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I really need help finding the right college for me, can i please have some help deciding between these?

  • heyy my name is lindsay:) im a senior in highschool from around the tampa, FL area, and i am looking at several colleges for majoring in the arts, and I’m trying to figure out which college has the best painting program along with a good, inspirational environment with a nice area around. I’m especially looking at going to PAFA in Philadelphia University City area, NWSA college program in downtown Miami, MICA in Maryland, RISD in Rhode Island, and I’m open to looking at any other colleges anyone suggests. next year majoring in painting and maybe minoring in sculpture or photography, and i was wonderin what school is really the best in fine arts like painting and such? or which one is most liked by students, or respected by people, and if you felt it was really good for you... cause i'm trying to decide between NWSA, Pennsylvania Accademy of Fine Arts, and MICA.. my concerns are how small the schools are, cause i'm aware all of them are small, student wise n all... lol. i'm hoping i can meet people just in the city or something? but mainly the most important concern is which school will prepare me the best to be a good painter in the world to make a living.. Like I just visited NWSA in downtown Miami | and the professor i saw seemed good, and the students seemed sharp... it was wierd that i saw more highschool work than college work, but they said its because the college students keep thier work and succesfuly sell them, and that they are even better than the highschool kids... i'm actually plannin on going up and visiting MICA next week... it's really hard making the decision between the two colleges, because i feel like if i want a really good art program that will help me in the longrun of life, i have to sacrifice the normal "college experience" i woulda wanted with dorms and a ton of people i can meet.. and i would love to stay south for the warm weather, but if the school is good enough to bear the cold weather, i would do it. i like being in a well populated city, and all that... i guess it's just trying to find out which college will be the most help to me getting my name out and art into galleries after i graduate, and what location i will enjoy the most with the people and the things to do... it's hard finding a good balance of all of that, yah know? i just want to find a school that i can get the most out of like, art wise, and close ish to an enjoyable ish experience lol yah know? i just visited the NWSA college in Miami, and the professor i saw seemed good, and the students seemed sharp... it was wierd that i saw more highschool work than college work, but they said its because the college students keep thier work and succesfuly sell them, and that they are even better than the highschool kids... i'm actually plannin on going up and visiting MICA next week... it's really hard making the decision between the two colleges, because i feel like if i want a really good art program that will help me in the long run of life, i have to sacrifice the normal "college experience" i woulda wanted with dorms and a ton of people i can meet.. and i would love to stay south for the warm weather, but if the school is good enough to bear the cold weather, i would do it. i like being in a well populated city, and all that... i guess it's just trying to find out which college will be the most help to me getting my name out and art into galleries after i graduate, and what location i will enjoy the most with the people and the things to do... it's hard finding a good balance of all of that, yah know? i just want to find a school that i can get the most out of like, art wise, and close ish to an enjoyable ish experience lol yah know? so its hard to judge which school will offer me that lol hmm.. so what art school would you say are the top in painting? i'm trying to decide where i wanna go and what i should even look at. I looked at SCAD in savannah.. love the area, hate the artwork... I looked at PAFA, which is in phily... have you heard of it? it's very conservative and classical, and they really concentrate on the core, technical stuff.. not really concept or stuff like that... and phily is cool, just really cold.. same with MICA about the cold.. i haven't visited, but i'm going next week. i heard just so much good about it, especially from the people in miami lol. i'm gunna aply to RISD, but i don't know if i'm going to go there, because im not sure if there is alot of personal attention or if the program is as good as its hyped up to be... i don't know, i'm just being skeptical lol.. and i have a rlly good scholarship into ringling, but its best programs there are for computer animation. i don't wanna go to a school thats more involved with its graphics than the fine art.. you know? i mean graphics are fine, but i want a school that has the best fine art programs. i was told to look at one in San Francisco, but i also heard that school is more abstract than learning techniques. Cause i love work

  • Answer:

    Hi Lindsay, you ask a big question. it's been years since i've been in the academic world, but i recall what it was like finding a school. i didn't have the luxury of choosing the "best" schools, i had no money, so when it came down to grad schools, i had to narrow it down to: which one would accept my portfolio and which would offer a teaching assistantship. For me it came down to two, Kansas State University, and Washington State University. i chose wazzu, and loved every moment of being there even though it wasn't an "ART" school. Here's my suggestion. Decide on a few schools by the general location you want to be in; East, West coast, Mid-West, you know.. then take the summer off and travel. Visit each one and if you can, talk to students, look at exhibits. i would bet that you will find your spot and have fun in the process. Good luck, be warm and well, jb

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check out Cooper Union in NYC-it's good and free. and check Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY Both have excellent reputations.

rose15

I think you aksed this a couple times, but i'll post again :) First, If you are certain you want to major in painting and minor in another fine art, then you should NOT accept a scholarship into a program that does not provide those options. Although you're saving money, you're wasting your time. Going to an arts college is a major decision, but it does not mean you'll miss out on the college experience. Good art schools also provide opportunities for classes in sciences and liberal arts. Moreover, you will get the classic collegiate experience if you are moving away from home and going to a place with a strong student community. RISD kids live in dorms, have clubs, sports, etc. (They can also attend Brown University classes.) It's close to Boston and a couple hours from NYC. SCAD and MICA seem to have similarly close-knit student bodies, and SCAD is in such a small city you will probably get to know your classmates well. However, the San Francisco art schools (CCA, AAUSF, SFIA) don't have that kind of community. Academy of Art kids are bused all over the city and the university is physically decentralized. You might not think you'll mind that, but if you want a college experience, you will not get it in San Francisco. (You *might* get is at CCA's East Bay campus.) But for the most part, students are commuters. I'm not too familiar with Ringling, but it seems like a good artists community. (Also, any good art school will teach you that the differences between "graphics" and "design" and "art" -- whereas "graphics" are a commodity, while "design" and "art" are discourses.) Before you decide on a school based on nightlife and weather, you need to look at the programs. Do you really know how these programs teach? What do you mean by a "school is more ABSRACT than learning techniques?" Why do/don't you like the student work? What do you expect to learn? How do you expect your peers and your professors to push your practice? Why do you want to go to an art school -- to master technique, or to become an intelligent agent of visual inquiry?

bborzoi

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