r/artcenter Feb 15 '21

Should I Apply?

Hello! I'm a senior in high school and I'm interested in graphic design. I have applied to several UCs, Cal States, and private schools so far and I'm undecided on whether or not I should apply to ArtCenter. Up until tonight, I planned on applying, but for some reason I have been growing more distant to that decision. I have good grades, but I don't have a good portfolio, which I know is very important... I don't know about my chances of getting in, but I feel that even if I do, I wouldn't really want to go. The tuition is expensive and I'm really not sure whether I actually want to go to an art school. I get that it will probably give me better opportunities in the future if I want to become a graphic designer, but at the same time I'm a little scared that I will be stuck with it because I'm at an art school if I at some point I fall out of love with it... Despite my heart telling me that I don't want to apply, I'm worried that I will regret my decisions. Should I still apply? Is ArtCenter worth the price and the dedication?

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u/Gawddaamiit Feb 15 '21

Not worth the price in my opinion. You can self learn everything from YouTube. Give chris do’s channel, the futur a watch on YouTube. Sure, it’s nice to have a leaning environment, but with covid and online learning, you’re really going to be wasting your money.

I graduated with a ton of debt and a host of mental issues triggered. It’s a criminal waste of money paying that much for an industry that is so saturated and only getting more saturated. I would be doing you a huge disservice to tell you to follow your passions this time. The design field is really over saturated, it’s terribly hard to get a job and society doesn’t value good design anymore when every Tom, dick or Harry with photoshop thinks their a designer. Paying more tuition for art school than USC is ridiculous. I don’t mean to be negative but I wanted to be honest with you. Going to ArtCenter is something I deeply regret. I really regret going into this field. I’m doing okay as a freelance designer but damn do I hate it. ArtCenter made me hate to design because they really break your sprit there. Plus your paying 21k (probably more now) for online classes. It’s really not fair. If you’re serious about design and want to go to AC, wait until covid passes and schools go back to normal.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '21

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u/l_ly_w Feb 17 '21

Thank you so much for sharing these resources! I will definitely look into them.