The Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Date: Dec 19 2010
Major: Fine Arts - Painting/Sculpture/Photography/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
MassArt has been a good experience for me so far. People bitch about some aspects of the freshmen foundation year, because they make you take classes that force you to use mediums that are not necessarily what you came to art school for. Also your freshmen year they do a lot of aggravating, answerless art talk

what is a line? what is a mark? when does a mark become a line? when does a line become a shape?

Freshmen are kind of left to scavenge for all the leftovers of the upperclassmen, but at the end of the day I didn't create a lot of portfolio worthy pieces my freshmen year, but I did learn a lot. I'm an illustration major so I would never have tried video or film and I was forced to learn how to use a video camera and now I know the basics of final cut. I found film to be something that I really enjoy and even though it's not my major I did get paid to put together a couple cheesy videos for summer camps this past summer. Also, it's pretty common for art schools to have some kind of foundation year where they make you take some general courses.

I lived on campus my freshmen year and off campus this year. Ultimately, I like living off campus more. I have my own room which is VERY nice in an apartment on Mission Hill, where many college kids in the area live. Mission Hill can be kind of unsafe at times, people get mugged every now and then, but you get what you pay for. Some kids live in the Longwood area, while others live near Northeastern. Those places are safer, but also more expensive. Basically, Mission Hill is a cusp community. It's mostly college kids that live there, but it's on the borderline of being in Roxbury (which is NOT safe) so as long as you're smart by not walking alone at night you will be okay.

MassArt only guarantees dorming for freshmen year. Some upperclassmen and transfers live there, but most move off campus for their sophomore year. The dorms at MassArt are probably the nicest dorms I have seen for college kids. The Artist Res all have kitchens and a living area and then the bedrooms are off of that. Many of the Res suites have single rooms, so you can have your own room while still living with other people. However, because the Res is apartment style it tends to be more closed door than the other dorm, Smith. Smith Hall is more like traditional college dorms with an artsy twist. The rooms are all shaped weird and you're allowed to write and draw all over the walls in the studios on each floor. There isn't a whole lot of work room which is kind of a bummer and the studios can get pretty dirty, but people make do. Also, do not expect to EVER actually watch what is playing on the tv in the common room, because it will always be way to loud.

The social scene at MassArt can either be great or blehhh, because it all depends on who you hang out with. There are definitely kids that like to party and drink and go out frequently, but they are a lot less common than a traditional college. I find smoking weed to be more common than drinking, sometimes I forget that it's illegal, because students smoke so much pot out in the open in the park next to the school. If I want to go out and get drunk, I can almost always find something to do, but it's not like a Umass dorm, where 90% of the dorm is drunk on the weekends. Mostly, I go to parties on the weekends. There is a Boston nightlife, but I most MassArt kids I know don't really take part, because it's so expensive and you HAVE TO be 21. Boston is a college town so most bouncers can spot a fake immediately. Some people go to Throwed or The Middle East for shows/dance clubs and those were okay, but I wouldn't want to do that every weekend. Parties are a big part of the social scene, as are smaller gatherings. Most people live in apartments so there are frequent parties, but apartments are small so don't expect them to be frat-like or out of control or anything like that. A good way to have fun and meet new people is to intermingle with kids from the surrounding colleges. Wentworth, Northeastern, Emmanuel, Mass Pharm, Simmons and Wheelock are all next door. About half the kids I hang out with go to some other school in the area. Also, make friends with kids that live in Allston. It's a pain in the ass to take the bus to MassArt every day if you live there, but Allston is a great college place. All the BU kids live in Allston and their are a lot of bars and parties always going on there.

The schoolwork is pretty intense, especially the design department. Graphic Design, industrial design, illustration, fashion and architecture definitely get the most work in the school. In reality, you may party in the beginning of the semester, but by the last month as finals approach, you will most likely be doing nothing but schoolwork. During finals week you get 24 hour access, so kids work constantly, even sleeping in their studios. I basically worked myself to the point of a nervous breakdown this semester, as did most people I know. People are competitive, but only to a healthy extent. What I like about MassArt kids is that everyone wants to be there and everyone is passionate about what they're doing. When I visit my high school friends at other schools I always get the sense that most people are there just because they're supposed to be. MassArt kids are eager to do well, they work really hard because most of them really want to be amazing artists and love what they're doing even if it does mean pulling 3 all-nighters in a week during finals. It sounds simple, but it really makes a difference.

Most of my teachers have been pretty good. Every semester I seem to have about 1 awesome teachers, 3 decent teachers and 1 fucking asshole. The teachers are pretty good, but the administration is god awful. Registration is a nightmare. You will NEVER get all the classes you want, at least until you're a junior or senior. The registration office does a terrible job setting up classes, organizing registration and then when you go in there to ask for help, because THEY can't figure out how to make online registration run smoothly, they're rude to you. The business and admission office will not e-mail you back, tell you things are due after the due date has passed and then try to charge you a late fees and lose your paperwork, so keep copies and records of everything. You just have to on top of your own shit, because they're not on top of there's.

The food gets old very fast and is WAYYYY overpriced. Although, only the Smith Hall kids are required to have meal plans, because they don't have kitchens so if you're in the Res or live off campus you can make your own food and don't have to eat that Chartwells shit.

Art supplies are VERY expensive and I probably spent about 2 grand on supplies last year. I try to save by not shopping at the school store (which is expensive) but rather going to Blick or Utrecht which are both down the road. Blick and Utrecht are ALWAYS giving out coupons and stuff so if you buy in bulk you can end up saving a good deal on supplies.

It is a state school however, so it is lacking in some of the individual attention you would get at a private school and it's pretty hard to study abroad here which is a bummer. They do a lot of Two week courses in the summer or winter and spring break trips, but not very many semester or year long abroad trips like most private schools have. If you're from Mass or New England, it's definitely worth it to save money by coming here. You'll get a good education and meet some interesting people, but don't expect a lot of perks for 8 grand a year. If you have to pay the full monty which is like 35 grand or something, you're probably better off paying that same amount and going to a private art school. The only thing I can recommend for out of staters is establishing in-state residency by living off campus for 2 years and getting your driver license switched to Mass. That way you can pay in-state tuition your junior and senior year.