The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago

Date: Sep 05 2008
Major: Video/Media (This Major's Salary over time)
I am currently (and for the time being) a VEMG major here at ILIAC. For your sake, I'm going to take the time to run through the relevant items in the list here from my perspective. Obviously, I can only comment on my own experiences - if you find that your circumstances or

values differ wildly from my own, feel free to disregard what you will.

Friendliness (VEMG/DFV) “ as a whole, students and staff alike are pretty friendly. There are so few of us in the major that you'll eventually get to know everyone, and everyone I've met is normal. You'll make friends. If I can/could, you'll have no problems.

Competiveness (VEMG/DFV) “ once again, both film/video majors (VEMG and DFV) follow the

we're all in this together

mentality. Networking is crucial in this industry, and you'll (need to) be making connections

and working together on many projects.

Faculty Accessibility “ really depends. Almost all instructors in the core VEMG/DFV courses are really cool “ they're down to earth, and usually tend to care if you're failing/passing. From my experience, the same can NOT be said of the Gen Ed instructors. They cater to the lowest denominator (in an attempt to pass students along), which can be extremely aggravating to anyone with any sort of desire to actually learn. Yes, this means that most gen ed courses are easy credits “ if this is your thing, go for it. For those of you that have an interest in learning, you've been warned.

Creativity (VEMG/DFV)“ here's the kicker. Seeing as how this is considered an "Art School", I figured I'd be given a generous degree of freedom over my work. This, however, is not the case in many courses. On many, many occasions, the issue of portfolio-building comes into play, and projects can be so bogged down by strict criteria you'll many times

feel like you're creating things for the instructors themselves; not for joy, not for expression, but for a grade and portfolio filler. Even for someone who doesn't consider himself overly artistic, these courses were stifling.

Scholastic Success (VEMG/DFV)“ For the core classes, you're going to have to work. In any of the film classes I've taken, the instructors did a nice job of making you work for your grades. And by work I mean you'll be consumed in it at almost all times “ days off, weekends, etc. It can be overly stressful when rapid-fire projects are given

with little down time “ yes, this is college, but it's worth noting.

Quality of Program “ For VEMG/DFV, and almost all other majors, it's tough to gage. I'm just now finishing my first year here, and I can tell you, 80% of what I have just "accomplished" has been meaningless to my major and in general. I've learned a lot from a course or two.

Important: your first year is basically fundamentals courses. Necessary if you plan on sticking it out in the long run, but I can not say that my first year justified the $20,000 I'm now in debt.

As for the campus itself: I can't complain. Safety: I come from a town of 4,000 and I've never once felt threatened by students or anyone else. Resource use: Tons of relatively modern computer labs with the latest editions of industry-standard software. Having to pay

for prints and use of color at a library is a bit of an insult, however. The inside of the campus is always clean; the exterior and its location aren't exactly beautiful, though.

Individual Value “ here we go. I got the feeling, from an early stage even, that this school cares about a few things; its reputation and your money. It'll make an effort to prepare you for a future doing whatever it is you're pursuing here, but this is third on its list of

priorities, make no mistake.

Social Life “ Hmm at first thought, and if you don't live here, you might think,

Hey, it's Chicago! There must be tons of exciting things to do!

If you happen to be over 21, you might be right. If you place partying over your education (while attending a 20k/year school) you might be right (and if you're into music/going to concerts, you actually will be right). For anyone who doesn't fit

these criteria, you're going to be out of luck for the most part. See the sights, see a movie yup.

Extra Curricular Activities “ This is not a university. As such, there are no sports teams. The school does have a number of "student organizations" including film club, game club, animation club, etc. From my experience, these "organizations" are little more than unfunded bullet-points on the brochure. Their meetings are few and far between, and I've found the quality of the gatherings themselves

unsatisfying to say the least.—I also feel the need to cover the school's student housing, as I myself was curious about it at the stage you are at now. I am residing at Presidential Towers, and as always, my opinions are based off of my own experience.

Negatives:

EXPENSIVE. In Chicago, everything's fucking expensive (justified use of expletive). Bear in mind that if you choose to live in student housing for the typical three-year time span in which it takes to get a degree, you are adding

*** $40,000 *** onto your financial obligations. If you do not already live within commuting distance of the school, I beg you to consider off-campus housing (i.e. find an apartment).

Roommates “ this can vary, and has for me. Despite any form of application or requests you have or will make, they will not match (or even attempt to match) you with anyone within your major or that shares your interests. It is merely luck of the draw. My first roommate made my life hell for the two quarters I had to deal with him (Visual Communications Major). When he moved out, I had a quarter in which the school had apparently forgotten about me, and I

was lucky enough to live alone. My current roommate (Fashion Major), who I'll have for about a month at the time of my leave, however, is actually pretty cool and easy to live/get along with.

Facilities “ on your whirlwind tour of PT, you will undoubtedly pass by the fitness center, the ridiculously-named "cyber center", and the grocery store downstairs. Let me cover each for you. First off I

don't have much to say about the fitness center other than the fact that it's crazy expensive (startup and monthly fee), and that the other housing building (Millennium) receives free membership. The Cyber Center “ once you get past its name, you're greeted with a poorly-maintained computer lab. If you do not bring with you a computer of your own to the school, you can expect broken keyboards,

mice and monitors, a printer that jams/runs out of paper every half hour (managed every three-four hours), basic Office programs, and a nifty hour-long timer. Perhaps

the most heinous of these things, are THE INABILITY TO SAVE ANYTHING TO THE HARD DRIVE, and THE INABILITY TO USE USB DEVICES. That's right “ you are not admitted to save anything (which makes having office seem pointless), nor can you save to your own flash drive. This sickens me; it really does. Are the people running the lab so incompetent that they cannot allow patrons to save things, or

"install" flash drives for use? Holy hell, most high schools can pull these basic functions off with ease. And lastly, you have the grocery store downstairs. As I've mentioned before, Chicago is expensive, and this store is no different. The cost of living, for me, was the perhaps the biggest shock moving down here. High taxes on top of high prices, coupled with rude cashiers leaves you with a less than stellar shopping experience.

Food “ There is no meal plan: a simple sentence that can carry frustrating implications. Every university allots some amount of financial aid/money for buying necessities; even with its price tag, this school offers no such deal. Most students do not ever physically see their financial aid; they're told to put an exact amount down on forms which does not include the cost of basic needs. Of course, if

your parents are planning to support you, this is a non issue “ sure as hell was one for me, though.

Lease “ read before you sign any housing papers, seriously. The leases are a YEAR long, with strict penalties ($2600 in my case) for leaving early. If you decide to live in student housing (which I can't recommend), I would suggest beginning to research new areas/apartments as soon as you possibly can.

Positives:

+ Location “ PT is a fifteen minute walk from the Mart campus (Gen Eds and Fashion/Interior Design Courses) and a short walk from the Green/Pink line (Loop Campus, housing all interactive media, film, animation, visual effects).

+ Safety “ Student housing has a ton of rules/regulations, many of which I am not complaining about - I don't drink or smoke, and therefore have no issues with their strict policies related to both. However, these rules are rarely enforced. My first roommate was a prime example: he partied almost every night, and was caught/observed being inebriated on multiple occasions and received nothing more than a warning, despite their "zero-tolerance" policy.—This is really getting on in length, but as this is probably the most important decision you will have to make for some time, I see this as beneficial “ I get to vent a bit, and you gain first-hand incite into what the school's really like.

I came to this school with dreams of one day working in the film or video game industry. Having been through a year of the school now, I can say that it just has not been worth the money. I'm leaving here at the end of this quarter flat-broke and with the realization that maybe I'd be better off being creative on my own time; free of the ridiculous cost of tuition and the stifling requirements. If you resist the buttering-up you receive from the admissions department and consider what you have just read, you'll come to realize that you're better off looking elsewhere. I wish I had.