Read THIS Before Going To A Private Art School
I have very strong opinions and most of the time I keep them to myself. I have always been a shy person. I don't want to generalize about artists, but I was the typical head in the clouds kid. The world scared me when I was younger and I had no idea what to do with my life other than keep drawing. Since I started this blog I decided not to use this platform to spread negativity, but to instead use this space to inspire other artists and designers to keep pursuing their life's passion. THAT is why I won't mention the name of the school I attended.
I still feel the need to share this experience because it was THAT BAD. To this day I regret contacting the art school I attended in 2007. I will tell you my experience now...
What Happened in 2007
In 2007 I called up a local private art school that had a good reputation for churning out budding designers. It seemed like my only option because my father had recently had cancer and there was no money for college. I was attending community college and thought this might be my only opportunity to make art a career. It was a notable school and had many options for different design careers.
I met with a recruiter we will call "Ben," from the school, and Ben discussed with me which "track" he thought would fit the strengths of my portfolio. He said,
"You remind me of my sister. You are so wide eyed and excited."
Emotional Tactics
Using emotional tactics to make a sale was something I naively did not realize he was doing. I was fresh out of high school and inexperienced. To him I was a commission. To me this was the possibility to find myself as an artist and designer. I decided to attend the art school because he told me an Interactive Media Design degree would make the most money of all of their other programs after graduation. He told me my work was good enough and it would be a great fit. He also told me I was innocent like his sister and needed guidance. Guidance he was willing to provide. I never saw him again after signing the papers.
Eliminating Students in Year 1
I discovered not long afterwards that the intent of the this private art college was, and still is to flush out students who might potentially not succeed in the program before enrolling in their second year, because then it does not affect their graduation statistic or private funding. This disgusted me, and I found out too late.
Making A Profit
My first issue came when I enrolled for classes. They recommended we purchase a "kit" that had supplies. This kit was over $1,200. I never used any of these books or supplies for the classes I was enrolled in. The instructors did not use these supplies but created their own lists. I discovered when it was too late that this kit was just a promotional trap to make the college more money. Students would not find out until later that none of those books or supplies were used in their classes.
Big Promises
I found another practice at this college to be unethical. The Vice President of the college would walk around with new faculty hires and interrupt the classes at times. On one occasion he popped in and said "Oh these are the interactive media majors. They will make the millions." I found out later that this was a common practice. Depending on the major the line would change. "These are the "media arts and animation majors. They will make the big bucks." It made you feel like he was putting down the other majors. But at the same time, it made you feel as though you were going to succeed. End up on top.
Instructors With No Teaching Experience
It was not long in this environment that I discovered it was not a healthy learning space. I discovered the college had no tutors, no support network, and the instructors had no teaching experience. I learned while attending California State University, Fullerton for my Master's degree in English what real training was for college instructors. Forgive me for saying this but just because someone works in the design industry for 20 years of their life, does not mean they are qualified to teach, know how to teach, or would make a good teacher. Teaching is something I am very passionate about because of the education I pursued after this experience. It involves trust and fostering a safe space in a classroom of students. Language that inspires and creates a community. Potentially these design students will be entering a field where they will compete for jobs and pay.
Degrading, Ambiguous Feedback
I mention all of this because I had a life changing experience while attending that school in my first semester. I was completely new to the design field and in my undergraduate courses I was given an infographic design assignment. Infographics are very logical and require data to create. The instructor left the topic open and gave us no context for the assignment. When I approached him and told him my ideas he said "These aren't very good." I said, "well how can I make these ideas better." He responded,
"If you don't know then you SHOULDN'T BE HERE."
I was paying $30,000-40,000 a year for this instructor to teach me what they knew. In this moment I realized this was the wrong place for me. I felt angry and began to spiral into self deprecation. I really began to believe in that moment I was not good enough. My art and ideas were not good enough to attend this school. I would never make it in the design field. These are all very damaging thoughts for someone who was barely 19 years old. I had hoped to find my identity in this experience and felt more confused than ever.
I immediately sought out tutoring for the course and discovered there were none. In my second third quarter of the program my grades began to decline. I frequently approached instructors for help and got the same response. "Figure it out." I wondered what I was paying for.
Rejection
A family member fell ill and I was working and attending this school. I went in to see a counselor about my options for taking a quarter off. They refused to allow me to take one semester off, even though I suddenly found myself in the position of primary caretaker for a close relative. They would not work with me. Shortly after this conversation I received a letter in the mail saying,
"After reviewing your situation, we feel the __________ Institute is not the right fit for you. We have suspended your admission here. You may not return to the campus or resume your courses."
This occurred in the third week of the quarter (which is similar to a semester). I was charged for the whole semester and not allowed to sit in on the classes I paid for. This all was charged to my student loans. I walked away from this art college $40,000 in debt with no degree. I discovered shortly after this that the college was pocketing a large amount of the loan money from my financial aid. They were not applying my full financial aid to my tuition!!!
Reality: $10/hr starting pay for a graphic designer
I have discovered that the private art sector is disgusting and corrupt. I implore you to do your research before attending one of these schools. Talk to students. Demand talking to faculty. Get testimonials and READ REVIEWS ONLINE. Create a plan for not taking out student loans. I was in debt for 10 years with these loans and a job outlook that was dire. The average pay for someone entering my field was $10/hr.
The over priced education I received was impossible to pay off after graduation because the job market would not pay enough to pay on these loans. I met someone working at Apple who said he was 100,000 in debt form the same school I attended and could never pay it off. These loans are dangerous. I also found out later my loan interest rate fluctuated with the stock market. I also had to consider that none of the credits I earned there were transferrable to another university. I had wasted an entire year of my life and couldn't pick back up anywhere. I cut my losses and started over.
Was I a bad student? No! I graduated with my Master's degree in English from California State University with a 3.8 gpa. I definitely wasn't a bad student or not diligent. I was hired as the college graphic designer at CSUF and recognized as an honored student. Since then I have worked in the field of design for 10 years. Clearly I wasn't a bad designer. What went wrong? I have to turn my attention back to this profit-oriented school.
Not all art schools are bad. Some are very professional and can provide you with important skills you will need working in the field. Reputable schools like Art Center are cherished lines on your resume. Employers recognize these schools as producing hard-working and knowledgeable students. You have to seek out good experiences and do your own research about these schools.
If you want to feel pain.
If you want to be in debt.
If you want to feel alone.
If you want to learn nothing about your industry.
If you want to have damaged self esteem.
Then attend a private Art College.
On a positive note I had a good experience going through Golden West College's design certificate program. I have also heard very good things about the design program at California State University, Fullerton.
If you have had a similar experience, feel free to leave a comment below. Here are what some others have said about private art schools:
OC Register Article About "Debt But No Jobs"
Don't go to art school, Noah Bradley