Specifically, Pratt, Cooper Union, Parsons, SVA -
- how selective are they? Or all applicants are pretty much accepted?
- how helpful are they for building portfolios?
I’m asking because my son was accepted to both Pratt and Cooper Union summer programs. Haven’t heard back from SVA, and has not yet applied to Parsons. He did not get the scholarship for Pratt, and without it, it’s a bit more than we wanted to spend, especially since they encouraged students to stay on campus, with activities for residential students, and I didn’t want him to feel left out if we couldn’t afford the housing, on top of the tuition. We live in NJ, and he would just have to commute or stay with relatives in Queens. Cooper Union is $1K less and is only for commuter students, so housing is not an issue. He has applied to SVA and its scholarship but their announcements of offers will not be out until after Cooper Union’s deadline. So, I started wondering which programs are worth it and how competitive it was in the first place to be accepted. Anyone know someone who was NOT accepted?
I liked that Pratt and Cooper Union offered a more comprehensive program, not just focusing on one media/technique for the entire duration of the summer program. Pratt’s program includes art history, foundation class, portfolio development, and a concentration, with visits to local art museums. Students receive 3 college credits at the end, I think. Cooper Union’s program includes a course on contemporary art issues and creative writing component, a drawing class, and a concentration class, with visits to museum and concentration-specific field trips (like, for graphic design, it might include a visit to a center specific to graphic design). No college credit. SVA and Parsons are a one-course only program, with a portfolio review/presentation at the end, and include some field trips too. I think those two are college credit. I’m not concerned about the college credit thing, because wherever he ends up going, they may not take it or they may take it as elective (and he might want to use elective credit on something else anyway).
I would rather he go to a program that will help him build a portfolio (he is a junior and is fairly new this art-as-a-career thing and has only taken formal art classes starting last summer). It would also be great if he could list the program on his application and have it seem like it was a big deal (hence, the question of whether these programs are actually selective or just pay-to-play kind of thing). And finally, if he can use this summer program to get a taste of college life immersed in art to confirm his desire to do this for the next four years after high school, that would be great, which is why I thought a more comprehensive program like Pratt and Cooper Union would be good.
Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance!