SAIC pros/ cons

[eleven]

For all those who know a little about SAIC, go going or gone there, etc: What draws you to SAIC? What about the school leaves room to be desired?

Does it live up to its reputation?

Edited April 11, 2011 by eleven

[eleven]

What I've picked up:

Pros:

-Amazing resources, labs, workshops for anything.

-Can pick two professors from entire faculty regardless of your department to be your advisors each semester.

-You can take classes in any department regardless of which department you're accepted into.

-Opportunities to exhibit in Chicago. I've heard there are many apartment "living room" galleries. It seems like a healthy atmosphere of people using every creative means to make it.

-Great visiting artists. The girl who led my tour said one of her student jobs was being on the committee that selected visitng artists, so she got to help pick who came.

-Highly ranked. It's been in the top three schools for years now. Was #3 overall, #2 in painting and fiber. Maybe rankings don't mean much though...

-I've heard students get apartments for $400-$500.

-Impressive faculty.

-Art in the fiber/materials studios looked explorative and solid (was it too experimental without taking a serious a direction?)

-It's in a city with the accompanying benefits.

Cons:

-The art I saw in the painting studio when I visited looked very mediocre. Might have just been bad timing. I spoke to a potential sculpture student there who said the work in the sculpture studios was awful.

-As a first year you might get a small studio if the lottery doesn't work in your favor. They had more variety in studio size than the other schools I saw.

-Huge school, might be hard to get individual help.

-It's not in New York and it's further from New York than some other schools.

-Weather. It was bitterly snowy, sleeting, and constantly overcast when I visited. I've heard it's not as bad as other east coast cities though.

-Many people don't recommend living in Chicago.

-Students don't have the benefit of being able to take non-art classes or interact with non-art students like they would in a university.

-Laws against using turpentine and spray paint in the studios because of the Chicago fires. Might have wanted to avoid that anyway, out of courtesy.

Does anyone know how much access students have to the visiting artists? Do they make studio visits and meet with individual students much, and how frequently?

[inscho]

There are lotteries for all visiting artists/critics

I've heard everyone is guaranteed one visit with Jerry saltz (this goes for the painting program, dunno about others)

[michaelwebster]

What I've picked up:

Pros:

-Amazing resources, labs, workshops for anything.

-Can pick two professors from entire faculty regardless of your department to be your advisors each semester.

-You can take classes in any department regardless of which department you're accepted into.

-Opportunities to exhibit in Chicago. I've heard there are many apartment "living room" galleries. It seems like a healthy atmosphere of people using every creative means to make it.

-Great visiting artists. The girl who led my tour said one of her student jobs was being on the committee that selected visitng artists, so she got to help pick who came.

-Highly ranked. It's been in the top three schools for years now. Was #3 overall, #2 in painting and fiber. Maybe rankings don't mean much though...

-I've heard students get apartments for $400-$500.

-Impressive faculty.

-Art in the fiber/materials studios looked explorative and solid (was it too experimental without taking a serious a direction?)

-It's in a city with the accompanying benefits.

Cons:

-The art I saw in the painting studio when I visited looked very mediocre. Might have just been bad timing. I spoke to a potential sculpture student there who said the work in the sculpture studios was awful.

-As a first year you might get a small studio if the lottery doesn't work in your favor. They had more variety in studio size than the other schools I saw.

-Huge school, might be hard to get individual help.

-It's not in New York and it's further from New York than some other schools.

-Weather. It was bitterly snowy, sleeting, and constantly overcast when I visited. I've heard it's not as bad as other east coast cities though.

-Many people don't recommend living in Chicago.

-Students don't have the benefit of being able to take non-art classes or interact with non-art students like they would in a university.

-Laws against using turpentine and spray paint in the studios because of the Chicago fires. Might have wanted to avoid that anyway, out of courtesy.

Does anyone know how much access students have to the visiting artists? Do they make studio visits and meet with individual students much, and how frequently?

I am a current sculpture student there:

Pros: as mentioned above, but I want to emphasize that students really have a lot of freedom and flexibility, the faculty don't come in with the expectation that you need to be broken and re-born again under their supervision as some schools do.

- amazing class choices, anything you can think of in materials, techniques or theory, discourse.

- lots of opportunities to travel, they give out travel grants about every month.

Cons:

- the school is expensive

- the weather in Chicago sucks during winter, its great during summer, Chicago morphs into a different city when its warm.

- You may have to push yourself a little to get the most out of the city, there are incredible lectures, events, people in Chicago that makes up for not having a university attached to SAIC, you just have to try.

- The school really pushes professional practices (which can be a pro for many), they just like to reap the benefits through PR. This school is a PR machine.

In addition:

Spraypaint is illegal throughout all of Chicago, but in the school its easy enough to get.

I definitely recommend living in Chicago, but its definitely a different beast that NY or LA.

I have been very impressed with the school, its a big administrative mess of rules, but I think the graduate degree here can be whatever you want it to be, based on what people/classes you decide to work with.

[ck03yh]

I am a current sculpture student there:

Pros: as mentioned above, but I want to emphasize that students really have a lot of freedom and flexibility, the faculty don't come in with the expectation that you need to be broken and re-born again under their supervision as some schools do.

- amazing class choices, anything you can think of in materials, techniques or theory, discourse.

- lots of opportunities to travel, they give out travel grants about every month.

Cons:

- the school is expensive

- the weather in Chicago sucks during winter, its great during summer, Chicago morphs into a different city when its warm.

- You may have to push yourself a little to get the most out of the city, there are incredible lectures, events, people in Chicago that makes up for not having a university attached to SAIC, you just have to try.

- The school really pushes professional practices (which can be a pro for many), they just like to reap the benefits through PR. This school is a PR machine.

In addition:

Spraypaint is illegal throughout all of Chicago, but in the school its easy enough to get.

I definitely recommend living in Chicago, but its definitely a different beast that NY or LA.

I have been very impressed with the school, its a big administrative mess of rules, but I think the graduate degree here can be whatever you want it to be, based on what people/classes you decide to work with.

good to hear Mike! I am so stoked!!!

P.S. Chicago also has great stand -up comedy, if you happen to like that sort of thing...