Need to know about The Cooper Union

<p>Need to know all about The Cooper Union. I hear "it's all that" it's the place
to make a difference. My daughter is interested in their Art School. If she
can get accepted and graduate from this school, will it make a difference
in her life as far as getting a good job to getting a great job? Does going
to the Cooper Union mean Wow kid you must be something else. Dont know
if I want her to apply so if anyone has any info I would appreciate.</p>

<p>Cooper Union is a very reputable traditional fine arts school. It has a huge endownment that pay the tuitions for all the students that goes there. It is also very difficult to get into. They have a 10-15% acceptance rate. So your daughter has to be quite a skilled artist to get in.</p>

<p>They are known mainly for fine arts, not so much for the new medias. There are other art schools that excel in areas that Cooper Union isn't strong at. So it isn't an end all be all of art schools. So what career if your daughter interested in?</p>

<p>But with art, it isn't your degree or your education that matters. It is the work you produce. So any art schools that provide resources and good instructions is as good as the next.</p>

<p>You REALLY need to check out Cooper Union before you apply. It is only one building with a small enrollment. Although there is no tuition, they have very high fees, and room and board in NY is very high too. In fact, considering the fees and room and board, it may actually be cheaper to go elsewhere even with the free tuition.</p>

<p>Your daughter won't get your "typical" college life there too.It is indeed a city school. They also require special at home projects for admission.</p>

<p>My daughter didn't like it. She felt that the only thing Cooper Union had going for it was selectivity. However, your daughter may not feel the same.</p>

<p>Cooper grads are generally known as 'all that'. They are different. They are highly regarded--in New York City. I have many friends who graduated from Cooper. It is an extraordinary arts education.</p>

<p>Cooper accepts 75 art students a year. The home test is time consuming. Having a Cooper degree in Arts will get you noticed. And it is in NYC, just down form CBGBs.</p>

<p>That said, I agree with Taxguy on several counts:</p>

<p>1.) For a talented art student, other art schools will provide Merit aid that makes them slightly cheaper that Cooper. D's friend at MICA was accepted to Cooper. She chose MICA because total costs were similar and she found Cooper to be too conceptual for her.</p>

<p>2.) Student better be independent and a self starter because there is very little of the typical college experience at Cooper. </p>

<p>But Manhattan is your campus and opportunities for interships are boundless.</p>

<p>There is a common DNA thread to Cooper students. Rest assured that if they choose you, they are 95% sure that you will be successful in their program.</p>

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>My daughter's a freshman in art at Cooper. The comments above are accurate to the best of my knowledge. The school said last year they had about 1400 kids apply, over 1000 returned the home test and they accepted 65 for art. It's not generally known, but Cooper has a school-wide 50% in-state quota. Though for the art school it runs about 40%. The engineering school has over 50% in-state students. If you're a resident of NY state, the odds of getting in are significantly better than the apparant 6.5%, if out-of-state, the odds are worse. I figure the art school has fewer than 40 slots for out of state students.</p>

<p>You're looking at about 19k in costs the first year. After that it will depend a lot on what you find for off-campus housing. </p>

<p>The foundation year work load is very heavy. My d has a 7 course work load. The 4 studio courses are each expecting her to spend 12hrs per weekly project, so that's a 48hr/week commitment before figuring in her lit, art history and art materials classes. While I was concerned about the expense of the city, right now she has no time to spend money. The freshman class is split into 4 pods of about 17 kids each. She spends all her classes (except lit) with those same kids, and will all year.</p>

<p>She describes the school as a special place. Her teachers and fellow students are 'amazing' and the intellectual climate is vibrant. </p>

<p>The school is in no way a traditional college, but the presence of the engineering students in some ways gives the school more diversity than a stand alone art school.</p>

<p>I want to thank everyone for their replys, I found them very helpful. dguy24, to answer your question, my d is interested in graphic design, for now,
Art is her passion, so who knows if at the right school how her skills may develop. She will be comuting to cooper if accepted, she also loves Pratt,
NYU, not crazy about parson's but will apply. She did a pre college this summer at Pratt in Manhattan and learned alot and really loved it. I think
as far as college life not being too much fun, ( at Cooper) is not a problem,
she says that she wants to live her passion which is art, at being an artist and is not worried about making tons of friends. The high school she now attends as a senior is also very difficult, it's private, it's small about 80 in her class, she's in AP studio art, and some honors classes, she maintains first honors there. She's has alot of fun there too,lot's of friends,really loves her school, but says she tired of the silly, high school scene and can't wait to get serious with her art, and learn and develop at a school that will give her the best chance in life at what she loves, which is Art. Does anyone know if the Cooper, fall , or winter pre-college Saturday
programs are just has hard to get into? I think if she takes one of those,
it may give her a real sense of weather Cooper is right for her. Ok, thanks again. P.S. Wow i'm really worried about this.</p>

<p>The Saturday Program is not that hard to get into, the other programs are probably the same. Cooper is a great school, and your daughter can study graphic design, video, animation, whatever she wants in there. Most professors are incredibly bright. It is a lot of hard work, she is going to study 24/7. I graduated in May of this year, and still couldn't find a job.</p>

<p>Hello,
I’m a uprising senior in high school and I’m applying to the coper union and plan to major in Civil Engineering. I heard about the cooper union through my professor at Duke University when I was there during the summer for a architecture program that I was accept to. He is also a graduate of the cooper union and works for the architecture firm that design the twin towers in NYC. So far I have done a crazy amount of research about the cooper union. But I’m still kind of confused, If theres no tuition why is it that people have loans and are in debt after they graduate? Also, does New York City offer great internships in the fields of engineering/architecture? How are you able to mange work and fun, especially being in such a global city such as new york. I ask this because I have heard to be prepared to sleep, eat and work in your laboratorys. And upon graduation are there many job offers lined up for students graduatiog for CU oppose to other colleges and universitys. I apologize for the extent of my questions but I’m very serious about applying to CU ad want know about it from the in/out. Please elaborate on your answers nd thank you!!!</p>

<p>“They have a 10-15% acceptance rate.”
Actually they’re running 7-8% acceptance rate as of 2008-2009. Might be even lower now.</p>

<p>The reason for people leaving with debt would be that while tuition is free, living in NYC is very very expensive, especially in the neighborhoods around Cooper. </p>

<p>The East Village has gentrified and is much more expensive than it was years ago. However, keep in mind that when you see these neighborhoods, if you are not from NY or familiar with it, you might find it difficult to believe that the rents are as high as the are. Different look and feel than most places in the US.</p>

<p>Students often live in outer areas and commute to keep expenses down so keep that in mind, you will not have a campus at Cooper but they have expanded, not just one building and have a gorgeous new building.</p>

<p>Also Cooper has some very impressive graduates in the area of design.</p>

<p>And yes, the fine arts department has a definite conceptual focus.</p>

<p>My brother went to Cooper Union 40 years ago. He is a big success today.</p>

<p>They accept you on the basis of your actual talents and abilities, so it is a true meritocracy.</p>

<p>The surrounding area is still rather sketchy, especially for someone who is not a city kid.</p>

<p>Well this sketchiness is a little tricky, it will look sketchy if you’re not familiar with New York. It’s a visual thing but comparatively it’s been gentrified, you should have seen it 25 years ago. Years ago when I was a little flusher and got lucky and got a great deal, I had a fantastic apartment in what is undoubtedly one of the most upscale yet artsy neighborhoods. A relative came from out west, gets out of the cab with great nervousness, looks around and asks "“Um, is this neighborhood safe?”. I was so used to NY that it never dawned on me that it might look “dangerous” to those from outside but it was actually also a very safe neighborhood. I think it’s a visual thing but also I guess one Floridian or Texan’s sketchy would easly be one New Yorkers “best neighborhood ever!” LOL</p>

<p>coopergrad:
Are you still around?
can you share more of your classmate’s job status after they graduated?</p>

<p>hi love
I don’t now why but something tells me his brother was not in the school of art…</p>

<p>thanks bears!</p>

<p>coopergrad whom you asked, must have been their art student.
I don’t think s/he is around, thou</p>