<p>Hi my Husband and D will be visiting Ringling in the near future, as H has a business trip to the area (D was going to apply first, but now she can see the school!). I am wondering if anyone who has a kid there or has visited has any words of wisdom or knows of any special areas that should be looked at that we might not think of. D is interested in Illustration, but really wants to end up taking that to a character animation type job (wants to draw). So, I am looking for things relating to programs, place, students, surrounding community, student retention...etc. I am thrilled not to go, as I melt at around 85 to 90 degrees. I told D that if she goes there, I will not be there at drop off, but would be happy to visit during Christmas or thereafter! :) Thanks.</p>
<p>It will be hot here until at least September or October. I have not visited but I hear that if you’re looking for a swinging place, Sarasota ain’t it.</p>
<p>We visited Ringling in January when they hosted a National Portfolio Day. The Computer Animation facilities were clearly the crowned jewel of the school. Good school, warm climate, nice beaches nearby. In the end, your D will have an opinion on all of this. My D did not end up applying because
- She was not planning on majoring in CA and that seemed to be the top focus of the school. i.e. - more money goes there. She is also interested in illustration. They consistently win Society of Illustration awards, so they must be doing something right!
- Since they are reinvesting so much in infrastructure, we did not hold much hope for scholarships.<br>
- The seedy part of town seemed to border the campus. </p>
<p>I, however, loved the visit and would have been happy to make periodic treks to Sarasota for my Siesta Key fix. It is an older demograpic. That is ok with some kids and not so much with others.<br>
Please let us know what your daughter thinks.</p>
<p>Hi philly - I have already posted on my visit to Ringling (sure you could find it with a search) but I didn’t find it to be a match for me. I would ask how many students live on campus, seemed to me that there was a fair amount of commuters. Probably didn’t help that my guide was a commuter, she didn’t seem to really know about student life outside of classes. There have been some very positive posts regarding Ringling though mine was not one of them. Reputation wise the school ranks high. Coming from Boston I found that the Sarasota area would not hold my attention for 4 years. The immediate area surrounding the school appeared rather depressed but not threatening. We didn’t have a car so took buses and walked quite a bit (which I would be doing as a student, so it was helpful to get a true impression). Short bus ride and walk gets you to the airport easily. Walk or bus ride into downtown Sarasota was easy but I didn’t find much of interest there, maybe we just didn’t go in the right directions. I too am interested in Illustration and will attend MICA this year. I really wanted to love Ringling since my teacher thought it would be a great school for me and we had a long winter here but I had a rather negative reaction with my visit. Whereas I knew so little about MICA (and was leaning toward Pratt) but when I visited MICA it seemed like the place for me to be. Good luck to your daughter and I would love to hear her opinion of the school after her visit. There was a mom with a kid at Ringling posting and she had good info about Ringling, anybody remember who that was? Her daughter is very happy at Ringling.</p>
<p>me me me!!
it is colcon2010. I remember her well because her posts were what the word, maternal and ernest? opposite of mine and even thou she is in love with her D’s school and town, she was never one-sided pusher like most (OK, many) parent-fans.
phillymom has spoken to colcon already I think (yes?) wanting to know what else is up?</p>
<p>funny to hear you say^ goodschool.
I have this good family friend from Baltimore moving to Sarasota after kids grown.
I asked why oh why, being they are culture, theatre, city, good pasta people and when goes away, to cape cod or Provence kind of family.
to my surprise job offer was the part of the reason. obviously, the circus is rooted deep in there, but theater-theater.
the dad was offended a bit when I mentioned kids’ posts mentioning Sarasota “for old and rich boring people” saying “I guess I am now old!! (60-sh) LOL”
then I found out that New college is not that far off.
to me it is interesting mix if, yes you got a car and know where to go for what.
If I ever get to visit them, let you know.</p>
<p>After reading posts after mine, I realized how not-so-helpful I was. I think it was because I had spent all day in the Florida heat (97 and god knows what the humidity was) going to garage sales and dropping off D at Coe-attending girls house and then to D’s BF house. The heat is horrible, and as I get older, the less heat-tolerable I become.</p>
<p>My D had a HS classmate (previous graduating year) who during her first summer home, came to the drawing class my D attended on Saturdays. Not sure what her major was, but she loved it there. I know they are very well regarded for their animation program, as well as illustration. D (illustration major) would have been happy to go there if it was in any northern state.</p>
<p>Hi everyone! I’m back! Bears and Dogs, thank you for your kind words about my posts. I do try to be honest and share the pros and cons, as my goal in participating on the board is to share what I know so that others may find the perfect place for themselves or their student. What is best for my kiddo may not be best for someone else’s!</p>
<p>I do have lots of posts here as answers to questions about Ringling. Just search colcon2010 and they should all come up (maybe going back to November 2010 or so?). I am always happy to answer questions, so just ask!</p>
<p>I hope some of my old posts dispel the myth that Sarasota is just for old, rich people! It has a pretty hip Main Street area, a couple artists’ colonies both in downtown and out on Longboat Key (and I think up in Bradenton, too), an active cultural scene (theatre, opera, orchestra, comedy), a beautiful aquarium, and both upscale shopping/dining areas and stores for the rest of us! It’s not NYC by any means, but suffices for my kiddo. In reality, my kiddo has little to no time for off-campus pursuits; some food/shopping out once in awhile, but usually she is working on her projects and when she does have time, there is plenty for her on campus. Plus, most college kids don’t have the $$ for any of the more expensive activities! Ringling often offers the kids free or discount tiks for the shows that come into town (google Van Wezl Performing Arts Center). Bears and Dogs, I hear you on the pasta!!</p>
<p>I think I mentioned in an earlier post that the college has presented a 5 year plan that is already underway, with new buildings opening this Fall (brand new Illustration building!!). From my reading of the plan it appears that the college is buying up what I previously called the “sketchy” areas bordering campus and will add more dorms, dining, and buildings. I am very glad my kiddo will benefit from this! I will post more about the additions as I learn the opening dates. I heard a couple weeks ago that housing was full; it is definitely not a suitcase campus and there are many, many clubs/activities on the weekends. It’s more a matter of finding time to participate rather than not having these things available. Ringling students are busy! My daughter has friends attending other art colleges and they seem to have much more free time than she does.</p>
<p>Mom4art: good points on the investment in infrastructure vs. availability of scholarship $$. Ringling does not give out a lot in scholarships but instead invests in facilities and programs. Yes, they consistently are the top or top 2 in the Society of Illustrators! My dd is an Illustration major and I do not feel that the CA dept. receives more funding than the other depts. Maybe they got the updates first, not sure? I just heard the Fine Arts dept. just invested in a glass kiln, which my dd is very excited about as she is doing a minor in FA and has a great interest in Sculpture.</p>
<p>Phillyartmom, hello again! I fear the campus will be extremely quiet if your husband and dd will be visiting before August 18th or so when the students start heading back! Be sure to meet with Admissions; they are wonderful and will give them lots of time. Your daughter isn’t going for CA? My dd is in illustration b/c she loves to dig in and get her hands right in it! Be sure to ask about future plans, including the film studio coming in. Also, visit Career Services and Student Life to ask about jobs, internships, and activities. See my earlier posts regarding what to do in the area, where to stay, eat, etc. If Ringling is the school for your dd, you will most definitely love to visit during the winter!
Let me know if you need any more info. I hope your dd lands exactly in the right place for her!</p>
<p>Some info about the new film studios, and photos from Martha Stewart’s visit 03/11: </p>
<p>[Off</a> to Sarasota and The Ringling College of Art and Design - The Martha Stewart Blog](<a href=“http://www.themarthablog.com/2011/03/off-to-sarasota-and-the-ringling-college-of-art-and-design.html]Off”>Off to Sarasota and The Ringling College of Art and Design - The Martha Stewart Blog)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Dd and dh went to visit today and dd was very excited. I am not exactly sure yet what she will say as she is on a plane home now. colon, I will let you know what she thinks, but it sounded good! I will look for your other posts.</p>
<p>Hi phillyartmom, I’m glad your dd and dh had a good visit! It must be so quiet there now; students begin moving in on Monday (international, then new students, then returning students next Saturday). Did they meet with admissions and take a campus tour? </p>
<p>If you want to find my old posts, click on my name (in blue) and then the link to my posts from the drop down list. Most of my Ringling responses are on page 2 and 3. I checked to make sure this would work and realized how wordy I am! :-)</p>
<p>Colcon, she did meet with an admissions counselor and had a tour. The tour guide was an illustration major and could tell by looking at d’s portfolio that that is what d wants to do. Her review was apparently very good and the counselor gave her some helpful hints to make her portfolio even stronger. She loved the look of the campus and the technical as well as artistic benefits of the school. They both said it was extremely hot! How do people cope at move in? I do have one question that maybe you or your daughter could answer, please. It is a two-parter. First do you know the retention rate from first year to second and then the percentage of kids that graduate in five years or less; and we also wondered if the fact that many people drop out (this is from the tour guide), what does that do to freshman/sophomore morale? I am not worried about d succeeding, just what happens to those that are successful as others leave. Thanks Colcon!</p>
<p>Hi phillyartmom, I’m glad your dd enjoyed her visit to Ringling! It really is a pretty campus (and there are firm plans in place for more green space, pathways, etc. as well as the new buildings). Congrats to your dd on her positive portfolio review. The counselors really want the kids to succeed and give such helpful pointers. Will your dd attend a National Portfolio event or open house this fall/winter? Did she see the dorms, too? If you plan a visit let me know and I’ll give you some of my travel tips!</p>
<p>I asked my dd to answer your question about how students leaving affects morale. I know of one friend that left because she couldn’t keep up with the work and seemed to be missing deadlines. Dd felt sorry for her b/c she was a sweet girl who was having panic attacks and just seemed unable to manage time/workload. Dd said that as far as she knows, there aren’t a lot of kids that drop out or don’t return; I will try to find the percentages for you. I’m sure the economy has some impact on retention, and am wondering myself how that will impact returning students. Dd also said that some kids leave b/c they realize that art and design is just not for them. She said when someone leaves they tend to keep in touch via facebook! I’ll try to get back to you with more info. Did your dd or dh ask admissions about that? I do know for sure that the college strongly encourages the kids to graduate in 4 years! If a student changes his/her major after completing a semester or two, that will pretty much guarantee an extra year, but students are given a four-year plan and will get all the courses they need to graduate on time. My dd wants to take classes next summer (general ed classes) so she can get those out of the way and use her credits to take more art classes that she can’t get elsewhere. She has so many interests, and is doing a major in illustration and a minor in fine arts. She wants to take some of the business of art & design courses, too!</p>
<p>Yes, it will be hot at move in, but we did just fine even though we’re not used to those temps (although our summer here was at times hotter than in FL). Freshman also are greeted by volunteers, who unload the car into carts and bring everything right up to the dorm room for you! Anything we carrried in was purchased after the initial move. Move out in late April/early May is a little cooler, and the school provides big carts, dollies, etc. for the kids and parents to use. We did it all in just a couple trips to the car. We took a couple suitcases home (airline restrictions) and left the rest at a storage place. It will all come out next week!</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any more questions! What was dh/dd’s favorite thing about Ringling? I’ll get back to you with the retention info!</p>
<p>Hi phillyartmom: Here are some statistics for starters, current as of March 2011:
[Ringling</a> College: Statistics](<a href=“http://www.ringling.edu/Statistics.2380.0.html]Ringling”>http://www.ringling.edu/Statistics.2380.0.html)<br>
The Evening at the Avant-Garde is an annual fundraising gala, so this must have been an announcement during the evening. I will try to get a more specific breakdown on the numbers for you. By the way, the Avant-Garde is an annual event, I believe it’s always a masquerade gala, and the students volunteer. Very cool! I learned a lot from the link; I always appreciated dd’s scholarship but didn’t realize how many kids actually got one. Hopefully more will be available in time!</p>
<p>Thanks Colcon, that was so helpful and interesting! Dd will attend an NPD this fall and she did last year as well, but she actually heard about Ringling because an admission counselor visited her school! The NPD’s in this area are much later than last year,but it is what it is.</p>
<p>Dd saw the dorms and she and dh had dinner at a restaurant at St. armand’s Circle. They thought Saratoga was very nice. I would love to pick your brain if we plan another trip. Thank you.</p>
<p>Hi phillyartmom, You’re welcome, anytime! </p>
<p>Do you know which restaurant they went to at St. Armand’s? I’d like to try Colombia’s; haven’t been there yet but I know it’s very popular. My kids love Le Macaron for the most scrumptious cookies, and last time I picked up some gifts at the Florida Olive Oil company (their own infused oils and balsamic vinegars). There are some inexpensive shops mixed in with the high end places, and everyone is so friendly! </p>
<p>I don’t know Ringling’s schedule of alumni/prospective student events, but during dd’s senior year of HS she was invited to attend a lovely evening event in Manhattan. It was a great opportunity to mingle with alumni, administration, potential students & their parents, current students studying at the International Center of Photography, etc. If there is anything like that near you, it’s worth going! Also, if your dd visits them again at NPD they don’t rush through the portfolios. When we went they spent a lot of time with each student and gave very considered advice. Your dd probably got that during the visit!</p>
<p>Let me know if any other questions come to mind. Meanwhile, enjoy the search! I remember that being a special time with each of my kids. :-)</p>