<p>Hi, since so many people in this thread go to Pratt, or have children that go to Pratt I was just wondering what the core curriculum is like? Do they require math or science courses to graduate? Or in addition to studio and studio related courses do you just take humanities? Also the heavy workload has been somewhat addressed in this forum and other forums, but I was just wondering if the heavy workload part is mostly concerning the studio courses. Maybe a better way to put this is: The heavy workload part refers to creating, rather than analyzing, am I right?
Thanks for any help.</p>
<p>There are many different programs offered at Pratt : BFA, BA, BS all in art/arch fields as well as education, Library Science, Writing and Critical Studies. Each Program has a different core Curr. As a freshman, my d a Fine Art major with a minor in Art History, is taking 3 studio courses, an E</p>
<p>sorry about that...an English course and Art History. The studio courses seem incredibly demanding from what I hear. The liberal art courses seem much more manageable , but she took AP English for 2 years in High School and AP Art History as well. Bottom line : the work is hard, but she loves it. There are Science and Math courses required. She found the Pratt catalog/course book really helpful when deciding on schools. It spells out the different programs quite clearly.</p>
<p>I've been searching this site for info on Pratt, after the fact (of my D accepting admission). My D is at Pratt and dealing with common getting settled in issues and those will be OK. She knows NY altho is not from there and loves the museums and especially Chelsea. Shes made some campus friends and knows students from her high school scattered at other NY art schools. Heres the problem: she is bored by her coursework. Her profs in several classes have been holding up her work as what other students should be aspiring to achieve. She is very clear that she thinks the profs are capable and doing their best with a studio full of untrained strudents. But she has had 4 years of arts high school. She is very very busy completing her assignments but is struggling with her utter boredom with her classes - shoot me was one of her latest texts. I am trying to get her to talk to someone but she had such a bad experience with speaking up for herself in high school that she is gun shy. (Although this is a teen who is not at all shy and knows how to be around adults.) I am afraid she is on the verge of ditching. Frankly, she thought, we thought Pratt would be full of kids at her level. I am wondering, Taxguy after reading your post why she is have this experience instead sweating to make it through foundation year. Ok, maybe I can answer that question  but can this be turned around, does she need to transfer or do we let her ditch school, waitress and paint on her own (her plan)?</p>
<p>At the risk of offending, it seems the problem is not Pratt, but the idea of education itself that is plaguing your daughter. Before you (collective "you") even think about transferring or more extreme yet, "ditching-waitressing-painting", get to the bottom of what her attitude is about art education and college education in general.</p>
<p>Most teenagers think they know it all at some point or another. ALL of those who do are eventually proven wrong.</p>
<p>If she does feel committed to art education, there are a few other schools that are considered more rigorous than Pratt that she might consider transferring to, but I wouldn't even start to go down that road until and unless she acknowledges she has something to learn. Otherwise, it is truly a waste of time and money.</p>
<p>There is no shame in backing up and going to Plan B if college itself is just not the thing for her right now. I dropped out in late October of my freshman year and came back (to a much better school) the following year much wiser and more determined.</p>
<p>wow, interesting perspective - but not mine. we are paying a fortune for our daughter to be educated and she wants to be challenged, not just wait for the other freshmen to catch up to her skill level so they can all move ahead together next year. I have never considered educating my D a waste of time or money - she rises to every challenge and always pushes herself to surpass her teachers' expectations. I think the best advice I have had is that she needs to go to the profs and ask for that challenge. They have acknowledged her ability to fulfill this first month of assignments and there needs to be some adjustment for her. I agree that there is "no shame" in leaving school and taking some time (although I would describe it as "no problem"). I have one who did that after ending up in a the wrong school. but this one is ready and able.</p>
<p>With regard to aesthetics, to people coming from other places, NYC is smaller, older and dirtier than you are led to believe watching it on TV. That said, Prattâs maintenance was a concern, but not as much of a concern anymore. We went on a recent tour and my daughter and I remarked that, it seems to be better from what we had seen posted online. It remains a âcity schoolâ and it way above par with the other âcity schoolsâ we have seen, in terms of campus life. My daughter is between there and Parsons and student life at Parsons is enhanced by the immediate surrounding area (Greenwich Village). I do feel, as a parent, I will be spending more on student life issues at Parsons to compensate for the lack of space there. </p>
<p>If someone could help, by commenting, or comparatively reviewing for me, Parsons vs Pratt, Iâd really appreciate. Iâm an NYC boy, so you can just get down to what both places themselves offer, not the locations.</p>
<p>I think it largely depends on what your D is planning to study (maybe you stated it somewhere that I have not read). I, too, am from NYC â no question that Parsons is in a great location. But I think Parsons is more well known for its design (fashion, graphics) and Pratt is more traditional. Also, I think the academics for Pratt would be stronger than Parsons (unless its association with the New School would offer a more diverse curriculum that Pratt would not have). Not sure I have helped. This deciding phase is the most difficult of all.</p>
<p>Hey, thanks shesleavinghome! My D is a Graphics Design major (Communications Design at Pratt). Iâd say that she is a non-creative, creative person, lol. Basically she loves taking someoneâs vision and making something out of it, sometimes has difficulty to come up with the basic concept on her own. In other words, she prefers inspiration (assignments) over creative free space.</p>
<p>My own differences between the two places were space-related. Pratt has so much space available to work in, and Parsons is really tight. I kept getting tired of hearing, âwell itâs NYC, and space is what it isâ. Artists do need to spread their stuff out and work.</p>
<p>Pratt didnât show as well, mostly because, IMO, the tourguides were a bit lethargic, at least on that day. It was very cold too. Sheâs accepted at Parsons and if an acceptance comes through at Pratt, I think weâve already agreed that we will go see Pratt again, before making a decision.</p>
<p>My D applied EA to Pratt, so she heard in December with a nice merit scholarship. We plan to revisit, since our first tour (also with a lethargic tour guide â D didnât love her, or maybe didnât love the lack of enthusiasm) was in the summer â not really anyone around. We also didnât really get to see the photo facilities (sheâs a photographer), so that will be very telling. She has pretty much narrowed it down to Pratt and SAIC, where she studied over the summer and really enjoyed it (of course, it was summer, not winter, in Chicago!). We would be happy with either school â each wonderful for different reasons.</p>
<p>HI shesleavinghomeâHas your D decided between SAIC and Pratt? What helped her make up her mind? Iâm torn between RISD and Prattâanyone else have any thoughts?</p>
<p>No, she is still on the fence. You have two very good choices as well. Have you visited both? The proximity to NYC for Pratt is its constant draw. Even though itâs in Bklyn, itâs only a subway ride to the city. RISD is in Providence, which is a lovely city, but quite a distance to NYC and just not the same. Pratt has an actual campus, RISD does not, but does have Brown and its campus. Gee, Iâm not helping you, am I? Pretty much the same back and forth that we are going through here. Although I donât envy the decision, whichever school you pick will be great! They are both wonderful â what do you plan to study?</p>
<p>Brooklyn is now the new heart of the arts and art community of NYC. It IS NYC. It is one of the 5 boroughs and itâs a short subway ride to Manhattan. Still, Brooklyn is really a great place for an artist.</p>
<p>I am thinking of Graphic Design so far. My main issues with Pratt are the condition of the buildings and classrooms. The campus is beautiful on the outside, but classrooms, hallways and dorms are just so tired and worn looking. Another issue is the # of years to takes to graduate-several sites I have researched show very few graduate Pratt in 4 years, many more seem to graduate in 6 years which my family can not afford.</p>
<p>ctartstudent, I am thinking that the 6 years to graduate has something to do with the Architecture school because that program is a minimum of 5 years at most schools.
My d is accepted and trying to find a way to afford Pratt or Parsons, although Pratt is the preference. We visited Pratt but did not have time to see the photo department. can anyone tell us about it and about the digital lab? A review on another web site had students criticizing it.</p>
<p>Contented: Thanks for your thoughts, I also heard the associates degree (which is only 2 years), messes with the graduation numbers too so you canât get a true picture. However, pretty much every other art school has graduation percentages much higher and makes me fear kids transfer out. Sorry, I canât give you any specifics on the digital lab, I wasnât paying too much attention as it is not my major.</p>
<p>Well, our daughter is at Pratt and loving it. Her dorm room is beautiful and in our visit we did not see the maintenance problems noted earlier. The new administration building, Myrtle Hall is beautiful and has enabled more space on the main campus. All of the staff weâve worked with have been very helpful. You may have seen that Architectural Digest selected it in the top 10 campuses for beautiful architecture. My daughterâs only concern is the hard work, and she is a child known for her work ethic.
Regarding the retention rate, I think much of it may be economics. It is expensive, as is the city, and we are taking it one year at a time. While she has a good merit scholarship, there is still a gap that will need to be made up.
My question for private schools is this: how much will the market bear when it comes to tuition? Will there be any cap, anyone saying, âThat is the maxâ? We are quite stressed given the current economy and scholarships are so competitive because everyone is in the same boat.</p>
Hello, @contented (or anyone else perusing this thread . . . ), Iâm guessing your D is ready to graduate this spring from Pratt? How was her experience and what did she major in? My D was admitted and we are visiting this April so Iâm trying to get some information from other parents and also students as to Pratt currently. We did an initial visit and tour a year ago and my D really likes the program and campus.
My big question is a pretty basic one: how employable will she be graduating with a BFA from Pratt? MICA, for example, puts its students on a professional development plan (with goals etc. for each of the four years). MCAD in Minneapolis actually makes the internship and other professional practice experience a requirement for graduation. While my D will absolutely love immersing herself in art and design studios for four years, at the end of it Iâd really like her to be able to know her next steps and have a plan to get there. I suspect, too, that she may need some overt encouragement on this issue so anything built into the curriculum is going to be very helpful to her. I took a look at the Pratt curriculum for Graphic Design and it sounds great for anyone pursuing that major - I just wonder how much the practical side is going to be integrated into her learning experience.