I
have gone to SCAD for one year, but will be
transferring. Now, my transferring to a different University has nothing
to do with SCAD, besides the fact that I would
like to major in a subject that the school does
not offer. If SCAD offered it, I'd most likely stay,
but possibly not. Social:
Savannah is a beautiful city
(yes, city...about 150,000 people live here). However, many restaurants and
stores close insanely early (some at 6PM). Not only does
this hinder the social aspect of Savannah, it can be
hard if you have classes and NEED to get something.
Unless you are 21 or older, there is not much
to do on weeknights. Yes, there are house parties, but
you will mostly likely spend the night driving (or walking)
to different houses because some are quite lame. But remember,
Savannah is extremely dangerous to walk around at night, even
with friends, and most off campus houses are anywhere from
15 mins to 40 mins away by walk. The clubs
and social organizations are decent. There are clubs for each
major, and limited clubs that branch outside the majors.
The Students:
Oh how I underestimated the artists ego!
A majority of the students here are self absorbed and
feel as they are special for being...them. Now, that is
not everyone. I have a great group of friends. I
believe anyone here can get a great group of friends,
there is a lot of diversity among the students. It's
almost like being back in high school though. You have
the stoners, the dumb party girls, the horny party guys,
the geeks, the rejects, the wannabes, and the jocks. It's
not even funny how true these stereotypes are at SCAD.
Also, smoking is a huge social scene at SCAD. However,
it branches off even more into Savannah. It just seems
like the whole city smokes.
Academics:
The academics
are okay in my opinion. Nothing I ever wrote home
about. Most of the material I was taught, I either
learned by teaching myself or already knew. The teachers, for
the most part, are helpful and friendly. There are always
the bad ones though, in every school. I had limited
art experience and I would say I was not challenged.
When you pay around $3,000 per class, I kind of
expect to be challenged. Be wary that you'll most likely
be creating art, and it is a very subjective matter.
I know I spent hours and money creating the best
project I could and some people spent 2 hours before
the class and they got a letter grade higher than
me. The teacher just liked their concept better, again, subjective.
Is It Worth It?
With SCAD, you pay for
the name. Now, apparently SCAD's reputation is amazing, I am
doubtful though. Seeing how it is run from within the
school it is actually unimpressive. And I find many students
moving back home after college and waiting tables for a
couple months before their degree is put to good use.
Let me say, the food does suck and the service
is horrible. I cannot order a sub that it actually
made correctly. Your ID is your life, if you lose
it you cannot go into the dorms or any of
the buildings/busses (except York Hall where you pay $35 for
a new one). Also, you need a sticker on that
ID, you get a new one each quarter. If you
don't, you're stuck in the same situation.
The President:
One of the highest paid College Presidents (she gets
paid more than the Harvard President!). A lot of scandal
surrounds her. She won the college in a divorce settlement
and the news around here is that she has been
using SCAD money to pay for the construction of her
new Chateau (she calls those who work on it “SCAD
construction workers).
Overall, I am glad I am leaving
SCAD. I met great friends and loved the city of
Savannah. I will not miss the artists egos however and
especially not the housing (did I mention the lack of
security here? I really don't feel safe on campus) or
food.