Antonelli Institute

Date: Oct 06 2005
Major: Design Arts - Industrial Design/Graphic Design/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a graduate of the Antonelli Institute's Commercial Art Program with a 3.72 GPA. Their arts program does NOT prepare you to be a Graphic Designer. It gets you into the Production Design field. These are very different. Production Designers have no background in design or art, two very vital disciplines for a Graphic Designer. You will likely end up in a sign shop or print shop. Although these can be good jobs, they are NOT Design oriented.

I expected a very involved program of studies. It's a two-year college so I really expected to be bombarded with work and knowledge right from the start to get everything I would need in a two-year period. I found it to be extremely easy. I got a 3.72 GPA with very little effort. Everyone graduates… NO MATTER WHAT. If you by chance happen to flunk a class it is turned into an A during the 1 week long summer school session. I dropped a class because my "teacher" so unprofessionally told me to, "Go get F***ED!" Then showed up for 3 of the 7 days of summer school and got an A.

The "teachers" don't have Teaching Degrees. Some "teachers" simply give A's to students who are their buddies. Most grades are based on attendance instead of the quality of work produced… how can someone major in design and be unable to draw?!?
There are no student clubs, activities, or sports. You have every class with the same group of 14 students. There are only about 150 students in the entire school. Predominately white suburban kids.

You will graduate with an Associates Degree in Specialized Technology…WHAT IS THAT?!? Basically a second HS diploma.

Before the end of my first year I already wanted to transfer to a different school…the credits I had received didn't transfer anywhere that has an accredited graphic design program. If you find a school that accepts some of the credits, they don't even have an art department. So I was convinced to finish the second year and get the degree I was paying for. I hoped that it would be better, more involved, more satisfying…it wasn't.
I don't recommend it to anyone. I highly recommend a full 4 year Bachelors program. That's what I am doing now. You will NOT get an education or the socially-developmental experience equivalent to that of a 4 year school at Antonelli.
I feel that I WASTED $30,000 at Antonelli. But, we live and we learn and hopefully you will learn from my experience instead of having to deal with it yourself.