Reviews
Pratt Institute-Main
Kanisorn from BROOKLYN, NY
a current student here
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Am learning a lot
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I am a freshman foundation student; most students are required to take the same foundation classes except if you're an architecture, photo or fashion major. Although that might sound boring and unnecessary, it really is. I've learnt more about art than I could imagine in one semester. Drawing class is really a stress for me because I'm not much of a technical drawer; however, I've improved immensely. Drawing skills are one of the most important skills necessary even if you are going into the digital world; most work start from actual hand-drawn work. Also, LCD or light, colour, and design class is fun. I've learnt how to see colours and how to make them effective. In addition, you also get to learn their technical names. 3D class teaches you how to visualise and create a three dimensional object that is interesting and could maybe even be sold, if you're interesting in industrial design. Most students love 4D because we are in a technology age and most students are very good with computers. Then there's English and art history--the required courses. I can't say they are my favourite, but I've learnt a lot, especially in art history, and really, that class is VERY important.
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Am enjoying being here
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The campus is really awestruck. The people are really nice. Convenient to get around, but the G train... well, that has nothing to do with the school... And the food? not bad but not great.
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Bang for the buck
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A little too expensive, but the professors are experienced, and many have taught in other prestigious institutions like Parsons or RISD. Most are also practicing artists. The equipments are quite high tech. As for buildings, they are old and lacking elevators; however, they are aesthetically beautiful. Also, Pratt is the biggest sculpture garden in NYC, so that's worth it. Also, being a Pratt student allow certain advantages such as entering museums for free.
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Tips for prospective students
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Get ready to work hard. Work really stack up, but yeah, party hard too. Also, must be responsible and take everything seriously. Late work is really not tolerable and crap work is even worse.
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Great for these types of students
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An art lover.
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Jeremy from Rochester, NY
a current student here
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Am learning a lot
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I transfered here at the beginning of my junior year from their upstate campus in Utica NY, PRATTMWP. I am a currently a junior in the Communications Design department, Major : Graphic Design. I find that the teachers at the main institute in Brooklyn are fantastic. A lot of them are very successful in the fields they are teaching. It's good to know because they have real world experience and can help you understand what it is actually like and what to expect after college.
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Am enjoying being here
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There are long nights and you're often working much after normal people would go to sleep. But that's how it is with an art school, and it's nice to know that almost everyone is doing the same. It keeps the competition healthy and your work good.
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Bang for the buck
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Depending on how good you are is depending on how much you're getting your money's worth. Although I feel like I am learning more and more everyday, I almost feel if you are talented enough you could try finding internships and making your way in the design world that way. Going to school will get you the technical skills to help prepare you if you don't have them. Yet I feel that if you are creative enough you might be able to do well on your own by just looking for opportunities in the companies and fields you want to go into. If taking that route, it probably wouldn't hurt to just take a class or two each semester if you aren't thinking about full-time.
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Tips for prospective students
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Visit the campus. It's really a nice place to be. Also, look up all the teachers for the department you're thinking about majoring in and their work. This will be very helpful in determining if there are teachers that can help you grow in the areas that you need. Also look up the instructors in other departments and the classes that are offered. There are some interesting courses like the Circus class or the Harry Potter class.
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Great for these types of students
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I think that this is a great place for students who want to learn a lot of technical and basic skills [this is based on the comd department]. It's also good for those who may be more advanced because there are teachers that are very challenging. Most of the professors are still working and have many connections and if you're good enough, they are more than happy to help you out finding opportunities for work life during and after college.
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Odette from Mclean, VA
a current student here
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Am learning a lot
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I just completed the freshman foundation year for the school of Art and Design (the required classes vary between schools); and though I have yet to take any major specific classes(Jewelry and Metal-smithing), my understanding of the art world and my abilities within it have been greatly enhanced.
At Pratt, students are taught the importance of form, light, colour, space and material; and are encouraged to push boundaries and develop as many skill sets as possible. In the short time that I have attended I feel my work has already become more forward thinking and better executed. |
Am enjoying being here
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There is so much to learn from the excellent teachers and staff. The campus is beautiful and constantly has new artworks on view, both from students and professionals. The proximity to the city is ideal because you can experience the rush and drive of Manhattan, and still return to Brooklyn for a calmer more eclectic atmosphere. The Brooklyn Bridge is only a 45 minute walk from the main gate and the Brooklyn Museum and Botanical Garden are even closer. Pratt offers a really creative and active community that is truly inspiring. As crazy as the workload is the social interactions make attending Pratt worth it.
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Bang for the buck
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The level of education and quality of the teachers are fantastic but the administration is not always as organized as it ought to be.
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Tips for prospective students
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If you plan on attending Pratt remember not to doubt yourself. Your work will come out a lot better if you are self-driven and do not constantly compare your work to that of the students around you. The ability to hold onto your individuality will help you stand out.
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Great for these types of students
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Students who are creative and want to be challenged. Students who love art and could not live without it.
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Alex from Atlanta, GA
accepted here and planning to attend soon
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In three sentences
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Pratt has everything you'd like to experience from an art college. From a gorgeous campus to incredible students and staff, everything they offer is once in a lifetime. Just seeing the campus and knowing I'll be attending there next year is the stuff of dreams.
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Tips for prospective students
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Research and prepare! Attend National Portfolio and get your portfolio reviewed, email admissions people, visit the campus. Just try to show you're interested and keep your grades up while having a strong portfolio. They look at the big picture as I was told, so if your GPA is lacking try to make up for it with your ACT/SAT scores and your portfolio! They won't cut you down because one part of your transcript isn't the best.
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Academic Rigor
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I have several friends who are current students there and they have to work really hard. It's a ranked art school and it's not easy. The teachers assign the work and the students need to finish it. You've gotta be prepared for a lot of work done very rapidly but high quality. The teachers are your friends and they want to help but don't use their kindness as a crutch.
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Dorm Life
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After touring and knowing people who live there, the dorms are pretty nice. Some have perks others don't, like separate toilets. It all depends where you get placed but in general I've been told it's really nice. There's a communal area for people to hang out and watch TV and just work away from your room as to not disturb your roommate in the wee hours of the morning. The whole set of dorms give off a really inviting and inspiring vibe. Try to tour to see if coed and their set ups are your thing.
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Food and Dining
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The food outside of campus is expensive (no surprise; New York City). The food in the cafeteria is pretty decent and from what I can tell it won't kill you.
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What to do for fun
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There's drag shows, shopping, clubbing, parks, parties, and the work you do! Sure all of the amazing things NYC offers are right at your fingertips (The G train will be your friend), just remember that art is fun itself!
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Bang for the buck
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I don't know about everyone, but I was offered an incredible merit scholarship and of course it doesn't cover everything, but most of it is covered. Try to get as many scholarships as possible because in the long run it helps a lot, especially because New York is so expensive.
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Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
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Cats, cats everywhere.
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Great for these types of students
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Open minded, fun, artistic, inquisitive, and all around amazing!
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Clubs and Activities
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From what I hear, the Queer community is very active at Pratt! They're also a Division III school and even though that's not Division I, they still have competitive athletics for the art kids who enjoy that sort of thing.
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Greek Life
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Pretty minimal and not by any means required, but those who join love it and you build a great community because of the Greek system.
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Campus Safety
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Security is everywhere, day and night. There're also cops out all the time and you have to show your I.D. after certain hours. No idea on the crime situation but I guess that's a good thing.
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Hannah from Fort Worth, TX
a past student here
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Did learn a lot
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The foundation program at Pratt offers the artist the chance to explore a multitude of different mediums and ways of thinking. Every first year student takes 4 studio classes 6 hours long once a week. You also take an Art History and English course both semesters. While the work was tedious, time consuming, and stressful, it was well worth the trouble. You are granted a certain level of creative freedom in these classes, some more than others, but don't expect all coceptual courses. Foundation year focuses on developing good technical skill and a basic knowledge base. My professors in the most part were, relatable, and quite informative, and very knowledgable. Most students hate the 3 hour long art history lectures, they are boring and long, but in retrospect I see the value.
If you put the work into it, foundation year will push you and make you grow as an artist. |
Did enjoy being here
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Being in the city is great, but the campus is a real campus, the size of a city block. You get the best of both worlds. There is a sculpture Garden, well maintained lawns and beautiful old brick buildings that make up the campus. And all the resources and activities of the city are right at your fingertips.
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Bang for the buck
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An art school in the city is going to expensive, very very expensive. Get a scholarship if at all possible. The experience is great and well worth it if you can find the means to pay for it.
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Tips for prospective students
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Learn to sleep less and drink more coffee. Work hard, don't fall behind, be tight with your money (city=expensive), make friends quick, respect your professors, don't skip class ( you can only miss 2 each semester )
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SIERRA from Belleville, MI
a current student here
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In three sentences
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An inviting environment with a curriculum that will push all your boundaries at abilities. Pratt encourages a student to try new things and not be afraid to take a risk. One with a creative mind and the drive to make it in the bustling city should definitely apply here.
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Tips for prospective students
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Do your assignments a few days before they are due, that way you can look over your work and fix things you may have missed the first time. Time management is everything, you will get quiet a few projects at once and if you don't work out a smart schedule you'll find yourself falling behind.
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Academic Rigor
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The assignments challenge you to give your best at whatever you do and are focused on the major you have selected.
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Dorm Life
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Every dorm has it's flaws, but the Residential Advisers are friendly and helpful, the rooms are spacious enough for two people- or four if you live in Willoughby or ELJ- and the wardrobes offer enough room to keep all of your clothing (and if they don't you have four drawers as well.) The dorms live conveniently close enough to classes and food that you'll never be late or too hungry- unless you choose not to go.
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Food and Dining
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While the grocery store on campus can get a bit expensive (it's New York, what do you expect) and some of the food in the cafeteria comes a little under or over cooked, there is a wide selection for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacking, and drinking, one could go days before they've tried everything. They even have choices for vegans and vegetarians and if you aren't in the mood for campus food there are plenty of restaurants right off campus.
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What to do for fun
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Pratt offers several clubs and activities to give yourself a break from classes, assignments, and exams. One could join Greek life, civil rights activists, gay rights activists or the feminist, illustration, comic book, animation, or juggling club. There's a gym open for students that has yoga and Zumba classes among others. Sports teams include volley ball and basketball mainly. The student union is also always boasting a new activity to come to like movie nights, block parties, puppy petting, dinner nights, rock climbing, and art sales or shows. The library even stays open incredibly late the week of final exams so those late night study students can get the sources they need and also relax with a cup of coffee or tea.
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Bang for the buck
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As expensive a school as Pratt is (tuition on average is 27,000 per semester), the money is definitely worth it. Things that are broken are fixed within the week, communal bathrooms and the cafeteria room are cleaned daily. The school is constantly upgrading it's buildings and equipment to the best for it's students and the campus is always catered to. The teachers are friendly and help to build you up as an artist, architect, or author and the classes will always teach you something new and important.
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Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
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While Halloween tends to be a time for people to dress up and scantily clad or humorous outfits, Pratt takes it to a whole new level. Every year Pratt holds a costume contest that student, especially Interior Design and Fashion majors, take to heart. Costumes are full body and can include intricate make-up designs, attached parts to the person, and even props that move or light up.
The campus also has it's own little club of cats, known as the Pratt Cats that live in the East hall and are taken care of by one of the mechanics. People often do projects that include these cats and not a soul on campus treats the cats with malice or resentment. |
Great for these types of students
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Anyone who prefers to use their right side of their brain over the left. That means painters, drawers, designers, writers, jewelers, film makers, illustrators, animators, architects, and art history buffs. Unfortunately, musicians and actors would have a bit of trouble in this school as they do not offer these majors... yet.
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Clubs and Activities
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As mentioned above their are plenty of clubs and activities to join. For those looking to debate we have civil rights, woman's rights, and gay rights clubs. Those looking for a little less arguing and something more creative, most majors also offer a club to meet people who have the same interests as you. Looking for a little more zaniness? Pratt often has a juggling club. The more athletic could also join the basketball or volley ball team.
The student union is often putting on activities to give students a break ranging from things like trips to the more famous places in NYC or if you need to unwind during exams they have a day set just for petting soft, adorable, little puppies |
Greek Life
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Though I'm not actually a part of the Greek life, friends who are a part of it love it. The bigs are incredibly nice to the littles; my friends big even gave her little a boquet of flowers a couple weeks after they met. The fraternities throw parties to help support finding the cure to things like cancer and autism. Once they even threw a gender party. The frats and sororities are a close knit bunch that love to help out their community and people in need.
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Campus Safety
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For starters, the entire campus is surrounded by a big, black, wrought iron gate. Most entrances need a student or teacher ID to get in, but there are three places that anyone can get in during the day because the campus has an art garden that people like to visit and parents like to bring their children. This is a safety threat, though, because every dorm and building, including the just off campus Higgins- the building where most architecture classes and studios are- Hall, have a security desk where one has to either show or swipe their ID to prove residency. Even then, if a student is going from one dorm to another they have to have security open the door for them because their ID only opens their dorm door.
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Jessica from Brooklyn, NY
a current student here
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Academic Rigor
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I had put together my portfolio on my own because my high school did not help me at all. But Pratt has been so helpful in just this past month I can't believe it. The classes are so amazing I wasn't expecting to be learning so much in my freshman year.
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Am enjoying being here
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Everyone is really friendly and the campus is very safe and beautiful. I am so happy here.
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Bang for the buck
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It may be expensive, but there are so many opportunities for financial aid. All you have to do is look and work for them.
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Tips for prospective students
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If you want to go here, you'll have to work. You will be working a lot, the classes are pretty long compared to other colleges, and the work loads are heavy but it is completely worth it if you really want it.
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Great for these types of students
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Hard workers who are completely serious about their art and will take any job on campus that is necessary to continue their education.
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Amanda from Glenmont, NY
researching this school
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Will learn a lot
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When i visited Pratt in Brooklyn i was late for the regular group tour, i was worried that this would reflect badly on me but ithe effect was quite the opposite. A student from the fine arts major took me and my mother on a personal and much more intuitive tour. I met several professors and even got to sit in on a few classes. Pratt has a great community/environment for learning. Especially the library.
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Will enjoy being here
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Should i end up attending Pratt i believe i will immensely enjoy being a student there, the campus is the largest sculpture garden in New York City, it's got these historically and aesthetically beautiful buildings, cherry blossoms (i think) and it really is the country in the city.
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Bang for the buck
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Pratt is really expensive for someone like me, my family is already drowning in debt from my mothers two college loans and the fact that my father is losing his job and i just can't leave my parents stranded. If my financial situation was different i would do it for sure. But for someone with the money it's worth it. The curriculum is phenomenal and worth the money.
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Tips for prospective students
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Make sure your portfolio is in tip top shape, also make sure you are ready for nonstop work, and competition. this is a school that make you or break you. Be prepared for real critics and critiques, because Pratt is the real deal, the gateway into the world of art.
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Great for these types of students
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Hard working dedicated, creative thinkers will fit in very well in Pratt. learn to look at problems from different perspectives and points of veiw because it will help to try things differently. Don't get stuck in a rut, you have to keep producing and keep it fresh.
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Anthony from Brooklyn, NY
a current student here
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Am learning a lot
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Foundation year helps make a young artist more aware about certain aspect of the creation process in art. You are exposed to techniques and concepts you may not have considered or even known. I learned to draw more accurately, manipulate color to push or pull subjects in my works, use negative space more effectively... I could go on and on... It was an experience. I can't wait for the next year to begin.
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Am enjoying being here
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The atmosphere of the student body is welcoming. Everyone is inspired and driven to be Great artist. Not good but Great! We all pull from one another and help us all to improve our own talents. It's like we are all one big artistic family...
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Bang for the buck
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I will most definitely be in debt by the time I graduate. But with all that you learn and the lifetime access to career services, you are basically guaranteed a successful career. And the people you meet here are the world's best! Professors and students alike. The connections made here will last you a lifetime.
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Tips for prospective students
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Stay on task from the jump start. Do not underestimate art school. It will work you to the breaking point and beyond. But you will see the growth. Put your all in everything you do. And do your best to stay awake during art history lectures.
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Great for these types of students
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Aspiring artist, achitects, and writers.
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will from Acton, MA
a current student here
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Am learning a lot
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Pratt architecture school started with a intense program for the freshman, in order to shape down the number of architecture students to the only tough, smart potential designers. Instead of just learning n listening to professors in classes and lectures, we keep designing, building and failing. we learn through the mistakes we make, everyday, there is a challenge that we need to solve. Moreover, school knows the competitiveness of the society, professors instead of continuously complementing us, they criticize, give comments and most importantly lead us to the key of solving such problem. We always fail, but from that we learn faster, and become tougher. And ready for the society when we come out.
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Am enjoying being here
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each student is assigned with a studio with a bunch of other students. Over the months we become a family, we help each other, comments on others, learning together. Those overnighters are days that we dont forget, we share our feeling, yet also compete with each other. we love each other. you really make great friends there in that stressful, emotional, creative space.
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Bang for the buck
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As an art school, we always have to pay for the materials, that part s always an bang for the buck. but its worth it, the day u finished ur model. u will know that feeling of worthiness
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Tips for prospective students
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COming to this school, u have to learn u are not the best...yet. you will fail.... a lot, but u will learn, u will be with the most passionate people about ur field. Just always look onto the postive side. there is always to solve a problem any kind of problems
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Great for these types of students
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a designer, perfectionist,creative, competitive, artistic, hardworking, socialized, hardworking yet also loves partying.
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