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Hakkekage
Space Whore Academysumma cum laudeRegistered User regular
Space Whore Academysumma cum laudeRegistered User regular
Well, as of mid-July, my dream school is RISD or Cooper Union. Great art schools, and close by; even better, they're more academic than other art schools. I know RISD, being closeby to Brown, will allow you to take classes there in other topics, which is really exciting. What's not to love, other than the fact that they're purported to be extremely selective? I know Cooper at least only allows 60 people per year for their Fine Arts program; and here I've never been good at competition.
Mostly I am having extreme doubts as to whether I can get into either of them. I am not particularly gifted, just technically good, and I have no experience at all in the digital arts; mostly just drawing and painting. Basically, I couldn't hold water next to the people you see in AC. But Art is the only thing I've ever been consistently interested in, and there's no way I'm going to be a doctor or a lawyer like my parents have tried to push on me for as long as I remember.
Right now I have around 15 portfolio pieces that show mostly observational drawings in a variety of media; they're generally 18"x24" and utilize traditional means like pencil, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, and charcoal/charcoal reduction. However, I have a decent academic record. My GPA is 3.9 unweighted and 5.2 weighted, and my combined SAT score is 2170. I'm also taking two SAT IIs in November (without high hopes, but whatever).
I guess what I need advice on are these:
1. How influential are grades/academic record to art schools like RISD/Cooper Union?
2. Are paintings a really big deal in my portfolio? I really only have one or two.
3. I want to present the strongest portfolio; are abstract interpretations of observations viewed more favorably?
4. How important are community service hours? Because I have nothing.
5. Oh god how do I not seem like an insecure fuckwit during interviews and portfolio reviews
So yeah. I've pretty much screwed the pooch on my parent's hopes that I go to cozy, nearby Rutgers to study medicine or law, since I've only very recently realized that I couldn't see myself pursuing anything else but fine/graphic art. Getting into RISD, though, is not so easily acquired, and I'm having waves of anxiety about even beginning the application process. I'm pretty much flying blind as to how to apply for college at all, and more than a little stressed about my financial situation. But those are all bit characters to the overall problem of being good enough to get in.
EDIT: I'd also like some input from people who may have actually gone to/applied for RISD or Cooper...Also a specific question about Cooper: What was the home test like? Was it particularly difficult technically, or conceptually?
Mostly I am having extreme doubts as to whether I can get into either of them. I am not particularly gifted, just technically good, and I have no experience at all in the digital arts; mostly just drawing and painting. Basically, I couldn't hold water next to the people you see in AC. But Art is the only thing I've ever been consistently interested in, and there's no way I'm going to be a doctor or a lawyer like my parents have tried to push on me for as long as I remember.
Right now I have around 15 portfolio pieces that show mostly observational drawings in a variety of media; they're generally 18"x24" and utilize traditional means like pencil, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, and charcoal/charcoal reduction. However, I have a decent academic record. My GPA is 3.9 unweighted and 5.2 weighted, and my combined SAT score is 2170. I'm also taking two SAT IIs in November (without high hopes, but whatever).
I guess what I need advice on are these:
1. How influential are grades/academic record to art schools like RISD/Cooper Union?
2. Are paintings a really big deal in my portfolio? I really only have one or two.
3. I want to present the strongest portfolio; are abstract interpretations of observations viewed more favorably?
4. How important are community service hours? Because I have nothing.
5. Oh god how do I not seem like an insecure fuckwit during interviews and portfolio reviews
So yeah. I've pretty much screwed the pooch on my parent's hopes that I go to cozy, nearby Rutgers to study medicine or law, since I've only very recently realized that I couldn't see myself pursuing anything else but fine/graphic art. Getting into RISD, though, is not so easily acquired, and I'm having waves of anxiety about even beginning the application process. I'm pretty much flying blind as to how to apply for college at all, and more than a little stressed about my financial situation. But those are all bit characters to the overall problem of being good enough to get in.
EDIT: I'd also like some input from people who may have actually gone to/applied for RISD or Cooper...Also a specific question about Cooper: What was the home test like? Was it particularly difficult technically, or conceptually?
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NNID: Hakkekage
NNID: Hakkekage
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1. Your grades are, while not unimportant, less important than they would be to a school like Rutgers. While I can't speak for those particular schools, most art programs are much more interested in your ability than your academics. My school (the College for Creative Studies) was full of people with shitty high school grades who just hadn't fit in back home, and I imagine most art programs are the same way. I'm sure grades like yours will help, but they're not going to carry you.
2. Paintings aren't required for an academic portfolio, and most schools probably don't expect students to have gotten far in the subject. That said, if you can paint well, show it the hell off. Painting is a much more emotive and individual medium than drawing, and they can see a lot more of you in your paintings.
3. Abstraction can be a huge help in your portfolio. The school sees people all the time who can reproduce what they see; what the school wants is someone who can interpret what they see. I'm not saying you need to have a Mondrian in there, but a few interpretive pieces can go a long way.
4. Again, this one depends upon each school's policy. Luckily it's also the easiest thing to correct for. Look around and see if you can find the requirements/suggestions for service experience for each school, and if it looks like it'll help find a place to volunteer - there's always work for one somewhere. You don't even have to list the number of hours for most schools; you can just put down "currently volunteering at <place> three times a week" or whatever.
5. This one's not so easy. You're an artist, so you're by default an insecure fuckwit when dealing with people. We all are. Just try to relax, and be yourself; it sounds cliche but it's sound advice. They know they're scary, and they'll forgive nervousness. Just make sure you show them that you want the opportunity to go to their school. Above all, and I hate to give this advice, don't be humble when it comes time to present your portfolio. They want to see confidence in your work and to know that you understand what makes it uniquely yours. Don't be an arrogant gallery-presentation type, but don't sell yourself short either.
General portfolio advice: Try to put some conceptual work in there too; even basic composition-concept sketches let them see how you work, and they like to see that you can put ideas together on your own. I was applying to a product design program, so my portfolio was pretty heavily skewed toward concept sketches and graphic layouts and such, but the non-design schools I applied to all complimented me on that part of the collection more than others. Good design sense carries over into all your work, so again, show it off.
As for applying to college in general, it's incredibly stressful and you're under a lot of pressure anyway; don't add to the trouble by worrying about finances and logistics. Like you said, you can't see yourself pursuing anything else. If a school turned you down, you'd still pursue art. Keep looking around for schools to apply to, and if someone turns you down, screw them. There are tons of good art schools out there. And I'll let you in on a little secret: even in the most dedicated art schools, you still have to take basic gen-ed classes for the first couple of years. If you've got your heart set on RISD/Cooper or bust, you may be better off going to a regular school for a couple of years, earning a basic block of education, exploring your artistic abilities on your own, and then moving on to art school.
I wish you the best of luck, and that you'll only meet the good kind of crazy art people in school.
[Edit] - Holy shit, this is a huge post.
TL;DR - Schools are looking for potentially good artists, not so much already awesome artists. Just show them who you are and why you do what you do. Also, relax. It's not really the earth-shaking decision it seems like.
5.2 GPA, though? How is that even possible? At my school, 5.0 is as high as you can get (AP grades are weighted, so that an A counts as 5.0). 5.2 implies that something is doubly-weighted to a 6.0 for an A, and I've never even heard of that.