pointedears

I guess most of us would have decided by now. It would be good to have this thread with final decisions for Arts students. I am going to Calarts for an MFA in Graphic Design.

Design.

As far as I know, Cranbrook has a reputation for being too 'artsy' and 'dangerous' for the real world. Most of the alumni get into teaching. It's considered a bit impractical for a 'job'. I personally think you should go to Pratt if graphic design is what you want to do in the future. And if it really is what you want to do, you'll enjoy your time getting ready for it too.

I would have loved to go there for the MFA Design(graphic) program but I am waitlisted. Woes!

But the questions is, should I try to do that at CalArts or Art Center? CalArts is more into the kind of stuff I do. So, should I go to CalArts and forget about the fact that it needs extra investment?

CalArts says I can work on campus, but my total earning for an year will be around $1000-2000 which is almost nothing.

Ok, it's down to Art Center and CalArts now. CalArts is my dream school and I have always wanted to be there. However, they selected me into the 3 year MFA in Graphic Design program while I got into the 2yr track at Art Center. From what I understand, CalArts is more form driven while the program at Art Center is more 'futuristic'. I have no aid from either of the two schools. So, this is the situation - CalArts - $150k in debt, LOVE the school and the program Art Center - $100k in debt, like it but not as much as CalArts The point is, I have to think about paying back these loans too. Does anyone have information on any of these schools which might help me in taking this decision? Thanks a lot!

I am. I think I have resigned to the fact that I will need to pay up. I guess I always knew this but didn't want to acknowledge it. I mean, I applied to all art schools, I knew they don't give much financial aid to international students(if at all). Best case scenario? I'll win a scholarship somewhere and not need to spend anything. Worst case scenario, I will graduate with a debt of $150k or $100k(depending on which school I choose). I might sound stupid here, but I am not scared about the debt part. I see this as an investment that I am ready to make. Plus if my parents see how serious I am about this, they just might give me a soft loan.

Not at all. These rankings are based on a LOT of things including stuff like campus, housing etc. which to me atleast don't matter as much as the academics and the faculty. Their judging parameters might be very different from yours. Like portafoy said, they aren't supposed to be taken as the only way to judge any school. Plus hey, they change every year(and sometimes drastically too).

So, anyone heard anything from the 2D design dept of Cranbrook? Heard of anyone getting accepted/rejected?

Got waitlisted at SVA. I guess I'll be withdrawing my application soon because I have narrowed it down between two other schools already.

Parsons's is just too big an art school for my liking. I would go with SVA. edit - Obviously this is only what I say based on instinct. I have no idea about the other schools but I did research Parsons and SVA before I applied. I chose SVA because like I said, Parsons looks like it takes a lot of students who can pay(based only on that) and quality might be compromised in the process. Ofcourse, these are just my opinions.

Really, don't lose hope till you know. That's what I believe in too.

Hey. You should hear from RISD soon. They sent out the results about 3 days back. I emailed them and they gave me this information. They also gave me information of my rejection. All the best! Right now I am deciding between CCA, CalArts, Art Center and MICA. Any advice will be welcome.

Any opinions? Specially on Valencia. I have been told that the school I want to attend(CalArts) is in 'the middle of nowhere'.