Is SCAD really that bad?

#1

Hello. I am a senior in high school and I am in a portfolio prep class. I am still unsure to what colleges I’d like to attend. All I know is I want to attend an art school. However, I have narrowed down to 5 colleges: RISD, SCAD, Ringling, Academy of Art, and lastly, MassArt.

I toured RISD and MassArt this summer and I have to admit, I was very shocked, excited, and nervous. I felt like I was in an environment full of people with the same desire they have in mind: art! But I still need help with which of these colleges would be best suited.

I’d like to major in illustration (mainly, I want to get into game art of 3D modeling and texturing). I practiced texturing, and it’s quite fun for me. Thing is, I really would like to improve my art skills. RISD seemed like the place to do that as everyone is very passionate. Problem is, even though I plan to apply, I fear I might not get accepted considering that everyone there are super good.

SCAD, is my main pick. I am very wary because I have googled around and I’ve seen nothing but negative reviews about SCAD. Thus, making me very worried about it not being worth my time.

SCAD’s environment makes me feel unsafe hearing how it’s near crime towns and you have to play it smart. I don’t know how I’d feel in an environment that I feel I could get mugged or anything of the sort. Also, I read how SCAD is considered a scam and not even a good idea to attend as it’s a waste of money and the professors aren’t even worth hearing from. I’m hoping to hear the pros and cons of the school (Idk if I’d want to be in the Atlanta or Savannah area if I were to attend).

As for MassArt, they seemed very promising and I really liked the campus. It felt professional about some things they spoke about.

I just need advice mainly on art college life, what to expect, and I’d like to hear more information about possibly the other colleges I mentioned. I haven’t delved much in. I’d love to hear from people who attended there. Also, I’d like to hear how soon they got a job, too! Thanks so much!

#2

Your portfolio and networking will decide how fast You get a job. Illustration is nice but not the right choice if You want to do modeling and texturing.

#3

You’re off to a good start researching your choices, but you’ve got to do a lot more. This is a very important decision, so you can’t just leave it up to one or two things you’ve read or a few opinions on a forum like this.

There’s a great article linked in the discussion section here. Within that, there are other good links including what to look for in a game school, which is really advice for most school decisions.

No matter what school you choose, you’ll need to do more work than required and study more things than covered in class. The simple truth is no school can teach you everything you need to know nor fully develop every skill necessary to land the job you want. The best they can do is provide you a solid foundation, provide ample resources and opportunities, and teach you how to think and continue to learn and develop as you move forward. The rest is on you. That’s the simple truth no school and very few teachers will admit. Instead they placate students, fill them with false hope and shamelessly send them out into a world they’re not equipped or meant for. It’s usually those kids’ stories you read online, and they come from every school, even the “good” ones.

Some more advice links:
Ben Mathis: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Parts 1 & 2 of The Long Game

#4

some thoughts on each school:

SCAD - from experience, I have met a lot of TDs working in New York from SCAD. Most of them do lighting, FX, or rigging (more technical things). So while it’s true that SCAD does not select students by portfolio (therefore do not produce the best artists), they seem to have very good technical programs.

Ringling - Almost the opposite of SCAD, this is easily the best school for more artsy students. A lot of awesome Animators and Concept Artists come out of here. A lot great lighters too. Ringling is probably the best connected to the top animation studios for film.

Academy of Art - Seems to pump out a lot of great modelers/texture artists. AAU is also right in the middle of San Francisco which would give you more contact with the games industry.

RISD - Last I heard, their 3d program is not that developed (at least not compared to the others). Sure, its a great art school overall, just not for 3D for games and film. Things may have changed since I was in school (about 4 years ago). I actually got into RISD, but decided against going (albeit for other reasons).

#5

Ah, thank you so much! This helps me so much more. (:

#6

Pretty much hit the nail right on the head. Since they don’t hire based on portfolio alone, more technical people usually show up and get to use the resources. For FX specifically, they were one of the only schools with houdini classes for a long time. I can’t really recommend their animation/model/texturing to anyone. They have some good connections with the industry as well(or at least they used to when I attended there a few years back). I work with quite a few SCAD alumni at WDAS, and know others that work at all the major studios.

All these people worked their asses off at school though. That’s the key. Quite a few people I know didn’t go to art school, but they still found jobs because of their work ethic/passion.

#7

Hey, I attended SCAD Atlanta 15 years ago back when it was still the Atlanta College of Art. At the time, I had gotten into there and SCAD in Savannah. I was much more artistic minded than technical minded at the time and my high school art teacher pushed me into going to ACA, as it was a much more traditional arts focused school, although they had started getting into more tech stuff like CG and Video a few years before I started.

At the time, I think their CG programs were pretty lacking compared to other art schools. I have no idea how they are now. I will say that if your primary focus is illustration with the cg aspects as a secondary pursuit, then I would say absolutely those schools would be good for you. If you’re wanting to focus on CG with your illustration second, well, I don’t know what to tell you. They may have improved dramatically over the last decade, maybe not.

As for environment, SCAD Atlanta is nice because its right in midtown Atlanta, surrounded by restaurants, bars, museums, easy access to public trans, and, as far as I know, all the classrooms are still in one or two connected buildings. SCAD in Savannah has buildings all over the damn place, its always hotter than you’d ever imagine possible, and if I ever have to drive in downtown Savannah again it will be too soon. I’ve heard from friends who went to Ringling that there’s not a whole hell of a lot of stuff going on around that part of Sarasota, but of course, the schools top notch, if you can afford it.