The Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg

Date: Mar 09 2012
Major: Video/Media (This Major's Salary over time)
I graduated from the Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg back in '09. I'd gone there in '05 because, based on informed research and recruitment, it appeared to be a quality art school. They'll dazzle you with great looking art on the walls and crazy creative projects done using cool equipment, but it's all a smokescreen. As other reviewers have pointed out, the education is sub-standard at best.

At least half of what I was "taught" in class I either 1) already knew or 2) could've learned for free (and better, no less) from tutorials on the internet. Teacher availability and competence is a coin toss and some don't even have suitably relevant degrees in the fields they're teaching. Furthermore, most projects done in class are woefully underscheduled and you have little time to do anything really creative to put in a portfolio. Most of the time you're just scrambling to get something done.

As for the Fine Arts aspect, this school's only really good if you have a very poor set of art skills. I came into this school with fairly decent drawing abilities and I got Bs in my drawing courses because I wasn't showing enough improvement. However, the people who's drawings looked like a 5-year old's doodle were praised for their exceptional creativity and improvement in skills.

Bottom line, this school is not worth the time and vast financial expense. Attend this institution and you'll wind up like most of us who weren't "designers" or fashionistas: broke, no job opportunities and drowning in outrageous debt. Really, do yourself a favor and study online tutorials while working an unsatisfactory day job. Then, you can scrape up enough money to buy a graphics tablet, make some good art and start promoting yourself. Don't be another notch on ILIS's bedpost.

Oh, and all that Career Assistance after graduation. It's a load of B.S. They make you give them a considerable amount of demo reels and resumes (which you aren't reimbursed for, by the way) and then email you job leads for Wal-Mart and McDonalds or, if it is something artistic, a job placement for a fashion design position when you yourself are a Media Arts Grad and have, in no way, shape or form, any qualifications or knowledge in fashion design.

This place is a joke and a HUGE money pit. Stay away!