Should I go to art college?

I want to go to this art college, but I don't have much support?

• SO! I visited this art college last weekend, and I think it would be somewhere I'd really want to go. It's well known, it's small (which is what I would like) and it has nice studios and computers. Some problems would be that it could be VERY expensive, but I have some financial support from family. Another downfall is that some art teachers that I looked up to aren't supportive of the idea of going to this college, they say I should just go to a regular college and just major in art instead. I don't have any money saved for college, and they told me that this art college wouldn't accept any scholarships (Which isn't what the college said when I visited, they even gave me a list of scholarships I could sign up for.) But I don't have a problem with signing up for student loans. So what should I do? Or what would you do? Should I go ahead and take the chance by going to my dream college? Or play it safe and just go to a normal university?

• Answer:

  Part of the "fit" of a college for you is financial. I'd strongly suggest you apply to a few schools - to this art school, to other reputable art schools, and to some good art programs within regular universities. But make sure that all of them are schools you like - maybe smallish, good in art, etc. And make one of them be a public college within your home state. See where you get in. See what financial aid gets offered to you. Then decide where you're going. I say that because while you say you don't mind taking out student loans, the fact is that most people pay for art school almost entirely in loans. And art schools are expensive. You could graduate in a huge amount of debt, and if you want to work in the arts, being in so much debt could seriously hamper your ability to do so. So you'd need to apply to the school and for any available scholarships, and see how it nets out, financially. Your state's public unis and colleges are possibly going to be your least expensive option, which is why they should be on your list. And I want you to apply to more than one school, and especially to a public in your home state, so that you can have some financial backups in case the aid at your #1 school doesn't work out as you need it to. You didn't tell me what art school this is, so I can't tell you its rep. And I don't know where you live, so I can't suggest alternative programs for you to look at which might be just as good, but cheaper. So all I can say is don't be overly influenced by things like nice computers and studios. That is a factor, but it's only one factor; and some amazing art schools have studios that aren't really pretty.