Hi I am an international student and have been accepted by almost all the schools I applied (feeling proud). - RISD, Parsons, Pratt, CCA, SVA and SAIC. I want to specialize in visual communication, graphic design or interaction design. Was wondering if I could get some help from this forum in helping select the right school for me. Though I have received merit scholarship from some of the schools - cost is not the key criteria as I will anyways be spending a lot of money.
Till the time I was not accepted my dream school was RISD…but now having read a few posts on different forums I am a bit confused. As of now my order of priority is RISD, SVA, CCA, Pratt and Parsons…with following rationale
- RISD: great reputation in graphic and industrial design
- SVA: again great reputation and located in NYC - the hub of art
- CCA: has a interaction design course which looks interesting in the heart of Silicon Valley
Would appreciate any thoughts on what criteria to apply and which school to chose. From my side the key objective of education is to follow your passion and make a great career…
Btw forgot to mention I am visiting U.S. next week to see all the schools in person
RISD- i know people who did the summer program here and they said it was very rigourous and they loved it. its ranked #1 in the nation for graphic design so it seems like an awesome option!
CCA- one of its most popular majors is graphic design but i dont think its as good as a school as some of the other ones. its a pretty small school in oakland and san fran
Parsons- i know its most famous for fashion design so i feel like its graphic design and visual comm. programs wouldnt be as good as some of the other schools. at the same time its in nyc which is super cool
SAIC- great art school, i did a summer program there last year and i loved it. i dont know too much about the programs your interested but its rated like #2 or 3 art schools in the nation and its in a great part of the city
i hope this helped somewhat haha good luck!
RISD and SVA are recognized by GDUSA readership as being the top two most influential design schools. Parsons and Pratt are in the top 5, CCA in the top 10 (currently) and SAIC right outside the top 10.
In other words, they are all excellent schools. You should choose the one that fits you best. It’s good you are visiting them all.
Congratulations and good luck making your selection!