<p>I designed this thread because I need advice on colleges and most of the threads from these listed are pretty old.</p>
<p>I am a High School Senior, Class of 2013.
Depending on the school I will major in;</p>
<p>FIT: Communication Design
Fordham: Visual Art/ Advertising(Minor)
SVA: Advertising
Parsons: Communication Design
Pratt: Communication Design
St. John's: Graphic Design/ Advertising (Minor)</p>
<p>Out of all 7 schools, I need help picking the top 3.
The curriculum, how hard the classes are, and finances are not that important to me but if you could help include that then splendid. </p>
<p>The main thing I am looking for out the schools is the internships and social life.</p>
<p>I would appreciate it greatly if you guys helped me by telling me the social life and list of best enterprises/internships that each college has to offer. Reason being, is that I am coming from New Orleans, LA. Not such a small city but still lots of room for improvement. Social life is cool down here high school wise, Everyone knows everybody. But I have had goals as a businessman since I was 14, but couldn't expand due to limited resources. Therefore, I am moving to New York for college. I applied to all 7. Thank you guys ahead of time.</p>
<p>Also, If you know that any of the 7 has a relationship with Adidas then can you mention that? Thanks again.</p>
<p>These are VERY different majors and require different skills. For example, advertising requires good writing and strong creative skills. Visual communications is similar to graphic design or communication design. Are you somewhat artistic?
Honestly, I would take the cheapest alternative net of scholarships.</p>
<p>To Taxguy:
I am a Graphic Designer. The courses that I listed with Advertising are “Advertising Art” majors at art schools. Handling the business perspective. Little to none writing is required in these conservatory majors.</p>
<p>However, I appreciate the advise, but I don’t see the relevance of your reply because I am asking for the best schools and which has the best Social Life/Internships.</p>
<p>Big Senior, I should have read over your post more intensively, What is your meaning for best? My philosophy is that all the schools mentioned will be fine for graphic design/communication design and adverstising. Thus, why not take the least expensive path? However, I did not take into consideration the social scene, school culture, internships etc. These are something that you need to check out. If internships are important, have you checked out University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning? They have some of the best coop opportunities around and it is required as part of the education.</p>
<p>As to the schools that you mentioned, I noticed that they are all min NY. I would think that they all have connections, although I haven’t heard of anyone mentioning Fordham and graphic design at the same time. Personally,my favorites among those mentioned are SVA and Pratt. I also like FIT because of its low pricing and I do feel that it is an up and coming school.</p>
<p>I personally attend SVA right now as a graphic design major. I got into SAIC (20k per year), RIT (15k per year), OTIS (25k per year), and SVA (17k per year) and the reason I chose SVA is because of the professors. The professors here are currently professionals in the field they teach, which may grant you connections and opportunities for future internships and even a job! I know many friends of friends who graduate with guaranteed jobs because they really work hard. There are good stuff pouring out of SVA programs that people don’t really talk about or post online, especially for Advertising/Graphic Design majors. Since the city is your campus, there are lots of places to visit like the Chelsea Galleries and museums which are basically free as long as you show them your ID. Transportation is mainly either taking subways or walking, since most classes are in walking distance. There is also a shuttle bus that runs all day to every building which is a big plus! </p>
<p>My student advisor’s daughter used to be a graphic design major who changed to advertising. She graduated 2011. She is now an art director. She is just one of the most recent examples of people who graduated successfully from SVA and here is her website with her works: [Anais</a> La Rocca](<a href=“http://anaislarocca.com/]Anais”>http://anaislarocca.com/)</p>
<p>So, that’s all I got to tell ya about SVA Good luck with your decisions!</p>
<p>This thread is a year old, but I went to two of the schools on your list (FIT and Parsons) and I’ve got say, why would you even consider Fordham or Saint Johns? Those are not art schools. That matters a huge deal because it determines whether your classes are going to compromise of mostly liberal art classes or whether you’ll be learning the skills needed to go into the field of your choice. I went to FIT for Undergrad and Parsons for Graduate because, as taxguy said, financially, it was the most sound investment for me, and FIT is pretty good for sharpening your foundation skills. SVA is also a very good choice, but it’s a lot more expensive and if you consider getting an MFA and not just stopping for a Bachelors, it’s going to matter, dollar wise, in the long run, so you need to think about that. I knew someone who left Fordham because he was serious about studying game design and got laughed at while he was there. Trust me, you need to be in a place that has a great network, where there’s a good pool of designers. They’ll be the ones who can look at your work and determine your potential, and they might get you the gig you’ll be at tomorrow. </p>
<p>What you need to do is look at the curriculum of each program and determine whether academically, the program of your choice benefits you. Each program is tailored differently and sometimes points you to different industries. If you’re more interested in the business aspect, Parsons also has a Design and Management program you might want to look at.</p>
<p>My niece went to SVA, left because it was so expensive, and is now at FIT. FIT is a very serious place, with lots of homework and great connections. Also, it’s not hard to become a NY resident and get the tuition break at FIT.</p>
Good luck with your decisions!</p>