<p>Parson's is very well known for its fashion program.
Pratt is primarily known for being a design school. Thus, it is strong in architecture, graphic design, interactive design etc. It also has a surprisingly good fashion design program too.
RISD is widely considered the overall best art school in the nation. However, their strong programs are in graphic design, photography, painting and illustration.
SVA is primarily known for illustration and cartooning; however they also have some other strong programs, like Pratt, in graphic design</p>
<p>These school may have other strong programs that I am not as familiar with.</p>
<p>I should note that you also need to investigate the culture of the school. Some of these schools allow for a lot of interdisciplary choices. Pratt is well known for this. You can almost tailor make your major to that of your needs. For example, Pratt has four concentrations in graphic/communication design. </p>
<p>Schools like RISD, however, are a lot more structured. Although you can take courses in other areas, it isn't as readily available.</p>
<p>I don't know enough about SVA and Parsons to comment on their flexibility of majors.</p>
<p>Also, the campus culture is different from school to school. Parson's and SVA are hard core city schools with no campus to speak of. RISD doesn't have a campus per se,but it has a lot of buildings and facilities. Providence,where RISD is located, is also a bit more funky an area than where Parsons and SVA is located.</p>
<p>Pratt actually has a campus with trees and bushes etc. They also have bars surrounding the campus. Thus, you really need to check out the schools and get a feel for them.</p>
<p>I have to to add that RISD is also known for **industrial design<a href="where%20it's%20been%20ranked%20as%20one%20of%20the%20top%203%20nationally%20for%20its%20MFA%20program">/b</a>.</p>
<p>I would reiterate that RISD (which my daughter graduated from 3 years ago) has excellent facilities, and it's definitely possible to take some courses at Brown (my daughter took 5 or 6) especially after the first two years.</p>
<p>Pratt also has a good reputation in industrial design.</p>
<p>I have a nephew who's a senior at Parsons, and he has received excellent training in illustration.</p>
<p>I am not certain how Taxguy defines "funky", but Providence is a small city and the area around RISD is actually quite charming. My daughter is at SVA and complains bitterly about the noise, smells, and homeless people around the Gramercy Park and Chelsea areas. I am not certain that the area around Parsons is much different. I have heard that SVA gives very little credit for previous coursework to transfer students and what you do get you must fight hard to receive.</p>
<p>Taxguy, that is a hard question to answer. She is happy with her financial aid/scholarship package. She feels challenged by her academics, overwhelmed actually. She is in the honors program and they have 2-3 books a week to read as well as 2-3 papers. She is mostly happy with her art classes, though she hates graphic design which is a required course this semester even for fine arts majors. She intensely dislikes the area SVA is in. She has been stressed out from the workload and the stress has weakened her immune system making her susceptible to every bug out there. SVA is not for the faint of heart. It seems pretty much survival of the fittest and is very competitive. They really need more support systems in place. I think it is really hard for art students who generally have alot more work to begin with to be expected to hit the ground running in NYC. Every thing that needs to be done requires more effort; things like getting across town with supplies, buying supplies, banking, shopping and preparing food (as there is no reasonable cafeteria option), doing laundry in a 20 story dorm (requiring elevator time). Put all this on top of 21-25 hours of class time plus homework and it is all just a bit too much.</p>
<p>Unsoccer-mom, for what it's worth, I have heard the same comments from other art students. Students at Pratt feel overworked to the extent of exhaustion. RISD students constantly complain about their intense freshmen year and lack of sleep. Frankly, I am beginning to think that what your daughter is experience is typical for freshmen art students at good art schools.</p>
<p>In terms of not having a good careteria, doesn't SVA have one? Even if they don't, there has to be lot of good restaurant options in NY where she is located.</p>
<p>2-3 books a week is a lot, I must admit.However, at good liberal arts colleges, even this has occurred. </p>
<p>I guess she is undergoing what is normal for a good school. For what it's worth, things get easier after freshmen year.</p>
<p>Well, SVA has an ala carte cafeteria and the food is reportedly awful and very expensive. She is a vegetarian and tries to eat healthy food that is within her budget of $150 per week for expenses including food, transportation, etc. Restaurant eating is just too expensive. That amounts to @$6000 on top of tuition and room fees and that doesn't include books and art supplies. I agree that 2-3 books a week might be par for the course for a good liberal arts school, but with a three six hour long art classes per week and all the related out of class work it just seems too much.</p>
<p>Yeah...I forgot that detail...My major would be Graphic Design. It is very hard for me to go visiting the schools as I live Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. The thing is, I know RISD is considered the best in academic terms. However, I really love new york city. Its cultural enviroment is completely different from here. There are many expositions, galleries, etc...it is overwhelming (in a positive sense)At the same time, I wonder if RISD is so much better for GD than SVA. Is it really worth it? In addition, I hear so many different opinions about parsons, pratt and sva...some say sva is better, some say pratt...anyways, any help woul be deeply appreciated.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Well, if you live in Rio then it is likely you will feel more comfortable in NYC than in Providence, RI. SVA has a very strong Graphics Design program and is very well connected to the industry for internships. See if you can go to each school's website and find student work and judge for yourself.</p>
<p>do you happen to have any info on which one ( parsons, sva and pratt) is the best college, the most challenging?? I have heard so many different opinions it is hard to decide...</p>
<p>Your posts are helpful, as we're in the early process of trying to figure out-of-pocket costs for a NYC art education next year (Cooper). The $150 per week for food and expenses was what I came up with and it's good to see it validated. Obviously Cooper might be different, but what's your book and art supply budget? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>unsoccer-mom,
My d is also a freshman art major and she (and her floormates) are constantly feeling stressed by all their work - and often sick from some bug or another. She currently is battling mono & has missed TOO many classes and tons of work (3 studio classes per week plus 2-3 other classes). My d also complains about having to go off campus to get supplies since she doesn't have a car at school. Guess teachers just assume students will manage SOMEHOW - it's not like the kids have much time since deadlines come up very quickly. </p>
<p>Hope things get better. I've heard 2nd yr is less labor intensive.</p>
<p>jennifer, I am going to offer you a "biased" opinion. The best overall school that you've mentioned is RISD -- best reputation, most high quality programs, best facilities. But as others have noted, these colleges have different strengths. For example, Pratt offers a creative writing program (others can elaborate on this). All the schools have some very good programs.</p>
<p>RISD is about 210 km from New York City, and 95 km from Boston. Those are the two mega-cities that you would most often visit from Providence, with travel by train or bus.</p>
<p>My daughter earned her BFA degree from RISD in 2003. Her major field was industrial design (ID). She is now living and working in New York City (NYC), doing a combination of ID and graphic design (GD). When she was enrolled at RISD, she often travelled for weekends to NYC, and even one of her classes was organized around a project in NYC. My daughter knew when she enrolled at RISD that she would eventually move to NYC for her work, and this transition has gone well for her. It was helpful to her that when she was attending RISD she had several friends who were going to school in New York (mainly at New York University -- NYU). That way, she could come and go as she pleased, and the costs were small (mainly the costs of transportation).</p>
<p>Providence itself is a small city, but also a mecca for people from around the region because it has many fine restaurants. But of course, it's not a mega-city like New York or, say, Rio! (I have never been to Rio or Brazil but I have a new work colleague who is from Sao Paolo and he has invited me to visit his home there; so it's only a matter of time before I accept his invitation!). As some other people are saying on this thread, when you are enrolled in art school you are going to be extremely busy, not just in your foundation year but in all years. The programs are demanding in part because there are so many "projects" due, so many "deadlines," and everyone wants to do their best! It would be nice to be able to enjoy museums and galleries, as well as clubs and other nightlife, in your spare moments -- and it is more convenient for those opportunities to be a few minutes away from where you work. But in fact you are going to be very busy when you are in school, and most of your hours are going to be spent working; but even if you attemd school in Providence if you plan things well you are going to find time to take off a couple of days at a time as my daughter did.</p>
<p>I asked my daughter several times whether she thinks she made the right decision to attend RISD, and she always says absolutely "Yes."</p>
<p>Rio is definitely a big city...if you come to Brazil you should stop by rio...its a city invaded by nature, beautiful...But as I said it lacks in museums, galleries and theater. My mother is a new yorker so I go there often...
I think its amazing. I always go to the moma and just walk around soho and the chelsea area...there are so many art galleries, it´s breath taking! I think NYC would be a great for visual references and creative inspiration...and providence seems like a too quite city for me. What is making me so indecided is if RISD´s reputation is so much better than the others, like pratt, parsons and sva. Is it really so much better for graphic design? If it is in another level, than really I should analize my decision better...
I really want to thank you for your help!</p>
<p>Jenifer, nobody on this forum attended all of these schools, and to my knowledge nobody attended even two of them. So comparisons are almost always by reputation, and relating of individual stories. The last time the USNews did its rankings of fine arts programs (2003) at the masters level, RISD's GD program was ranked first in the country. That's a "peer" ranking. When she was deciding between different schools, my daughter turned for advice to a man who was a famous illustrator/writer of children's book (he was a friend of her grandma) and his comment was very direct: "Isn't RISD the best?" My daughter's impression is that the RISD diploma does carry weight. That said, your individual talents, ambition, and accomplishment -- as expressed through your portfolio and how you present yourself -- are going to matter a lot, no matter what school you attend. And so are luck and connections.</p>
<p>I would not pay so much attention to the official rankings. They are too subjective, especially when you talk about art colleges. That's why US News does not rank art schools any more. If you like NY colleges and New York - it may be a good place for you.</p>