The Northwest College of Art & Design

Date: Jul 15 2010
Major: Unknown (This Major's Salary over time)
I aspired to be an artist all through public school, and when I found this college I thought I had hit the jackpot. The people "selling it," claimed it was very exclusive, with a very small number of students. They guaranteed a fulfilling and thorough education, leading to a lucrative and fulfilling career. It did not take me long to realize this school is not what I thought it was. I worked very hard to learn what I could, but their education/class formula is very one-size-fits-all, and after a while I was not learning anything that was important to me or my future career. I also was not informed of how my credits would not transfer to a university so I could pursue teaching until I was already neck deep in the program.

While I do feel that my artistic ability did improve the two academic years I attended, it was not worth the over 30,000 dollars that I now owe in student loans, with no career or degree to show for it (I left after my sophomore year when I realized I was working my butt off and getting little to no sleep working on projects for nothing).

There are some real gems at this school and I hope they go on to pursue better things and a better education. Many of the students get by only half-doing projects or submitting less-than-high-school-quality work.

I appreciate the staff, as most of them really try to help the students and don't even get paid salary, but by the hour. However, because of the way they are paid and treated, the teachers quit very often, so it is hard to get to know who you are working with. The teachers that have been there for years are wonderful though.

With as much as tuition is, one would think that the campus would be spectacular, but windows and doors and bathrooms are out of order often, and much of the property surrounding the campus is off limits because it was sold to the neighboring private school.

The attitude that I get from the entire institution is that the president of the school is in it for the money. Craig Freeman drives a sports car and travels the country while the students work in a run down school with no help in obtaining expensive supplies and get a second-rate education because half of the teachers don't care because they are ready to quit anyway.