I’m in my first semester of Pratt (studying Graphic Design). I attend the Manhattan Campus, and in all honesty I just don’t feel like I’m getting a 60k/year education or experience. On top of that I don’t absolutely love NYC like I thought I was going to. I am an older student (25), supporting myself, and it’s hard to exist here while going to school and working a minimum wage service industry job.
I think I was a little “star struck” by the acceptance from Pratt and while I did receive a fairly significant scholarship, I didn’t really think much about the price tag. After this first semester not really living up to my expectations, I have been looking into public schools with Art+Design programs. Not only are they significantly cheaper for instate student, I’ve also just been thinking that as smaller city might be a better fit for me at the moment.
Tyler (Philly) and VCU Arts (Richmond) seem to be pretty well regarded in the overall talk of art schools. I have spent a bit of time hanging out in Philly and don’t think I love that city either. I’ve been thinking about trying to take a trip down to Richmond sometime soon to see what I think about it.
I am also considering Portland State University’s Art+Design Program. I lived in Portland for the past few years, therefore I am already a resident, which would eliminate the need to live in another city for a year before attending school to get instate student pricing. I can’t really find much info about how this program is regarded. I have a few friends that attended and the course load sounds fairly interesting. I just don’t want to do myself a huge disservice by opting for the cheap/easy option.
Does anyone have any opinions about PSU or VCU or Public Art+Design Programs at other schools/in general? This is a thought decision for me. I worked really hard to get into Pratt, and think it may have been a different experience if I was attending the Brooklyn Campus. But after 8 months here I just don’t feel like things are working as well as they could for me.
Portland State seems like a great alternative; in-state pricing and a solid program in a city you like.
For any arts-oriented majors, you’ll want to keep the cost as low as possible.
VCU is good, but it’s still costly for OOS, as would be Mass Art, although that’s another solid program.
Thanks for the response! Yeah, I’m debating wether I would want to live in Virginia for a year before applying to VCUArts to get in-state tuition. I just can’t find much info about the Art+Design program at PSU. I’ve heard good things about Mass Art as well. It’s a tough decision after having one “failed” relocation and school experience this year already.
I know that Portland State has a whole special-interest floor in one of the dorms for art & design students - it seems like a very friendly and supportive community from what I’ve seen through my d’s friend. Anecdotally, people there seem happy with the program, although I’m not qualified to compare it to other options. PSU is also a great school for older students - you would not be older than average there. It’s also a great school for community service and involvement. If you ultimately want to end up back in the Pacific Northwest, transferring to PSU could be a great decision.
I love Portland and so I’d think it great if you look more closely at PSU.
When I started reading your question, though, I started thinking about VCU Arts even before you mentioned. Yes, take a look at Richmond. I really believe VCU is an underrated university, I know one student who transferred away but every other one we know who has gone has had a really great, even transformative experience. VCU Arts is obviously one of the better programs in the country. Richmond is a terrific city for students and young working people. It’s a different city than two decades ago.
Another one is UNC-Asheville. Great town. Real folk art center.
It is a good idea to try to live in a state long enough to get in-state tuition. I think working at a national park is a cool way to do that, if that appeals, and works.
VCU is an excellent public art and design school–and highly regarded in that area. In fact, their arts+design program is so well-regarded it brings up the profile of the overall university. Richmond is up-and-coming and reasonably priced. If I were 25 and financially struggling, I think I would look at the cost of living of the cities I’m considering, access to jobs in the area. I think getting residency for in-state tuition makes a lot of sense–but make sure you also have a route to keep working on your graphic design. I have some knowledge of art+design programs and I haven’t heard anything ‘stand-out’ about PSU, but that might be an East Coast bias.
Thank you all for the responses! I guess when I mention public design schools it makes sense that everyone would mention VCU. It does look like a great school and I’ve looked into it extensively. I actually applied last year and was accepted as an out of state student but chose Pratt instead.
That being said I guess there are a few draw backs for me. Being an older student, I would like to finish my schooling and get into the field ASAP. Therefore I would prefer not to wait another year for in state tuition. Also, I think part of my reason for choosing NYC was to be in a bigger city, and while this city is really a bit too big for me, I’m not sure if Richmond’s size would be a good fit for me (it’s less than half the population of Portland).
I guess I was really looking for some input about PSU’s design program because I can’t find much info, but in all reality that is likely because it isn’t really a “stand-out” program. Although I do also feel like my short experience at Pratt has lead me to some realizations about what I really want to get out of school and what my experience at school will be like.
I think my main objective in attending a graphic design program is to eventually get a job. I think I expected “art school” to be a bit more “abstract”. I don’t think any graphic design program is really going to be super out there or avant garde. I think I should really put more importance in developing my own design style and possibly pursuing my own more abstract art interests outside of my program of study and in my free time. Not really sure if that makes sense, but just some thoughts I’ve been having lately.
Thanks again everyone for the input! I’ve been having a tough time making any decisions.
Have you looked at San Jose State U?
Although an OOS public for you it’s more expensive than PSU, it would still be less than Pratt.
SJSU has a solid range of Design programs and is both ‘hands-on’ as well as located near Silicon Valley,
which may help you with internships and jobs. http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/DSGN.html
My nephew recently graduated from the University of Cincinnatti’s DAAP (design, art, architecture & planning) school and had amazing experiences. He did industrial design, which involved several co-op experiences from Chicago to Berlin, and landed a great job right away with a design firm in Boston.
You might also want to look at UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. Low cost of living and amazing programs and connections/networks. Our neighbor’s daughter is there doing animation and loves it.
100flowers- Our D attends VCUARTS and is a GD major. cant say enough good things about her experience. She has had so much opportunity, such as internship this past summer with a well known young artist in nyc as a sophomore, had several works sold professional with faculty help, has a part time employment situation, was awarded a grant to attend GD event in S Korea, was a exhibiting artist at the international ny art book fair and that weeks ago lead to her first publication! So yes , consider VCUARTS . Now , having said all that be sure you are correct about residence in VA. and how it affects tuition. Residence and viable employment might need to be established for a longer time frame, for example 3years. Be sure to do your research on that and double check with the university. Good luck