@thisoneadvice wow, this was eye opening. Thank you! To be honest, I don’t ever think they were very high on my list, but I did pay them a visit back in February for Graphic Design. The staff there seem extremely nice and while the work I saw was nice, it was also very typical/nothing groundbreaking.
Also, the size of the school is just astoundingly small and too far away from anywhere interesting.
I also talked to a senior while I was there in painting. He hated it because he said he was forced to paint in a very representational/traditional way, while he was more interested in other types of painting.
Thank you for your insight! I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your time there.
No problem. I’m just glad that I’m out of the school to the point I don’t want to back for the graduation ceremony. The only perks of it is that it’s a cheaper alternative. LCAD is too contained in their own way of thinking. One of my friends switched from Illustration because he hated the way the chairman of the department was thinking to Fine Arts. Now he hates Fine Arts. LCAD has their own way of thinking and all the chairmans are biased in what they think is right and wrong. LCAD will always be nothing more than a Fine Arts school because that’s how it started and that’s the whole local community there is like.
I’m actually glad you didn’t enroll into the school. A complete waste of time and money.
They’re stupid for having their fancy “counselor” recruiters roaming the forum telling potential students that LCAD will be a wise decision for their curriculum. They stooped so low just to snag people into their school.
Does anyone even know or understand what criteria is used to determine the quality of a program. I can tell you this – the criteria is not accessible to the general public or publications that “rank” programs. You have to look deeper. You have to look at the curriculum, the quality of program outcomes, the alignment of course outcomes with program outcomes, and the internal data as to how well students achieve the outcomes. Anyone happen to have that data on hand? No. You don’t.
I won’t dismiss collective personal experience and testimony, but your opinions are subjective and therefore biased as well.
When you are an artist, your portfolio is really the 800 lb gorilla. The university on the degree might get you in the door, but it’s your portfolio, and how you can defend and explain your artwork in a literate and informed manner that is going to make or break an interview, as well as the quality of your work.
If your major is digital art, it’s all about how fast your hacks are. They give you a task (like make Megan Trainor’s waist ridiculously tiny), and they want to see your process and how fast you can make that happen. If you are digital, it’s 50/50 creative and fast. Maybe 70% fast and 30% creative. Maybe less.
Additionally, access to resources is a fairly big deal. For instance, our forge is handmade, and we have to scavenge for pieces of aluminum when we’re creating metal sculptures. A large, well-funded Uni in the area has a foundry that can hold a crucible with 200 lbs of metal and part of your tuition includes access to whatever metals you want to sculpt with.
Much like life, there are simply too many variables in play to guarantee success at any one given college when you’re an art major. However, access to materials and expertise will help, as bureaucratic red tape and lack of teaching ability will hurt.
rankings such as USNWR ranking of fine arts are based almost entirely on peer review rankings. In otherwords , the
publication does not offer an opinion or bias at all. BTW the #2 ranked school is actually VCUARTS in Richmond Va.
I strongly suggest all take a look.
Ultimately, all the art schools and LACs we toured had top-notch facilities and great professors who worked in their fields. Becoming a successful working artist is more dependent upon how much the student puts into the four years they are at the school. As MotherofDragons mentioned, your portfolio and your ability to work productively will be what gets you the job. There are as many RISD graduates who cannot keep down a job, as there are community college to LAC graduates who are successful in their professions. Going to “the best” art school is probably not nearly as important as being “the best” student you can be.
the “Best” art schools also have the best ties to industry and the most successful job placement records and available internships while attending. All of which goes a long way in pursuing a successful career.