<p>There is an NPD coming to our area this Sunday. My daughter is a high school junior and she doesn't really have a portfolio yet, but she does have some work she can bring. How would you all recommend we handle this? Any advice for a first portfolio day?</p>
<p>My advice? *Wear very comfortable shoes!<img src=“I’m%20not%20kidding;%20there%20will%20be%20lots%20of%20standing%20in%20line.” alt=“/i”></p>
<p>I think it will be a great experience for her to go now as a junior – without a formal portfolio and without the stress of actual applications/admissions decisions – as sort of a “dry run.” That way she’ll know what to expect next year and can be more focused then. She should bring along her best pieces (or photos of them, if they’re too large) and also her most recent sketch books. (The reps love to see “work in progress” and how students actually develop their ideas.) </p>
<p>To get maximum feedback, she should try going to the less popular or less well-known schools (rather than the “name” schools like RISD, Parsons, etc.) because the lines will be much shorter and the reps will have more time to actually talk to her. She will also get the chance to meet with more reps that way.</p>
<p>Welcome to CC, MomOfDaughter. Here is an old thread about last year’s NPD that might have some good tips. I think your daughter should definitely go, even if she doesn’t have a big portfolio. Just seeing so many art students with all of their work is inspiring (intimidating too, but also inspiring). Then she’ll have a whole year to work on her portfolio for next year’s NPD. Don’t pass up this chance - I wish we had known about NPD during my daughter’s junior year.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/576499-review-npd-2009-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/576499-review-npd-2009-a.html</a></p>
<p>Also, I agree with worried_mom’s advice about avoiding the long lines and spending more time talking with a variety of reps from schools with shorter lines.</p>
<p>Its actually a GOOD idea not to have your formal portfolio all ready…these NPD’s are a great time to have your work evaluated and receive constructive advice on what to use, what to take out, and how to improve existing pieces. </p>
<p>Even bringing pieces that are not yet finished, or just work from your sketchbook can get you valuable feedback on your work.</p>
<p>It was a great day for my daughter and she really appreciated getting the advice from a variety of folks.</p>
<p>worried_mom summed it up well. Be prepared to stand and wait. Since your daughter is not applying this year, go to some of the less busy schools. Enjoy the learning experience!</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I’m curious- I teach art at a private school (primarily an after school enrichment program) and we have several students interested in applying to art schools. Would it be okay for me to attend the National Portfolio Review day and talk to some schools about what they’re looking for. I’d love to be able to provide more information for my students.</p>
<p>hey, I went to one of the NPD dates on September 27th. While it’s true that you should expect a lot of standing, I didn’t think it was actually that bad. here’s some tips I’d suggest to everyone.</p>
<p>one thing I’d like to tell you is that if you plan on speaking to a lot of schools, show up early. People always show up at least 30 minutes before the doors open up. If there are schools that you really want to talk to, I would suggest doing the same. If it’s a popular school where there are a lot of applicants the lines will be longer. So if you’re early, you might wanna rush to those first. You’ll be early and won’t have to wait and you’ll get to talk to the rep while he/she is fresh.</p>
<p>I also highly recommend talking to other schools in between that maybe you hadn’t planned on talking to originally. A bunch of the schools I wanted to talk to had 2 hour long lines because they gave really long critiques for some people. Go talk to the schools with smaller lines if you have time and you’ll be able to get more input from more people.</p>
<p>another thing I’d recommend is if possible, look at other people’s work. Especially if they’re applying to a field you are interested in. I didn’t start doing this until halfway through. during a talk with a rep, I noticed that most people kind of peek at other people’s portfolios. And I think it’s a good idea mainly because you can get a feel of who else is applying as well as give you ideas. I know I saw some things that definitely gave me some cool ideas to try</p>
<p>///worried_mom summed it up well. Be prepared to stand and wait. Since your daughter is not applying this year, go to some of the less busy schools. Enjoy the learning experience! ///</p>
<p>Agree.</p>
<p>Quite frankly, I’d possibly skip the longer lines in order to get feedback from as many reviewers as possible. Chances are good that some of the people reviewing portfolios at some of the less known schools received degrees from the bigger name schools. Just because a school doesn’t have as big of a reputation doesn’t mean that the advice you receive is inferior.</p>