<p>I never thought the college process would be this hard, but from reading everyones posts I can see alot of you are going through the same type of things. I only recently found this forum. There is some great advice on these pages.</p>
<p>My son is a HS senior and wants to major in architecture. He has been accepted to RISD and Pratt. RISD is his #1 choice but they offered no financial aid. Pratt on the other hand offered a $21,000 scholarship/grant package. </p>
<p>I have figured we will have to borrow $10,000 more a year (atleast at first)
for him to go to RISD.</p>
<p>My question is, is it worth it to strap ourselves financially for RISD?</p>
<p>You said that RISD is your S's #1 choice. Has he (and you) made a list of pros and cons including financial aid in making that decision if that is a major factor? Both RISD and Pratt have name recognition but I think RISD has the edge. We decided to go with the schools that resounded the most with both of our kids, but every circumstance is different. If your S cannot envision himself at Pratt compared with RISD and will be miserable, then you have to take that into consideration.</p>
<p>Also, have you investigated placement of architecture grads from both schools? That might help make the decision.</p>
<p>Welcome to the parents forum. I think you have to also ask yourself and your son, what kind of environment is he looking for. RISD is in Providence , he may have the opportunity to cross-register at Brown and is going to have a true campus setting. Pratt, is in the heart of Clinton Hills, Brooklyn good neighborhood, less than 15 minutes from Manhattan (depending on train service), but not really much of a campus. Surronding area is pretty much residential.</p>
<p>Pratt is an excellent school, but you are right that RISD has the edge.
We visited RISD last fall and there was nothing we saw we didn't like.
Pratt on the otherhand is 10 minutes from Manhattan and their teaching staff is practicing architects who frequently hire students for internships. If we could just move Pratt out of BKlyn and into Providence. lol Yes I know it is in a good section of Brooklyn but you just can't compare the two campus' RISD is like a dream of a place to go to school. Great school/Great campus</p>
<p>When you compare $37,000 at RISD no aid vs Pratts $42,000 w/ a $21,000 scholarship, it is almost impossible not to push him towards Pratt. Plus we live about an hour from Brooklyn on Long Island, so him getting home is just a train ride away.</p>
<p>He is going to call the head of financial aid at RISD tomorrow and see if there is anything they can do, but I am not holding much hope, since I called and spoke to someone right after we got the decision and was told that they have "need based" scholarships and we unfortunately fall in the middle income. To sum things up, RISD's demographics are comprised of needy, wealthy and middle income who bury themselves in debt. Pretty disappointing. It actually would have been easier if he never got accepted, though I think I remember reading that you can defer your acceptance to RISD for one year. You never know what can happen in a year.</p>
<p>You have added a new dimension to the discussion. I did not know that you are from LI. As you stated the LIRR is a short distance away which means that he can literally jump on the train and come home any time he wants. </p>
<p>How does your son feel about this? If all things are equal and he can be equally happy both places then yes, $21,000, literally half price is a lot ot walk away from. With the regentrification of Brooklyn and all of the new construction going on in Manhattan, there is a lot to see and visit so that his creative juices can flow. The internship possibilities ae an extra added bonus.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>RISD is the better school and if he wants it, he should be scrambling to find ways to pay for it; ie year off, high-paying summer jobs (how good is his CAD?), etc. </p></li>
<li><p>RISD is not a fantastically endowed school. The art schools simply don't get the same donations. Don't get your hopes up for RISD FA.</p></li>
<li><p>Let him borrow the $10K--and take responsiblity for paying it off. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>There are heaps of ways to skin this cat--but your S should be leading the charge. Think of it as a creative assignment, ie: How to Pay For RISD Without Ruining My Financial Future. ;) </p>
<p>If he doesn't have the stomach for it, he'll learn to love Pratt!</p>
<p>RISD students have access to most of the resources at Brown (and vice versa), includinglibraries, student activities/clubs, athletic facilities, even classes. Most people never find their way to this site but I think it's an interesting thing to consider. Many people actually choose Brown because of RISD--I think it goes both ways.</p>
<p>Cheer notes, "
2. RISD is not a fantastically endowed school. The art schools simply don't get the same donations. Don't get your hopes up for RISD FA."</p>
<p>Although you would never know it from the lack of scholarship RISD provides, they have the largest endowment among any stand alone art school totaling $253,000,000. Pratt's endowment is less than a third of that ($47,000,000). I got these numbers from the 2004-2005 listing in the Chronicles of Higher Education. Pratt did get some significant contributions after the date of the endowment listing.</p>
<p>I did an indepth overview of both RISD and PRATT in their respective alphabetical forum listings. I would suggest that you read the each thread. The titles of the threads were,"Overview of Pratt" and "Overview of Visit to RISD." I think they will answer a lot of questions.</p>
<p>You have to check out each school for fit. However, if we were talking about a 10,000-$15,000 per year difference(with Pratt being that much cheaper), I would pick Pratt! If you read my overviews, you will see why.</p>
<p>My son had the exact same offers from both Pratt and RISD. We live on Long Island and are less than an hour from Pratt. I am also a Brooklyn native.
The surrounding area near Pratt has improved over the years but there are still some blocks where crime is still common. The campus is quaint with interesting buildings but some are run down and have vermin problems. Check Pratt's Live Journal community and you will get a student's perspective. Checking RISD's community might reveal a student culture that may leave leave you a bit troubled (I will leave that up to the reader).
If you check some of my posts you will learn that RISD's decision to offer us zero aid was a catalyst in my son's decision to gap year and apply this time to some top LAC's and Ivies. He changed his direction from studio art to art history and the outcome has been nothing short of amazing for him. As we had need, all the schools offered very generous packages with Williams, Amherst and Princeton enabling him to graduate debt free. His path may not apply to your son but I am not a big fan of the kind of debt that would be incurred. Peter Reifler is the person at RISD to speak to but he will probably kindly say that there will be no change in the package. They are spending alot of $$$ on building projects and improvement. (There facilities have no peer).
RISD continues to be the best art and design school in the country for those who can afford full fare. Also I have read but cannot confirm that Pratt's scholarships are really just tuition discounts. I don't think that it makes that much of a difference but found that an interesting comment (supposingly made by someone in their fin-aid office).</p>
<p>Pratt is in a pretty marginal neighborhood; with all due respect, $40,-- is not such a huge debt. As other said, let him work hard over the summer, he will benefit in many ways. He can also work during the school yr. RISD is the most prestigous arts school in America..go for the best.</p>
<p>D goes to Pratt and she soes not find neighborhood "marginal". 15 min subway to NYC, great for internships and jobs. Many classes meet right at the MOMA or MET, Fisk etc. as well as the Brooklyn museum. Great gallerys in downtown Brooklyn. Check out Williamsburgh, Park slope , Brooklyn Heights etc. D has not had any problems. DUMBO Down Under the Manahattan Bridge Overpass) area has many art shows and exhibits including this May as part of the NYC Design week. If you are nervous about being in urban environment perhaps this is not for you but I wouldn't call the neighborhood marginal. RISD is a great school with great programs but it doesn't have NYC.
And for some people 40k per year is a huge debt.</p>
<p>I was just at Pratt. The immediate area surrounding Pratt isn't that bad. I saw some nice restaurants and people being served outside in little cafes. I actually found it charming. However, the immediate area is within 2-3 blocks of the school. I probably would not want my daughter walking around beyond that area.</p>
<p>Also, mommania notes, "RISD is the most prestigous arts school in America..go for the best."</p>
<p>Response: For many grad programs that may be true. For undergrad programs,I am not sure that her statement is correct. Certainly RISD is considered top notch. However, there are other schools for certain majors which might be better. These majors might be for painting, digital design and new media ( which RISD doesn't have as an undergraduate offering), fashion design, costume design, film making, et al.</p>
<p>Moreover, even with regard to RISD's more well-known majors, there are other schools that have a different emphasis that may be preferred. For example, CMU offers a different slant on communication design than RISD does on graphic design. Univ of Cincinnati has a great industrial design program with some strong emphasis in automotive design. Both RIT and Univ. of Cincinnati have great co-op programs. </p>
<p>Bottom Line: There are a number of schools that have a lot to offer in their own individual way. You just need to check out their progams, and see what's the best fit for your kid.</p>
<p>cama....You may be right. Ultimately in all actuality they are. As far as the neighborhood I think taxguy hit the nail on the head. Go a few blocks away in almost any direction puts you in not the best neighborhood. This really never bothered my son but my wife was a bit nervous. I lived in Brooklyn for 40 years and drank the U-Bet. On the other hand Dekalb has been incredibly improved in the last few years.
A 2 minute ride can get you the best cheesecake in the world:)</p>
<p>The extra 10k we would need for RISD would be x's by 5 years for an architecture program. That is in addition to the $15,000 x 5 years we would be borrowing. So looking at cost alone Pratt is about $75,000
vs RISD $125,000. </p>
<p>I did find out that you can defer acceptance to RISD for one year.</p>
<p>Okay- off to read Overviews of Pratt and RISD that Taxguy recommended. Thanks for everyones info. It really is invaluable</p>
<p>My son called financial aid today and ended up w/ voice mails. Wonder if they are closed due to Passover?</p>
<p>JVP1,
If you have any specific Pratt Questions not asked or posted somewhere here, please post and I will be more than happy to answer from a parent of student's point of view. What is your son interested in majoring in? My D has just declared her major as communication design, though when just started it was interior design. Foundation year helped her make that decision.</p>
<p>Here the 2005 top ten from Design Intelligence (Industry rankings)
Undergraduate Architecture Programs (B. Arch)</p>
<p>Cornell University
University of Cincinnati
Rice University
California Polytechnic State U., San Luis Obispo
Syracuse University
Kansas State University
Rhode Island School of Design
University of Texas at Austin
Carnegie Mellon University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University</p>
<p>I wonder about the relative merits of studying architecture at an art school vs. studying at a larger U.</p>