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California College of the Arts

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityA+ Faculty AccessibilityA+
Useful SchoolworkA Excess CompetitionA-
Academic SuccessA Creativity/ InnovationA
Individual ValueC- University Resource UseC+
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyB- FriendlinessC+
Campus MaintenanceB Social LifeD
Surrounding CityC Extra CurricularsD
SafetyA
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Afraid, Arrogant, Approachable, Broken Spirit, Violent, Closeminded

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly, Helpful, Arrogant, Condescending, Unhelpful, Self Absorbed

Female
Super Brilliant
Lowest Rating
Social Life
D
Highest Rating
Educational Quality
A+
She cares more about Surrounding City than the average student.
Date: Feb 08 2016
Major: Fine Arts - Painting/Sculpture/Photography/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
Adult student, second round in college. Photo Major and then switched to Individualized with concentration in Sculpture.

Best resource CCA has is the faculty's brilliance - which is disheartening once you realize that the administrators disrespect them and treat them as disposable. Seriously, the majority of them are genuinely interested in students' success, approachable, and appreciative if you are inquisitive and eager to learn. I have had some of my best education here talking to the faculty at great length, both in and out of the class room. This is a nerdy Art school - the Fine Art students that I know bust their asses off and majority are on some Financial Aid - not wild partiers like SFAI-ers.

Now for the cons, to be fair these issues seem to be commonplace in other Art institutions as well: steadily increasing tuition without Financial Aid adjustment, academically challenged (administrators put pressure on faculty to prop less competent students up), budgetary issues (SF Design + Arch programs given way higher priority over Oakland Fine Art ones), overcrowding (CCA has had issue accommodating students with proper studio/work space), few mature students (the cliques are 'painfully hip').

CCA has been going through major changes over the years…moving from a traditional craft-based school to an innovative design school. Restructuring has been happening as well leading up to the move of Oakland campus to SF, causing tension and feelings of uneasiness. Rumor has it some of the programs will be put on the chopping block.

My hope for CCA is that it won't get lost in this change for the sake of change alone. Progress can only be achieved with wisdom and fairness and some of us are wondering if the CCA Board of Trustees have completely lost the school's original vision and if they are making decisions solely based on $$$ - it is the Bay Area after all, where greed prevails.

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