Looking to major in design. Which school is stronger in visual communication? Carnegie’s design major is really strong but the school is ranked 25th whereas Washington university in St. Louis is ranked top 15th.
Which school would you choose?
Would definitely chose CMU. It’s less about overall rank than it is about your particular departments rank and I know CMU is rated very highly for design students. Just an example I had a friend who wanted to do international relations and got into Georgetown and Cornell. Even though Cornell is ranked higher overall, the Gtown IR program is generally considered one of the best in the entire world so she picked Gtown!
what can your family afford? which school is better won’t matter if you can’t afford either.
thank you for your suggestion!
I am able to attend both if i am accepted to those schools
Wait until you know where you’ve been admitted 
- Where else have you applied?
Im applying at the end of this year 
but these are the schools i will be applying to
Then you don’t have anything to decide right now except where else you will be applying.
Apply to a variety of colleges - a few reaches, 3-5 matches (schools you like, know you can afford based on Net Price Calculator results, that have at least 40% admissions, and where you are above the 50% average or close to the top 25% threshold but not above), and 2 safeties (schools you like, know you can afford, and where you’re top 25% for stats at a minimum + have demonstrated interest, or meet automatic admission guidelines, or meet automatic scholarship guidelines).
Fox and CMU would automatically be reaches.
Both of these schools are a reach for just about anyone. Just be aware of that. Rankings aren’t everything, and the difference between 15 and 25 is inconsequential.
You want to be in the school with the design department that is the best fit for you. You’ll need to visit, to help determine that. Try to do it while classes are going on. Some people make the mistake of waiting until after they are admitted to visit. This is a very short timeframe, so get as much done as you can early. @MYOS1634 suggests a good approach, above. Have your list & all your info, plus a few visits, ready by Aug 1 when the common app opens. And then put in a lot of effort on your apps and essays.
thank you guys for your responses!
CMU has one of the best design schools in the country. Lot of very successful alumni including the founder of Juicy Couture clothing line. My D goes there, so I know what I speak of! WashU, while a great school is sort of not on the map for design. You need to do your homework.
Business Insider’s Top 75 designers in technology: 6 from CMU http://www.businessinsider.com/best-designers-in-technology-2013-5
Andy Warhol, too, by the way.