The Ringling College of Art and Design

Ringling's mismanaged animation department desperately tries to play catch-up to modern industry standards, but is crippled by the lack of qualified professors. The professors with real experience are not qualified as a whole because they either only know one part of the computer graphics pipeline -- and have to teach the whole package -- or their resume is so dated that their knowledge base is no longer relevant. Despite their ignorance on many topics, they insist on a restrictive approach to learning focused on eliminating extra variables (i.e. students exploring new techniques). This is perhaps because they prioritize smoother operations over better learning. They cannot lay out a clear road map to success and refuse to learn from their mistakes, preferring to lay the blame on the student body rather than on themselves or their curriculum. Most successful students seem to do well in spite of the program, not because of it. As the years go on, expect the gradual decline in the technical quality of the work to continue.

Ringling is very academically rigorous on the surface level, but because in most areas they lack knowledge about what they are attempting to judge, it's dubious whether or not you can say it is truly rigorous.

It's worth mentioning that they like to dock your grades/fail you if you get too many absences (around four), even if you get sick. They are not that understanding, and if you are prone to illness you should watch out.

You're paying about sixty grand a year when you don't even need a degree to get work. Nothing you learn here cannot be learned for a cheaper price or for free.

Ringling does very well in the marketing department. I would advise you to do very thorough research on all your available options. Do not get into deep debt because you think you need to go to a reputable school to do well in animation, film, games, etc, where the degree hardly matters (or at most, where you got the degree from doesn't). There are plenty of online options that you can learn from while getting another degree. If you can afford it, consider Gnomon.

Ringling is good for you if you:

Are willing to take emotional abuse in some sick notion that learning animation is some sort of boot camp process. Are willing to sleep 0-5 hours a night if you actually want to finish your work and make it look good (unless you work especially fast, or are willing to sacrifice parts of your assignments). Have an abnormally high respect for authority figures even when they lack respect for you.The things you are learning are not that important in the grand scheme of things. Don't sacrifice your health.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2017

Collaboration/Competitive: A-, Faculty Accessibility: F

I was a transfer student into the Ringling class of 2019, and my advice: unless you're willing to jump through hoops for months attempting to find out where your credits are going and if they're even going to be accept, there's no point in coming here. I'm unfortunately leaving with only 90% of my tuition refunded. I had 21 transfer credits, all of those are being applied as electives. Right now when im supposed to be buying books and preparing for class, i have to wait to see if the department heads will approve my portfolio so my transfer credit of drawing II will replace drawing I. my junior level writing course is not satisfactory for their writing studio. It?s astounding to me how hard to access the administration is, and i seriously doubt my portfolio is even being reviewed. For the great reputation this college supposedly holds, I see no evidence in the way the administration treats their students, or in the behavior of the students themselves.

My adviser is extremely condescending, as is the registrar. On top of it, i have lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, while meeting with faculty to discuss my disability and how it may affect my class work, even while my condition is recognized by the university and I have an official plan set up, i got the wonderful initial comment of "you don't look disabled." I'm truly honored to be taught figure drawing for the second time again by a teacher who believes i have to be drooling to be considered disabled, and assume my disability is a mental one. The students are extremely socially inept and childish, and the older ones are condescending also. I went to the cafeteria this morning dressed someone nicely and i had 6 upperclassman guys follow me and say "DAT ASS THO" ?TURN AROUND LET ME SEE THOSE TITS? in a fucking cafeteria. When I spoke to student life, all they said was ?Well upperclassman are thirsty!?

Im extremely concerned about how sexual assault is not addressed on campus also, only one mention in an orientation and an online class is not enough in my opinion to keep students safe. Honestly, I feel like im at a summer camp and not at a school. While students are handed opportunities on a silver platter, I can see that the maturity of those attending lacks so much to not even being able to finish a semester and the self care to be able to take on the course load. I?m so frustrated by the way I?ve been treated, and how the atmosphere of this school actually is, so im leaving. I wish I didn't convince myself that their career services are worth dealing with a school of immature children, and inadequate administration. When I spoke to my adviser, Dr. something, I loved to hear her adopt an arrogant tone immediately without reviewing my work about how Ringling's classes are better. So far, all I?ve seen is them hold my hand and hold me back. I?m so extremely disappointed in what this school was supposed to be. A great self importance doesn't mean the school is great at all.

1st Year Female -- Class 2019

Campus Maintenance: A, Social Life: F

I was looking forward to going to Ringling. I was willing to spend $40,000 a year just for tuition because of how Great a school it was suppose to be. First Semester was so disappointing. Figure Drawing teacher had worked for Disney (My Dream Job). He may of been a great drawer for Disney but terrible teacher. He only worked with students who are already great drawers. The students who needed help from him were left on their own. He stated he needed to spread himself around to every student. He spread himself around to the talent students. My 2D teacher was worse then figure drawing. I even dropped her class. She is an older woman who tells you one thing then changes her mind at 2 am. Sends out an email and changes the type of paper, or size of paper, etc. If you asked for help she would tell you to read about it on the internet. One student actually helped most of the class learn how to us a program because she informed us that was not her job. I had 2 great teachers the first semester for Drawing and Art History. The 2nd semester came and had an older teacher for 3D, whos language needed to be cleaned up. He once told me that he was not there to teach us that the other students are our teachers. He told me one day that I should just get a job and work out of my basement, because I asked a question about the clay. He also did not take time to show how to work with clay. Most of the class looked it up on the internet. My Figure Drawing 2 teacher has such demands on us. She grades us against the other students. So even if your improving and working hard if you can not draw as well as other students you grade will not increase even with a lot of effort and improvement. She is not a friendly person and hard to feel comfortable talking to or even to ask a question. I have been told by 2-3rd students that the teachers get better each year. I would think it would be as important to have Great Teachers for each year. The teachers seem to be there only to get a pay check and not put much effort into their jobs. Half of my teachers have been great, but majority of them are for elective classes, not the drawing teachers. There have been several students who dropped out after First semester. Ringling wants you to believe its because of the cost, but students already knew how much it cost prior starting school. They dropped out because they are not getting what they paid for "TO BE TEACHED". I am not sure I will be coming back for a 2nd Year. I feel that I could use the money more wisely by going to another school where they want you to succeed. Ringling doesn't seem to care if you succeed or not, especially is your are not one of their top students. I have friends who live on campus and pay an extra $20,000 to live on campus where they sometimes lose electricity, and no hot water majority of the time, and see bugs in rooms. It seems like a lot of money to live on campus to these types of services. It is much cheaper to live off campus in an apartment or rent a house with several classmates. My dream of going to Ringling has been more of a Nightmare. I feel I could get more out of internet school, community college, or 4 Year University with 2 Years of Art Classes and succeed just as much as going to Ringling. If you ARE NOT THE TOP STUDENT WHEN IT COMES TO ART THEN SAVE YOUR MONEY and go somewhere cheaper and where teachers want to help all students successed in Art. Not just the students who can out draw most of the teachers at Ringling. Most teachers at Ringling are part time and did not earn teaching degree with an Art Degree. Some Teachers even spend time working on projects during class. This are projects they are doing for clients, so they are too busy on their own artwork then to help their students. Please make sure this is the school you want to spend a lot of money on and may graduate only because you had the spend the time teaching yourself from the internet or are already so talented you'll pass with honors because of your own hard work and talent, not because you learned it at Ringling. Some student have so much talent that they get "Poached from Ringling by Companies who come to Ringling to discuss job openings. Ringling gets upset when this happens because they have 2 years less tuition from that student. But Ringling doesn't seem to be upset when 1 or 2nd year students leave because they are not getting the education they are paying for and move on to a college where they can get taught. Please make sure this is a good fit for you, its too expensive of a lesson to waste $40,000 on like I did. Also was told Ringling has a lot of Scholarships available but they don't give them out. A friend's dad called Ringling and asked why didn't his daughter get a merit scholarship? He was not happy with them and started getting loud and upset. Then all of sudden his daughter was given a Scholarship. So you have to fight to get Scholarship from Ringling if you qualify for merit type scholarship.

1st Year Female -- Class 2019

Innovation: B, Individual Value: F