The Cleveland Institute of Art is a very unorthodox campus. Its students are varied and unique, and not afraid to let their true personalities shine.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
I would definitely recommend you go in with a portfolio. Around a dozen different pieces as a minimum. Its not required, but it helps a lot.
Because the practices and projects are more professional than any art project you did in high school, you will end up being taught almost from the ground up. Be prepared to force yourself to break habits that may have been accepted in high school.
Critiques are a major part of each project. That being said, they can be quite painful to listen to. Just remember that they are meant to help improve your piece. It may sound hurtful, but they are actually a blessing in disguise.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
You will be pushed. There are only five classes per semester, but each there are two different types. The first is liberal arts. These include your history and writing/reading courses. They meet two times a week, and last for an hour and fifteen minutes each.
The real work comes from the studio classes. These only meet once a week, but you are in the class room for the entire day. Usually starting at 9:30, you work until noon, then meet again at 2:00 and go until 4:30. A nice break, the homework is usually the activity of the night. On top of that, projects tend to be due around the same time in multiple classes, and the liberal arts can be before or after the studio classes, resulting in a long day. The trade off is worth it. You are allowed to work on anything you want, so long as the project meets the requirements. Professors are helpful, insightful, and many times, the assignments are enjoyable. Making a full length movie is a lot more fun than writing a 50 page paper for a final.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
As a commuter, I cannot comment on this portion as much as one who has lived on campus, but I have visited them, as I have many friends who do live there. It's rooms are average, a desk and a bed for each roommate, four floors, about 20 rooms per floor.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
There campus dining hall is huge. Three floors, buffet style kitchen, lots of ice cream and plenty of options to choose from. But there are better places to go.
You are right next door to Little Italy. A dozen Italian bistros line the streets, all original recipes and incredible atmosphere. Parks, outdoor dining, bars( if you're old enough) and probably the best pizza place in Cleveland, Mama Santas. Mm. Old clay oven baked, not too greasy, lots of cheese, and a dozen slices.
If Italian isn't your thing, there are other options. University Circle is another hot spot for food, and it isn't lacking in options. Sushi can be enjoyed at the new arrival Accent, and Chipotlle and Qdoba have all your taco and burrito cravings covered. Coffee shops are plentiful, as are sandwich shops like Subway and Jimmy Johns. And that's just between E117 and Mayfield Road.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
At CIA, there is always something to look forward to. The Halloween party is excellent. (Unsurprisingly, the costumes are always top notch) Inter school challenges like Zombies is always a ton of fun. This is a competition around halloween where students from Case, CIA and the Cleveland Institute of Music all try to survive a nerf based zombie apocalypse.
Live entertainment is constantly coming through CIA, and the Cinemaque shows classic, and experimental films every weekend. CIA also goes to laser tag regularly, thought the spaces are limited, as is the annual trip to Cedar Point.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
I looked at more traditional campuses, such as RIT up in New York, but decided on CIA because of the attitude of the representatives. They were professional, but laid back at the same time. They got the job done but had fun doing it, and that is the best way to describe my experience so far. The work has been challenging, but the time I spent doing it was some of the best years of my life.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
This campus is for the student who wants to be creative or expresse themselves. Now that is for two different types of people. To expresse oneself is to be more of a fine artist, who want to do gallery paintings, look for the meaning of the world in a sculpture, or challenge established social protocols.
The creative people are the ones who are interested in drawing up new worlds to be expressed in the forms of animation, film, or game design. These people are good at coming up with ideas about how to do something for a specific task, rather than looking for meaning in an abstract sense.
Either way, you need to be able to juggle multiple projects at once and be able to work well under pressure, as deadlines tend to sneak up on you if you are not careful.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
We are a small campus, so clubs tend to be tightly woven together. Usually there isn't more than a dozen in a club, but they tend to be more devoted to arts in some way. Artists for Christ is an example of this.
Another club is Game Club, whose sole purpose is to get gamers together, and shoot at aliens. If it's large enough, the club also competes against Case teams in competitive multiplayer tournaments, usually for a large trophy.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
It exists, but in a roundabout way. CIA only has about 500 students at any given time. So our greek life is piggybacked onto CASE's. We are allowed to join any one of them.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
There are campus police patrolling University Circle 24/7, and each of our buildings have several guards more than willing to protect each one of the students in any way they can.
The Cleveland Institute of Art is a very unorthodox campus. Its students are varied and unique, and not afraid to let their true personalities shine.
I would definitely recommend you go in with a portfolio. Around a dozen different pieces as a minimum. Its not required, but it helps a lot. Because the practices and projects are more professional than any art project you did in high school, you will end up being taught almost from the ground up. Be prepared to force yourself to break habits that may have been accepted in high school. Critiques are a major part of each project. That being said, they can be quite painful to listen to. Just remember that they are meant to help improve your piece. It may sound hurtful, but they are actually a blessing in disguise.
You will be pushed. There are only five classes per semester, but each there are two different types. The first is liberal arts. These include your history and writing/reading courses. They meet two times a week, and last for an hour and fifteen minutes each. The real work comes from the studio classes. These only meet once a week, but you are in the class room for the entire day. Usually starting at 9:30, you work until noon, then meet again at 2:00 and go until 4:30. A nice break, the homework is usually the activity of the night. On top of that, projects tend to be due around the same time in multiple classes, and the liberal arts can be before or after the studio classes, resulting in a long day. The trade off is worth it. You are allowed to work on anything you want, so long as the project meets the requirements. Professors are helpful, insightful, and many times, the assignments are enjoyable. Making a full length movie is a lot more fun than writing a 50 page paper for a final.
As a commuter, I cannot comment on this portion as much as one who has lived on campus, but I have visited them, as I have many friends who do live there. It's rooms are average, a desk and a bed for each roommate, four floors, about 20 rooms per floor.
There campus dining hall is huge. Three floors, buffet style kitchen, lots of ice cream and plenty of options to choose from. But there are better places to go. You are right next door to Little Italy. A dozen Italian bistros line the streets, all original recipes and incredible atmosphere. Parks, outdoor dining, bars( if you're old enough) and probably the best pizza place in Cleveland, Mama Santas. Mm. Old clay oven baked, not too greasy, lots of cheese, and a dozen slices. If Italian isn't your thing, there are other options. University Circle is another hot spot for food, and it isn't lacking in options. Sushi can be enjoyed at the new arrival Accent, and Chipotlle and Qdoba have all your taco and burrito cravings covered. Coffee shops are plentiful, as are sandwich shops like Subway and Jimmy Johns. And that's just between E117 and Mayfield Road.
At CIA, there is always something to look forward to. The Halloween party is excellent. (Unsurprisingly, the costumes are always top notch) Inter school challenges like Zombies is always a ton of fun. This is a competition around halloween where students from Case, CIA and the Cleveland Institute of Music all try to survive a nerf based zombie apocalypse. Live entertainment is constantly coming through CIA, and the Cinemaque shows classic, and experimental films every weekend. CIA also goes to laser tag regularly, thought the spaces are limited, as is the annual trip to Cedar Point.
I looked at more traditional campuses, such as RIT up in New York, but decided on CIA because of the attitude of the representatives. They were professional, but laid back at the same time. They got the job done but had fun doing it, and that is the best way to describe my experience so far. The work has been challenging, but the time I spent doing it was some of the best years of my life.
This campus is for the student who wants to be creative or expresse themselves. Now that is for two different types of people. To expresse oneself is to be more of a fine artist, who want to do gallery paintings, look for the meaning of the world in a sculpture, or challenge established social protocols. The creative people are the ones who are interested in drawing up new worlds to be expressed in the forms of animation, film, or game design. These people are good at coming up with ideas about how to do something for a specific task, rather than looking for meaning in an abstract sense. Either way, you need to be able to juggle multiple projects at once and be able to work well under pressure, as deadlines tend to sneak up on you if you are not careful.
We are a small campus, so clubs tend to be tightly woven together. Usually there isn't more than a dozen in a club, but they tend to be more devoted to arts in some way. Artists for Christ is an example of this. Another club is Game Club, whose sole purpose is to get gamers together, and shoot at aliens. If it's large enough, the club also competes against Case teams in competitive multiplayer tournaments, usually for a large trophy.
It exists, but in a roundabout way. CIA only has about 500 students at any given time. So our greek life is piggybacked onto CASE's. We are allowed to join any one of them.
There are campus police patrolling University Circle 24/7, and each of our buildings have several guards more than willing to protect each one of the students in any way they can.