Hello everyone!
I’m having a lot of trouble deciding between RISD and Pratt. I have received a $21,000 per year scholarship from Pratt and nothing from RISD. NYC also seems like a better place to live than Providence, but I havent been to either city so I can’t judge for myself. However, I heard that RISD’s illustration program is stronger and more well-known than Pratt’s (which is called Communications Design. RISD’s partnership with Brown is also a plus.
I’d like to hear some opinions on their campuses, cities, rigor, student culture, etc.
I can afford to go to RISD thanks to some well-off relatives, but I wonder if it’s still worth it.
Thanks so much!
I’d suggest if you can, visit each area. If not check out video tours of each area online (usually available through each school’s website and plain old google maps). Each campus has a much different vibe. My daughter was also accepted into RISD (did not apply to Pratt since she was not interested in being in/around NYC). Providence is a much smaller city. Campus also has a more “collegiate” feel with Brown adjacent. These are pros or cons depending on your own personality.
If you search “RISD” or “Pratt” here on the site you’ll find lots of discussions about both schools in this forum and others.
Good luck with your decision!
RISD is a better school. I’ve visited both campuses. You’re very fortunate to get into RISD. Providence is a nice place to be too. Better than Brooklyn. I would choose RISD, hands down.
From what I’m hearing this year’s accepted class at RISD is particularly strong. Anyone who has been offered admission should seriously consider it - even if the expense is higher. However, in the end your art school experience is going to be what you make of it and YOU - more than the school - will determine your level of success. Also, the best school is the one you believe fits you best. Furthermore, feeling significant financial pressure throughout your college career is no fun so obviously finances play an important role.
RISD and Pratt are similar in many ways - both are less “interdisciplinary” than other schools and both have a very set path to graduation for your chosen major, just to name two - but they also have some differences. Pratt is very much influenced by the Bauhaus style while RISD doesn’t really talk about that so probably welcomes a variety of styles and visions. RISD has Brown which is a huge plus because you can take some of your electives there, and RISD has a very deep field of top programs so whatever you choose to do you are pretty much assured that RISD has a top reputation there. RISD also accepted you to its foundation program rather than to a specific major - Pratt, on the other hand, accepts to the major and if you want to switch to something else after foundation year you are in the back of the line (so if they have room for you - great! - but if they don’t, you might be out of luck). My D1 tells me that Pratt is very challenging but more collaborative in the crit process - at least during foundation year - so that everyone is part of the solution to improve their skills and she personally didn’t experience anything like that at RISD pre-college (where the instructor knew best and told you how to improve). Others posting in previous years who have been considered quite talented have said that they were bored at Pratt. On the other hand, you can be enormously talented at RISD but find that the instructors don’t support your style or vision and want to “change” it. Those are just some of the differences.
Probably the biggest difference between the two schools will be in how the major unfolds in terms of curriculum and here you can understand the two schools’ differing philosophies. RISD is very guild-like and there isn’t a lot of sharing of studios with other majors (maybe during Wintersession but that’s pretty much it). So, for instance, illustration majors don’t have to take typography like the graphic design students do, and all of the studios are “illustration studios” even though there are going to be skills that cross over from illustration to other design disciplines. You don’t really see an opportunity for that kind of interaction. In contrast, at Pratt they have combined illustration, graphic, and ad art due to the huge crossover in design concepts and skills surrounding those areas - not to mention crossover in employment opportunities. During your sophomore year you will be taking studios with the other ComD majors and I think you’ll supplement with additional illustration studios (compared to the other two which get a studio elective that year). Junior year is a further opportunity for specialization. The ComD department head has told us that basically within ComD no one is pigeonholed into any specialization - ComD students who had intended to specialize in graphic can switch to illustration or ad art for junior year, and vice versa. The specialization just gives you more options and an increased skill set, rather than narrowly funneling you into a particular specialty by sophomore year. While you might have difficulty switching to, say, industrial design by 2nd year, at Pratt you can at least have some flexibility within the broad area of communication design. At RISD, if you switched from illustration to graphic design, you might need to repeat a year.
If possible visit both schools during accepted student day to figure out which one jibes with your goals as an art/design student. Also, @BrooklynRye has a daughter who was accepted to both this year and would probably be a great resource as well.
Good luck to you and well done!
Edit/Update: Almost forgot: check out the student art work at both places. There should be stuff hanging up all over the place given the time of year.
@Mamelot is much more sophisticated in analyses than I will be. Yes, D2 is deciding between Pratt and RISD. Fortunately, money will not be the deciding factor. Although notoriously stingy with scholarships, RISD actually offered D2 more than Pratt. While both schools offer excellent, highly-ranked programs, they each offer some unique, non-academic pluses. Pratt, for us, is closer to home which may be desirable for D2. More importantly, Pratt has relatively easy access to NYC which will almost certainly impact job and commercial opportunities. NYC also provides a release from the more limited immediate Clinton Hill area which is still a much broader world than Thayer Street or even Federal Hill. Personally, I don’t think either school offers the kind of campus one typically finds at a mainstream school. It’s patches of green and attempts at a ‘park-like’ feel at both, but not exactly extensive Frisbee-throwing or sunbathing lawns. RISD, as Mamelot points out, is arguably the best art school in the US. This is not simply because of cumulative ranking, but because the school is consistently ranked in the top 5-10 in just about every art discipline. This provides a lot of flexibility for D2 who is going in as an FA major and will almost certainly find a more focused niche elsewhere down the line. One of the greatest pluses in the RISD column is the proximity and synergies with Brown. Both academically, providing some mainstream classes, and socially, providing more typical college parties and events, Brown is a tremendous asset to RISD students. Brooklyn/NYC versus smaller city Providence is more a matter of taste. Providence certainly has a “safer” feel to it although there are plenty of very seedy areas around Providence. We will do back-to-back accepted students visiting days at RISD and Pratt this weekend. Will let you know what D2 decides!