<p>I am currently a freshmen student at California College of the Arts and I want to transfer to Pratt Institute for industrial design in Fall 2010. Does anyone know what they're looking for, portfolio-wise and the chances of getting in as a sophomore transfer student? And how much financial aid they give to transfers?</p>
<p>Any help is appreciated. (:</p>
<hr>
<p>More info</p>
<p>During senior year of high school, I applied to CCA, Otis College of Art and Design, and RISD. I got into all three. Originally, before getting acceptance letters, I had been planning on going to RISD for sure but I wasn't counting on getting no financial aid from them. Afterwards, I was set on going to Otis until I visited and realized I didn't want to go to a cheese grater of a school for four years and of course, that left me with the choice of CCA, which i went to for pre-college 08 in industrial design. </p>
<p>The reason why I want to transfer out is because CCA is only an hour away from my home (I don't get easily homesick, btw) and I feel like as an artist, I need a different environment compared to the sheltered bubble I grew up in and be exposed to other things, which is why RISD was my first choice during my senior year. I'm currently between satisfied and happy at CCA but I feel like if I have to stay here for another three years, I'm going to go crazy. I can go more into CCA is anyone wants me to. </p>
<p>The reason why Pratt Institute attracted me is because of it's location and strong industrial design program and because there are a lot more choices of classes to take.</p>
<p>However, if anyone knows of any art schools that have strong industrial design programs in the east coast, I'm willing to consider them. </p>
<p>paintedponie,
Thanks for the link to your blog. It was helpful. My son and I were at National Portfolio Day at Pratt today.
He spoke with a faculty member from the ID department at Pratt. Pratt, like CCA, has a foundation year. After that you apply to your major. He said they want to see some three dimensional projects taken to completion…sculptures and models as well as exercises and concept sketches. My son had taken ID pre-college at Pratt so his portfolio was well within their expectations.
I don’t know how Pratt is with financial-aid for transfers but I have heard in general that they are not as stingy as RISD.
Other suggestions on the east coast are Parsons (Product Design), FIT (toy design and package design), Syracuse, University of the Arts in Philadelphia and Mass Art. If you are willing to go south there is SCAD.
Does CCA feel very small to you? Do you know how many students are in the ID program? Are there any opportunities for playing sports?</p>
<p>drae27, thank you for your reply (: is it possible i can see some of your son’s work from pratt as an example?</p>
<p>cca’s campus does feel very small to me, though it’s also a plus because classes are closer together. it’s alright at first but i feel like if i had to live here for four years, i’m going to get tired of it. on the other hand, the bart station is within a 10 minute walk and safeway, a couple of banks, and other small shops are within a 3 minute walk. going to san francisco is about 20 minute bart ride away.i like the community around the oakland campus but you definitely have to exercise caution, though it’s definitely true of any college campus. i just wish cca had more security, because a month ago, two students were mugged at gunpoint RIGHT outside of the dorms at 9pm. </p>
<p>i’m not sure about the number of students in the ID program but it’s definitely one of the more popular ones. what i like about cca is that you can literally start taking at least one or two industrial classes during your freshmen year (i’m taking two ID classes next semester) but it also allows you to explore other majors (i’m doing graphic design right now. my roommate, who is a graphic design student, is taking animation currently, and illustration and weaving next semester). i believe most of the other art school, it’s just focusing on foundation courses. the advisors here are more than willing to help you choose classes and answer questions about any major.</p>
<p>as for sports, cca does not have sport teams. there are a couple of clubs here and there but nothing too big. i know that pratt, risd and scad have sport teams that actually compete in leagues but as for cca, the closest sport you’ll get is frisbee on the oakland lawn.</p>
<p>you and your son should definitely visit cca. many students enjoy cca and don’t mind the small environment. one thing i would advise with any college is to not completely set your heart on one college and overlook possible problems. for example, my friend was in love with the idea of going to otis because of the location. but now, she realized that though they have really nice apartments, it’s very isolated and the only places nearby is a ralph, an art store, and the airport. and she realized that the foundation year program wasn’t right for her but she’s stuck there because they had given her 18k a year, and she can’t afford getting any less from transferring. </p>
<p>i hope this helps! i will try updating my blog at least once a week but feel free to message me with questions!</p>
<p>I would honestly think twice about Pratt. If you want to talk about that, I will be happy to. However, your chances are great, assuming your grades are good. Many people drop out of Pratt or transfer elsewhere (as with most art schools), so many slots should be open, and my guess is they would love to have a student of RISD caliber. </p>
<p>SAIC seems great, as does Columbia College of Art and Design. People I know there are really happy, and they will help you out more financially than RISD, especially since you are good (I mean, you have to be to get into RISD). Though I don’t know how you feel about Chicago.</p>
<p>Ok, can I get your opinion on Pratt? I’ve talked to a counselor from Pratt and she told me that they sort of have a set number of students in Industrial Design each year and it really depends on how many kids drop out from it. </p>
<p>Yeah, I looked up SAIC but they don’t have an industrial design program. Otherwise, the school seemed pretty nice. As for financial aid, that’s good to know, since I definitely need at least 6k for my parents to be willing for me to transfer. </p>
<p>ABSOLUTELY check out University of Cincinnati for ID. They not only have a very strong ID program but have the best coop program among all of the schools that you mentioned. Thus, you would get 1.5 years of paid experience as part of your education. Moreover, it is probably among the least expensive of the schools mentioned.</p>
<p>Thus, you get a top education + great experience for resume + lower price= unbeatable value.</p>
<p>Moreover, University of Cincnnati has the best overall facilities for workouts, gyms , computer rooms around.</p>
<p>Be advised: Because it is such a good school for ID, it is about has hard to get into as Carnegie Melon. It is certainly in the top 3 rankings for undergrad ID programs in the US.</p>
<p>SAIC has a program called Designed Objects in the Department of Architecture, Interior Design and Designed Objects. It is essentially an ID program though a lot of the teachers are trained architects. There is a video on there site with some faculty members from the department. My impression is that you would get a very interdisciplinary education at SAIC.</p>
<p>CherryCrush…Would you please elaborate on your opinion/experience of Pratt? It would help others if you were clearer.</p>
<p>I think it honestly depends on your major… for ID it may be a completely different story but I have a bunch of friends who go there and regret the decision. Some of my friends don’t think Pratt has taught them that much. I think it mostly has to do with the student body there, and not the professors themselves. I went to Pratt for precollege, and I almost went there myself for college, but due to the experiences of my friends and the really negative attitude of the students there, I decided otherwise. Though I have to add, I wanted to go there for film, which is definitely not as strong of a program as ID. I can go into more detail privately if you really want.</p>
<p>It’s an irony that now pratt ad pops up when this forum opened… I have not seen “in” art schools ever post ad here. It might mean somethin’ to consider.
I wish pratt’d quit glorifying their sorry cherry blossoms every chance they get.</p>
<p>If you can go into more detail, that’d be awesome. (: Though if I do end up getting accepted to Pratt, I’m definitely going to visit before I make my decision.</p>
<p>to bears and dogs: haha cherry blossoms? That’s the first I’ve heard about it…</p>
<p>Are you seeing the same pop up ad?
a girl - politically correctly Asian- is looking blossoms through her camera.
Pratt’s recruit e-mail always came with some flowered tree and their sorry campus building trying to hide its wear and tear as much as possible.
Yes, there are trees, I’ve seen it , even grass, sad tulips and daffodils. I am not sayin’ there is none just that it is not arboretum or orchard that some fancy school got.
For the artschool in NYC, it is a miracle to have campus let alone trees that bloom, I get it, let it be, don’t have to use it every so often as big selling point.</p>
<p>Hello, our son also a ‘Bay Area kid’ visited/applied to SCAD, SVA, Parsons and Pratt for photography. He was accepted by all. He was most impressed with the equipment/facilities at SCAD and SVA. He chose Parsons because of the diversity of kids attending and the faculty he spoke with. He also liked Parsons direct entry program into photography, and being able to take classes at the Lang College of Liberal Arts.</p>
<p>Update: I was accepted to Pratt a couple days ago. Was given scholarship. I’m going to visit the school and then make the decision with my parents but for now, I’m very excited with the possibility of going to school on the east coast next semester. (:</p>
i’ll definitely take a look at carnegie mellon. thanks!</p>