SCAD in general

Colleges and Universities A-Z Savannah College of Art and Design
341

<p>I am a current SCAD parent…I completely agree with exactly what sunspun41 said:
" I’ve found that the students that thrive are those who are realistic about the nature of working in the art industry and take school seriously, embrace the local culture, value and act upon their independence, and actively attempt to meet as many people as possible."</p>

<p>My son had a rough first quarter or two finding his way…but now a Jr. he has truly thrived as he found the culture and expectation of SCAD. He feels he is really doing what it takes to get the kind of job he wants in Interactive Design.</p>

342

<p>“Small state colleges and small religious colleges offer the worst bang for you buck, according to new analysis from PayScale.
Savannah College of Art and Design ranked as the college with the absolute worst value, with tuition clocking in at $176,000 and a 30-Year Net ROI yielding -$189,000”</p>

<p>Read more at: [Worst</a> Value Colleges - Business Insider](<a href=“http://www.businessinsider.com/worst-value-colleges-2012-4]Worst”>Worst Value Colleges) </p>

<hr>

<p>Not happy with the article above? Read this one: [SCAD</a> has lousy “climate for academic freedom,” says profs’ group | Atlanta News & Opinion Blog | Fresh Loaf | Creative Loafing Atlanta](<a href=“http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2011/11/01/scad-has-lousy-climate-for-academic-freedom-says-profs-group]SCAD”>http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2011/11/01/scad-has-lousy-climate-for-academic-freedom-says-profs-group)</p>

<p>Below is a little preview:</p>

<p>"The Savannah College of Art and Design isn’t a member of the prestigious Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, along with such peers as Parsons, the Rhode Island School of Design and NYC’s School of Visual Arts. Nor is it accredited by the industry-standard National Association of Schools of Art and Design. And the private, intensely for-profit school has fostered a reputation of secrecy and top-down totalitarianism that occasionally surfaces in complaints over suppression of student and/or instructor expression.</p>

<p>Now comes the American Association of University Professors, which issued a report this past month censuring — or rather, re-censuring — the school for its Soviet-style repression of academic freedom."</p>

<hr>

<p>“Savannah College of Art and Design ranked as the college with the absolute worst value”
“This College Is The Biggest Rip-Off In America”
“Soviet-style repression of academic freedom.”</p>

<p>Feel free to send your kids to SCAD! …and good luck!!</p>

343

<p>5 Worst Colleges in America. Savannah College of art and design - based on this survey SCAD is the worse college in America!</p>

<p>[5</a> Worst Colleges in America by ROI | I Know You’ll Remember](<a href=“http://iknowyoullremember.com/5-worst-colleges-in-america-based-on-roi/]5”>http://iknowyoullremember.com/5-worst-colleges-in-america-based-on-roi/)</p>

344

<p>OMG…these people are soooo right !
We should all live by these charts and survey articles…they must be right !!</p>

<p>Considering SCAD’s closest competition Pratt 1887 and RISD 1887 have been around for a bit longer I think the school has done an amazing job of raising it’s profile and creating a place for artistic learning.</p>

<p>Both my daughter and I were very impressed with the school after our recent visit.</p>

<p>BTW - My opinion is based upon my personal review of the school and it’s Interior Design program. I am a Pratt grad, I own a NYC based Architectural Firm and I am a frequent lecturer at NYU’s and Columbia’s Grad schools. </p>

<p>“I don’t need no stinking chart” lol</p>

345

<p>You’ve provided the information that I needed to read. I was considering a faculty position at this college, but it looks like it’s a disappointing place to work. I hope to hear from SCAD faculty and ex-faculty, but the views posted here have been very valuable.</p>

346

<p>Ok so I’ve read a few people talk about the actual study of architecture and the environment of study playing a role… but is anyone here an actual M. Arch student? I just finished my application for the spring 2013 (ya I know, thats in a month) and would like some student input. I currently work as an architect in a small crappy firm in New Jersey, and know I need to expand. I toured SCAD last year and was blown away, by everything. Any and all input would be super helpful! Thanks!!</p>

347

<p>I’m not a student, but the father of a SCAD rising star student thats been accepted for undergrad fall 2013. I’m also an architect and I own a NYC firm.</p>

<p>I have to tell you I’ve been amazed by SCAD so far, everything about the school is geared towards creating an amazing place for learning, you need to visit yourself. After spending time there I WANTED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL !!!</p>

<p>PS. It kicks the crap out of Pratt where I went to school !</p>

348

<p>My one year experience from SCAD.</p>

<p>The admission center of the school is STRATEGICALLY located in the prettiest part of town. HOWEVER, all the buildings are inconveniently spaced out which hurts the sense of unity on campus. Some of the buildings are located right IN the ghetto (Industrial Design). And they recently built a new dorm there. Really? I wouldn’t walk there at night. And there is NOWHERE to walk to.</p>

<p>For the amount of money they ask for, the quality of some of their facilities is sup-par.
Not being by NASAD is a big deal, I don’t care what anyone thinks. Why else would every other respectable college be on the list? And how is it possible that an art school DOES NOT require a portfolio for admission?</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

349

<p>

</p>

<p>A few reasons…</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Studies show that students who perform well academically continue to perform well at institutions of higher learning because they continue to apply themselves. Plus, students that do well academically–historically–are less likely to drop out. Retention is a BIG word at EVERY institution. All schools want students who stay and pay for 4 years.</p></li>
<li><p>Since students do not need to declare a major until the end of their second year, they can discover for themselves in which of SCAD’s 20-something majors they fit best. Students can learn to be professionally competent in many of the majors without being gifted or prior expertise. </p></li>
<li><p>Many students do not come from H.S. programs with strong art departments.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>A portfolio is required for graduate admissions however.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>It is not a big deal at all. I’ve taught at three schools. Two were NASAD accredited, SCAD was not. I see no difference whatsoever. Upon graduation, no one will care where you came from. They will make a decision on your portfolio and perhaps on your people skills.</p>

350

<p>Hi, newly applied to SCAD Atlanta campus. Is anyone there has ideal that if Atlanta campus had same teaching quality as Savannah campus has? Thank you.</p>

351

<p>Hi, I’m applying to SCAD. Fall 2014. And I thought it was a great college to apply to. But after reading these posts, I’m really confused. And does anyone have any idea about the Atlanta campus? That’s my preference. And I’m applying to M.A Film and Television. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

352

<p>My experience with the quarter class scheduling system and MARCH degree at SCAD.</p>

<p>I attended SCAD from 2001 to 2004 studying architecture in the Master of Architecture program. Since I was a student with an undergraduate degree in a related discipline, I needed to go for 3 years to meet the requirements. For anyone considering to go to Scad I can provide some first hand experience that can help anyone make their own decisions of where to go to college. I am going to list the major things that someone should consider before going to SCAD.</p>

<ol>
<li>SCAD has the quarter scheduling system. A quarter system class scheduling system is a lot different than a semester system class schedule. A quarter system academic year is three quarters: fall, winter, spring. A full time class schedule is 3 classes. This sounds reasonable but each class is 2.5 hours long. Studio classes are 5.5 hours long. If you schedule a studio class and a regular class back to back you are in class all day. In architecture studio classes. we spent a lot of time discussing our own projects or other students projects with the class which limits your own time of getting your projects completed.</li>
</ol>

<p>To make up the time, students have to spend long hours into the night to get their projects complete. Eichberg Hall where the architecture department is located at SCAD was open 24/7 when I was there. Students had to do a lot of all nighters because the quarter system class periods are too long.</p>

<p>I personally did about 100 all nighters in 3 years while attending SCAD. I look back and consider that torture. I would never go to a quarter system college again. All nighters become a very painful experience after a while.</p>

<p>Another downfall of the quarter system is that professors have difficulty maintaining a class for 2.5 hours. I had some professors at SCAD cancel class after about 1 hour of teaching. But I paid for 2.5 hours of class time. SCAD is very expensive.</p>

<p>I also think the quarter system is not flexible. You cannot take extra classes over full time like you can a semester system. </p>

<p>I went to a semester system college for my undergraduate degree. Class periods are only 50 minutes long 3 times a week or 1.5 hours long 2 times a week. Since the class times are shorter I had much more time after class to do my work. I only needed to do 1 all nighter and that was because I was taking extra classes over full time. I was able to take 1 or 2 classes over full time each semester in order to study business classes outside of my major and complete the required elective classes for my major.</p>

<p>When I got my first job at an architecture firm in Maryland in 2004 after graduating from SCAD, I was working in an office with intern architects from other institutions such as Drexel and Catholic University. Those intern architects were very experienced with the software programs Sketchup and Revit. At Scad, I never heard of Sketchup or Revit, so it took me a while to gain experience with Sketchup and Revit like the other interns. Scad’s first electronic design class was Microstation. Unfortunately, most firms do not use microstation. So, taking that class was less useful to me. To be fair, Scad does have more electronic design classes. I just did not have the time/money to take them all due to other required classes.</p>

<p>Working at architecture firms also made me realize that there is not enough class instruction/preparation on construction document production. Intern architects have to compete with people who go to trade schools to learn drafting. Students who go to trade schools for drafting receive more training in drafting than intern architects. I have gone to interviews at architecture firms and was given an AutoCad practical. These architecture firms have high expectations for employees to be very knowledgeable of AutoCad and will hire someone who went to a trade school for drafting and knows AutoCAD really well over an intern architect with weak drafting skills. </p>

<p>I began taking the Architecture Registration Exams in 2011. I have taken 4 exams so far and passed each one with 1 try. The Ncarb website posts pass rates for the exam divisions from different states and architecture colleges in those states. Pass rates for SCAD students are not that great ranging from 49 percent to 76 percent in the different divisions in 2012. Pass rates for Penn State University ranges from 71 percent to 89 percent in 2012. Penn State is a semester system college. </p>

<p>To any student considering going to college, I highly recommend going to a semester system college. </p>

<p>I think the quarter system is a fundamentally flawed educational system. Don’t go to a quarter system.</p>

<p>I regret going to SCAD for that reason.</p>

353

<p>Some good points about semester vs. quarter system. Yes, the quarter system is a little more frantic in my opinion as well. As for your instructors not being prepared to teach 2.5 hours…</p>

<ol>
<li><p>You complained that you did not have enough time to work on your assignments. I hope you used those hours productively.</p></li>
<li><p>Your professors are NOT allowed to do that at SCAD. Students who experience this should report this to the Chair or Dean. I have been at institutions where faculty can cancel classes and not have to make them up, but at SCAD all class time is to be accounted for by the professor.</p></li>
</ol>

354

<p>quarter2004, I’m sorry to hear that you have reservations about your time at SCAD but I find most of your criticism unfairly aimed at the “quarter system.” I am by no means a SCAD apologist, having left SCAD to study at another institution, but I think it is important to contextualize your comments with an understanding of how architecture is universally taught.</p>

<ol>
<li>“In architecture studio classes. we spent a lot of time discussing our own projects or other students projects with the class which limits your own time of getting your projects completed.”</li>
</ol>

<p>Your experience was 10 years ago, I graduated more recently. My experience was that most of class time was treated as it was valuable. Discussing your own and others’ projects is integral to architectural education. The presentation, and the critique that follows of architectural projects is the purpose of architectural education. Architecture school is not meant to be a trade school, where you learn a set of skills, but is about learning a process of thinking. It is the communicating of your process and ideas and their result that is being honed by architecture school, and this happens during these discussions. That is not to say you aren’t there to learn any skills, but learning how to make stairs in a computer program is secondary to that. </p>

<ol>
<li>“To make up the time, students have to spend long hours into the night to get their projects complete.” “I personally did about 100 all nighters in 3 years while attending SCAD.” “I would never go to a quarter system college again.”</li>
</ol>

<p>The all-nighter is not the result of long classes in the quarter system, it is endemic of architectural education. Architecture school, for reasons outside of the scope of this discussion, promotes an attitude towards working that glorifies and requires an unhealthy work-life balance at every institution. One only needs to talk to another student of architecture at any other school to confirm this. </p>

<ol>
<li>“I had some professors at SCAD cancel class after about 1 hour of teaching. But I paid for 2.5 hours of class time.”</li>
</ol>

<p>As stated earlier, most of my experience was that class time was treated as valuable.</p>

<ol>
<li>“You cannot take extra classes over full time like you can a semester system.” </li>
</ol>

<p>Not sure if this has changed, but you can now. </p>

<ol>
<li>“Those intern architects were very experienced with the software programs Sketchup and Revit. At Scad, I never heard of Sketchup or Revit…”</li>
</ol>

<p>As state by another poster, SCAD today teaches Revit heavily (I would say to an unhealthy degree, but that’s another discussion.) </p>

<ol>
<li>“Working at architecture firms also made me realize that there is not enough class instruction/preparation on construction document production.”</li>
</ol>

<p>The preparation of construction documents is the purpose of an architectural internship. Very few, if any, schools teach this to any significant degree in school. </p>

<ol>
<li>“Pass rates for SCAD students are not that great ranging from 49 percent to 76 percent in the different divisions in 2012. “</li>
</ol>

<p>Looking at other school’s passage rates this range seems relatively normal, and the 49% is only in one category. In all the categories the passage rates are similar to Georgia Tech’s. </p>

<p>Once again, I’m sorry to hear that you regret your time at SCAD. Things have changed in the years since you’ve graduated and I think some of the issues have been rectified. However, I think it is unfair to blame the quarter system for some of the issues you had with SCAD, and other issues are just part of architectural education that will anyone studying elsewhere will also encounter.</p>

<p>I don’t post a lot on here but I felt it was appropriate to chime in as I don’t want parents/students to be dissuaded by things that were framed as being issues SCAD exclusively has.</p>

355

<p>I went there between 2003-2007. I’ll give my honest recount of my experience. For the most part I had a great time and learned a lot. I still use my skills as an artist. My teachers (though carefully chosen) were mostly great. The counseling and student disabilities department was awesome, pat and lita are amazing people and will go to bat for you!!
The only real area that the school seemed to fail in was career development. I was an illustration major and I have gotten the impression from multiple advisors that they simply don’t know what to do with kids in that program. If you can’t fit within a nice easy package, your blown off and treated like somewhat of a leper. The professors in some departments help, but in others they just say 'helping you find a job is not my job. I was actually told that by a professor.
I also made an honest attempt to apply to the painting masters program and was blown off and made to feel like it ‘wasn’t important’ (exact quote btw).
It can be a dangerous place, but to be honest I never felt that unsafe and I regularly re visit the city.
So in short while your there it’s worth every dime, but afterwards, the mentality seems to be 'good luck, don’t show up unless you have money to donate.
Take from that what you will.</p>

356

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<p>Help you find a job, how? Give you a list of contacts? Call up their buddies in NYC and tell them to hire you? Beyond helping you develop your portfolio, professors are not there to help you find a job. Prepare you? Yes. Help you to find one? No. </p>

357

<p>I support everything you have said, I am a student in high school still, but looking forward to use my graphic design talent for collage. I have looked at some other collages and i am convinced that SCAD is the school for me. Thank you for your helpful information. I look forward to visiting this collage in the near future! </p>

358

Doesn’t worth the money. At all.
First of all they lie everybody about the scholarship. First they say that you’ve received this much as an ANNUAL amount, but once you’re in, they cut it to 2/3. SCAM.
Also they’ll tell you there are more scholarships once you’re in. don’t ever count on that. I’ve been there 2 years, never seen a single soul get more funds than what they offered in the first place.
Secondly, they call themselves “the university of creative careers” while the career adviser may never even see you during your whole time of study (true story- happened to a couple of people) and will never answer your emails and inquiries ( happened to myself, all the time). In some departments even the career adviser herself is a recent graduate student. It doesn’t matter if the student/adviser has a lot of connections and is a successful one in her field herself, but unfortunately this is not the case here.
In one sentence, the day you graduate, they kick you out of school, and you are ALL BY YOUR OWN. of course they always want to hear about your success stories to brag about, you know.
And last but not least, Savannah is beautiful and all, but what I was looking for as an student/ job seeker was knowing people in the filed, and making connections. They have a career fair every year, but it’s mostly about small local businesses, so if you’r in film/digital media/fashion/writing/sequential arts, it’s gonna be a time waster.
All and all, if I had the knowledge I have today, I would never waste my time and money in SCAD, I’d go to a big city, meet real people, and attend a school that really cares about students, and not wants to rip them off, even on the commencement day by trying to sell them $200 mandatory gowns.

359

Doesn’t worth the money

360

Speaking to the issue of getting a job, when my D2 and I recently toured we heard one thing that I really liked: in addition to their academic advisor and faculty advisor the students are also assigned a career advisor from Day One and they are strongly encouraged to introduce themselves to this individual at their earliest opportunity and to meet with them regularly. The guide told us that career advisors will often pass on employment and internship opportunities in addition to providing the needed counseling and advice that every student needs in order to be successfully prepared to find employment. Sure, the career center in general can give you this assistance but it’s way more helpful to have someone specific you can meet with right away, work out a four year plan for how to graduate with a job, and then follow up with periodically to make sure those crucial steps have been met (and if they haven’t what to do about it). This just sounds so smart.