<p>Hi, I finished my sophmore year at MassArt this past spring and am taking a leave of absense in the fall. My reasons for this revovle mainly around not liking massart/college in general. I went to art school semi spontainiously and now regreat my desision. I struggled to find anyone i could relate to at massart and this last year had trouble communicating with my profs and advisor. I don't want to return as of right now but it would be the fastest and cheapest way to a degree. I am studing pre achitecture... and don't really want to get locked into a 6 year program right now. I have looked at other art schools but the only one i apply to was pratt (as a freashman). I was accepted but didn't like the feel of the school at all. So i guess my questions are:
- what other art schools should i think about for pre architecture or possibly a 5 year program
- what art schools have good reputations and still maintain flexibility in their curricullum
- should I just go to a lac or major univ.</p>
<p>sounds like you can't decide if you want to stick to architecture and be deprived of other studies as well among other things at massart. i also did not enjoy the setup and environment at massart; it seemed dead. if you want to remain at an art school, check out risd for pre-arch. the curriculum there will not be very flexible though but i do not know of any dedicated art schools that both are flexible and have a good arch department. the other option would be your third choice, and you could always take a masters degree later on if and when you are more sure of architecture. at a larger school, you will find a more diverse group of students to interact with and the student body less confined to a few types that don't fit with you.</p>
<p>ah yes risd...i just don't know how i feel about the reputation...people say its a pressure cooker</p>
<p>Fromdusktodawn, when we were looking for art programs, I asked several graphic designers and illustrators to give me some suggestions of top art schools. Although they mentioned various schools, ALL of THEM mentioned RISD and MICA. I spoke to the Dean of Tyler School of Art, who gave us some recommendations if we didn't like Tyler. She also mentioned RISD and MICA. I guess you can't go wrong with either of these schools at least for artistic development. I also personally toured both schools and liked both schools too, although I wasn't enamored with the location of MICA.</p>
<p>If you want fine arts, job possibilities will be limited. Your success will be governed by connections, talent, luck, and marketing skills. If you want applied art such as graphic design and digital media, a top name school might open the doors for you for interviews,but it is your portfolio and interviewing skills that will get you the job, absent some great connections.</p>
<p>I should note that we live in Maryland, which is maybe the reason MICA was well known by the designers that we talked to. I should also note that SAIC ( School of Art Institute in Chicago) also came up a lot in conversations. However, they seem to be more fine art oriented. </p>
<p>If you wanted photography, the graphic designer that we used recommended RIT for that. Our printer also recommended RIT too.</p>
<p>So i been doing alot of reading and these are the three art schools that i am still interested in, saic and mica seemed to be much more fine arts oriented. Does any one have any thoughts on the architecture programs or general environment of these schools??</p>
<p>Uh, I am not a student at RISD but from what I've learned and picked up (I also seriously considered it for the same department, and almost submitted the transfer deposit) architecture is probably the most work intensive department at the school. Considering that RISD is thought of as the MIT of art schools, that means choose carefully if you don't think you can handle the workload. I really liked their handle on the field though, which is supposedly very close to Harvard's, in that they stress the design and conceptual aspects versus more generic schools that just give you the technical skills.</p>
<p>Harvard also holds a great architecture department, though I'm not sure if that strictly applies to graduate studies.</p>
<p>Have you considered Carnegie Mellon maybe? They are a very technology oriented school but they also have a reputable fine arts department and naturally, their architecture department shares in their reputation. Since it is not strictly an art school, you can take classes in other fields, in other schools within the university, and live around students of all different majors yet earn your professional degree. I can't tell you how it is run or what it is like though.</p>
<p>I agree that MICA is a fantastic school but I don't even know if they have an architecture department. They are at the top for painting and graphic design, mostly the more traditional fine arts.</p>