The Ringling College of Art and Design

Date: Mar 06 2008
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I transfered to this school from a community college and I have to say it was an excellent choice. A lot of students here are from other states besides FL so its easy to relate being far away from home. Ringling is now officially Ringling College of Art and Design and they have a whole new brand identity/logo and some are less pleased about it than others. You have to see for it yourself and make your own opinion. Campus aesthetics are getting better, I think, the campus is bigger now with a huge student center that is impossible to miss and there is a "deck" where students hang out and the new Outtakes coffee shop…a bit of a ripoff but convenient when you don't want to risk your life crossing the street to get to Big E's. I think some people should give more credit to Career Serives though, yes they are small and it is mainly 2 people running it but they are in a new building now (a lot of the campus has changed now from 3 or 4 years ago). And they do TRY. Mainly I think it's that students don't bother to go over there and check them out. You can't miss the job postings all over the place on campus bulliten boards and they also put them online for you to read so they make it really easy on you. Also recruiters come here every year some of them from really huge companies and while you are not guaranteed a job (no one is) it is still cool to come check them out and maybe you will get an interview. Career Services helps you somewhat but they also expect you to help yourself at the same time, they are not going to bottle feed you. And after you graduate you can still use them.

As far as safety, I have heard stories but as long as you have common sense you will be okay. I have seen campus security give people rides back to their apartments after dark, but I have walked from the labs at 2 in the morning without a problem. Last year there were campus robberies in the Bayou but people need to lock their doors. A lot art schools and other colleges are in "urban areas." Sarasota can't be as bad as some other cities it's a lot of retired people here mostly (its FL!) A lot of people will agree that the social scene is lax. Sarasota is a small city and yes a lot of retired folks. Only one good nightclub (that I know of) here. Downtown is okay, mostly resaurants, galleries (most know that Sarasota is a big art community) and expensive shops for the wealthier crowd. If you ever get the chance, the beaches here are nice. Many of the students here are cool, a few of them seem to be quiet but it is not hard to make friends if you just get to know people. I am majoring in Illustration here and I don't think Ringling ignores other majors, some are just bigger than others, one of the factors being student interest. CA has been the most profitable major to Ringling and it is their "known" major but every school has one. I saw a presentation from Dreamworks a while back and I thought that was cool, "wow Dreamworks coming to Ringling?" Illustration is still the largest major here though and it is far from ignored I think. Ringling is adding new majors too, one of the new ones being Digital Film. All in all the college is worth checking out.