Schools of D's dreams don't have her intended major. What do we do now?

College Search & Selection
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<p>My daughter is a high school sophomore. Obviously, as a sophomore she hasn't taken any tests yet, but I can tell you she is in the top 10% of her class and her GPA is around 3.65. It would be higher if Honors Chemistry and Algebra II weren't kicking her butt right now. </p>

<p>We have been doing a lot of research and it seems the schools where she would "fit" the most are all east coast liberal arts schools. She is interested in pursuing a career in Graphic Design / Commercial & Advertising Art and is a quite talented artist. The problem is, it appears that those majors are not available at most liberal arts schools. The ones she seemed most interested in/would fit in most with are: Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Sarah Lawrence, Hampshire, Vassar and Emerson. </p>

<p>The reason I'm posting this question is that I just read through a thread where someone else posed the question "What's the most important thing when selecting a college?" and it seemed like the majority of the posters said either the prestige of the college or the "fit" of the student in the college. I would have originally thought that intended major would be the most important, but from my own experience I should know better (I changed my major three times before I graduated with a B.A. in Social Sciences from DePaul). </p>

<p>We're going to keep researching, but it seems like she may have to decide whether she wants to stick with that major and choose some alternate schools that may not be the "fit" she hoped for, or find another one that is available at the schools she is interested in. </p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

2

<p>It is pretty early to be set on either colleges or majors. A year and a half (i.e. time between now and when she is making her college application list and starting to apply to colleges) is enough time that her preferences of either colleges or majors can change significantly.</p>

<p>If her preferences remain similar to what they are now, then she may want to compare the curricula for her desired major at various colleges and then compare the offerings at her preferred colleges. Depending on her interests, she may be able to construct a similar selection of courses, perhaps under some other type of art major. However, suitable offerings for her academic interests are the most important fit factor in choosing a college, since that is the whole point of attending college in the first place.</p>

<p>Besides the above considerations, many here will tell you to try to avoid her getting fixated on a small number of “dream” colleges that might not admit her, might be too expensive, and might not have suitable offerings for her academic interests. That can lead to a lot of trouble and disappointment later. Be sure that you and she discuss the financial constraints before she makes her application list, and that she realizes that an acceptance with insufficient financial aid or scholarships is the same as a rejection.</p>

3

<p>I am of the notion that the field of interest and the major is THE most important aspect of fit. This is especially true for the arts.
But it depends how passionate she is about Graphic Design. Remember, it’s a VERY competitive field and for the most part the best programs are at art schools such as Art Center College of Design in Pasadena or RISD. Is part of her strategy involve assembling a great portfolio? Is it a field that she is familiar with? That is, does she know what the career really involves?</p>

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<p>Thanks. I do realize that we are beginning the search early. She has begun assembling her portfolio from from her art classes and computer design classes. I’m not sure I’d say she is passionate about it, but she definitely is very interested and really enjoys working with Illustrator and some of the other programs and she is good at it. </p>

<p>We have had the discussion about finances. She knows we can’t afford to pay $60K a year out of pocket, although most of the schools she is interested in have deep pockets and are usually pretty generous with financial aid. Her cousin is a freshman at University of MN this year and she knows that her cousin had to wait to decide until all of the financial aid package offers came in. Minnesota won. </p>

<p>I am aware of RISD but since they are such a specialized school they haven’t been listed in any of the “College Guide 2014” type of books we’ve looked at so far. </p>

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<p>D1 was definitely a similar “funky liberal arts” kind of kid–who wanted to study video game design. She’s at Drexel, hardly a liberal arts place, in the Westphal College of Media Arts and design, palling around with other design majors and doing well. Some liberal arts schools offer art majors but you need to assess what they offer vs. what you can get at a design school.</p>

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<p>You might want to focus on programs that integrate graphic design with the most current media. I am mostly familiar with West Coast Programs such as UCLA’s Design Media Arts program. <a href=“http://dma.ucla.edu/alumni/profiles/”>http://dma.ucla.edu/alumni/profiles/&lt;/a&gt;
This sort of program is usually found at larger U’s rather than LAC’s. At least at a large U, she has plenty of other options if she decides to change. </p>

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<p>It’s still early but consider a list of both- the liberal arts colleges and schools with graphic designs. Senior year is a long time for a students, and they still continue to grow and change over it. She doesn’t need to be locked into a choice in the beginning of the year with no room to change her mind.
I am not familiar with her major, but I recall speaking with a student at a well known liberal arts college who mentioned an interest in fashion design. She also applied to art and design schools and was accepted. She was used to curious people like me who asked “then why are you here”. She mentioned that her academic background was well received in the workplace, that she had done a number of internships in the field of fashion, was taking art classes, and also related classes like business. Her future goals were still in retail fashion, and perhaps if she doesn’t end up at the design aspect of it, she had skills that were versatile.
That isn’t the choice of every student, but she seemed happy with hers. </p>

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<p>If she is not bound and determined to go into a specific art field then I don’t recommend she go into an art school. My D’s best friend did that and got burned out 1/2 way through. What was her spark became drudgery. </p>

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<p>I’m with @musicamusica – having the major(s) that your child is/might be interested in is a huge part of the “fit.” My son is interested in engineering, so it would make no sense for him to look at purely liberal arts schools that don’t offer what he wants. Of course, he might change his mind, so we made sure to look for schools that had several different majors that he finds potentially interesting. But we didn’t bother to even look at schools that didn’t offer ANY of them. What is the point of that? There are thousands of colleges and universities out there-- odds are that you can find one or more that meets your daughter’s wants and needs. </p>

<p>And I second the suggestion of RISD. Great school if she is really leaning towards an art major. </p>

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<p>If you go to the main page where all of the forums are listed, and scroll down to the College Majors Forum, you can find the sub-forums for art and design students. You and your daughter could benefit from taking a look at those. Many of your questions have been discussed there.</p>

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<p>Maybe a LAC that is part of a consortium that allows cross-registration at a larger university with graphic design classes? Or a semester or year as an exchange student to get some graphic design classes to add to a LAC art major? Can she arrange some informational interviews (or better yet, an internship) this summer with ad agencies & graphic artists to learn more about the field & various paths to jobs in it? </p>

<p>Majors change, but fit is usually consistent over the course of the undergrad years.</p>

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<p>The arts are different.
For a feasible future in the competitive visual arts, it’s going to take a lot more than just a few classes at an LAC. Best to find out before applications are in whether or not this is a genuine passion or a passing teenage fancy. If she actually GOES to a school with a competitive good program, at least she has a shot at making a future in the field.</p>

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<p>I think it’s not so much the choice of major that is the conundrum, but rather the choice of liberal arts vs art school. </p>

<p>It sounds to me that your daughter (and her parents) would prefer the liberal arts education. Nothing wrong with path – and it could turn out that’s there a lot right with it – but she has to be aware that a BA degree in visual arts from an “all purpose” college or university may not be a direct link to an advertising / graphic arts career. She may be able to compensate by landing industry internships and summer jobs or by taking a one to two year technical design course or getting an MFA on top of her BA. </p>

<p>On the other hand, the positives of a broad liberal arts education are many, including honing skills such as oral and written communication, analysis and presentation, that will serve her well in the world of work. Along the way she can pick up some art history, economics, political science, psychology and other disciplines that will provide background for commercial design creativity.</p>

<p>I think that while some high school students really do know what they want to do with the rest of their lives, many just feel they need to name a familiar career – doctor, lawyer, engineer – when, really, they have no idea what all’s out there. A facility for drawing and an interest in design could lead in a lot of different directions in addition to the obvious, so she’ll want to leave the doors open until she’s had a chance to learn more about her options.</p>

<p>So, ultimately the choice between liberal arts and Art with a capital A is hers. Does she want to focus on art 24/7, surrounded by others doing the same? Or does she want a balance of academics and arts in a diverse campus community? </p>

<p>Some other small liberal arts colleges in the Northeast that have good visual arts department (though not specifically in design) are Wesleyan, Conn College, Skidmore, Hamilton. Also Williams, though it’s very selective. All of these, plus the others on your list, will have alumni/ae who have excelled in art and design careers, though not at the same percentage as graduates from schools like MICA or RISD.</p>

<p>Hopefully, over the next two years she’ll be able to do some visiting and to talk to professionals in the field in order to make the decision clearer.</p>

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<p>Hi @scylla! I’m a high school senior right now, and thought I could add my two cents to this post. When I first started my college hunt a year and a half ago, I thought I wanted to go into photography/graphic arts/advertising. So, similar to your daughter. I also felt that a small, New England liberal arts college would best fit me. I faced the same dilemma that you have now– liberal arts college that offers an art major, or an arts school. </p>

<p>I toured Pratt, and felt that it was too artsy for my taste. All those kids at art institutes eat, sleep, and breathe art. I walked around campus and I cannot tell you how many were scribbling and doodling in sketchbooks or wearing paint splattered clothing, which honestly scared me out of my mind because while I enjoy photography, it isn’t my whole life.</p>

<p>I changed my mind last summer, after realizing that while I love photography and graphic design, and decided that I didn’t want to major in photo/arts it in college. There’s a saying, aimed specifically towards the arts, that if you major in your hobby, you soon come to hate it. I decided I’d rather take some courses in photography and major in something else. I also wanted to have classes with real textbooks and lectures, etc. with a non-super artsy student body. </p>

<p>The arts major is a long road, with no guarantee of return on investment when you graduate. Ask you daughter what she intends on doing once she graduates– does she want to work for an advertising firm? If so, usually it’s very difficult to come by those jobs unless you already have a foot in the door which comes with a prestigious college title. The BFA degrees from liberal arts colleges usually don’t compare to the actual art schools like RISD, Pratt, Art Institutes. When you graduate, you also usually just have a BFA in “Studio Art” with an emphasis on painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. which is different from an arts school where you major in something specific like Photography, Graphic Design, etc.</p>

<p>Anyway, I thought I’d list a few colleges that I toured before I changed my mind that have design programs in a non-art school. I know they’re not small liberal arts colleges, but they do have art programs. Drexel University, Carnegie Mellon, Syracuse University, Temple University, Rochester Institute of Technology (it was a surprise to me that they had arts, since they’re a technical school, but the Kodak Camera was created in Rochester so they have a really good visual arts program), Vassar College, Ithaca College, Miami University in Ohio. I’d say definitely check out Miami University– they have a specific graphic design program, the school is smaller than most of the other schools I mentioned, and the campus looks like a New England liberal arts school. I posted the link to Miami’s majors below:
<a href=“Home - Miami University Program Finder”>Home - Miami University Program Finder;

<p>Anyway, best of luck to you and your daughter! If you have any more questions, I’d be happy to answer but I’m new here so I don’t think I can receive private messages yet? I’ll try to check back to see if you’ve commented on this post though. </p>

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<p>I saw Simmons is in a consortium with Mass Art, FWIW. Graphic design careers are brutal - clients want it faster, cheaper, better. But, to make a go of it, learn all the new media, the business side of it, Advertising in full (not just ad art), freelancing skills, technical skills, art history, psychology. Stick with the 4-year colleges that offer all the gen eds along with cutting-edge advertising/media/graphic art departments or programs. And, go if it’s financially safe. Try a high school summer program in graphic art at some college for a taste-test. </p>

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<p>OP, this is a great question, and one that we wrestled with in our family for my kid. I felt that if he was really going to try for a career in animation, which has been his passion since he was about 11, he really needed to go to a true art school. Of course, as his mom, I had misgivings that he would miss out on that classic “liberal arts” college experience that I had, and his father had. But Iin the end, we decided to go the art school route. I agree with all of the observations about a liberal arts education and its benefits, and I still to this day wonder if we are making a huge $250k+ mistake. (That’s another issue – the cost of these schools is out of control and ridiculous!) </p>

<p>That being said, I do think these art schools are all very different and shouldn’t be lumped together. I know exactly what you mean about the “artsy” art school…in fact, since I can only draw stick figures, I only have stereotypes about all of this. But when we started doing research, we realized they are all known for different things and have very different “personalities”. My son is not one of these artsy kids who runs around in paint-spattered clothes…in fact, he hates painting! He’s going to go to SVA, which was begun as a school, mostly for returning GIs, who wanted to go into advertising on Madison Ave (during the whole “Mad Men” era). There is no campus to speak of at SVA, it’s really just some office type buildings in the 20s in Manhattan. No campus green, no stone buildings with Gothic architecture (I went to BC, and that’s what I tend to think of when I think of a college “campus”.) But SVA has a pretty serious animation program, one of the strongest in the country, so that’s where he chose to go. </p>

<p>He also got into The Museum School (actually called the “School of the Museum of Fine Arts”) in Boston, Mass Art of College and Design, and Pratt. (He only applied to these four schools.) The Museum School might be worth a look for you if your academic record is strong because you can do their “dual degree” program with Tufts University – you have to be accepted at each school independently, but you then get a five year degree. Also, one of my son’s friends is very interested in advertising and is going to Boston University, where they have a marketing/advertising program with an emphasis on art. So there are all sorts of options here – the art school where you can get a liberal arts degree, the liberal arts school with a special art program, etc…</p>

<p>You do have time, which is great, so do some research and talk to people. This forum gave me a lot of great information, and we also talked to graduates about the different schools. It’s funny, the SVA grads we spoke to seemed to remind me of my kid, while some of the graduates of the other schools I thought were way more artsy than he is. So, just as with any college selection, it’s all about fit.</p>

<p>Sorry to prattle on so long. I hope some of this helps…and best of luck to you! </p>

<p>(P.S.: We did a tour of SVA and they have awesome photography facilities, so if the lack of campus doesn’t deter you and you do decide on art school, be sure to check them out.) </p>