<p>Trying to get an idea of merit scholarship ranges for these two schools. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks!</p>
<p>My son was offered $8400./year merit at SAIC a few years ago. This was one of the lower merit awards he was offered. Many of his friends applied there as well and I think most of them were offered a bit less, but one of them (a painting major) I believe was offered more. Of course, other applicants may have been offered more and the merit aid may reflect the students in majors they wish to attract, as well as the talent level of the students. He was offered full tuition at a couple of schools which seemed to offer more in his major (sculpture). He did not apply to Pratt.</p>
<p>Thank you. It gives a perspective. Where did he go?</p>
<p>He ended up at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston and he absolutely loves the school and the city. What is your child thinking of majoring in and what schools are they considering? I know when my son was applying I had no idea what to expect in merit aid (and he needed lots of aid to even consider attending any school). He applied to quite a few schools and we were pleasantly surprised with some of the offers.</p>
<p>She is considering Pratt, SAIC, SVA and plans to study photography. She got a great scholarship from Pratt, about a third tuition for SAIC and we haven’t heard from SVA yet. We visited MassArt and I agree that it’s in a great place – love Boston! – but the photo department wasn’t as strong there as the others. The deciding is very difficult, but the deadline is drawing near!! What does your son study?</p>
<p>My son is a sculpture major so he focused on schools that were strong in that. Different schools are definitely stronger in different areas. MassArt has great facilities for sculpture that weren’t available at most schools like a foundry, glass-blowing facilities, etc. His choice was probably easier because few schools offered what he was looking for in terms of facilities. The other strong contender for him was Kansas City Art Institute, but in the end the appeal of Boston over Kansas City helped to sway him. </p>
<p>Having great facilities in a student’s area of interest is certainly one of the most important factors in choosing a school. Another important factor might be living in an area the student likes. Both of my kids ended up in Boston and they love living in a city with all the things to do, interacting with students from other schools, etc. Other students might prefer a more rural setting. Since there was no possibility of either of my kids being able to afford a car, access to public transportation was important so they could get out and do things off campus. </p>
<p>Also, my son just felt more comfortable with the students at some schools. He was accepted to RISD, but felt that he didn’t fit in as well with those students as he did at most other schools (nothing against the students there- they just seemed to mostly come from a more privileged background). Good luck to you and your daughter. I hope she finds a school where she’ll be really happy.</p>
<p>I was offered around $5,000 a year merit from SAIC and $10,000 a year from PrattMWP. I’m still waiting for Pratt Brooklyn!</p>
<p>Thanks SFL – I agree, it is where the student is most comfortable that is most important.<br>
@mw94 – congratulations – good luck with Pratt Brooklyn – we are revisiting soon, I hope.</p>
<p>I will be a freshman this fall and I’ve got 3200/yr from SAIC and 13000/yr from Pratt. They are both merit-based scholarships.</p>