My senior DD is applying to a combo of LAC and universities with schools of art. She wants a school with a serious art program AND strong academics. I know that Yale is considered one of the best art programs for graduate school. I’m curious what people’s thoughts are on if or how that translates to the undergraduate program though. (This would be one of her reaches, obviously. She has a strong list of safeties and targets already–and has found several schools with art programs she really likes. But most of the art programs she likes the most are at schools that do not impress her as much academically. We, of course, know the reputation of the academics at Yale–but she’s wondering if there are students/a department there who place the same emphasis on visual arts.)
Have her look at the course selection for Studio Art. The main question she can ask herself is whether she wants the big campus experience or a more intimate exeprience where there are no grad students. Or if she is looking for an art-centred but still academic place (like RSID for example) or a school that “has” art. If she decides to apply she can submit a portfolio. And if she is admitted have her emphasize that she wants / needs studio space in her residential college. At least one of them has a studio in the basement. Studio courses are time intesnsive and it is helpful to be able to paint where she lives (Another residential college has a kiln and another has a woodshop.)
Our student embarked on a similar journey four years ago and is very happy at Yale. We focused on BA, not BFA programs. He is not taking many art classes however! He does work at the Yale Art Gallery though and he does find ways to remain connected to his love of art. He spent the summer in Rome studying art and architecture and did a multi-layered ink sketch of the Castel Sant’Angelo (to show the four historical phases through architecture) as his final project.
Admit rate is in the single digits so she should have several schools in mind.
@momcinco This is very helpful. Thanks. (She visited Yale recently, but I don’t think she saw that some of the colleges have studio space. That’s cool.) She is not interested in any dedicated art schools–eg., RISD, MICA, etc.–because she wants a school with complete academic offerings, in addition to a strong art program. (She wants the option to explore other subjects–which it sounds like your son is doing too. But, she also wants to be at a school where there is a meaningful community of students dedicated to studio art and an opportunity to go “deep”. (Rather than a school with just a few good art classes that students majoring in other subjects take as electives.) She hasn’t decided if she wants to do a BFA or BA–and she’s looking at both options. (Her list includes universities like Syracuse, Temple and Carnegie Mellon–as well as some LACs with art departments where she got a good feeling.)
We spent a lot of time and did a lot of legwork, both as a high financial need family and bc our elder son is a gifted artist but was also a math wiz. I say was because he has not pursued that much either! It’s okay, it jjust reinforces his decision to go the BA route rather than BFA. If anything he would have gone for a BA and BFA dual degree.
Programs he liked almost as much as Yale’s were Brown/RISD (actually of the other runners up that one was my favorite!) and WashU (his!) BU apparently has a dual degree and good programs but he visited and it just didn’t enthrall him. Of the LACs he liked Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Pomona, though he knew the studio art offerings would be thin compared to an art school’s. Swarthmore has an amazing faculty member, a painter whose work he loved. Amherst and Pomona have so many cross registration possibilities, he figured he could find more profs. Williams has such incredible art history, and the museum. He liked Skidmore’s art program and interviewed there. Did not like Wesleyan’s as much. Tufts and an art school do a dual degree but like Wesleyan’s it was too abstract for him – he loves representational work. If I remember correctly Cornell has a dual degree. We also went to visit Kenyon because they have a studio art scholarship. I think Occidental does cross reg with a fantastic art school but we looked into it and the commute would have been unmanageable without a car.
PS - Forgot - he liked Carnegie Mellon but financially it would have been a challenge. Studio space very cool. Sederal friends went / are going there. They have a couple of dual degree programs,one a very innovative multidisciplinary one.
Have you looked into NYU? D got a BFA in Studio Art and loved the program. Admissions is based 50% on talent, 50% on academics. Students submit their portfolios to the art department. At the same time their application is being considered by admissions. Lists are created by each of accepted students and then cross checked. If they have not passed the talent component, they are rejected. If they pass talent, but not academics they are rejected as well. The school wants students who will do well in any NYU class. Even the art department has a strong academic component. My D has always said that she feels she studied philosophy and history in addition to studio art.
The facilities for the art program are housed in a separate building in the East Village. Brand new senior studios are nearby. Students can double major or minor. D also enjoyed collaborating on projects with film, theatre and music students who she met in dorms or classes outside her major. The creative arts have a very strong community.
D also considered Brandeis and Skidmore. Both have good studio art programs, particularly Skidmore. She applied to NYU ED, so never pursued those applications.
@lz57c4 Blanket statements really can be misleading.
It’s true that NYU meets 67.4% of need on average. But NYU awards more $ to students they really want. Since studio art is a portfolio based program, money is also awarded through the art department for talent. Some of D’s friends got excellent packages that met a lot more of their need than that average.
Additionally, if one does not qualify for financial aid, NYU grants awards for talent in music and art that is pure merit aid. One D received no $ from Barnard, but $11k a year from NYU.
NYU was the cheaper choice for us. Everyone’s circumstance and outcome are different. I would apply and see what happens if NYU is a top choice.
Thank you. I’ve heard great things about NYU’s program. We live in NYC though, and she wants to go away for school. Alas! Your experience with aid is good to hear. We will need aid, but likely won’t qualify for much need-based. She is looking at programs that offer merit, like Tyler. So it’s encouraging to hear that works for some people!
@BklynParent I’m from Brooklyn, but we moved out to Long Island when our first D was young. My D’s grew up spending a lot of time in the city, taking classes and visiting friends. We went all over looking for schools for both D’s, but in the end, they loved NYC better than any other city and decided that NYU was the best choice and location for them. One was a Musical Theatre major and the other the art major, and they felt that NYC was at the center of things in their fields.
When they moved to their NYU dorms–even though we were close by–they were still away. Yes, we could have quick visits and last minute meals together. But we respected their need to be out on their own experiencing college and kept our distance unless asked for things.
@BklynParent My son is an artist who is dead set on not attending an art school. We live in NYC but he also doesn’t want to be local. He’s applied ED to Carnegie Mellon after attending their Pre-College in Game Art over the summer. Another school that’s been mentioned, Tyler School of Art at Temple, moved way up on our list after he visited for his portfolio review. I’ve heard good things about their honors program as well.
Definitely look at Syracuse and Skidmore. They both have highly regarded art departments and equally rigorous academic offerings. Make sure if you tour Syracuse to also get an art tour, you’ll want to see the facilities, studios etc which we were very impressed with. You don’t get them on the general tour since it’s such a big school.
And while Yale’s academics are definitely a draw, neither of my kids were very impressed with the art programs. For one, you’re not accepted into it until you’re a sophomore; and while we parents debate this endlessly on this site …it’s also very highly conceptually based art. If that’s not your kid’s interest, then even with it’s reputation, it might not be a good fit.
Thanks all! @itsreallymia CMU is my daughter’s first choice, though she didn’t apply early. Hopefully we’ll see you there. This thread has mostly confirmed that she has settled on a good collections of schools. And I’m encouraging her to add WashU. (She’s very skeptical about any school she hasn’t actually toured.)
@itsreallymia The good thing about CMU is that admissions is almost all based on talent. So if he has a strong portfolio, tests and grades are very secondary. D has close friend accepted without good grades or scores. Very dedicated, talented and articulate, but she did not have top grades at all. She actually transferred out of fine arts because it was too conceptual and philosophical in nature. Ended up transferring into graphic design department. She graduated late, but it was a much better fit snd she did very well. She is now working doing graphic design for a tech co in San Francisco.
@uskoolfish Thank you so much for this “inside scoop”! I knew that the portfolio would hold weight but didn’t know that it could hold that much weight! You’ve given me a bit more hope!!!
@itsreallymia my DD is a sophomore at Tyler and had the same experience when she went for her portfolio review. The visit and the tour really changed her mind and she moved Temple up the list. Then the scholarship money sealed the deal. She’s not in the honors program, but does have friends in it and they say it’s wonderful.
Not sure what your DS is planning on majoring in, my DD applied to the GAID program (graphics and interactive media) and found out she was accepted last week. But the foundation classes are what all freshman take so he wouldn’t have to decide initially anyway.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
But, she also wants to be at a school where there is a meaningful community of students dedicated to studio art and an opportunity to go “deep”. (Rather than a school with just a few good art classes that students majoring in other subjects take as electives.) She hasn’t decided if she wants to do a BFA or BA–and she’s looking at both options. (Her list includes universities like Syracuse, Temple and Carnegie Mellon–as well as some LACs with art departments where she got a good feeling.)
…it’s also very highly conceptually based art. If that’s not your kid’s interest, then even with it’s reputation, it might not be a good fit.