is Academy of Arts a good school to go to

#1601

I didn’t wanted to open new thread since this one is here for a while and will be view by mroe users… So…
can anyone tell me how much are the apartments around the AAU?
Campus housing looks pretty darn expensive…
And also how long is one semester at AAU? 5? 6 months? less?
Thank You…

#1602

I would like to know too.

#1603

you know…you guys could email them AAU people and would probably get an instant reply, like in less than 24 hours. Or order their brochure and all that

#1604

I’ve been in e-mail contact with the International Admissions advisor there and she has answered all the questions I have thrown at her except the ones considering housing that is not on the school’s campus. They don’t seem to have any solutions for people who have partners and/or family :confused: I myself have a boyfriend who would move with me when I’d start school. But otherwise the staff is really helpful and they are real quick to answer e-mails :slight_smile:

The only thing I’d need to know about apartments is what areas are safe and which ones are not. My mother used to live in San Francisco when she was younger and lived in a somewhat dodgy neighbourhood so considering the stories I’ve heard I’d really like to know :stuck_out_tongue:

According to what I have read, a semester at AAU is 3 months (september-december / january-may), but I could be wrong.

edit: btw, I’m seeing a lot of posts from people saying that one can save a lot of money by taking classes at a community college and then transfer the units to AAU. How would this work for international prospective students? Would I have to take online classes from a US college or could I take them almost anywhere and try to transfer the units? Which is more safe? (that is, which option would make AAU have to accept the units?) :slight_smile:

#1605

Question, not sure if this was answered or not as I havent read the whole thread but I went to a Open House that AAU had in NY last year and they said that they dont give gen ed classes such as science and math and what not. DIdnt occur to me then but I was wondering how could they offer a degree without offering these classes? Arent these mandatory in the US College System??

#1606

They do offer general ed classes or liberal arts classes.
You have to have 45 credits of Liberal arts classes to graduate.
You can transfer upto 36 of those credits from other college… No more than that.

#1607

Ah ok thanks for clearing that up. So that guy pretty much lied to me lol

#1608

The liberal arts classes aren’t required to take the major classes, however if you want the liberal arts degree, the BFA, then you have to have a certain number of credits in LA classes. You can register at AAU and take whatever classes you want anytime, granted you have taken the prerequisites, for example, if you want to take Advanced Modeling you might have to take an intro to modeling or something like that first.

I have known several people that’ll take the occasional class there who are already working and aren’t working on a degree.

#1609

Hi, my girl and i are going to be moving from florida for the spring semester. I need to know how high the need is for a car at this school. We will be living off campus, hopefully near the school. But i essentially dont have a car right now and will not be getting help for insurance so i need to know the need for self transportation. Any help is appreciated. I have 4000 lying in wait to purchase a car if nessacary but would feel better spending it on a kit and programs.

#1610

There’s public transportation all over the bay area that’ll get you to school, though it’s getting more expensive all the time. If you live in SF then you can use MUNI which is the most cost effective. Otherwise you have to use an over the bridge bus or BART train.

#1611

San Fran is VERY public transit friendly compared to other cities.

#1612

SF is one of the least car friendly places in the world. You don’t need a car here. You don’t want a car here. It’s a pain to drive, and there’s nowhere to park. Plan on adding quite a bit to your rent if you need a place with a parking spot, and you’d probably need to park in a garage when you come to school which isn’t cheap. The city is pretty small so it’s really very easy to walk and take public transportation. Other than NY, SF is probably the best non-car city in the US.

#1613

Thank you all, thats put me at ease a little bit. Where we live theres no public transit and you would be screwed without a car. About how much money do the trains and busses cost? Ive never used the systems. I did just buy my tickets to go out on the 6th-9th to check out the school. So ive basically got 2 days to look around. Any advice on what to check out? At scad there was a set tour system, is it the same there, like a school moderated tour. Thanks again i really appreciate the help, im sure ill be freaking out soon as my time gets nearer.

#1614

The school gives tours all the time, you can also call them and I’m sure they would line one up for you.

The public buses and street rails (MUNI) cost $1.50 and you get a transfer that’s good for a couple of hours. BART can cost $1.40-$10 depending on where you are coming from and where you want to go. Then there are the Trolly’s that only go up a few streets and cost $5.00! every time you ride.

For your short visit of a couple of days you wont have to really worry about it, just stay somewhere downtown or within walking distance of 79 New Montgomery.

Once you move here, try and see if you can’t just rely on the school busses. This is very easy if you live anywhere near any of the dormotories/apts. If you move further out like Sunset or Richmond areas you will need to take Public buses.

If you end up needing to rely on public transportation everyday, then get a “FastPass”. A FastPass is valid for a month and lets you ride Bart,Busses, Street Cars, Trollies… just about everything for the low low price of $45.00. You can buy a FastPass at just about any Walgreens in the City.

For me, I just ended up walking everywhere which works out okay as long as you live close to one of the dorms (unless you have the misfortune of having class across town from where you live). I eventually bought a bicycle which got me to class 10x’s faster. The downside of having a bicycle is that theft is rampant and you have to be really smart about locking it up. I locked my bike up everywhere I went and I still had two tires, a break cable, and my flashing reflector stolen at different times.

#1615

I really appreciate all of the information. Do you guys have any advice on apartments? Im looking for a studio for me, my girl, and a cat. Im hopeing to check out a few apartments while im there so we just dont move out there blindly.

#1616

Okay, so, um… deep breath

I’m moving into an apartment in North Beach, next weekend.

Depending on my financial aid, I’ll maybe possibly hopefully sorta be attending AAU this fall.

Holy cow, I am scared to DEATH. :scream:

#1617

Awesome. Don’t fear the future, it’s gonna happen whether you fear it or not.

#1618

are dorms cheaper than apartments in SanFrancisco?

#1619

Okay, a few pages back in this thread I talk all about my experience with school housing and apartments so you might want to go back and read that too.

The dorms can be a little bit more expensive and a lot less space then an apartment/studio. The good thing is you are surronded by other students who are all mostly new like you and the R.A.'s (Resident Assistants) are always planning activities for your dorm to do (they are required to do at least 4 a month). In addition, nearly all dorms have shuttle service (school bus) to take you to your classes. I stayed in the school apartments (1080 Bush) for 21 or older students for my first 2 years. No pets allowed in school dorms/apartments.

For a studio in the area near school (Nob Hill) you are going to pay at least $800 and this most likely will not include a laundry. If there are washer and dryer in your building they will most likely be coin operated. Otherwise you have to lug your dirty clothes to a local laundry-mat. A studio for $800-$1000 will be quite small. It will be do able for you and a girlfriend, but add the cat into the mix and you might start to go crazy. A nice place will probably be closer to $1200 a month for eaither a 1 bedroom or a nice studio.

Or you could get roommates in a nicer/bigger place. I have 3 other roommates (all Academy Students), we each have our own room, plus a kitchen, living room, back patio, washer/dryer, 2 full baths (Did I mention in the dorms you get 1 bathroom for 3-6 people?), and all for $600 a month in Nob Hill.

So my advice is expect to pay around $1200 for you, your girlfriend, and a cat. The areas you want to look into in my personal preference order are: Nob Hill, North Beach, then maybe something like Richmond/outter-Richmond, and sunset… though the last two are too far in my opinion.

#1620

Thanks for reply…
I talked to one of the lady from AAU staff and she said, we are usually going to be 4 people in room in shared dormitories…
Canyou clarify, how big are the rooms? I mean can you fit two bunk beds and four computers, small refrigerator and microwave and still have space to walk?