StudentsReview :: The Minneapolis College of Art and Design - Extra Detail about the Comment
-or-
Search for Schools by Region
 

or within distance of city

Similar Schools
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Savannah, GA
Rhode Island School of Design -- Providence, RI
Ringling School of Art and Design -- Sarasota, FL


  Who's got the Best?

Perceptual Rankings:
You Make 'Em.
We Post 'Em.
You Vote 'Em Up.
You Vote 'Em Down.
Aww yeah.


The Minneapolis College of Art and Design

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityB+ Faculty AccessibilityA
Useful SchoolworkA- Excess CompetitionA-
Academic SuccessB+ Creativity/ InnovationA
Individual ValueA University Resource UseA+
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyA+ FriendlinessA-
Campus MaintenanceA+ Social LifeA
Surrounding CityA Extra CurricularsA
SafetyA+
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Approachable, Snooty

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly, Helpful

Female
ACT:29
id='quarter' class='snapshot' style='color: #001397; line-height:80px';float:left;
Quite Bright
Lowest Rating
Educational Quality
B+
Highest Rating
University Resource Use
A+
She rated most things higher than other students did.
Date: Aug 17 2007
Major: Fine Arts - Painting/Sculpture/Photography/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
I have spent three years at MCAD, and have had a bit of a struggle ever since I came here.

And it's not that the homework is particularly hard, or that the staff is unhelpful, but because of the fact that MCAD is full of people that have their own beliefs about art.

Art is biased. This is something that most people can agree on. You either like it or you don't, and it usually has very little to do with the talent of the artist and the amount of hours that were put into the piece, but simply because of the content of the compostion. If one of your instructors doens't like the content that you decided to put into your piece, then your grade is lowered.

For example. I had an instructor that was very against any type of illustrations that had fantasy elements in them. So when a project was proposed to the class of 'hazards on the job,' my instructor did not like my proposed idea of a guardian angel falling over a child's toys in the middle of the night. 'Reality can be whimsical, too,' she said, and shot down my idea.

And she is like this with every student. There is a huge market for fantasy based work, with very talented artists making a fortune on their art, and MCAD looks the other way when it comes to things that cannot be observed and drawn from life. Examples of these individuals making a living off of fantasy based works are such artists as Amy Brown, Boris Valejo, Julie Bell, and Luis Royo.

MCAD has not one class devoted to fantasy based art. Nor do they have any ceramics or glass blowing classes. Anything considered a craft, and not fine art, is generally frowned upon here.

It has also been hard for me to network here. There are so many students looking to get great jobs, I'm sure the instructors aren't keen to start directing too many students to their acquaintances in the art field that they get swamped with freshly made portfolios, and they don't want to show favoritism with the students either.

I don't have any idea where to go in order to find a job that works with surface design and pattern making, and it seems that none of my instructors know where to go either. Also, there are very few internships for Illustration majors, as most Illustrators are freelance, and the rest of the companies coming to MCAD wanting interns are graphic design internships. And all students must complete an internship before graduation.

If you know the right people, and you are a 'shining star' with your art, in being that you happen to be interested in the right content that the art world is currently interested in, you'll be great. If you're like me, and enjoy things that aren't nearly as popular, you're going to have a bit of a struggle.

MCAD will pull and push a student in every single direction. The teachers will tell students that they need more complex compostions, while at the same time telling them they need to be simpler. They'll tell you to create your own style of art, and at the same time they'll tell you to branch out and try everything.

They want your work to be distinctive, but never the same. Frustration can run high, and tears may fall. MCAD may also be just the pusher that a person needs to set their feet in the right direction to change their art forever.

Personally, I wish I hadn't paid as much as I have for this education. I feel that I would have had an equally good experience at a public university, such as the University of Minnesota, and not walked away with nearly as much debt as I have now. When I graduate, I will have $80,000 worth of debt, because my art did not attract scholarships, I cannot work a full time job while still attending classes, and my family had nothing to contribute for me for my education.

Just think. $20,000 a year. For four years. For one degree. It's a huge lump of debt to swallow. I would have rather received my Bachelor's elsewhere, then come here for my Master's. I wouldn't have nearly the amount of debt I do now.

 
Responses
responseI appreciate the quality of her comments.
responseTalk to frenchy, she can foster any creativity … and don't go there for grad school; it's worse~!
Ask a Question or add a response!
Compare MCAD/MADSave MCAD/MAD