Interdisciplinary, major-less environment. Tons of opportunities. Very conceptual and design-y.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Attend an SAIC day and have a portfolio review! Simply by doing this, your application fee will be waived and you may be considered as a prime candidate for a merit scholarship. All applicants are automatically considered for these scholarships, but this will give you a leg up on the competition. In your portfolio, focus on concepts and experimentation rather than technical skill. SAIC is very concept-heavy and loves when students take risks. Don't bring a car! Parking in a city is always brutal, there is a train directly next to the school, and taking it is far cheaper than the cost of a car.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
SAIC doesn't have majors. Can't decide on what to study? Do it all! This school encourages students to combine disciplines in all their classes and make connections between different areas of creation. SAIC also doesn't have grades. All courses are pass / fail (credit / no credit). SAIC is not a competitive environment like RISD. If you want to work with others, but don't want to compete with them, this place is for you. SAIC is great for people who want to study design areas and art technology, but it's not very fine-arts heavy. Very conceptual subjects, particularly the fashion department.
Fiber and Material Studies students have access to floor looms, TC-1 and TC-2 Digital Jacquard Looms, sewing and knitting machines, dye and screen printing facilities, feltmaking equipment, and a computer lab. Visual Communication Design department facilities include large screen monitors, resource room, fully equipped letterpress and type shop, SAIC Service Bureau -providing binding, papers, and large format printing- and graduate studios. Contemporary Practices department for first year students has an instructional shop with hand and floor-mounted power tools staffed by technicians to provide advice and training, and a Media Center to check out tools and equipment reserved exclusively for Contemporary Practices students. For Film, Art&Tech, and Sound, highlights of specialized equipment specific to media departments include advanced HD editing suites, shooting studios, green screen cyclorama studio, space for the creation of experimental virtual reality environments, high-end graphics labs for 3D modeling and animation, high-quality analog and digital mixers, and rare signal processors. SAIC's sculpture department features digital fabrication areas, a woodshop, metal shop, foundry, mold-making shop, 3D visualization, and outdoor organic garden, facilitating site-based projects, metal casting, mold-making, figure studies, sustainable and science-related projects. Cerami...
Describe the dorm life at your college.
SAIC dorms are amazing, but expensive! Housing is around $10K a year, I think. Regardless, the price is right. The dorms are very, very spacious and each include a private bathroom with shower, a kitchenette, and cool loft bed options. There's lots of open-24/7 studio space in each building. The buildings have computer/printer labs and lots of washer-dryers which text you when finished! Common areas include a spray room, painting studios, media room, computer lounge, solarium, and spaces to study. SAIC makes it easy to find good off-campus housing, which is cheaper and more available in Chicago than in New York, for example. Students have a roommate-swap every few months, during which students dissatisfied with their roommates can meet with other members of the residence hall and meet new potential roommates. Dorms are very close to campus (about a 5 minute walk) and therefore close to the public transport.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
If you live on campus, meal plans ARE mandatory. If you like the cafeteria food, great! If you don't like the cafeteria food, this can be an annoying waste of money. The food is pretty mediocre and way overpriced. If you live off campus, there are plenty of places to eat around the city. It's easy to find a quick bite. Near the school is a falafel and shawarma place called the Naf Naf Grill. It's great! SAIC provides options for vegetarian and vegan students (although the options can get tiring day after day) and also makes sure to accommodate students with allergies and religious dietary restrictions.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
Lots of stuff to do around the city. At Millennium Park and Maggie Daley Park, which are directly adjacent, there is ice skating in the winter, public art, concerts, playgrounds and beautiful gardens. SAIC has several student galleries, and you can always go to the actual Art Institute, which is free for students.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
SAIC is one of the most expensive art schools on the market, but they are very generous with financial aid. I attended an SAIC event and they waived my application fee. I also received a merit scholarship for my portfolio worth about $71.5 thousand. Say what?! SAIC students get the advantage of a "U-Pass" that allows students to use Chicago transportation for much less (saving about $200 a year on transport). This school has a ton of extremely expensive and high-quality technology that most students are allowed to use regardless of whether they are enrolled in the course, including animation and recording suites, darkrooms, cameras, puppet studios, etc. Museum admission is free and students get exclusive hands-on access to collections not on display. Additionally, SAIC is really on top of internships, which are required and not very competitive (more internships than students). Job connections after graduation are also very good, I hear.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
Foundry in the basement of the museum. Really cool!
Which types of students will excel at your college?
People who are interested in lots of different areas of art study and can't decide on a major; want a free, interdisciplinary environment; are interested in design areas such as communications design and fashion design; function well in the city; don't mind bad weather.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
Lots of clubs, communities, organizations, zines, and broadcasting networks for students to join. You probably won't have time, though, so I doubt many people are really invested in their extracurricular activities.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
None.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
Very safe. I know, it's a city, and Chicago can be seen as dangerous, but SAIC is in a very safe part of Chicago. You need a student or faculty ID to enter campus buildings and have to sign in with security every time you enter a dorm. Security take their jobs very seriously and are friendly / willing to help out. Theft is usually the only crime students should worry about, but that can be easily avoided with common sense measures like simply using locks and keeping track of your things.
Interdisciplinary, major-less environment. Tons of opportunities. Very conceptual and design-y.
Attend an SAIC day and have a portfolio review! Simply by doing this, your application fee will be waived and you may be considered as a prime candidate for a merit scholarship. All applicants are automatically considered for these scholarships, but this will give you a leg up on the competition. In your portfolio, focus on concepts and experimentation rather than technical skill. SAIC is very concept-heavy and loves when students take risks. Don't bring a car! Parking in a city is always brutal, there is a train directly next to the school, and taking it is far cheaper than the cost of a car.
SAIC doesn't have majors. Can't decide on what to study? Do it all! This school encourages students to combine disciplines in all their classes and make connections between different areas of creation. SAIC also doesn't have grades. All courses are pass / fail (credit / no credit). SAIC is not a competitive environment like RISD. If you want to work with others, but don't want to compete with them, this place is for you. SAIC is great for people who want to study design areas and art technology, but it's not very fine-arts heavy. Very conceptual subjects, particularly the fashion department. Fiber and Material Studies students have access to floor looms, TC-1 and TC-2 Digital Jacquard Looms, sewing and knitting machines, dye and screen printing facilities, feltmaking equipment, and a computer lab. Visual Communication Design department facilities include large screen monitors, resource room, fully equipped letterpress and type shop, SAIC Service Bureau -providing binding, papers, and large format printing- and graduate studios. Contemporary Practices department for first year students has an instructional shop with hand and floor-mounted power tools staffed by technicians to provide advice and training, and a Media Center to check out tools and equipment reserved exclusively for Contemporary Practices students. For Film, Art&Tech, and Sound, highlights of specialized equipment specific to media departments include advanced HD editing suites, shooting studios, green screen cyclorama studio, space for the creation of experimental virtual reality environments, high-end graphics labs for 3D modeling and animation, high-quality analog and digital mixers, and rare signal processors. SAIC's sculpture department features digital fabrication areas, a woodshop, metal shop, foundry, mold-making shop, 3D visualization, and outdoor organic garden, facilitating site-based projects, metal casting, mold-making, figure studies, sustainable and science-related projects. Cerami...
SAIC dorms are amazing, but expensive! Housing is around $10K a year, I think. Regardless, the price is right. The dorms are very, very spacious and each include a private bathroom with shower, a kitchenette, and cool loft bed options. There's lots of open-24/7 studio space in each building. The buildings have computer/printer labs and lots of washer-dryers which text you when finished! Common areas include a spray room, painting studios, media room, computer lounge, solarium, and spaces to study. SAIC makes it easy to find good off-campus housing, which is cheaper and more available in Chicago than in New York, for example. Students have a roommate-swap every few months, during which students dissatisfied with their roommates can meet with other members of the residence hall and meet new potential roommates. Dorms are very close to campus (about a 5 minute walk) and therefore close to the public transport.
If you live on campus, meal plans ARE mandatory. If you like the cafeteria food, great! If you don't like the cafeteria food, this can be an annoying waste of money. The food is pretty mediocre and way overpriced. If you live off campus, there are plenty of places to eat around the city. It's easy to find a quick bite. Near the school is a falafel and shawarma place called the Naf Naf Grill. It's great! SAIC provides options for vegetarian and vegan students (although the options can get tiring day after day) and also makes sure to accommodate students with allergies and religious dietary restrictions.
Lots of stuff to do around the city. At Millennium Park and Maggie Daley Park, which are directly adjacent, there is ice skating in the winter, public art, concerts, playgrounds and beautiful gardens. SAIC has several student galleries, and you can always go to the actual Art Institute, which is free for students.
SAIC is one of the most expensive art schools on the market, but they are very generous with financial aid. I attended an SAIC event and they waived my application fee. I also received a merit scholarship for my portfolio worth about $71.5 thousand. Say what?! SAIC students get the advantage of a "U-Pass" that allows students to use Chicago transportation for much less (saving about $200 a year on transport). This school has a ton of extremely expensive and high-quality technology that most students are allowed to use regardless of whether they are enrolled in the course, including animation and recording suites, darkrooms, cameras, puppet studios, etc. Museum admission is free and students get exclusive hands-on access to collections not on display. Additionally, SAIC is really on top of internships, which are required and not very competitive (more internships than students). Job connections after graduation are also very good, I hear.
Foundry in the basement of the museum. Really cool!
People who are interested in lots of different areas of art study and can't decide on a major; want a free, interdisciplinary environment; are interested in design areas such as communications design and fashion design; function well in the city; don't mind bad weather.
Lots of clubs, communities, organizations, zines, and broadcasting networks for students to join. You probably won't have time, though, so I doubt many people are really invested in their extracurricular activities.
None.
Very safe. I know, it's a city, and Chicago can be seen as dangerous, but SAIC is in a very safe part of Chicago. You need a student or faculty ID to enter campus buildings and have to sign in with security every time you enter a dorm. Security take their jobs very seriously and are friendly / willing to help out. Theft is usually the only crime students should worry about, but that can be easily avoided with common sense measures like simply using locks and keeping track of your things.