Quandary: SVA vs FIT vs....?

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

<p>Hello</p>

<p>My S wants to be an animator (2D/Flash, not 3D). He applied to SVA, Pratt, Parsons, FIT, Suny Purchase (both New Media and Fine Art) and Hunter.</p>

<p>He's already been accepted at SVA and FIT (didn't apply early action or anything). He's pretty excited about both, but SVA is his first choice. He's also pretty interested in Purchase, the only one which wouldn't involve living at home (we live in NYC).</p>

<p>For financial reasons he didn't apply anywhere out of state. With our college savings we can swing Suny and Cuny schools, but SVA, Pratt or Parsons would require some sort of Financial aid, Scholarship, or using savings that are allocated for other things (like retirement)</p>

<p>As a person in the field I know that the work coming out of SVA is head and shoulders above that from any of these other schools, but:</p>

<p>-SVA won't consider a scholarship unless GPA is 3.0 or better. He pulled it together junior year, but before that not so much, so this doesn't look like it will be an option.
- Our savings have taken a major hit with the recession and the market crash
- My wife and I are of a like mind that taking a $40-50K loan for art school is not a good idea (and we're both artists)
- our FAFSA EFC is 32K, more than the tuition at any of these places :(
- Our D will be doing this in 2 years.</p>

<p>-Four years at FIT is less expensive than one year at SVA, but he wouldn't be getting animation until year 3 (he was accepted into Illustration for the associate degree)</p>

<p>-Purchase has a great art program, but he would also be getting a more well-rounded education with some liberal arts classes. He would be living on his own, which is a good thing but he has some medical and dietary issues that he would have to take more ownership of if he isn't living at home.
- He's also not terribly academically inclined, and only pulled it together with a lot of support from the staff at his private school (he has ADD)</p>

<p>-Pratt and Parsons aren't really on the table unless he gets offered a scholarship, but apparently they are easier to get than those at SVA.</p>

<p>He's a really talented kid, so I think ultimately he'll do great work wherever he goes. the question really is: Will an SVA education make it categorically easier to find work in 2D animation, enough that it's worth straining our finances? Is it a good idea to totally focus on that one thing in this economy, as opposed to having a broader exposure at a place like Purchase or Hunter?</p>

<p>Sorry for the long-winded post, it's a really complicated decision. Any thoughts?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I won’t send him to purchase because

  1. everyone I knew dropped out and went to Pratt or quitted art altogether
  2. facility is sad, they (mediocre SUNY) got no money
  3. our tour guide painting major said it is so easy to slack off, no challenge. Only star kid in his class is from Mexico, not Mexican, Mexico as Frida Kahlo.
  4. food was really awful except hush brown that happened to be just made and crispy.
  5. If you are in state and in city, I see no reason why you’d want to go there, but everyone else think it’s great bargain for what it is, key word here is " what it is"
    Academics there could be high school 13th 14th grade work, if your kid is like my kid (read; not doing culc or physics AP ABCD or read latin.</p>

<h1>5 goes for any CUNYs, most SUNYs even.</h1>

<p>I don’t know what you do for living but if I were you, I would somehow try go at SVA. If your marriage is steady, have extended families, healthy, your younger one is better brained and not bitter for all the attention her sib is getting, she might able to provide herself to the degree of revengeful super achievement.
If money runs out, make him work a bit, soon he will be 21, money issue would change if he is self supporting (but of course you’d be feeding, cleaning, picking up after him)
I know an artist who came from outer soil, worked as syndicated native origin operating slave laboring mover and made through SVA, now one of their star alum.
He met mentor and classmates only could have met at SVA.
Sometimes, you just have to, you know, pay.</p>