VCU
has been quite the experience. I can't speak for the
other programs but Art Foundation is what you make of
it. Cliche, I know, but it's true. I came to
VCU with no art experience other than 3 years of
graphic design classes at my high school. The first week
scared the crap out of me -all freshmen art majors
were mixed together, meaning there were some students who did
really high quality work and some who could only manage
mediocre. My teachers said that mediocrity would only earn Cs
and one had to be at least exceptional or extraordinary
to earn Bs. All of highschool I had been an
academic who earned straight As, but now I was being
told I would only earn Cs! And on top of
that, my teachers did not teach technique or skill. Students
were just thrown into projects and told to use certain
mediums, regardless of previous experience. It was very stressful. As
a part of the honors college I needed to maintain
my GPA at a certain level in order to keep
my dorm and scholarship. BUT! I finished my first
semester with a 3.5 GPA. I did not get any
Cs, only As and Bs. I do not consider myself
much more than a mediocre artist, but I worked hard,
had fun, and showed up for class on time (attendance
is strict and a big part of your grade!). And
while being thrown into project after project was not ideal,
I did come out of AFO with a good eye
for proper technique and style. The AFO program is not
the best, but it's not as scary as it is
made out to be. It is extremely conceptual -the weirder
your art is, the better your grade will be. The
portfolio review in the spring isnt that scary either. You
are 99% likely to get into the major of your
choice.
**TEACHERS are EXTREMELY important in AFO. If you get
a sucky teacher, you will absolutely hate the class and
probably the whole program. I got lucky... make sure you
check rate my professor when picking classes. Generally teachers who
are recent grad students are much nicer and actually care
about your work.
I hate Richmond. I don't like hobos
and I don't like big busy streets or sketchy alley
ways. It's not very safe here. I'm not a
party person -i dont drink or smoke- and I was
afraid of coming to VCU. Don't go out at night
by yourself. Ever. People get robbed... one time someone got
robbed at 7pm right outside the AFO building. I do,
however, really like VCU and its art program. There's all
kinds of people here. Sure, it wasn't my top choice
school, but financially it was the best (scholarship!!) and the
West Grace dorms are suh-weet (private rooms, private bathrooms!). Can't
speak for the other dorms. Honors college is worth it
for the dorms, early class registration, and perhaps for applying
to grad school, but overall a little too stressful (GPA
maintenance, berglund seminars). The Berglunds seminars aren't usually that great.
Some honors modules are so pointless that I wonder why
they even exist.
VCU can be awesome. I know plenty
of people that just love Richmond. Just be safe.
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