Art Colleges - Vs - Art Schools

[FirstBLastB]

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts as to which is the better form of Art Study... eg: Going to an Art College, or Art Department of a UNI... or studying at a smaller but more family-like art school?

[christyc82]

I liked going to a university being an art major. It was there that I figured out what I wanted to do with my career, forensic art. Had I gone to a normal art school, I would have never had the chance to take criminal justice classes. I think it really depends on the person. Of course, my art teachers seem to think an university is better because you come out of it being "more rounded of a person" because of the non art classes you take. Some teach at MICA in Baltimore which is a total art school, as well as where I go which is the university and they prefer to teach at the university. I guess it just depends on the person and what they are really looking for out of it.

[Axl]

I like going to an art college because I get such an intense amount of art training here. Sometimea I think I may have bettered if I went to a university to get my schooling, so I would have more background information in other non-art courses. Luckaly, if I decide I want to take things, there are several universities close by here that we are allowed to use electives in, and then transfer our courses. Also, the courses taken at those other universities are covered by our schools regular tuition cost, so there is nothing extra on us. I'd imagine in other art colleges they would have a similar policy when it comes to taking non-art courses through other institutions (this is not a fact. i could be wrong) But still that is only a few electives, and it seams like its much easier to get caught up in being a strictly art student when you're at an art college.

Personal preference, though, definately. I have another friend who's studying in an atieler now. I'm not sure how its going, since its been a while since we've talked. But for someone who's interested in really intence training in painting like that, it seamed like the way to go.

[FirstBLastB]

I suppose its all good then. In Australia if you don't study art at either one..., soem will say you are destined to be an old fuddy-duddy painting roses in your retirement village whilst being a logn term member of your 80+ community art society.... hahhaahaha... now is that good... bad or better. (ok ok, its late at night here... thanks for the replies hay! :D

[Axl]

lol you know I don't think going to art school guarentees that you'll be painting roses in your apartment either way :D If you really want to be a great artist, then regardless of whether or not you go to school that is what you're going to be. It is all about the hard work and effort that you put into your practice. School can give you a lot of head-starts in the right direction when it comes to learning new tricks and tools, and giving you assignments that expand your thinking of how you produce art, however if you don't put the effort into your art period i don't think none of this would make a difference anyways. I don't think going to school can make you a great artist. I don't think chosing not to go to school means you can never be a great artist. I think it's all up to you.

Personally for me, I had to think about all of this a lot. When I finally decided to go to school it was more about finding other artists who had the same interests as me, and to meet people who I thought could inspire me and open up my eyes to new and different techniques, media and concepts. I don't think I could get this same kind of experience had I just did what I was doing before, staying home in the little town I was, from painting in my room, and never having my work see the light of day unless it was through the internet. As much as I really hate it at times, I think that it has been very benificial to myself as an artist. I thought that going to an art college would allow myself to become more submersed in this kind of atmousphere/ It seamed to be the right thing for me to do.

Tis all up to you :D Just don't get it in your head that without school you cannot be great!

[Seraph]

Hey, I just thought Id throw my two cents in on this subject because this is something that I wondered about quite a bit too. Of course I have no idea how it works in Australia but this is what Ive experienced in the US.
I go to a relatively small liberal arts university (like 8000 people or something, I think) and its not bad. I love most of my teachers and Ive met some terrific people here. The only catch is, at my school you have to take more than half of your classes in liberal arts (like english, math, science, etc.) so you dont really get to take that many art classes, unless you can get into this other art program we have were you have to take a lot more art, except that you have to do a pretty tough portfolio review before you can be accepted into it. I get to do mine next year, wish me luck!
Like Christy said earlier, though, a lot of people feel that its better for you to get a more "well-rounded" education rather than taking nothing but art and a few other classes.
Personally, I still wish I would have gone to an actual art school, but that would cost way more money than I have at present. I think that the experience of being able to fully devote myself to my art would have been better for me than spending half of my time doing busy work for my stupid liberal arts classes, but thats just me. Different things work for different people and you just have to find what you think will work best for you. And if you make a mistake, you can always go somewhere else later, or stop going to school all together. Just do what you think will make you the happiest, thats all!

Sorry for the rant here, just felt like sharing my experience so that others wont make the same mistakes :rolleyes:

~Seraph

[Donald_Smith]

Hi,

For what it's worth, if you check out the history of education in the USA, before WWII, when a person went to college, something like 80% of their classes were in their field of study. After WWII, there was a shift in colleges to "developing" the students with a broader knowledge base. This of course means you spend LESS time working in your field and more time taking classes that may not help you in your career, I'm not sure of the ratio now, but it might be 55% in your career field? What does this do for you when you graduate and start looking for a job? There is a big difference in what companies are looking for in their employees, and what a college or university is producing. Personally, I believe that businesses would perfer more focus in the field of study, and less on having a larger knowledge base. I believe the number of jobs that aren't being filled, and the number of college grads that can't find work in their field, support my theory.

These are just my thoughts and opinions, you are welcome to disagree,
Don :)

[christyc82]

It totally depends on what university you go to as well. Like mine, I have only had to take 10 non art classes, but i chose that. My illustration major is 70 credits, you need 120 to graduate. Even with those 10, that still leaves me 20 credits I can take of art classes. Not a bad deal, I've taken a little of everything the school has in art, and gotten whatever history and criminal justice classes I wanted as well. I dont think I would have personally liked an all art school, I just dont focus on my art as much as most "art students" do, maily because I want to do so much in my life like radio work, forensic art and such.

[bdswagger]

Hi,

For what it's worth, if you check out the history of education in the USA, before WWII, when a person went to college, something like 80% of their classes were in their field of study. After WWII, there was a shift in colleges to "developing" the students with a broader knowledge base. This of course means you spend LESS time working in your field and more time taking classes that may not help you in your career, I'm not sure of the ratio now, but it might be 55% in your career field? What does this do for you when you graduate and start looking for a job? There is a big difference in what companies are looking for in their employees, and what a college or university is producing. Personally, I believe that businesses would perfer more focus in the field of study, and less on having a larger knowledge base. I believe the number of jobs that aren't being filled, and the number of college grads that can't find work in their field, support my theory.

These are just my thoughts and opinions, you are welcome to disagree,
Don :)

In comparing US to Euro universities, this is what I have heard:
That in those countries were the student focuses mainly (75% or more) on their area of interest as oppossed to US were the percentage of classes in a students major (area of interest) is LESS than 40%, the US bachelors degree isn't really worth a Contenental Damned-to use an old phrase-in Euro schools. Someone told me that a US masters degree is about as good as a bachelors degree at the better Euro universities. Sigh...
Leigh

[Donald_Smith]

Hi Leigh,

I grew up in Stillwater, Ok. I guess since you live in Norman, this makes us rivals.. :D

I have to wonder about our colleges and what their goals are? Why is a "more rounded individual" more important than someone that has enough education to do the job the employers are seeking? That is why I went to a votech, then later I went back to college. I think a college degree is a necessity. If I could do it all over, I would have gotten into computers way back in the 70s instead of mechanics. It took me 20 years to get into computers. I make a whole lot more than I ever did as a mechanic. Now I wish I would have gotten a Masters in Art so I could teach at the college level...LOL Okay, I'll admit, I get bored easy.

Dream big, then work towards your dream, and it can come true.

Later,
Don

[bdswagger]

Hello Donald;
There are quite a few of us Sooners around WC, isn't there? Neat!

Hey, no rivalry as far as I'M concerned. I couldn't care less about football!
Leigh