Where should I go? (Graphic Design) help!!! :P

College Search & Selection
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<p>Ok, so I just registered on to this site after reading very helpful threads posted about the difference between an Otis and Art Center. </p>

<p>I am an Art Major myself, just graduated 08 and I’m totally new to picking colleges and making solid decisions about what or where I want to go to.</p>

<p>I’ve always loved to draw, paint, use color anything my whole life. I’m no computer genius and have a beginning understanding of adobe programs. I’ve been thinking of going into Graphic Design as a major, not because im great at it, but because I think it’s promising field with a lot of demand for new talent. I’ve also been recommended by teachers to pursue Illustration, my art style is usually surreal (hence my username) or pyschadelic, but i also love traditional art and life drawing, especially portraits…</p>

<p>ok, I’m going to stop blabbing about myself, I think that is sufficient for a background. </p>

<p>I guess i have a couple of questions…</p>

<li><p>Which school is best for graphic design/illustration?? (or has the highest success rate, best supplies, faculty, campus…etc.)</p></li>
<li><p>I always have a preset image of what illustration majors end up doing, which is something like comic/cartoon stuff or illustratiing books which is definately NOT what I want to do. What other jobs can branch from that major?</p></li>
<li><p>I live in Southern California, so im trying to stay in state and prefferable not too far up north. Ive been looking at CSSB, CSLB, also Academy of Art(San Fran) or California College(San Fran). Are there other schools I should look into??? (I’ve seen Otis and Art Institute) as well. I need some opinions :] !!</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I guess im looking for a school thats good, is in an inspiring area, wont put my family into bankruptcy haha, and also a school that not only teaches art but emphasizes GE requirements because I want to be well rounded. </p>

<p>If anyone could please help me out with this I dont have many piers going into this field that can give me advice and i dont want to be stuck at community college forever!!..</p>

<p>Thank you :D</p>

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<p>Please clarify, you graduated in 08 as an art major? Do you have a degree already? If it’s an AA you will be a transfer.</p>

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<p>Cal Poly SLO</p>

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<p>From my experience attending Otis, I will strongly advise you to not attended an art school straight out of high school. Otis and other art schools I think should be the equivalent of professional schools at the grad level where one should have to apply until after receiving a more well rounded undergraduate education.</p>

<p>Unless you’re one of the very best coming out of schools like art center otis etc, your going to be just another 1 out of thousands of graphic design students coming out school with a degree and skills to be a graphic designer.</p>

<p>I think you’re smart for wanting and realizing that you need a more well rounded education than going straight for technical skills that could be learned even at a community college.</p>

<p>Cal Poly Slo & Long Beach would be great schools and options for your major.
Then I would think CSUF, San Diego STate, and if you could get into UCLA go for UCLA.</p>

<p>I don’t know how financially needy you are, and what your grades are, but if you could get cal grant, Otis says they’ll match your calgrant award(or at least they said they would when i entered, they did) which should automatically deduct a good 16-20K from the pricetag.</p>

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<p>Im sorry!, i guess in my effort to explain everything that I wanted to, I forgot some important details…</p>

<p>I graduated 08 from highschool
I just finished my first year at a community college, Saddleback.
(There i took some art classes and a few general ed classes, but i dont know if I should go for my AA there and then transfer to an art school or if I should go to a school like a Calstate and get my general ed there)</p>

<p>I guess I need to meet with a counselor soon! </p>

<p>??What’s so great about CalPoly??
I dont know anything about that school but when I tried doing research on good art programs in a CalState I came up with CS san bernadino, or maybe long beach like you said liek.</p>

<p>I really like the academy of art in San Fran, I would be able to afford it it’s in a beautiful area, one of the biggest art areas in the nation, and its no where as expensive as Otis, what do you think of this school?? I guess when I went to Otis I wasn’t all that impressed. :confused:
And I have also heard that Otis is a more technical skills school thats not going to offer me anything else.</p>

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<p>Does anyone know if “graphic design” is an impacted major at SLO? what about CSU Monterey? They seem to have an interesting interdisciplinary program.</p>

<p><a href=“CSU Monterey graphic - Google Search”>CSU Monterey graphic - Google Search;

<p>Information Technology and Communication Design B.S. (formerly TMAC)
<a href=“http://catalog.csumb.edu/site/x630.xml[/url]”>http://catalog.csumb.edu/site/x630.xml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I’m thinking that I want to just get as much overall general education done at the community college I’m attending and then after getting an associates probably just transfering in 2010ish, to the academy of art, art center, california college of the arts(SF) i think thats what its called… or LCAD or even possible the art institute in LA. </p>

<p>I’d like to major in Graphic Design and Illustration because I have strong drawing skills and would like to use my own artwork on the computer like digitize it, I’ve heard those drawing computer tablets are pretty cheap…
Does anyone know a good brand for those if you know what I’m talking about</p>

<p>Sooo, is this a smart plan??
I know it’s ultimately up to me but I like hearing everyones opinion…</p>