<p>Hi everyone! I am in my senior year of high school and am interested in courses like game design, digital media, graphic design, animation... that can incorporate with a more solid course like computer science/ engineering, so my ideal universities are CMU and UPenn. However, considering the relative low acceptance rate those universities have I might not be able to get in, so I am looking at art colleges like CalART, RISD, Parsons, Ringling, SCAD... or universities like USC, UCLA... that can also provide the courses that I want to do as majors/minors.</p>
<p>Can someone please tell me how you would compare an art colleges with the universities, what would be the major differences between them... and how would you evaluate how good an art college is? Also base on my intended major could you please give me some more suggestions on what college would be suitable?</p>
<p>Also, I have done quite a lot of research and browsed through dozens of design/animation related rankings and they are all different... so right now I am really confused and trapped... please help!
Thank you:)</p>
<p>Simple question…are you an artist? Do you want to do animation, graphic design, game design for the art or do you want to work in those fields perhaps doing programming? If you want art continue looking into art schools and work on building your portfolio. Do some research as to what needs to go in your portfolio based on the type of major you’d like to pursue. I can only speak for Ringling but computer animation is restricted to a smaller number of students so has a lower acceptance rate for that particular major.
If you are interested in the programming side/engineering look towards a degree in computer science.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice but which one is better, doing a design/art related major that has good reputation in a non-art college or in an art school?</p>
<p>I personally would recommend a non-art school. A friend of a DD attended an art school before she burned out after two years. What had been a very fun activity became a drudgery. Art schools are also notorious for not offering good financial or merit aid and they are always expensive. Have you looked into what your family can pay?</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply Erin’s Dad. That was what I thought as well… my parents said they could pay the money if the college is worth it… And I really don’t know what schools would definitely worth the fee they are charging for?
What would be the major difference between an Art school and a university? Could you please please offer me some more information or where I should look for?</p>
<p>The study of art – whether at an art school per se or at the art department of a college or university – is undergoing a sea change because of the recent explosion of digital driven design. Many colleges with good, but traditional, art departments have struggled to keep up with this trend. </p>
<p>The vacuum is increasingly being filled by colleges that specialize in technology or colleges with strong CS departments that are adding visual components to their tech offerings. CMU’s interdisciplinary BXA program (BCSA Bachelor of Computer Science and Art) is a good example.</p>
<p>I think if you look at other colleges/universities with strong CS offerings you’ll find similar interdisciplinary programs or joint majors. For some less selective I’d look at Rochester, Cincinnati. </p>
<p>To me the differences between a “full service” university an art school (or for that matter a tech school) is the overall college experience: at an art school your classmates will be focused on art 24/7; at a college or university you’ll be surrounds by kids studying all kinds of disciplines. The university may also offer you more flexibility in changing your mind as your interests develop and to experiment in a variety of academic fields.</p>
<p>CMU’s BCSA program and Penn’s DMD program are my dream courses and if I receive an offer I would definitely choose them over anything else… however, considering the highly selective process of applying to these universities… I do have a high chance of not getting in, so in that case, would the none-top 20 universities still outweigh the art schools? I understand that it is the environment and atmosphere that differs universities and art schools but in terms of academic and the opportunities that are offered… which ones would be better?</p>
<p>Outweigh in what way? In academics yes? In exposure to art/design/creativity maybe no, maybe yes. In career opportunities, about equal.</p>
<p>Both art schools and “full service” college/universities launch students into art related careers. Some are better than others, but the basic approach is the same: secure summer jobs/internships in the fields that you’re interested in, network with alumni/ae, build relationships with professors, especially visiting instructors who are practicing in your target areas. You can do this at an art school or at a college/university with a good art department. </p>
<p>The operative word here is “you.” You’re the one who’s going to make the difference, not just the school. If you are reasonably aggressive you will be successful.</p>
<p>As a general statement, you will do best – academically and creatively – where you are the most comfortable in environment and teaching style, so don’t downplay the importance of fit. Whether the best fit for YOU would be an art school or a college/university is something only you can decide. Have you done much visiting? Visits can help put environment in perspective.</p>
<p>Because your interests comprise a wide and interconnected range – design plus computer science, engineering – it seems to me that you’d be better served by a college/university, but, really, you have to follow your heart and gut here. You may be the kind of kid who’s ready to dive into a creative environment headfirst. How could we know?</p>
<p>As far as other options for schools that offer programs like CMU and Penn, spend some time researching the colleges’ websites. top 20 or non-top 20 seems like a meaningless dividing line. What you need to focus on is not the overall ratings, but the ratings in your specific areas of interest.</p>
<p>As I noted, this is a new direction for both CS and art departments and interdisciplinary programs are popping up all over. For less selectives, Cincinnati and Rochester look good to me. I’m sure if you went through a list of universities with good CS/MIS or broad engineering programs and looked at their art and design offerings you’d find some others.</p>
<p>Art schools (at least the top ones) are 24/7 art. You have to love it but worth it. Look at individual departments and the faculty. Review their students work which is usually available on their web sites. See what industry people go there to interview on a regular basis. Where are there alumni working? (and look at percentages–30 guys out of 100 working? 30 out of a class of 35?
If you want computer science or engineering of some sort then go to an university. A college or university will provide a wider range of possibilities if you change your mind about what you want to do. Again–check out the faculty in the departments you are interested in and if possible the student work.</p>
<p>Thank you gouf78, it was really helpful and I think that would be the best way to consider the options. However sometimes the data of the alumni is not available…</p>
<p>Maybe you should consider ETH in Geneva. A S of my friend graduated from there, his computer animation invention is top of the world, after lectured in MIT and Princeton and was a project manager in Lucas, now a tenure track professor in USC.</p>
<p>Sorry to throw another highly selective in there but take a look at Brown. They are strong I CS and art, You can travel freely between departments, even engineering, without restriction and the open curriculum mean that you can design your own program of study. You do have major requirements when you pick one, usually sophomore year, unless you design your major. You can cross register at RISD, a few blocks away and it is covered by your Brown tuition (but the number to count toward your degree is limited–maybe 5?.) You can take classes at RISD in the Jan session and summer too. Additionally there is a dual degree program, but it is highly selective.
<a href=“http://risd.brown.edu/”>Home | Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program | Brown University;
<p>What are you stats? Are there cost constraints or will your parents pay $60k per year?</p>
<p>Thank you BrownParent, I have done quit of lot of research but didn’t even notice this Brown+RISD program. It matches perfectly with what I would wish to study in college… but its level of selectivity does concern me a bit. I would still give it a try though.
My stats are not fully available yet… when it is ready I will post it on here.
About college cost like I said before… it would depend on the college.</p>
<p>Thank you artloversplus… I looked up ETH a bit but it is far from what I have planned and expected… it is a highly ranked college but the language requirement - German is out of my reach… would you be able to offer me some other suggestions?</p>
<p>This sort of decision should pivot on one thing. In the last five years which school is producing young digital artists currently working full time their metier? The most successful schools will have lists of successful reecent grads. </p>
<p>Erin’s Dad, I am a senior in Australia, and the system here is a bit different from the US… apologies for not mentioning this beforehand in the post because I thought it wouldn’t make much of a difference? </p>