The Savannah College of Art and Design

Date: Mar 07 2010
Major: Art & Design Department (This Major's Salary over time)
(I have plenty to say, so those who aren't sure whether or not SCAD is the right school, please at least skim through this one)

SCAD likes to appear as an innovative art school with such a high tuition and vast amounts of gee-whiz technology, but behind this fa?ade is a deep void leaving students with nowhere to go but downward.

EDUCATION QUALITY:

First of all, I entered this school after graduating high school with no formal art training. I was hoping to be greatly challenged and motivated to become so much more of an artist. I began with foundations classes: Drawing II, 2D Design, Color Theory. The only classes that weren't a complete waste of my time were Figure Drawing and Art History. So, if you want to be an art major, go to a community college first and take ALL foundation classes there otherwise you are wasting your money no matter what art university you go to. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

I began courses in my major (Animation) during the fourth quarter. This is the time when I found I was not at all ready to be at this school as many of my projects were very, very sad to look at. Professors aren't inclined to make you try harder as you can scrap by with complete crap and still receive an A+.

PROFESSORS:

When it comes to professors, it's kind of a hit or miss. There are some amazing instructors (i.e. John Webber) that will teach you everything you need to know and then there are those that have you wondering why you're paying essentially $250 for each day in the class. Ask around before you sign up for classes to make sure you get a decent professor.

TECHNOLOGY:

SCAD is up to par when it comes to technology with high quality tablets, computers, and equipment galore. Montgomery Hall also has traditional animating equipment: light-tables, cameras, and all. It is always readily available to students - so long as you have your SCAD ID with you - and no one will ever question why you are sleeping on the floor. Things do get hectic around finals time so get your projects done before the rush! The one thing to realize when you graduate, is that you will no longer have the tools that SCAD gave you and you'll be a fish out of water (unless you buy it yourself).

SOCIAL-LIFE:

Next to note is the other students. Among everyone I had met, only one appeared to be a great artist. She was a sequential design major (word to the wise, furry art is abundant there and not very unique). There is a huge amount of clubs, which can be a good thing. However, I have a hard time making friends and nobody I met ever went out of their way to be friendly to me - I even once left a once friend's apartment drunk off my ass and no one escorted me or called me the next morning to make sure I was okay. Everyone appears to be concerned with themselves and what they want rather than others.

DORMS:

Turner House and Turner Annex (affectionately called Tannex) are the two dormitory buildings specifically for incoming freshmen. Both are nice and well-kept, but bring a rug or two to cover the cold, hard tile. Each room comes with a bed, a desk, a stool, and a dresser for each occupant and one bathroom (which is nice if you're a germophobe like me). Students aren't allowed to puncture the wall with tacks or plaster things in the window that aren't curtains. Roaches are known to get into the rooms sometimes, but if you lay some pest control products on the floor, they will stay away. I lived in Turner House and while it was nice to have a spacious room, it felt as though it gave too much privacy and alienated you from those in other rooms. Tannex seemed to be more communable as people left doors open for friends to walk in and visit.

FOOD:

If you eat a regular diet of junk food, SCAD food will leave you unsatisfied. SCAD Caf? (Scaf?) is rumored to put laxatives in the food so foreign students have a better time digesting it. I never noticed this, but Oglethorpe House's eatery was much nicer. It has a better atmosphere and feels more like a buffet restaurant than a cafeteria. The ready to serve food like burgers, fries, and other entres is always of low-quality. The vegetarian/vegan choices are more appetizing since they appear to be made of real food. There is a salad bar at both Scaf? and O-House where fresh fruit and veggies are ALWAYS available which is nice if you like to eat salads as your main course for lunch everyday like I do. Breakfast and brunch are usually the best times for food as you have access to oatmeal, waffles, cereal, and biscuits and gravy EVERYDAY. I always made myself a breakfast of eggs (which are fake, but still tasty) and buttered toast. I never got sick from the food, but I still give the cafeterias a C-. In addition to that there are other places to eat, but I feel like I am saying way too much.

ALUMNI:

I met about a dozen alumni who were still trapped in Savannah, Georgia. Many of them were blissfully unaware of how much they had spent for an education at SCAD and lived off of money earned from artist's alleys at comic/anime conventions. I have heard from many that even though SCAD is opportunistic, very little people are hired when they graduate.

SETTING:

As for the campus and surrounding area: Savannah is very beautiful. Spanish moss hanging from twisted trees that surround Victorian homes puts you in a world of fantasy. However, there are dark alleys and ill-willed people about. Yes, the homeless and gangs DO TARGET SCAD STUDENTS, but I feel that the city is very safe if you keep your street-smarts about you: Lock up your bike, lock your car and keep expensive things hidden from the eye, don't walk alone even during the day… Savannah is a tourist hub and there are many amazing restaurants, shops, and attractions. Aside from all of that, the city is very easy to navigate once you walk or ride your bike a few times. Also, if you decide to visit SCAD, EAT AT THE MELLOW MUSHROOM. The best New York style pizza place EVER.

OTHER THINGS:

The gym is nice and only ever crowded during the middle of the day on weekends. Morning workouts are nice and quiet.

Some clubs are invisible: I heard that there IS a fencing club, but in my whole year at SCAD, I couldn't find it

***NEVER LOSE YOUR ID*** I did once and if my parents weren't visiting at the time, I would have had to sleep on the street.

The O-House Ballroom is a better place to study than the Student Center

Some of the staff are not very friendly

Apparently, the paper mill smells terrible, but I hardly ever noticed it

Savannah summers get immensely hot and humid

Smoking appears to be a social thing here

Be aware of the breaks the bus schedule has. I arrived late to one of my evening classes multiple times because of this.

Don't bring a car unless it is a necessity: There is nowhere to park.

Anyway, I digress. SCAD is a nice place to look at, but as a college itself is pretty sad. Students are not challenged to practice the foundations of art and are thrown into their major straight away and professors will never say if you are ready or not. SCAD is more suitable as a graduate than an undergraduate school and even so there are better schools out there. It's worth it to visit SCAD and take in how beautiful Savannah is, but don't let that hypnotize you into thinking SCAD is the best school for you.

Please consider other schools before wasting a year here as I did.