Need help choosing a school (art)

Hey everyone I’m a junior in high school
I had a great experience at a precollege summer art program at Pratt MWP and have decided that I want to go to art school or a liberal arts school with a good art program, most likely for Fine Arts and Illustration.
I am in New York. Location isn’t a huge deal, I’m versatile, but I’d like to stay on the east coast.
I need help deciding where I should visit/ apply to later on. I’m not leaning towards art school or liberal arts schools so I want to hear opinions or varied suggestions
I’m going to visit RISD, Pratt, Cooper Union, RIT, and Bard.
Thanks for any help!

How are your academic credentials? That will determine how competitive you are for some liberal arts colleges with strong art departments (e.g. Williams, Brown, et al). University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, has a good Illustration program, and might be slightly less selective than some of the other schools on your list. You should also look into Savannah College of Art & Design (“SCAD”). There is a thread dedicated to Fine Arts programs and majors on this site. You should start with them, and also begin researching portfolio requirements for schools that interest you.

Look at CalArts too, even though its not on the east coast. http://calarts.edu