I have attended SAIC for two years in my 30's after working for about 10 years. Originally I went to Berkeley for an 80% verbal- 20% quantitative/scientific education. My Berkeley education was heavily dependent upon my own ambition and initiative and my SAIC education was doubly so. The cliche it is what you make of it is something that all successful SAIC students learn to their marrow. You can easily coast through this school on a flood of bullshit if you so desire, and take only the least demanding classes. You can also work so hard and get so much from the teachers that you won't have to do anything but art all your waking hours.
The teachers can't make you a good artist, but by and large they say very helpful things and are very good at tailoring their feedback to your skill and motivation level. They are generally just what they should be- very good at talking about art. By and large they are not great artists themselves, but rarely are they complete frauds. As someone who was trained in verbal analysis, I have often marveled at how adept many of my teachers are at talking intelligently. Yes, they will find something nice to say about crappy work just to socially lubricate a critique, but this is exactly what is called for, in my opinion. Perhaps they should remind everyone at the beginning of every class that it is very unlikely that any one of the students will ever be a professional artist. This is so blindingly obvious that it rarely gets acknowledged.
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
The main flaw with the School is that it is located downtown in a high rent district, so it has no extra space. It has no student center or hang-out space other than a small cafeteria. Its studio space is taken up by classes from 9am to 9pm, so there is little opportunity to just work alongside fellow students during these hours without being enrolled in a class, unless you are accepted into the Advanced _ class in a particular discipline, in which case you get a small personal space among others like you.
It is easy to be lonely at SAIC. I would recommend living in the dorms for at least a year to help you make friends, although this did me little good as a somewhat reclusive and older student. There are few social glue personalities at SAIC, and they are often obnoxious. If you are a social misfit when you enter SAIC, you will most likely be a social misfit when you come out. That said, most people seem to find enough friends to make the experience tolerable, at least after the (usually painful) freshman year.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
Expensive, but adequate financial aid is available.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Most people would probably be better served in their personal and intellectual development by going to a real school and working hard at a discipline more closely related to what is generally considered practical. You should face the fact that it is extremely unlikely that you will ever be a professional artist, and that you will be lucky to find a job that truly utilizes the visual skills you learn at SAIC. Many graduates have this hammered home to them only after they graduate and find out that the world won't cater to their narcissistic tendencies. You will likely have a considerable amount of debt and be challenged in finding a way to pay it off comfortably.
With that in mind, you could still get a lot out of going here. Just don't expect to be pampered forever:)
Which types of students will excel at your college?
Dedicated artists and spoiled children who don't want to go to real school.
I have attended SAIC for two years in my 30's after working for about 10 years. Originally I went to Berkeley for an 80% verbal- 20% quantitative/scientific education. My Berkeley education was heavily dependent upon my own ambition and initiative and my SAIC education was doubly so. The cliche it is what you make of it is something that all successful SAIC students learn to their marrow. You can easily coast through this school on a flood of bullshit if you so desire, and take only the least demanding classes. You can also work so hard and get so much from the teachers that you won't have to do anything but art all your waking hours. The teachers can't make you a good artist, but by and large they say very helpful things and are very good at tailoring their feedback to your skill and motivation level. They are generally just what they should be- very good at talking about art. By and large they are not great artists themselves, but rarely are they complete frauds. As someone who was trained in verbal analysis, I have often marveled at how adept many of my teachers are at talking intelligently. Yes, they will find something nice to say about crappy work just to socially lubricate a critique, but this is exactly what is called for, in my opinion. Perhaps they should remind everyone at the beginning of every class that it is very unlikely that any one of the students will ever be a professional artist. This is so blindingly obvious that it rarely gets acknowledged.
The main flaw with the School is that it is located downtown in a high rent district, so it has no extra space. It has no student center or hang-out space other than a small cafeteria. Its studio space is taken up by classes from 9am to 9pm, so there is little opportunity to just work alongside fellow students during these hours without being enrolled in a class, unless you are accepted into the Advanced _ class in a particular discipline, in which case you get a small personal space among others like you. It is easy to be lonely at SAIC. I would recommend living in the dorms for at least a year to help you make friends, although this did me little good as a somewhat reclusive and older student. There are few social glue personalities at SAIC, and they are often obnoxious. If you are a social misfit when you enter SAIC, you will most likely be a social misfit when you come out. That said, most people seem to find enough friends to make the experience tolerable, at least after the (usually painful) freshman year.
Expensive, but adequate financial aid is available.
Most people would probably be better served in their personal and intellectual development by going to a real school and working hard at a discipline more closely related to what is generally considered practical. You should face the fact that it is extremely unlikely that you will ever be a professional artist, and that you will be lucky to find a job that truly utilizes the visual skills you learn at SAIC. Many graduates have this hammered home to them only after they graduate and find out that the world won't cater to their narcissistic tendencies. You will likely have a considerable amount of debt and be challenged in finding a way to pay it off comfortably. With that in mind, you could still get a lot out of going here. Just don't expect to be pampered forever:)
Dedicated artists and spoiled children who don't want to go to real school.