p>
<p>@goodschoolhopefully: I think that’s a GREAT idea. Readers can post their experiences. I’m new at this - how does one start a thread? Pls keep me posted on your idea. Thanks=</p>
<p>NPD yesterday was exhausting. As soon as I get a chance I’ll post up my experience. I have a question in the mean time. Does anyone know if SVA accepts portfolios during NPD? My dad went to their open house with me and claims that they do, but I don’t remember hearing that. Anyway the SVA review went really well, and he said something like “Admissions isn’t a problem, but you should focus on getting a scholarship.” So… does anyone know if they accept portfolios on the spot, like SAIC does?</p>
<p>I don’t know they do or they don’t. but getting in there is really not that hard. I am assuming the guy meant “academic” scholarships, used to needed something like 3.0 GPA for big money. assuming your works are on per (which they are)
They have this giant website, I can’t with my mac now but if you could navigate, point the questions to few people, might or might not get answer.
If, say, two out of three people say the same thing, it must be true.
Dept head, admission people, dean, money people.
I often hear mixed messages from all these folks at schools since they really don’t know what’s going on with other dept.</p>
<p>PS
oh you are transfer, right? there must be separate rules and conditions.
check them up !</p>
<p>gabbyness - would love to hear of your NPD experience when you get a chance, am going this Sunday.</p>
<p>So this is going to be a pretty long ramble. Sorry in advance.
Some basic info: I’m a transfer student, applying for illustration (at most places). This might mean the advice I got is a little different than a high school student would get.</p>
<p>My friend and I left at 7 am and got there at 8:15-ish. We were probably the 5th group in line. Most people brought they’re parents, but I guess they were high school students. We waited outside until 11:45, which wasn’t too bad.
When we went inside, we rushed to the RISD table. Honestly, I don’t think there was much advantage to arriving so early, and it might have been better if we had gotten some real food at the expense of our place in line (see crying below). I did bring granola bars, which pretty much saved me from fainting.</p>
<p>RISD: I was the second person in line at the RISD table. I didn’t really know what to do so I just showed the reviewer all of the work I brought with me. Overall, she was encouraging but not very helpful. The main things she said were that I should include works that show my personal “voice.” And since I’m applying for Illustration, more of my illustration type works. </p>
<p>MICA: MICA gave me a very detailed review, and was very nice. However, for some reason she rubbed me the wrong way. She said that they couldn’t tell what my interests are, and that they wanted a theme in the portfolio. She also said that I was obviously a stronger drawer (draftsman?) than painter. This is going to make me come off as someone who can’t take critique but I really don’t agree with what she said. I consider myself a fairly weak draftsman, and more comfortable with paint. Also several of my paintings concerned my interests (in commedia dell’arte, in Japan, in illustration). Basically it seems like she couldn’t see me having more than one interest. Several times she said she wanted to see more “you” in my art. Overall, it was a fairly frustrating review because I’m not sure what to change. Maybe I’ll just pick one interest, and build my MICA portfolio off of that.</p>
<p>SAIC: I’m not sure I can be completely objective about this review. The reviewer was very rude; she was texting on her cell the whole time. She had similar comments to MICA, but contradicted herself a lot more. When she was looking at my academic work she said I need more conceptual work. When she was looking at my conceptual work she said I needed more observational work. Despite all this she accepted my portfolio (but it seems like they accept everyone’s…). At the end of the interview I asked her about my situation with my grades and my mom’s death. She then suggested that I might want to do a series about my mom and her death. I then started crying. Probably this had more to do with only having had a donut and granola bars, and me being exhausted.
Soooooo…that didn’t go so well.</p>
<p>SVA: I’m so glad I went to get my portfolio reviewed at their table despite it being pretty late. Basically he liked my illustrations and my more interesting observational drawings. He seemed to think my figure drawings were a little boring (haha I’m not sure how to spice those up). The best suggestion he gave was to make smaller drawings and paintings. Since almost all portfolios are submitted digitally now a days, it doesn’t matter how big the original is. Smaller paintings mean you can get much more done, and are more likely to have more good ones. Also SVA wants LOTS of pieces, which is different from other schools, which would rather have you whittle it down to the best.</p>
<p>I hope that helps, any questions about something I didn’t cover are welcome!</p>
<p>b and d: is sva a good school in your opinion?</p>
<p>gabby chan
I lived here, worked near SVA, like 13 years. So is Parsons, few blocks away.
I don’t know how to appreciate them, like, you don’t want to commute to your hometown school few blocks away if you can find cheaper/ better fit school elsewhere.
It is not good fit for my kid. Maybe piecemeal classes, but not for BFA. He won’t do what told, no.
It is great school if you know what you want to do and be marketable, commercial art wise. Got great resources, track record, bigshot instructors.
just in case you are comics kid,
My fellow manga mom reported after their openhouse, they boasted that SVA is the pioneer of “Ame manga” - American manga? which scared her and her kid away because it was not something we call “manga”
the kid is half Japanese and went there to take killer exam so he can go to Japanese art school. bad-case-RISD pre college and that SVA visit done him in.
I see often kids walking crosstown from dorm to studio carrying everything with them. That is one of known drawback. The school is big on CE classes and kids have to vacant studio every evening with their belongings, wet paint or not.
So far no work I saw on the street made me want to spy more, but it is just me, don’t take it more than grain of sticky rice.
You should look at James Victore’s book. I can’t link now, it is called " Victore or who died and made you boss"
I see kids carrying it, hope it isn’t a text book. Then again, if it is their text book, I root for SVA big time!
PM good mamabear drae, she can help you way better.</p>
<p>Oh I forgot
far as I know SAIC have been the most inconsistent NPD reviewer roster-ed school.
If you went to next person, other location or different year, things could have been different. Don’t mind them so much. Good thing you are in, like 80% who apply there.</p>
<p>gabby- we visited SVA and got a very very good impression of the illustration department, not so much the fine arts. You should visit if you can. </p>
<p>About the SAIC thing, that sounds appalling. I am very sorry about your mother.</p>