College... HELP!!!

OK, I want to go to a college of Art and Design because I want to pursue something in photography as

well as graphic design and I like that kind of field.<br>

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In the broad field of photography, I would like to be in the retail/advertising industry.<br>

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So, the colleges I am looking at right now are.. well.. everything.<br>

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I have tried to narrow it down but how am I supposed to know how one school compares to

another?<br>

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I am getting very frustrated.<br>

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I like PCAD (Pennsylvania College of Art and Design) and DCAD (Delaware College of Art and Design: A

Creative Partnership with Pratt Institute and the Corcorcan) because the both are around 15,000 dollars

a year compared to the regular 25,000 of a normal art school. Does anyone know anything about these

schools?<br>

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I have all of these Colleges Choices and don't really know the difference between them besides

price:<br>

RISD<br>

SAIC<br>

MCAD<br>

SCAD<br>

DCAD <br>

PCAD <br>

Watkins<br>

Otis<br>

Temple/Tyler<br>

etc..<br>

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What am I supposed to do?!?! I can't visit every School!<br>

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One good way to tell if a school is right for you is to look at student galleries and see if you like the work the school puts out. A lot of times you can find this kind of info on the school site, and it can save you a lot of time outside of other options.

You might look into RIT in Rochester, NY.

Good school.

Not that you needed any more choices...

Don't worry. It really doesn't matter which school you go. All that matters is that piece of paper and your portfolio you get after completing an education that gets your foot in the door.

 

A certain program may construct a certain curriculum while another program constructs a different curriculum. But just because they choose a specific curriculum doesn't mean you're limited to it, you can choose to learn whatever you want.

 

The only real choose you have to make is: Do you want a Fine Art Photography Education or do you want a Commercial Photography Education?

 

If you say you want to do advertising, retail, and industry, that sounds more Commercial than Fine Art. I am not bad-mounting one or the other field, I am just identifying them. Commercial Photography is business oriented while Fine Art teaches art design elements and is more museum oriented.

 

I am not saying that if you get a Fine Art Degree you are only limited to Museum work or if you get a Commercial Photography degree you are only limited to Industry. Again, you can choose to learn whatever you want while doing what the particular curriculum dictates all at the same time.

Hey Steven:

 

Have you ever considered going to a specialized training program? All the colleges you

listed are good and it seems you have done your homework. But keep one thing in mind,

William was right in that it doesn't matter where you go because a piece of paper that says

"Bachelor" on it does not get you the job . . . it's your portfolio. In fact, if you look at the

"who's who" of photography, you will find MANY who never received a degree in

photography from college.

 

There are schools like the Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Arts (CDIA)

www.cdiabu.com that have a center in Waltham, MA and Washington, DC that allow

students to immerse themselves in a one academic year program that teaches them the

art, technical and the business side of professional photography.

 

Then after receiving your certificate, you have the option of working immediately. Or in

your case, looking for another college to transfer into. This is a cool option because you

can work toward your degree while gaining real-world experience (which is HUGE) by

working as an assistant or running your own freelance business. I flipped burgers in

college which did nothing for my resume.

 

The kicker is that most 4-year college students are only able to take a limited amount of

photography classes (30 credits = 450 clock hours over 4 years) as opposed to approx

900 hours at CDIA in one year. Even though CDIA is not a 4-year college, your option of

gaining transfer credits while learning from the likes of Cary Wolinksy (National Geo) and

Rob VanPetten (Fashion, Nikon, etc...) is priceless.

 

Think of this approach as a 1+3 program with an "opt-out" option. After your 1st year,

you have the option of landing most jobs in photography. Or, continue on to another

college and within 4-years, you would have: 1. a more concentrated training program, 2.

more time spent honing your craft, 3. real-world experience while working through

college, 4. a certificate from Boston University, 5. and a degree from any college you chose

after CDIA.

 

Worth pondering!

 

bchenaille@cdiabu.com