<p>Alice,
My d was originally interested in architecture too - her HS drafting course turned into graphic communication courses and then she was hooked on that instead. So beware, interests may change. One school we originally considered was Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA. It has studio art and Architecture. The studio art classes had a design slant if I remember correctly (but I'm not sure if interior design was offered). Lehigh has a varsity swim team. It's also smaller (about 5000 students I think) with a low student:faculty ratio.</p>
<p>My d's voice lessons are the same though really focusing on technique and breathing. She had a small singing part in her play at school. This was the first time doing a play and I am trying to feel her out to see if she wants to do more.
It is a huge time commitement and she needs to want to do this.</p>
<p>My kids are both swimmers. Which means 10 months a year, 3 day meets on weekends (dec-feb) and 5-7 practices a week. It is very hard to fit other activites (besides school) into their lives.</p>
<p>It's tough for kids to fit it all in. Our 1st priority is school!</p>
<p>jerzglrmom....We have Lehigh on our list to visit along with LAfayette.</p>
<p>Haven't seen anyone mention SAIC yet. They have a degree in interior architecture I think. We toured there last summer and personally didn't care for it ourselves at all. But everyone we know seems to swoon when you mention this school.</p>
<p>Sorry, what SAIC?</p>
<p>I think Carnegie Mellon has something like interior design combined with the environment - maybe environmental design or something. Anyway, I think the projects had to do with exterior design (but not landscape design). Definitely had to do with structures...My d liked seeing all the student's projects on their website. Gives you a good idea of what the students do. We saw quite a variety of student (seniors) projects at Syracuse this past trip. Some of them involved designing exteriors as well as interiors. True of RIT as well.</p>
<p>I shoulda been clearer-- School of the Art Institute of Chicago.</p>
<p>SAIC is extremely well-known for true fine art: painting and photography if I remember correctly. It is a lot like MICA but even more well-known in those fields. It is not really a design school,but it does have some design majors such as Graphic Design.</p>
<p>My daughter did the precollege summer program twice at SAIC, and it was definitely a plus in several ways. But she didn't want to go there for college because its strengths -- while truly great ones in painting, drawing, and sculpture, for example -- weren't broad enough. And she really wanted to be on the East Coast rather than the midwest.</p>
<p>Regarding SCAD, although my daughter applied there as a backup, in the end she was concerned about the admissions standards. She was admitted but she heard that the overall quality of the students was quite variable. And in art school, your classmates are really an important part of the learning experience.</p>
<p>Re: SCAD</p>
<p>My daughter also applied to SCAD and was accepted. They offered a merit scholarship and increased the award after she sent her portfolio...twice. Savannah is a beautiful city...at least the downtown area around SCAD is beautiful. As for crime...I was told that Providence had the highest murder rate in the country (and daughter is at RISD). Statistics can show anything you want them to show. SCAD is an urban campus and you have to be aware and be careful...like many other college campuses.</p>
<p>Lack of NASAD accreditation does not worry me as much as lack of Commission on Colleges accreditation would...and SCAD has that. It is interesting why SCAD has not gotten NASAD accreditation.....hmmmm....good question for the campus visit.</p>
<p>SCAD's admission counselors were wonderful...at least ours was. Very helpful and accessible. I have a good friend whose daughter is now a sophomore at SCAD. She loves it! </p>
<p>I think you need to visit and research a college/school yourself and make your own decision. It is great getting all of the comments from CC. It gives you a great start for a list of your own questions when you visit an institution.</p>
<p>An artist, whom I respect, once told my daugher, "How hard you work and quality of your work and portfolio is more important than where you go to school." :-)</p>
<p>Ktwofish, whenever I ask a school why they are not NASAD accredited,they invariably answer that they thought 'they didn't need it" since it is a voluntary and political type of accreditation. Frankly, that answer doesn't sit well with me.</p>
<p>When you look at the list of NASAD accredited schools, I cannot imagine why SCAD would want to be left off of this list. SCAD also used to participate in NCAA athletics, but they are now NAIA (I think). I remember reading something about them not following NCAA rules and being under investigation...so they dropped out and joined NAIA. Interesting...</p>
<p>But I would still visit them, ask the tough questions, and make up my own mind :-)</p>
<p>Among the things to ask the admissions people at SCAD when you visit is why their graduation (persistence) rate is only about 65%. For stats, see: <a href="http://helpdesk.scad.edu/files/2004-2005ProfilesBookTemplate.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://helpdesk.scad.edu/files/2004-2005ProfilesBookTemplate.pdf</a></p>
<p>My daughter was also offered a very substantial merit scholarship by SCAD but that did not factor into her decisions.</p>
<p>thanks for all the SCAD feedback</p>
<p>We live on the East Coast....and my daughter will likely go to school here. We did visit SCAD. Mostly because they are they only ART school with a varsity swim team. Unfortunately, I wasn't armed with all this new info. So, lots more to do before applications in the fall..</p>
<p>thank you all for the feedback</p>
<p>The angry professor's wife was first fired from the college for a justifiable reason. No one gets fired in the middle of the school year. You have to REALLY screw up. She was a professor as well. Notice how he makes no comment about her at all. It was after she was fired that he started a big stink (he made no stink before). I can't comment on the validity of his charges, but having attended the college and worked there for a bit, they are very consciencious about faculty credentials. The professor posts anything and everything negative that people write and much of it is flat out wrong. I wrote to dispute some of the information and he told me he wouldn't post it and that I should start my own web site. He's only seeking revenge.Something like 7000 students go there, you don't read 7000 complaints on the site. I had a very good experience.</p>
<p>SCAD is accredited by SACS. Don't know anything about NASAD. SCAD does not use the tenure system. All faculty sign 1-year contracts. Maybe that's why?</p>
<p>They changed athletic affiliations to be able to offer more athletic scholarships or something like that I was told by someone.</p>
<p>SCAD does let in many students, not all are the best for sure. The school is growing fast because real estate is/was very cheap in Savannah. There used to be many empty buildings that no one wanted. With expanding facilitiesprobably the best you will findthey need more students to fill them. Other schools would probably love to have such growth, but aren't in environments where real estate is so affordable and available.</p>
<p><<i know="" someone="" whose="" son="" is="" just="" finishing="" up="" at="" scad.="" he's="" finding="" trouble="" in="" the="" job="" hunt="" because="" some="" companies="" believe="" nasad="" distinction="" to="" be="" important="">></i></p><i know="" someone="" whose="" son="" is="" just="" finishing="" up="" at="" scad.="" he's="" finding="" trouble="" in="" the="" job="" hunt="" because="" some="" companies="" believe="" nasad="" distinction="" to="" be="" important="">
<p>Um...no one looks at accreditation, they look at your portfolio. If he's not getting a job, then he's making excuses for himself. Graduates from SCAD work for Pixar, CNN, and all over the place.</p>
</i>
<p>I agree with you on this point. You have to promote yourself well when you're on the market, and your portfolio is the key to demonstrating your skills. Employers don't even ask about your grades or ask for letters of recommendation from teachers. But the overall reputation of a school -- including what employers know about the quality of other graduates from the place -- can help you to get your foot in the door.</p>
<p>I apologize for any mistakes/misspellings, I don't have much time but would like to contribute, if you have any questions for me my email is at the end of this message.</p>
<p>I am currently a SCAD student and can answer almost any question you have. To begin the Architecture program at SCAD is NAAB (National Architecture Accreditation Board) accredited. A NAAB accredited school is required in almost every state to cut off years (yes 2 or more years) from licensing requirements. For more information search for your states requirments or IDP.</p>
<p>As far as NASAD goes you have a point however the school has never sought their accreditation. I am sure part of it is politics, possibly of teacher tenure ect. however the school is regularly referred to as one of the best or the best art schools in the country.</p>
<p>If your child's interests are in fashion take a look at SCAD's board of directors, it's a Who's Who in the fashion industry. And they are truly involved with the school, I've meet the editor of Vogue during one of her visits.</p>
<p>The interior design department is housed with the architecture department under the School of Building Arts which was recently accepted into the Ivy League of schools for their electronic design program.</p>
<p>In respect to crime, Savannah can be a scary place, neighborhoods can change from peaceful to sketchy every other block however the murder rate rummer needs some proof.<br>
I used to live in Chicago and feel safer here. </p>
<p>I took a minute to compile this list...all of the data is from the FBI and can be verified by visiting <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm</a> it is from the most recent year, 2003.</p>
<h2>.....City...........................Population........Murders...........Rate</h2>
<ol>
<li>Gary...........................101,544..............68................1493</li>
<li>East Chicago................31,919..............20................1596</li>
<li>New Orleans...............475,128.............274................1734</li>
<li>Camden........................80,132..............41................1954</li>
<li>Richmond....................199,968..............93................2150</li>
<li>Compton.......................96,562..............43................2246</li>
<li>Irvington........................60,855...............27................2254</li>
<li>Washington.................563,384.............248................2272</li>
</ol>
<h2>09. Baltimore....................644,554.............270................2387</h2>
<ol>
<li>Savannah...................129,547...............28................4627</li>
</ol>
<p>But this is no excuse for Savannah, it still has a long way to go...and anyone moving here should use extreme caution.</p>
<p>Don't even bother with <a href="http://www.scad.info%5B/url%5D">www.scad.info</a> it should be clear that anyone who has ever employed someone will sooner or latter have a disgruntled employee and that is exactly what that guy is. If you do want to read about the school and the city use google news and search for scad.</p>
<p>otherwise feel free to email me with questions, I can be quite critical of the school but always honest.</p>
<p>mike
mgarde@@NO.SPAM@@gmail.com</p>
<p>Thanks for your POV, Mike.</p>
<p>It's not just having a disgruntled employee that gets a school on the AAUP censure list for violating academic freedom. Moreover, SCAD has been put on that list twice, in 1965-70 and 1993.</p>
<p>See this: <a href="http://www.aaup.org/Com-a/Institutions/archives/pre1995/savannag.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.aaup.org/Com-a/Institutions/archives/pre1995/savannag.pdf</a></p>
<p>Correction. SCAD has been on AAUP censure since 1993 (one extended period). My listing of dates in the '60's was in error (SCAD wasn't established then -- I misread a page on the AAUP website). For the facts regarding that AAUP censure, which involved SCAD's treatment of several different professors, not just one, see the citation that I gave in my previous message.</p>