<p>My daughter has gotten into RISD, Pratt Institute and SAIC for her BFA studies. Painting is her primary area of interest. RISD and SAIC are listed as 2 of the top graduate painting programs (Yale is #1). Despite this, my daughter fell in love with the Pratt campus and neighborhood feeling. She can forgive their older facilities. She did experience RISD by attending the RISD pre-college summer program, which she enjoyed, and developed many great portfolio pieces there. At RISD, 53% of the students are enrolled in Fine Arts and they have a 95% returning freshman rate. Pratt in comparison has 8% Fine Arts enrollment with a 85% retention rate. RISD has a 90% graduation rate in 6 yrs, whereas both Pratt and SAIC is 56%.
My daughter is somewhat scared off by RISD's reputation of having so much work that you only get 3-5 hrs of sleep a night, and is highly competitive. She is a hard-worker, but not an over achiever. I fear that she is passing up on an "ivy" art education to go to Pratt (sort of like choosing Boston College over Harvard). We will be looking at SAIC this weekl (her hesitation here is that they do not give out grades, yet this can more beneficial to the learning process than grades I am told).
Anyways, what I am seeking is if anyone knows of Pratt's fine art and painting reputation first hand for an undergraduate BFA? And are all of these schools good for undergraduate degrees in fine arts?</p>
<p>You should probably go with the school she likes the best in terms of vibes, campus, people, and forget about rankings and reputation. All have their plusses and minuses, and frankly, she can’t really go wrong with any of those choices.</p>
<p>RISD definitely has the most reputable fine arts program, but I think Pratt is a fine backup. SAIC is the least selective of all your choices (81% acceptance rate), Pratt is the second (39% acceptance rate), and RISD is the most selective (29% acceptance rate). If you’re concerned about how famous the school your kid goes to is, Pratt and RISD are the most known name-wise, although lately Pratt’s gotten more attention since it was included in a couple episodes of The Office.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t look at RISD’s higher graduation rate as an indicator that it’s got the best program. It might actually indicate that it’s got an easier curriculum. A lot of the kids at Pratt drop out because they can’t handle all the work, so it’s not a lazy alternative if that’s what you’re worried about. If she’s scared by the idea of too much work, she may want to read some student reviews of the school; some people claim to have lived off pretzels and coffee for their final years and to getting hardly any sleep.</p>
<p>I think she should go to the school she’s most comfortable in. If she goes somewhere she doesn’t like, it could affect her work and make her unhappy. And personally, I think she’s got more chances of getting experience and good internships in NY.</p>
<p>Pratt’s a really good school, and honestly, whichever one of those places she chooses, it’ll look good on her future resume.</p>
<p>helloone, Both RISD and Pratt are better known for design than fine arts. I’m not that familiar with SAIC, but my understanding is that it has more of an art for arts sake focus than the other two.</p>
<p>If your daughter likes the idea of being in New York (well, Brooklyn) then she should certainly choose Pratt. New York is the center of the fine art universe and even if the college isn’t as prestigious for painting as some of the others – you mention Yale, there are others that I would have chosen instead of Pratt and RISD – even if Pratt isn’t a painting destination in itself, it’s still NEW YORK. </p>
<p>She’ll interact with a lot of smart, creative people and if she’s even moderately aggressive, make good connections with artists, galleries, dealers and members of the arts community.</p>
<p>My daughter’s private tutor went to SAIC. She said that SAIC was the top rated program in the country for painting and had a number of alumni who were very successful. Other than that, I know little about the school.</p>
<p>I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. My daughter attends RISD and the work load is what you’ve heard about…brutal. She got 3-5 hours of sleep about every night for a year. This year is about the same, but she is use to it. If your daughter’s not up for that, don’t put her though it. Pratt is a very very good school. New York is great. I am not for pushing a certain school down a kids throat for the “reputation” (not what you are trying to do, I know). I am for finding the right match. Based on your daughter’s need, I’d say the answer is in front of you. If you can go to each school and explore them, that could help you and your child make the all important decision. Don’t think about the Resume, think about the KiD!!</p>
<p>Dear Helloone,</p>
<p>I am a parent who has personally survived art school, has one child nearing completion of his undregrad, and another on the way to one of the art schools on your list -(also applied to the others).</p>
<p>Here’s what I can offer:</p>
<p>1) Don’t place too high an importance on either school ranking, or acceptance rate. If the school isn’t a good fit for your daugher, it will not matter what the schools reputation is. …and…The acceptance rates are very misleading. Schools tend to accept the number of aplicants that they need to in order to yield the appropriate number of enrollments. For example, most of these schools see a yield of about 30%-40% , meaning of the students accepted, they know that 30-40% will ultimately enroll. Thus the higher acceptance rate may be reflective of a lower number of applicants. Additionally, some schools are more “self selective” ,meaning most of the kids applying are likely to be highly qualified…moving on…</p>
<p>2) The schools are very differnt with regard to concentration and style. What is great for one student may be disastrous for another. </p>
<p>SAIC is know for it’s breadth of offerings, its conceptual (v. technical) bias, and it’s interdisciplinary approach. If your daughter is talented in a variety of mediums, and would like to explore various areas unenecumbered, saic might be a good choice. They also have a more flexible apporach to fulfilling their liberal arts requirements. It requires that your child be self directed, as the structure is very “fluid”.</p>
<p>RISD is much more focused on more traditional art curriculum, style, and technical competance. it is more structured, in their core arts, (foundation year in particular) , majors and liberal arts requirements. If your daughter thrives on structure and is highly technical, this might be the better choice. Also less of a big city and might be more comfortable for kids making the transition from rural or smaller city environs.</p>
<p>Pratt is somewhere in between the other two. </p>
<p>Ask questions about how the liberal arts courses are satified. Some schools actually have the students fulfilling much of the required credits in the first two years, thus limiting their core/studio arts time, and others either delay it, or spread it consistently over the 4 years of study. </p>
<p>Lastly, many of my fellow art students, 100 years ago when i did this, ended up pursuing a course of study completely different from the one they expected. there is a real benefit to flexibillity and opportunty / exposure to varied mediums. In the end if the cohoice is a good fit for your child, it will almost certianly be a joyous experience. hope this helps.</p>
<p>PS–please excuse the typos…I have become overly reliant on spellcheck!</p>
<p>artmajormom - You gave very good advice (spelling is not important). Go sprikle it around these boards.</p>
<p>RISD’s high graduation rate is certainly NOT because of an easier curriculum, as artmommy77’s daughter can attest to. (My son, who is a senior at RISD, says he averages about 6 -7 hours of sleep a night, although it was indeed much less during Foundation Year.) I think the high rate is more attributable to the fact that the students who chose RISD really do eat, sleep, and breathe art/design, and are really happy (although tired) there. Another strong indication of that is the large percentage of RISD graduates who choose to stay in Providence after graduation. That gives Providence a funky, artsy kind of vibe.</p>
<p>RISD does have a very strong Fine Arts majors, including Painting; it’s not just a design school. But artmajormom is correct in saying that RISD does indeed have a very traditional, very rigid curriculum, with fewer opportunities for exploring other media than the other schools offer. That is something your daughter should think carefully about.</p>
<p>Pratt’s location in NY is certainly great for making connections in that particular segment of the art world, but the other schools also have strong reputations and alumni/faculty connections (including ones in NY) and living in a big city is not for everyone.</p>
<p>Like taxguy, I am less familiar with SAIC than the other two schools. But I have heard good things about the school and it does have a reputation for providing excellent training for young artists.</p>
<p>The bottom line: Your daughter will get an excellent education at any of these schools, but each is very different from the others. She needs to choose the one that she feels the most comfortable with, remembering that this will be her home for the next four years.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback -from all of you. We will careful consider all of your input.
Your response confirms what I had surmised: That Pratt’s learning style is in between RISD and SAIC. I was told by Pratt that only 8% of the students are in Fine Arts. My only concern about this is what the extent of the program really will be. I’d love to hear back from someone who went through Pratt’s Fine Art program recently to hear of their experience and if they recommend the painting department. The NYC connection is a big plus, no doubt, as is the campus.</p>
<p>Helloone</p>
<p>If you don’t get a response to your question from a current Pratt Student here on CC, you might try joining Facebook, or if your daughter has an account use that, and go to the pratt institute alumni posts to ask your question. best of luck to your daughter.</p>
<p>My daughter is finishing her freshman year at RISD. She says RISD students and MIT students flipflop back and forth for the most challenging educational experience. I guess it doesn’t matter if you’re in a science lab or an art studio …</p>
<p>Here’s how she has survived:</p>
<ol>
<li> She has learned to manage her time, plan ahead, prioritize, organize, etc.</li>
<li> Her peers are equally passionate and creative. They draw positive energy from each other and inspire each other.</li>
<li> Diversions. It’s not all about work. Brown is just up the hill and Providence is just across the river.</li>
<li> RISD is structured. There are many policies in place that support students and help set them up for success. For example, the dorms must quiet down by 11:00 p.m. each night during the week.<br></li>
<li> Lots of laughs. Art school humor is as creative as everything else about art school.</li>
<li> 5-6 hours of sleep is typical for college kids. In fact, at my other daughter’s state school, it was considered a good night’s sleep.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>If you’ve been accepted by RISD, you ARE up to the challenge. You will find amazing artists there just like yourself who love to create and push themselves to their creative limits.</p>
<p>To confuse the topic even more, my daughter did get into Syracuse University’s Dept of Fine Art. She is fortunate to have so many good choices. Thank you for all your feedback.</p>
<p>Helloone - I would like to add another comment about RISD (and other might comment based on their experiences). I think the new president Dr. Maeda is changing the face of RISD. A seismic shift may not be too strong of a description. This MIT trained president will only add to the excellent education that is offered at the college. John Maeda is a world-renowned artist, graphic designer, computer scientist and educator whose career reflects his philosophy of humanizing technology. His work has been based on the integration of technology, education and the arts. When he describes the RISD education he gives words to exactly why I am spending this money to educate my child at this college. I think he could be RISD’s secret weapon right now. </p>
<p>I’m glad worried mom made the point about the liberal arts offerings available to the students. My student has excellent teachers from Brown or Harvard (many other great schools) teaching her tradtional non-art classes. If your kid isn’t up for serious English, history of Art and other classes, this again may not be a college they want to attend. But if they want some really great teachers for the non-art classes, this school has that added bonus.</p>
<p>According to one wag: RISD = Reason I’m Sleep Deprived</p>
<p>Thanks for suggesting going to Facebook for direct alumni input. That has been very helpful!</p>
<p>Hi - I’m a student at SAIC, and I must say that our painting department is the biggest department among all. The second is either Photography or Art History. Our school really emphasizes on conceptuality, and it is indeed more of a fine art school than design school. Check out the painting studios at Columbus Drive building when u visit ;)</p>