The Savannah College of Art and Design

Savannah is a city. As with any city, there is crime. You need to keep this in mind when you are walking around Savannah. The historic district of Savannah has a very quaint atmosphere that can confuse people about the actual size of Savannah. The Savannah Metropolitan Area has over 300,000 people in it. SCAD also has a lot of different security programs as well as in intensive orientation process that helps students acclimate to living in a city. You do need to take a proactive, “common sense” approach to your safety, such as locking your doors, not leaving your valuables exposed in your car, and not walking alone at night. This goes for all urban campuses. SCAD has free transportation service for students, bike registration programs, ID checks at all buildings, in addition to numerous other safety programs.

Some people comment that the facult are underpaid. If they're not faculty, they probably don't know the amount faculty are paid. The reports you have heard are probably based on the fact that our professors are not on tenure. They are not ensured a job and have to work very hard for it. This makes sure that we have dedicated and enthusiastic professors. Most of the professors work or still work in their respective industries. One of the neatest things is going to class and slowly learning about all the amazing things they have worked on. They usually don’t flaunt their expertise, but you actually get to learn from it.

Savannah is a city. Once you're in college, you have to look to find your own extracurricular activites. The college has great student involvement opportunities. You do have to take the initiative to go to the Student Center to get involved with them. SCAD has numerous activities throughout the year for students, like fashion shows, art festivals, movie nights, and dances. Savannah in it's own right is a city full of events. We have parades, concerts, a good night life, museums, as well as more traditional things to do, like movies and bowling. We are also 20 minutes from the beach and within driving distance of even larger cities.

Lastly, you need to be passionate about your work. Students have to have a GPA of 3.0 to stay enrolled in their major classes and a 2.0 to stay enrolled in the school. SCAD does have an attendance policy. To me, this makes sense. If you are willing to miss more than four classes (20% of the quarter) you probably aren’t trying very hard.