Design/Tech - NYU ITP, Parsons D&T, Berkeley MDes etc.

[voxpop]

@ixdmfaplease Also, are you 100% on SVA? Did you confirm your spot?

[ixdmfaplease]

@voxpop yes, i've decided on SVA but haven't put down my deposit yet.

Parson DT (and NYU ITP) sound like incredible programs for experimenting and trying your hand at lots of new things, but it's important to me to learn practical skills in interaction design — i come from a non-design background — and to be able to get a good job after the program. i've been talking to students and alumni from both programs and they all said similar things: SVA sets you up to succeed in the ux/interaction design field and Parsons is more about teaching you the design thinking and giving you room to make cool stuff. the Parsons student i talked to said they don't really offer any straight up ux classes and if that's what you're going for,  you'll be disappointed. they do say that the program is what you make it. there's so many things you can learn if you chose to. most of the courses you take are electives and you graduate with a diverse portfolio, which can be a good or bad thing.

since i know what i want to do and what i want to learn, and those align with SVA's curriculum, that one feels like the best fit for me, personally! 

[taketwo]

12 hours ago, ixdmfaplease said:

How's the decision-making process going for everyone?

Ahhhhhh! Haha, been focusing on four things:

• Finances
• Coursework (practical + experimental mix; focused skills)
• Contacting alumni & companies
• Location

Similar to @voxpop, considering finances as well. For me, it's between ITP & Parsons and ITP is considerably cheaper, along with the fact that I know several people who are working part-time jobs while completing their coursework. Not easy, but doable. And attractive from a financial perspective. 

The experimental nature of DT & ITP are both a draw and concerning. Because like you mentioned: I want to get a job too, but I also want to be able to fully exercise my creative muscles during the program. 

I've looked carefully at previous curriculums from ITP and identified the classes I would take, ensuring that they have practical UX/UI ones too (was surprised at how few of these there were). Since the program is so diverse and you can take loads of classes (like in designing escape rooms) I think it's just up to you to make sure you design a curriculum for yourself that has some focus so you develop skills. There are classes I simply know I won't take -- I can be a little Type A at times and while I like to experiment, I wouldn't say I'm the most playful person around haha. And while I want to understand technology, I most definitely do not want to become a software engineer -- prefer the strategic/creative side. I understand the impression is that graduating students can be a little unpolished at times. That being said, it would just be on you to polish everything up. 

As for alumni, I've been reaching out to people who are working at the firms and in the positions I want. ITP has an incredible alumni network by virtue of its sheer size and history. Any company I'm interested in working at (drawn to media & arch) has someone there. I'm still in early days here so I don't know what they have to say about the program yet. I also have a friend who graduated and would look to her for assistance in getting the best out of the program. 

Lastly, location. I like that ITP is in Brooklyn. I also like that ArtCenter is in LA (applied to MDP there -- although it seems to have a smaller reach as a program). 

Mentioned a lot of ITP here, but doing the same for the other schools. 

Edited March 21, 2020 by taketwo

[hiesther]

Thank you for the sharing, @taketwo. You mentioned MDP in your comment. So you have already heard from accd, right? (My application status is still under review.) I am currently considering between NYU ITP and Parsons DT while waiting for ACCD MDP. 

[huthuhle]

I have a question for those who received a scholarship for NYU ITP.
I got accepted with merit-based 30K supported for 20/21 academic year mentioning the award amounts must be divided equally between Fall and Spring semester. 
I have a question whether this amount of scholarship is only for a year or will there be a chance for another 30K for the rest of the period - 21/22 academic year.
I would like to know what is written in other people's scholarship letter. I have found in the "Gradcafe result page" that some mentioned that they received 30K while another person mentioned that he/she received 30K per year.

[voxpop]

13 minutes ago, huthuhle said:

I have a question for those who received a scholarship for NYU ITP.
I got accepted with merit-based 30K supported for 20/21 academic year mentioning the award amounts must be divided equally between Fall and Spring semester. 
I have a question whether this amount of scholarship is only for a year or will there be a chance for another 30K for the rest of the period - 21/22 academic year.
I would like to know what is written in other people's scholarship letter. I have found in the "Gradcafe result page" that some mentioned that they received 30K while another person mentioned that he/she received 30K per year.

When you go to their scholarship reply form (where you accept the scholarship, linked in the letter) you will see that the terms say all scholarships are renewable each year, pending academic standing. This seems to be the standard for all Tisch scholarships. So yes, it will be renewable for the second year. Hope that helps

[voxpop]

On 3/21/2020 at 4:36 AM, taketwo said:

Ahhhhhh! Haha, been focusing on four things:

• Finances
• Coursework (practical + experimental mix; focused skills)
• Contacting alumni & companies
• Location

Similar to @voxpop, considering finances as well. For me, it's between ITP & Parsons and ITP is considerably cheaper, along with the fact that I know several people who are working part-time jobs while completing their coursework. Not easy, but doable. And attractive from a financial perspective. 

The experimental nature of DT & ITP are both a draw and concerning. Because like you mentioned: I want to get a job too, but I also want to be able to fully exercise my creative muscles during the program. 

I've looked carefully at previous curriculums from ITP and identified the classes I would take, ensuring that they have practical UX/UI ones too (was surprised at how few of these there were). Since the program is so diverse and you can take loads of classes (like in designing escape rooms) I think it's just up to you to make sure you design a curriculum for yourself that has some focus so you develop skills. There are classes I simply know I won't take -- I can be a little Type A at times and while I like to experiment, I wouldn't say I'm the most playful person around haha. And while I want to understand technology, I most definitely do not want to become a software engineer -- prefer the strategic/creative side. I understand the impression is that graduating students can be a little unpolished at times. That being said, it would just be on you to polish everything up. 

As for alumni, I've been reaching out to people who are working at the firms and in the positions I want. ITP has an incredible alumni network by virtue of its sheer size and history. Any company I'm interested in working at (drawn to media & arch) has someone there. I'm still in early days here so I don't know what they have to say about the program yet. I also have a friend who graduated and would look to her for assistance in getting the best out of the program. 

Lastly, location. I like that ITP is in Brooklyn. I also like that ArtCenter is in LA (applied to MDP there -- although it seems to have a smaller reach as a program). 

Mentioned a lot of ITP here, but doing the same for the other schools. 

I'd love to get updates on what else you discover in your research!

Regarding your comment on the experimental nature being concerning I think it is really important to keep in mind that the portfolio we graduate with is key and I that it is up to each individual person to make sure to document work and keep an updated portfolio. I know it is possible to produce an absolutely amazing portfolio at ITP given all the various projects students make - we just have to be rigorous in documenting and keeping a good portfolio. I am sure it is easy to just go along with the program and "forget" or "put off / postpone" documenting and keeping a portfolio but being dedicated and disciplined in that is what will make a huge difference.
 

Edited March 23, 2020 by voxpop

[huthuhle]

2 minutes ago, voxpop said:

When you go to their scholarship reply form (where you accept the scholarship, linked in the letter) you will see that the terms say all scholarships are renewable each year, pending academic standing. This seems to be the standard for all Tisch scholarships. So yes, it will be renewable for the second year. Hope that helps

Thank you! Just checked it out  ?

[voxpop]

On 3/20/2020 at 10:11 PM, ixdmfaplease said:

@voxpop yes, i've decided on SVA but haven't put down my deposit yet.

Parson DT (and NYU ITP) sound like incredible programs for experimenting and trying your hand at lots of new things, but it's important to me to learn practical skills in interaction design — i come from a non-design background — and to be able to get a good job after the program. i've been talking to students and alumni from both programs and they all said similar things: SVA sets you up to succeed in the ux/interaction design field and Parsons is more about teaching you the design thinking and giving you room to make cool stuff. the Parsons student i talked to said they don't really offer any straight up ux classes and if that's what you're going for,  you'll be disappointed. they do say that the program is what you make it. there's so many things you can learn if you chose to. most of the courses you take are electives and you graduate with a diverse portfolio, which can be a good or bad thing.

since i know what i want to do and what i want to learn, and those align with SVA's curriculum, that one feels like the best fit for me, personally! 

Sounds like you have made the right choice - this the impressions that I have of the programs as well. SVA is one of the most (or if not the most) impressive ixd curriculum I have come across. Perfect when you want a specialization in that field.

I have less of a need to learn "hard skills" in design (already have design and UX experience) and that is why I am leaning towards a more interdisciplinary space with a goal to "create new things". I hope to be in a class of talented and intelligent people with a variety of backgrounds so we can collaborate in a ways to play on each others strengths My gut feeling is that ITP has more if that than DT, but it is difficult because they are both great choices..

 

[sapphirelake]

I got into Parsons DT and NYU ITP,  both with 50% merit scholarship. ❤️ Congrats to everyone who posted above, and thanks for sharing your thought process of which program seems the right fit!

They both seem to me like the programs in this interactive tech/design space (in nyc) most geared toward open-ended exploration of emerging tech across disciplines, as well as critical thinking of social/ecological impacts. I've decided to accept the offer from NYU ITP, for a few reasons (and gut feeling): 

1. NYU has a robust network of schools/disciplines and room for extensive collaborations outside of the department itself (for example, the Department of Psychology)

2. There is particularly a lot of room for collaboration with Tandon (School of Engineering) which runs the Integrated Digital Media program on the floor below ITP and has sooooo many amazing research labs I've heard ITP students can get involved with (https://engineering.nyu.edu/research/labs-and-groups)

3. The ITP alumni network is vast, and ITP apparently has a standout reputation in the interactive tech/design scene

4. The courses from previous semesters sound uniquely diverse, critical, in depth, cutting edge

5. The classes being pass/fail really encourages risk-taking and freedom with projects

6. NYU has an incredible entrepreneurship track record (https://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/resource/leslie-elab/)

7. Brooklyn is poised to be the next Silicon Valley (https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-silicon-valley-should-envy-new-york-city-20191114-cqxmz7vcrrb25plooe3prmbp3y-story.html)

8. The new floor ITP moved to is beautiful, and the whole building at 370 Jay Street is filled with great programs, from the Tisch film program to electronic music production to Tandon Future Labs on floor 7

9. The building is installing a state-of-the-art volumetric capture studio

10. Mindful NYU seems like a leading mindfulness effort in academia: https://www.nyu.edu/students/communities-and-groups/student-diversity/spiritual-life/mindfulness.html

11. (my top reason lollllll) All NYU students have access to free 11-week language classes: https://cas.nyu.edu/content/nyu-as/cas/speakingfreely.html

Edited March 24, 2020 by sapphirelake

[MA2596]

@sapphirelake Thank you for your response, it was super helpful! I'm really interested in hearing more about why or how people choose NYU ITP/Parsons DT, would really appreciate any insights! @voxpop@taketwo@A Bawa@verynervous Do you guys want to have a separate topic to discuss the NYU/Parsons decision? Would love to talk more to you guys

@verynervous congrats on your acceptance! I got 5k/year for NYU ITP and 50% scholarship for Parsons. I was leaning towards ITP but the offering from Parsons was really unexpectedly generous. I have requested NYU to put me on their appeal list, not sure if I will get any more $$$ ... will keep you updated! But you should definitely appeal for more scholarship if you can, doesn't hurt to try! Especially during the pandemic....

How about you? How's your decision process?

 

Also: ACCD/Art Center people anyone? Just got accepted into their Media Design Practices, 2-year track. I initially ruled this program out because a) I want to stay in New York b) thought they would put me in the 3-year track. But now that I'm accepted for 2 years .... Anyone have thoughts on the program? All I know that it's a selective program that has good industry connection, but is a bit more unconventional, and can be hard to graduate from?

Edited March 25, 2020 by MA2596

[voxpop]

@sapphirelake Thank you for sharing your list and insights!! Super helpful and very much appreciated! 

@MA2596 I am starting to feel more and more certain about ITP for each day that passes but I think it would be a great idea to start a separate thread on this DT vs ITP topic so we can keep each other updated on our reasoning? It is of course an individual decision I find it very interesting and helpful to hear everyone’s thoughts and would love to share my own with you all as well ?

[verynervous]

15 hours ago, MA2596 said:

@sapphirelake Thank you for your response, it was super helpful! I'm really interested in hearing more about why or how people choose NYU ITP/Parsons DT, would really appreciate any insights! @voxpop@taketwo@A Bawa@verynervous Do you guys want to have a separate topic to discuss the NYU/Parsons decision? Would love to talk more to you guys
 

I, unfortunately, did not apply for NYU. I didn't know about the program back when I was applying. I now wish that I had known. But I would anyway absolutely love to connect with everyone and learn about their decisions and why they are choosing one program over another. 

In fact, if everyone is comfortable, then we can perhaps take the discussion off gradcafe to a more instant messaging platform such as Telegram. Gradcafe is also cool with me if everyone is comfortable here.   ?

15 hours ago, MA2596 said:

@verynervous congrats on your acceptance! I got 5k/year for NYU ITP and 50% scholarship for Parsons. I was leaning towards ITP but the offering from Parsons was really unexpectedly generous. I have requested NYU to put me on their appeal list, not sure if I will get any more $$$ ... will keep you updated! But you should definitely appeal for more scholarship if you can, doesn't hurt to try! Especially during the pandemic....

How about you? How's your decision process?

Thank you. Congratulations to you too on your acceptances and of course the scholarships! I was honestly surprised to find out that I had been accepted, let alone offered a scholarship because I applied very late and Parsons said that they can't guarantee anything since I was applying so late. So I am extra grateful.

I am also planning to appeal to Parsons for more money. Btw, their webinars are coming up, one of which is on financial aid. Do you think I should attend the webinar before shooting them the financial appeal or should I appeal anyway and just see what happens in the webinar?

 

Edited March 26, 2020 by verynervous

[everforever]

@met4 I got a reply, and they said mine is under review with the IxD department.

[taketwo]

On 3/23/2020 at 2:47 AM, hiesther said:

Thank you for the sharing, @taketwo. You mentioned MDP in your comment. So you have already heard from accd, right? (My application status is still under review.) I am currently considering between NYU ITP and Parsons DT while waiting for ACCD MDP. 

I only heard back two days ago, but had to include it in decision-making in case I did get in! Accepted into the 3 year.

[taketwo]

@MA2596 - it seems they have much smaller class sizes (7-15 in one year?) and I'm assuming because of this reason and being in LA their network is smaller. It does seem like people get jobs from their alumni page. I spoke to a recent alum from the program who enjoyed it, but she was keen on staying in LA so didn't consider other options. Will try to speak to a few others. 

[huthuhle]

I have also received acceptance letter from ArtCenter MDP. 
One strange thing is the what was written in the acceptance letter saying "Places will be reserved on a first-come first-served basis and often fill very quickly. Your place in the class is not assured until you have received our written confirmation that we have received these items and can reserve a place for you".
Did others who got accepted to MDP also have this written in the letter?
+ Also did anyone offered a place with fundings?

So for now, I have to decide between ArtCenter MDP/ Parsons DT/ NYU ITP.
MDP is quite different from DT and ITP, I should start researching!!  

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by huthuhle

[voxpop]

4 hours ago, huthuhle said:

I have also received acceptance letter from ArtCenter MDP. 
One strange thing is the what was written in the acceptance letter saying "Places will be reserved on a first-come first-served basis and often fill very quickly. Your place in the class is not assured until you have received our written confirmation that we have received these items and can reserve a place for you".
Did others who got accepted to MDP also have this written in the letter?
+ Also did anyone offered a place with fundings?

So for now, I have to decide between ArtCenter MDP/ Parsons DT/ NYU ITP.
MDP is quite different from DT and ITP, I should start researching!!  

 

I dont know about artcenter, but I know that a first-come first-served approach is not uncommon for smaller programs, It is the same for all of SVAs graduate programs for instance.

 

[voxpop]

For anyone wanting to share thoughts and discuss ITP vs DT (or just general thoughts about each program for those who is not considering both) @MA2596 created a new topic here:

@yona @verynervous @taketwo @ciwy13 @A Bawa @Sids @met4 @hiesther @huthuhle @sapphirelake +++ anyone else!

[MA2596]

15 hours ago, huthuhle said:

I have also received acceptance letter from ArtCenter MDP. 
One strange thing is the what was written in the acceptance letter saying "Places will be reserved on a first-come first-served basis and often fill very quickly. Your place in the class is not assured until you have received our written confirmation that we have received these items and can reserve a place for you".
Did others who got accepted to MDP also have this written in the letter?
+ Also did anyone offered a place with fundings?

So for now, I have to decide between ArtCenter MDP/ Parsons DT/ NYU ITP.
MDP is quite different from DT and ITP, I should start researching!!  

 

@huthuhle I got the same letter for ACCD MDP. I did not see any indication of scholarship or funding.. I thought maybe there was a separate application for scholarship but I missed that?

@taketwo Thanks for the info! I'm also reaching out to people I know, will let you know if I learn of anything new. I really enjoyed the interview I had with ACCD so I'm considering the program, but I also really want to stay in NY hahaha.

@verynervous Just email and appeal first! You can always ask again after the webinar if it's still unclear.

 

[ixdmfaplease]

I got a scholarship from SVA! Did anyone else, especially if you aren't planning on attending? Considering if I should try appealing for more. The notification came via email from the department yesterday.

[PeacePiper]

On 3/28/2020 at 6:40 PM, ixdmfaplease said:

I got a scholarship from SVA! Did anyone else, especially if you aren't planning on attending? Considering if I should try appealing for more. The notification came via email from the department yesterday.

Hi! I got the acceptance and scholarship from SVA IXD as well. I'm waiting for the final decision from one more college. If that doesn't go through, I'm definitely considering SVA.

[ShiNiuWu]

On 3/27/2020 at 1:38 PM, huthuhle said:

I have also received acceptance letter from ArtCenter MDP. 
One strange thing is the what was written in the acceptance letter saying "Places will be reserved on a first-come first-served basis and often fill very quickly. Your place in the class is not assured until you have received our written confirmation that we have received these items and can reserve a place for you".
Did others who got accepted to MDP also have this written in the letter?
+ Also did anyone offered a place with fundings?

So for now, I have to decide between ArtCenter MDP/ Parsons DT/ NYU ITP.
MDP is quite different from DT and ITP, I should start researching!!  

 

I am deciding between these three programs, too! Are you in the ITP slack group? Perhaps we could connect there, if you would like to.

I also got the conditional statement in my acceptance letter, but have decided to take my time to think more carefully and consider more factors. I'm glad to see that a lot of people are sharing thoughts on ITP and DT. Meanwhile, from what I know about MDP, the program seems to be a breath of fresh air in the school's pretty much industrial-leaning atmosphere. According to their website, the unique thing about the program is its speculative design practice, and there is a lot of prototyping. They are surely well-connected to industries, but I am not so sure about the practicalness of the students' outputs. 

[huthuhle]

4 hours ago, ShiNiuWu said:

I am deciding between these three programs, too! Are you in the ITP slack group? Perhaps we could connect there, if you would like to.

I also got the conditional statement in my acceptance letter, but have decided to take my time to think more carefully and consider more factors. I'm glad to see that a lot of people are sharing thoughts on ITP and DT. Meanwhile, from what I know about MDP, the program seems to be a breath of fresh air in the school's pretty much industrial-leaning atmosphere. According to their website, the unique thing about the program is its speculative design practice, and there is a lot of prototyping. They are surely well-connected to industries, but I am not so sure about the practicalness of the students' outputs. 

I'm not in the slack group. Hope you invite me to the group!

For the ArtCenter, I have participated in the Zoom chat today. Kevin has mentioned that the program doesn't fills up until the start of May. So we have some time, though better push the decision within 10days - 2weeks. ArtCenter as you have mentioned is more focused on critical and speculative design + have opportunities to participate in the research projects.

Hope we can talk more about each school's pros and cons in the Slack.

[MA2596]

@huthuhle @ShiNiuWu Glad to see fellow ACCD MDP accepts! I would love to connect with you two  I'm looking to make a decision soon as well. I'm also in the ITP Slack group, if you want to join you can send me your email!