any gc forumites art students? i'm thinking about going into an art school and i wanted to hear some stories. my other choice is programming, kind of at opposite ends of the spectrum. what school do you go to? what's your major? how do you like it/is it worth the money? how's the campus/surrounding area? how lenient is your school about getting caught with pot? thanks! i've only really looked at east coast places (NY, MA, PA) but im open to all places i guess.
yeah I've went to an art school, at another school now... I first went to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh right out of highschool. I got into their animation program. I loved the town, but the school is pretty bad, for me at least. There, its all about getting you a job rather than exploring your creativity. Its a production line for creating mindless drones to work in movie and game studios for about 5 years until you're completely burnt out on the industry. Then you are useless to everyone. I suspect that most of the Art Institutes work this way. The school is located in one building (420 boulevard of the allies) and their housing is across town on the Northside in Allegheny Square. A little farther north are some gay porn theaters and north of that are some ghetto ass streets where people would get knifed every month. Like I said, I took animation, but they put most of their students into the basic 2d design course first and then if they prove to be talented then they stick them into the animation section if you ask. I left sometime in my second year so I was still doing character designing and the very basics so I can't tell about the upper class animation classes. The school is pretty expensive, especially if you're an out of state student. I forget the tuition costs, but a quick check on the website will help you on that. As for pot, well I got caught several times in the dorms by the RA's, and never got disciplined over it. If you were caught selling (like several did on each floor of the dorms) then you were arrested. I was able to smoke jays on the streets of downtown Pittsburgh as long as I was vigilant for cops. --- Now, I'm at the Evergreen State College out in Washington State. This is a fun school if you're independently motivated. Its all about exploring your personal interests and finding a way in real life to make them applicable. The programs they offer are cross disciplined and last for more than one semester so you'll end up learning about everything. Its also a pass/ fail college. No grades. If you do poorly, then you lose some of your credit, forcing you to take additional classes to make it up. They have no majors or minors either, you either end up with a BA, BS, or a BA/S depending where your credit is coming from. It sounds pretty crazy, but it was even more unique back in the day. My first class was Visualizing Ecology, which was a field science class along with microscopy and drawing/water colors. The second was Art and Religious History. Those are common examples of how they incorporate separate disciplines into one class. They also allow you to create your own courses, which I've been doing for the past year and a half. Pretty much you give yourself some research to be accomplished, a project to produce and then your professor and you decide how many credits its worth. Currently, I'm doing bas relief wood carving and research into wood carving in architectural design. The worst thing about this set up is the time restrictions that are inherent with semesters. This area, Olympia Wa., is very welcoming to all creative ideas and you are encouraged to follow them, but it is likely you won't have enough time to complete your vision. These ideas are best done outside of class, sticking to the more mundane stuff for getting credit. The campus is wonderful if you like the woods. Its situated on about 1500 acres of wood and wetland on the southern coast of the Puget Sound (even more forest surrounds this, but is private land). There are trails, camp sites, tree houses, and sometimes art installations built throughout, it very much feels like a living forest. The school's buildings themselves are all ugly cement, built for energy efficiency and are rather close together. No running from class to class. Lots of student initiatives around, restaurants, entertainment, lots of people petitioning all the time... The city is very bike friendly, with paths on most roads and the buses are very efficient. I rarely need to use a car to get anywhere. This school is expensive for out-of-staters, and will be getting even more expensive after the year ends. There have been major budget cuts, crippling the arts here. Hiring and pay freezes. Lack of supplies. But that has been happening everywhere. I never lived on the dorms here, so I'm not sure how closely they patrol for people smoking, but the city has pretty much decriminalized weed so no one is going to give you too much shit if you are smoking discretely. I happen to smoke pretty freely on campus, on roofs or in the tunnels ( I've got access to almost anywhere ) or in the woods of course. One big thing to remember is that the arts are really getting shit upon by the economy. Budget cuts for the institutions and no jobs once you get out. I was almost 100% set to go to a graduate school after I get out, but now, I'm not sure if that'll be a wise idea. It might be better to find a stable job now, perhaps outside of the arts, and then once the economy gets back to normal (big if...) I might get back into academia. In my opinion, its not a good time to go to an art school. You are better off getting a degree on something that will always be useful, like engineering or some sort of science and doing your own thing on the side. But thats up to you. I guess thats my experience. ask if you got anything more specific. Or PM if its sensitive info...
stay away from the Academy of Art University. i dont go there but i took a pre-college photo course there and it wasnt really my money's worth.
novel worthy, heh I actually was thinking about going to the AI of Minneapolis, I heard from a friend's sibling that goes there that he loves it and it's atmosphere. But my dreams were crushed when my rents said I'd have to pay for half of my tuition since the out of state deal makes it much more. I definitely see what you mean and where you're coming from, though. Stuck with the university for now, which isn't all that bad.
Eh, I don't know if you'd like the AI here in Minneapolis. It's pretty much one giant advertisement. What were you looking to major in?
I got my degree in Digital Media from Full Sail, down in Orlando. It's a really good design/film school. I had labs from like 1:00 AM-5:00 AM. Really nice equipment.. their Mac lab is sick. Costs me about $30,000 to go there and get my degree. Make sure you network properly if you do attend this school... pretty much the only way to make that $30,000 worth it. All in all it's a great school. Almost everyone there smokes/does drugs. The school is mostly dudes which isn't so great. The ratio is like 800:1 for guys/girls haha.
My high school's an art school. I LOVE it. But in all honesty it's probably the wrost place for me, a bunch of rich artsy kids who are rarely sober. Same goes for all my teachers. I enjoy walking through the halls and trying to pick out all the people who are sober, it's more challenging then you think. But i really have my heart set on doing something with photography and possibly something in film. But am still sifting through some of the colleges in canada, although i would like to live in the u.s personally.
hey yr at evergreen? thats cool, i was considering that after i graduate from community college... i heard that the arts institute of seattle wasn't a really good school... thats what i heard from a very cute lady in my painting class anyways... anyone heard about this?
So how is Full Sail? I juggled the idea of Full Sail, but i've heard mixed things about it. I heard that it's really expensive compared to a regular 4-year university, there arent any dorms on campus- most people rent apartments close by, etc
My friends at Fullsail for cinematography type stuff. Seems to like it, I'll have to pick his brain if I can remember to...
Yup. Like I said, it cost me $30,000 for 1 year of school at Full Sail; which earned me an AS in Digital Media. They have no on-campus living AFAIK. I was living in an apartment. I know when I left, they were adding on to the campus... they could have added some living situations since I've been there. It was $640 for me and my roommate for the apartment though. It's a really nice area, though. A lot of places to chill near by campus. The president of the school is a pretty cool guy. Talked with him a few times. They have sick equipment at the school, though. Especially for the film/audio students. That's about all that comes to mind.
I go to The Academy of Art in Sf. I love it. It does cost a bit of money. (bit i mean hella) But over all the school is great. They grade very hard which pushes me harder as a student and an artist. ( 3d animation major) If your not willing to put the time and effort into art, your not going to as well.