Which One Of These Colleges Is Actually Worth It?

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

<p>I've been doing my college searching for about a year or two now (I'm currently a junior), and I was wondering if you guys could give me your opinions on the art colleges I've picked out.</p>

<p>I'm not 100% sure on what I will major in. (Few art schools offer minors.) It seems that the most likely roads for me with either be Animation or Drama/Theater. The reason why I cannot decide on which to pick is because I'm worried about work availability and personal enjoyment. I would enjoy a job associated with theater whole-heartedly, but I know a job would be harder to find. Whereas jobs in animation are relatively easy to find, but I do not know whether or not I'll really ENJOY that career.</p>

<p>That stuff aside, I want to know about people's thoughts on these particular schools (whether it's from a personal view or what you've heard/been told; whether it's for animation or for drama).</p>

<p>Ringling School of Art and Design
San Jose State University
University of the Arts
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Academy of Art University</p>

<p>I always thought AAU was a really good school, but it's barely mentioned on here. At first, it was the school I was going to go to without a doubt, but I've been feeling questionable about it. (It turns me off that they have no minors.) I'd like to go to college with at least one friend I know, but she has her heart set on AAU and I can't get her to look at any other college (besides CalArts, which I personally despise).</p>

<p>UIUC has a pretty good drama program with a beautiful campus. SJSU has the greatest location (in my opinion) because it has everything that I look for in a city, RSAD seems pretty decent and appears to have a strong animation program, and UArts is the only school where I fell in love with the facilities instantly (and it's an art school with majors!).</p>

<p>So, what do you guys think?</p>

2

<p>Why do you despise CalArts? For your interests, it seems to be a great fit…</p>

3

<p>(Edit: I realized I made a typo. I meant to say that I like UArts because it’s an art college that actually has minors.)</p>

<p>I’m not too fond of CalArts for several reasons. The number one reason is probably the price. The first year there costs about the same as UArts, but in the long run (I’ve done the math), it’ll end up being more.</p>

<p>The other reasons are more along the lines of my personal preferences in a college. I couldn’t find anything about dorms, the campus is nice but the actual college is ugly, they give you a LOT of liberal arts work (more than most art colleges), and it’s supposed to be really hard to get accepted by them in the first place.</p>

<p>That aside, what I mostly wonder is why I never hear about AAU on here. Is it bad, boring, or just that unimportant?</p>

4

<p>I’ve taken summer classes at AAU since I was a freshman (I’m a senior now), and while the art there is really good, I think it’s 100% acceptance rate. Keep in mind that the art is good because it is a pure art school, and people there have their main interests as art. The facilities are alright and the school itself has good connections, but to me, a 100% acceptance rate just doesn’t make the school so appealing to me.
Maybe I’m just a snob.</p>

5

<p>Hmm… I’ve taken Ringling and Urbana off my list (took me a while to part with Ringling, but I decided Florida really isn’t the place for me; and Urbana just looked nice, that’s it really). Now it’s only AAU, UArts, and San Jose. It’s mostly between UArts and AAU, though. If I get accepted into UArts, I’ll definitely go there. If not, I’ll go to AAU. San Jose is really just a backup plan.</p>