Mark a survey and Inform Staff

Peer Review:
5.45.80.218:valid:Content Nonsensical, Duplicate Survey, High Vulgarity, High Grammatical Error, Probably Admissions, Content Useless, Malicious Intent/Faked, SPAM, :1
5.45.80.218:valid:Content Nonsensical, Duplicate Survey, High Vulgarity, High Grammati

Statistical Analyzer:

I'm going to filter out as many of my negative experiences as I can in order to remain credible; but I do definitely have some issues with my experience here. First, the bad. It's expensive. And most art/design fields are highly competitive. If you're seriously considering attending SCAD I would really think about how much you're willing to sacrifice and also take a hard look at your skill level and work ethic. Much of this can be improved throughout your degree, but if you're on the less experienced side I would consider taking basic art classes first somewhere else to see if you really have what it takes. This is a HUGE, MAJOR investment. It's not the school you want to go to to "figure out" what you wanna do.

Second of all, like most private universities, the people who tend to benefit from this experience the most are those who come from wealthy families. Good luck surviving on an unpaid internship in this economy if your parents can't help you out much. But that's more of a separate qualm. Internships are however, super important. If you want job placement immediately after school having internship experience will significantly improve your chances, but again, it definitely depends on what you did and who you know. But also, if you have to work your way through college it's going to be much more difficult to focus on your studies and time is not something that this university gives you much of. I'm talking 60+ hour projects that you have to finish in less than two weeks. Say goodbye to your social life if you want to succeed. Attending SCAD did greatly improve my work ethic though, but it also stressed me out to no end and gave me gray hairs and a handful of emotional breakdowns. So factor that in as well. This school is not for the weak-hearted.

Another problem area I encountered was the faculty in my department. I've heard that these problems are in other departments as well, because we're all human beings and have problems and bad days from time to time, but I did encounter some extremely unprofessional behavior within my particular department, which was Fashion Design. I did get some great advice from the faculty but some of them without naming any names could use some major attitude adjustment (or therapy). Professors need to leave their personal issues outside of school. Don't just not show up because you're having a bad day or lash out at students because you think they don't like you. It's completely unacceptable, immature, and hinders our learning experience. I've reported this behavior but I don't know if anything was done about it because of favoritism within the department. In my opinion, at a school as prestigious as SCAD you cannot just let your faculty go about harassing students and letting them get away with it. That deserves more than a little slap on the wrist.

On the flip side, I did overall enjoy my time here for the friends I made, life experiences, and classes. Some of my favorite teachers weren't even within my department but from elective courses. SCAD does a really good job making the classes relevant to your interests and there are many thought-provoking discussions that take place in these classes. I regret not getting an internship, although I was lucky enough to land a salary job somewhat related to my degree less than a year after graduation. Not everyone is that lucky. Really make your time here worth it if you do attend. Learn how to utilize effective time management, don't goof off too much, and take full advantage of everything the school has to offer. I would recommend this school to any artist or designer who is serious about what they do, but know the risks and financial toll.