[RISD vs RCA (Furniture/Product Design)]

On 3/8/2018 at 5:54 AM, CuriousCase said:

Hello everyone,

I have received an offer from Rhode island school of Design (Masters in Furniture Design) and from Royal College of Arts (Masters in Design Product).

Both the college are well known for their quality of education in respective courses. Which one is better for an international student wanting to pursue a practical and exploratory course for masters and also intending to find a job in the city. Exposure wise I think the city of London would be better but RISD is also know for its workshop based curriculum.

I would appreciate any kind of input or insight regarding the courses and the universities.   

Hello!

I've also been admitted to RISD furniture MFA (hello possible future classmate!). Am currently waiting to hear back from other schools in Europe before making my final decision.  Have to be honest that I may not be able to provide additional insight, but since I am in a similar situation I thought I would reach out anyways, as it sometimes is helpful to hear other's perspectives.

The reason why I applied to RISD's furniture program was their focus on designing through making. I have an architecture background and my main objective for switching paths was to get closer to the body and the relationship we form with furniture and everyday objects. I also want to make things, not just drawings or proposals for things. At RISD I've gathered that although students are challenged to make conceptually exploratory work, they are still in the end investigating questions regarding design and form-making through the lense of furniture design. (which is why I want to go!) The furniture design program is separated from their ID program for a reason. 

tbh I'm only superficially familiar with RCA's program but from what I gather they are very different.  RCA's program,  from my understanding (correct me if I am wrong) is more akin to industrial design traditions, with everything that implies... Looking at some student works what initially strikes me is the difference in scale, greater variety in material use, and a larger focus on "problem solving" in a traditional industrial design sense. 

In my case, what in the end may be the main deciding factor is money. Although I have received a generous offer from RISD, it still doesn't compare to going to school in Europe, where I (if I am accepted) won't have to pay tuition as  EU citizen. 

Hope this helps! Sorry if it just confused you more.