I am currently attending a state college (Northern Kentucky University) for graphic design. It is not a widely respected school for graphic design but the program isn’t that bad. I have been accepted at Otis College of Art and Design and was planning on transferring but I’m seriously having some second thoughts.
Otis is $40,000 a year and my family doesn't have a ton of money. The college I am currently at, NKU is around $5,000 a year. Would it really be worth it to transfer to a school that DOES have a lot of resignation? They might have better contacts in the field as well.
A lot of people on these forms don't seem to be raving about Otis that much for some reason. I really thought it was up there with Art Center and a lot of other design schools but now I'm starting to feel like it isn't that great of a school? Maybe it's just me. What do you guys think?
Basically, am I going to benefit a lot out of attending Otis verses staying at NKU? Otis is a lot of money and I’ve gotta make a choice quick. PLEASE help me out!
My family did just tell me they had the money in their savings so technically we wouldn’t’ be in debt, we would just be out of saved money but the time I graduated.
There are other rankings, of course, so this shouldn’t be looked at in isolation. USNews, for instance, ranks Otis in the top 30 for fine art and design graduate programs overall as of 2012.
My knowledge is pretty limited (my D looked into GD programs and will be attending Pratt this fall). I’m not sure that Otis has the reputation that Art Center does. However, it should be noted that MICA just replaced their legendary president Fred Lazurus, who retired last year, with Otis’s Sammy Hoi. Obviously MICA likes what he did at Otis - that to me is a great sign.
All the above, however, is really splitting hairs compared to the intense experience you will have at an AICAD school which is most likely going to be much more intense and focused than what you are getting at your university program. Of course a lot also depends on what the latter offers in terms of resources. An old friend of mine who graduated from just your average State U in the late '80’s had the benefit of training in graphic design under the instruction of some Art Center graduates who brought in a whole bunch of famous graphic designers - including Saul Bass! - to visit. So obviously he had excellent training and made good connections w/o attending the expensive stand-alone art program (he worked for a major ad company in a large urban city for several years before switching to freelance work for them).
I’m guessing you had specific reasons for choosing Otis and really, the best school for you is the one you see yourself at (assuming it’s an affordable option, of course). Sure, Otis is going to be significantly more expensive so that has to be taken into consideration. Also, you will want to look at their job placement rate stats because that will tell you right away whether it’s a worthwhile investment.
Have you visited OTIS? We went out to CA to see a few art schools last spring and found OTIS to be a very small (all classes are held in one tall office building with very little campus, very remote (you must have a car to get anywhere), and crossed it off our list. Some people may like that it is so self-contained but we didn’t. Why don’t you save the money for a masters degree? Then you’d only be spending 2 years at an expensive art school and you’d have your MFA.
Not sure if I should comment here, but this is my DS experience:
He does not do graphic design so I don’t know how much applies to you.
He did animation and intermed drawing at Otis precollege summer. At art center, He did fig drawing, char design during the school yr and environ design during summer.
He much preferred Otis over art center. Likes the teachers better and the kids better. The teachers provided more teaching and more feedback.
Art center has 2 campuses, which are spread very far apart, 20 min drive between north and south campus. Otis has nice ocean breezes cooling it off, since it’s near the ocean.
Again, this is not graphic design and the students were HS not college, but DS loves Otis and is so so on art center
As for art school vs state uni, it’s a very individual question. If you are definitely committed to an arts major and arts career, then I think that an arts college is probably worth it.
Disclaimer: my DS will be attending a state college instead of an arts college for animation in case he decides to change majors.
No matter where you are at in LA you need a car. Though small it is conveniently located, near beaches, LAX, good neighborhood (but expensive), Loyola Marymount very close. It ain’t Kentucky (+/-). Not worth big debt, but probably lots more opportunity in LA. Credit transfer issues? Check with them about what you can transfer from NKU efficiently, may be best to transfer as Junior, may not.