<p>I've seen posts on this school somewhere but can't find them now. Anyone know anything about SAIC?</p>
<p>Heron, my daughter and I visited SAIC this past summer. Here is a link to my trip report:</p>
<p>My daughter is still undecided at this point. I'll try to answer any questions you may have.</p>
<p>You can also do a search on SAIC to try to find other information, but it doesn't seem to get a lot of discussion here.</p>
<p>AdvMom, thanks for that report! I've heard the same thing about reputation and selectivity, but the acceptance percentage doesn't fit with that. Not sure how to find out more. Sounds like the facilities are good. Is it a city feel as in NYC? My totally unfounded sense of Chicago is that it's a bit more toned down than NYC. </p>
<p>Have you visited MICA? If so, how would you compare the two?</p>
<p>Heron,
It is very much a city feel, but it is not NY. I happen to like Chicago better, but I'm sure a New Yorker would give the opposite answer. SAIC is very much in the city, with all of a city's advantages and disadvantages. You can find pretty much everything you need on Michigan Avenue or State Street for restaurants or shopping, except a grocery store. You must take a bus further out for that. This is an issue since there is no dining plan for residence hall students. There is also plenty of nice park space and museums close by. The main building is right next to Lake Michigan. It is very much a downtown/business/tourist area, not a residential area.</p>
<p>I have not been to MICA, but have been to the Baltimore Harbor area. Chicago's downtown is bigger than Baltimore, but smaller than NY.</p>
<p>I have had many people tell me that SAIC is hard to get in to, but the acceptance rate seems high compared to some schools. The graduation rate seems a bit lower than some, so maybe it is not so hard to get in, but hard to stay in.</p>
<p>I also find the pass/fail grading a little odd. And the curriculum is very open. You can take whatever studio courses you want, and don't have to concentrate in any area. Consequently, your BFA is not in a specific major even if you focussed on a specific area. We didn't get to see any student work since it was between semesters, but I have heard mixed things about it. I have heard it is very conceptual. I have had one person tell me that he had a very low opnion of their student's visual communication work, but the program is highly rated, at least at the graduate level. I am hoping to make another visit to see some student work.</p>
<p>So hard to figure these things out! Thanks for the info. I'll post again if I find anything about the selectivity issue.</p>
<p>I have experience with both of these elite, competitive art schools. </p>
<p>SAIC is in Chicago's Loop. If there's a better place to be young and talented, I don't know where it is. SAIC's buildings are spread over several blocks, so it doesn't have a "campus" feel. The school says Chicago is its campus -- OK by me.</p>
<p>SAIC is strong in photography, painting, interior architecture and probably a bunch of other fields. It has an extremely strong graduate program, and undergrads and grad students can be in classes together. The pass-fail grading makes it a great place for self-starters and experimentalists. I don't know why it's not more selective.</p>
<p>MICA is a hot school right now. The curriculum is more structured than SAIC. Personally, I think Baltimore is a great historic city with easy access to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York. The MICA campus is more contained than SAIC and the facilities are really nice. MICA has become quite competitive.</p>
<p>Caution -- both these schools are very pricey. "Life in the big city." Both schools have a good proportion of international students.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>