RISD/Brown, Parsons/Lang, NYU Tisch

jr18 · June 12, 2008, 8:34pm

Hello, all.

I'm a junior in high school and I'm interesting in majoring in Photography. However, I want a liberal arts education as well, so I can choose a major that compliments photography.

My GPA is about a 3.5. I have extra-circular activities, and my SAT scores are pending. I've also taken photography courses at the Princeton Day School, Central St. Martin's College in London, and I'm taking a fine art photography course at Corcoran in DC this summer.

What I'd like to know is my chances for the following programs....

NYU Tisch. Originally, this was my number one choice. NYU is a great school and they have a photography department. However, I don't think may not be good enough for NYU, but I will apply anyways. What's disappointing is that NYU doesn't really have a thriving artistic atmosphere.

Parsons / Eugene Lang. I became interested in this because Parsons is a really great art college, and they offer a dual degree program with the New School's liberal arts college, Eugene Lang. However, I feel like Eugene Lang may not be best choice for me. I'm not sure if it's an excellent college and I know I'd easily be accepted.

RISD / Brown. Obviously RISD is an AMAZING art school. I'm not sure about Providence because I've never visited it (I'm more of a NYC guy), but if I got accepted I would definitely considering going because it's supposed to be excellent. When I learned of the Brown dual degree, I was interested. However, Brown is HIGHLY selective because it's Ivy. I don't think my GPA is good enough.

What I'd like to know are my chances of NYU and RISD/Brown. I'd like opinions on what to do about this whole situation, and suggestions of other colleges.

Thank you!
JR18

Heron · June 13, 2008, 10:59am

There are so many variables in the world of college admissions, but I would say that as of now you would stand little chance of getting into Brown. The RISD/Brown program this year enrolled (I think) only 18 students. However, students attending RISD can take classes at Brown. Some say that's easier said than done, but from what I hear, many RISD students manage it anyway. This doesn't, of course, give you a joint degree.

An art school that offers a wide range of liberal arts courses, offers liberal arts minors, and has an excellent reputation though is less well known than RISD, is MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) in Baltimore. There's often a heated debate between MICA and RISD advocates here, but my guess is that they are about even, each school having some departments better than those at the other school. I am not sure how the photography departments compare. If you are in DC this summer, you'll be right next door and you might want to check it out. MICA students can take courses at Johns Hopkins, about 5 minutes away.

You might look into some of the LA schools that have art schools within, or exceptional art departments. Beware that many of the schools touted for this do not actually offer many art courses. Check the art dept listings by semester and see what they offer.

handemom · June 13, 2008, 4:32pm

Another combo degree program is at Tufts/SMFA in Boston, but you'd have to look into the the photgraphy program at SMFA (I know nothing about it). RIT has an excellent photo dept and is a LAC. Many of the art school have cross-registration with non-art colleges but not dual degrees. MassArt has several schools in the Boston area where you can cross register including MIT, but how available classes are in the cross-register schools may be hit or miss.

chikachikayeahh · June 13, 2008, 9:32pm

I think a lot of this would depend on what your SAT scores, ECs, and awards are (and will be). I am majoring in photo (will be a freshman in college next year) and I applied to Brown/RISD, Parsons/Lang, Tufts/SMFA and NYU (although I applied to Gallatin, not Tisch). I got into NYU, Parsons/Lang, SMFA and RISD (but I'm a Brown and Tufts reject, haha). But the thing is, I don't think you can really forecast your admittance to these places without SAT scores and without showing your portfolio, as those things (especially the portfolio) are so important when being admitted to art programs. If you have an online portfolio or a Flickr account or something, post it and it can give people a better idea of where you stand on portfolio development.

NYU does have a really good artistic environment, don't worry. It was my #1 choice (I just couldn't afford to attend it... sad face). As for Brown/RISD, the main thing is to not get emotionally invested in it because it's just so darn hard to get into. For all of these schools, though, SATs definitely do factor in to admissions decisions, so that's why it's kinda tough to give you an answer.

For comparison purposes, I got into the schools I listed with a 4.2 weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale, and 2190 (800R 590M 800WR) on the SATs. Although this really doesn't tell you much since the portfolio, EC and award stuff is missing, it should give you some idea of what stats they're looking for.

For now, GOOD LUCK! You're in the same position I was in a year ago - photo kid who wants more than just photo. The only other thing I could suggest would be to look at your State University and see if it has a good photo department that you could double major in with an academic area. I know, for example, that the program at Arizona is phenomenal (Frank Gohlke!). And definitely post an online portfolio if you have one.

jr18 · June 13, 2008, 9:45pm

chikachikayeahh,

I guess you WERE very much in the same position I am in and we can definitely relate!

I knew from the beginning that the Brown/RISD degree would be out of the question because of the difficulty to get into Brown, but I thought maybe they are a little more lenient with accepting art students.

As for my SATs, I took them on June 7th and the scores will be available on the 26th. I know I will DEFINITELY take them again because I hardly studied. I know, bad idea. I had all these end of the year projects and finals to worry about. If I would've known how difficult June was, I wouldn't have taken them in June. Anyways, I'm worried because I don't think I can get a 2190! I'm not a math person AT ALL. I wonder if NYU takes that into consideration when applying to Tisch.

Anyways, I think my GPA has risen to almost 4.0 weighted, and last time I checked I'm in the top 25% of my grade, but this was a months ago and I think my grades have risen from then.

As far as extra-curricular activities, I'm vice president of art honor society, a member of italian honor society, anytown, and student human society.

Quick questions for you!
When sending your portfolio to colleges, did you make a webpage, send printed photos, or a compact disc?
What school did you ulitmately decide on??!

here is my flickr:
Flickr:</a> maverick.'s Photostream

I think some photos are much better than others, but I tend to become attached to some and just don't delete them :P

rachaelray4ever · June 14, 2008, 2:47am

if you have a really good portfolio and apply to just an art program like risd or mica your sats won't matter much.
i looked at your photography,and you're really beautiful.i don't know what else to say,though,some of it's really clean and commercial but there's some pictures that i think stand out.
good luck.

chikachikayeahh · June 14, 2008, 11:58am

Don't worry about studying for the SATs, like really... I took them once, didn't study, it was no problem. Everyone's different, but I know that I would have psyched myself out too much by spending time studying, so taking them cold was good for me. I'm not a math person at all, either (800 reading, 800 writing, and.... 590 math... heh heh) and I got in anyway.

Contrary to what another poster said, SATs DEFINITELY have a huge impact on art school admissions. Art programs want to see that you can succeed academically because of the ridiculous workload that you'll encounter once you're in an art program. When they see people who have neglected their academic studies, that sends the message that you're not an all-around hard worker, and that's not the kind of student they're looking for. The combination of great student AND great artist is a killer one for admissions, and any notion of "leniency" for art kids is definitely untrue, haha. Especially in places like RISD, which is bombarded by incredible portfolios each admissions season, having good stats will make you stand out.

When you're thinking about NYU, I would definitely suggest applying to Gallatin rather than Tisch if you're looking for an academic-art balance. Tisch's photo program is a BFA program, so that means that you'll have basically 2/3 studio classes and 1/3 academic classes. NYU also doesn't let you double-major outside of your school, so unless you're looking to major with another art field, Tisch probably wouldn't be the best choice for taking a second academic major. The reason I applied to Gallatin is that you can create your own major there and have access to all the programs within all of NYU's schools - hence, you can take photo AND sociology, for example! So definitely look into that.

The format of your portfolio really depends on where you're applying, and each school has its own requirements. I wouldn't recommend sending prints, because if you really want them to look great you'd have to spend the money on nice (NICE) printing and paper, and print them 8x10 or larger, and then pay postage for all of that. It really adds up, and most schools don't ask you for prints anyway. Most schools will ask you for either slides or a CD. Parsons/Lang also has an additional component to its application in the form of the "Parsons Challenge". You can find out more about that on their website, but basically one of the options for that was to create a website to submit for that part of the app. You can see mine at parsonschallenge</a> - . It would help to read the challenge directions first, though, so you have some idea of what you're looking at. :) But read each school's instructions for portfolios carefully, though, because most of them will be different in terms of number of pieces, pixel requirements, and content. I ended up sending a different version of my portfolio to each of my schools, simply because their requirements were all different.

I'm ultimately going to the Massachusetts College of Art (MassArt) for financial reasons. It's not going to give me all the academic stuff I was looking for, but the photo program is seriously incredible (Abe Morell! Nicholas Nixon! Barbara Bosworth! Laura McPhee!). I can take classes in a bunch of other schools (Berklee, Emerson, MIT, etc) through the consortium agreements, though, so that should be fun.

I usually hesitate to give criticism of other peoples' work - I've only been doing photo for a few years now, and I'm only 18, what do I know? - but I definitely see a lot of stuff I like in your Flickr. One thing you should think about, though, is refining your "vision" to a more focused (photo pun, haha!) style. Right now you seem to be experimenting with a lot of different ways of making photographs, and that's great and what everyone has to do, but when it comes time to pull together a portfolio, schools will want to see a more cohesive body of work. They want to see the common thread between the things you do. I definitely struggled (and am still struggling) with this, so don't worry! Just keep that in mind when you're deciding what to do next. I must say that when I saw this nonno</a> + roses. on Flickr - Photo Sharing! , it reminded me of some of the photos in Thomas Roma's book "Sicilian Passage," haha. Good work!

To give you an idea of the kind of stuff I do, I have a very (VERY) rudimentary portfolio online: Kate</a> Schenot .

GOOD LUCK, and feel free to ask me any other questions you may have... I've been there, done that, haha.

jr18 · June 14, 2008, 12:01pm

[quote]
if you have a really good portfolio and apply to just an art program like risd or mica your sats won't matter much.
i looked at your photography,and you're really beautiful.i don't know what else to say,though,some of it's really clean and commercial but there's some pictures that i think stand out.
good luck.

[/quote]

Thank you! Are you saying I'm beautiful or my photos??
I know what you mean, some of my photos are commercial and I try to stray away from that, but some of them I really love. Like this one for example:

the</a> sunset that gypped us. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

It's commercial, but I still love it.

I'm actually quite confident about getting into an art school alone, I just have to find a good liberal arts program. That's the issue.

jr18 · June 14, 2008, 12:26pm

[quote]
Don't worry about studying for the SATs, like really... I took them once, didn't study, it was no problem. Everyone's different, but I know that I would have psyched myself out too much by spending time studying, so taking them cold was good for me. I'm not a math person at all, either (800 reading, 800 writing, and.... 590 math... heh heh) and I got in anyway.

Contrary to what another poster said, SATs DEFINITELY have a huge impact on art school admissions. Art programs want to see that you can succeed academically because of the ridiculous workload that you'll encounter once you're in an art program. When they see people who have neglected their academic studies, that sends the message that you're not an all-around hard worker, and that's not the kind of student they're looking for. The combination of great student AND great artist is a killer one for admissions, and any notion of "leniency" for art kids is definitely untrue, haha. Especially in places like RISD, which is bombarded by incredible portfolios each admissions season, having good stats will make you stand out.

When you're thinking about NYU, I would definitely suggest applying to Gallatin rather than Tisch if you're looking for an academic-art balance. Tisch's photo program is a BFA program, so that means that you'll have basically 2/3 studio classes and 1/3 academic classes. NYU also doesn't let you double-major outside of your school, so unless you're looking to major with another art field, Tisch probably wouldn't be the best choice for taking a second academic major. The reason I applied to Gallatin is that you can create your own major there and have access to all the programs within all of NYU's schools - hence, you can take photo AND sociology, for example! So definitely look into that.

The format of your portfolio really depends on where you're applying, and each school has its own requirements. I wouldn't recommend sending prints, because if you really want them to look great you'd have to spend the money on nice (NICE) printing and paper, and print them 8x10 or larger, and then pay postage for all of that. It really adds up, and most schools don't ask you for prints anyway. Most schools will ask you for either slides or a CD. Parsons/Lang also has an additional component to its application in the form of the "Parsons Challenge". You can find out more about that on their website, but basically one of the options for that was to create a website to submit for that part of the app. You can see mine at parsonschallenge - . It would help to read the challenge directions first, though, so you have some idea of what you're looking at. But read each school's instructions for portfolios carefully, though, because most of them will be different in terms of number of pieces, pixel requirements, and content. I ended up sending a different version of my portfolio to each of my schools, simply because their requirements were all different.

I'm ultimately going to the Massachusetts College of Art (MassArt) for financial reasons. It's not going to give me all the academic stuff I was looking for, but the photo program is seriously incredible (Abe Morell! Nicholas Nixon! Barbara Bosworth! Laura McPhee!). I can take classes in a bunch of other schools (Berklee, Emerson, MIT, etc) through the consortium agreements, though, so that should be fun.

I usually hesitate to give criticism of other peoples' work - I've only been doing photo for a few years now, and I'm only 18, what do I know? - but I definitely see a lot of stuff I like in your Flickr. One thing you should think about, though, is refining your "vision" to a more focused (photo pun, haha!) style. Right now you seem to be experimenting with a lot of different ways of making photographs, and that's great and what everyone has to do, but when it comes time to pull together a portfolio, schools will want to see a more cohesive body of work. They want to see the common thread between the things you do. I definitely struggled (and am still struggling) with this, so don't worry! Just keep that in mind when you're deciding what to do next. I must say that when I saw this nonno + roses. on Flickr - Photo Sharing! , it reminded me of some of the photos in Thomas Roma's book "Sicilian Passage," haha. Good work!

To give you an idea of the kind of stuff I do, I have a very (VERY) rudimentary portfolio online: Kate Schenot .

GOOD LUCK, and feel free to ask me any other questions you may have... I've been there, done that, haha.

[/quote]

I don't know about Gallatin... I heard it's the most difficult school to get into at NYU! I'm scared my SAT scores will be like, 1600. Obviously not good enough to get into NYU. -_- Anyways, if accepted to Gallatin, can you double major in photography or just take courses?

Back to SATs, I'm sure many art schools like RISD, MICA, Cooper, or Pratt look at SAT scores greatly, but I'm not too sure about places like SVA or Parsons. I know SVA, for example, has a very high acceptance rate. Not to be mean, but it seems like anyone can get in.

I looked at your Parsons Challenge, it's really amazing! Now you've got me worried about my cohesive-ness. You're completely right, now that I look at it, my work is not cohesive at all. Maybe I can pull something together, or take a lot more photos from now and the time I apply (probably will.)

I looked at your webpage too and you're stuff is great! I love this one particularly: Kate</a> Schenot: Grief

Congratulations on going to MassArt! I'm sure you will succeed! When you take courses at local colleges, is it just courses or can you major in something at a non-Art college as well?

Anyways, thank you so much for the help. It's so hard to get answers from anyone. My family tells me not to major in photography, and my school just doesn't comprehend anything that isn't the state school (Rutgers). Thanks for responding :) I have a lot of work to do. -_-

rachaelray4ever · June 15, 2008, 2:16am