Help me. Cia,CCAD,Pitt?

[ceera1231]

I'm a junior at a vocational school in Ohio.
I'm probably 100 miles away from Columbus, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.

I know I'm a junior and maybe I am getting ahead of myself, but I was wondering if anyone could help.

I was wondering which you think is best for me:

Pittsburgh Art institute

Columbus College of Art and Design

or

Cleveland Institute of Art?

I heard some really bad sh*t about Pittsburgh and their % of people that don't get jobs after they graduate.

I heard some nice things about Columbus, but I am worried about my portfolio.T__T

I haven't heard much about the Cleveland school and want to hear more.Anyone help there?

I know I want to become one of these:

A manga artist

A photographer

or a Film Director/Producer

T_T So hard to decide.

The thing I am most worried about is financial problems. I am working on getting a job at the moment and will probably put every cent away. In a year(not including this year) I get graduation money so that will help, and I am sure I can try and get a scholarship/loan.

Damn, I feel like an idiot.

[Storyboard Dave]

Seeing as how you're only 100 miles away from each of those campuses, why not go there and take a look at the schools? I'll assume you've looked at them online and have catalogs from each of those places as well.

One thing I would shoot for is to see the stuff on the walls of the place. Is the student work there intimidating to you? It should, because it'll give you something to shoot for. You never want to go to a place and then "rule the roost" in a few short years. You need the challenge.

Also are the instructors at these places working professionals (now- not 20 years ago)? They're your first link to you getting professional standards and demanding a relevant portfolio from you. Don't settle for academia here- you want to learn from the people who will be your peers soon.

Paying for your schooling? Apply for Financial Aid asap. Talk to their respective Financial Aid offices and fill out all the applications you need to. The people there are paid to help you pay for school. Also look at the sub-category here on Scholarships. Remember that this is an investment in YOU.

[thesinfulsaint]

I'm from Ohio! *waves hand*

I'm not a fan of Ai Pitt. It's just a building in the middle of the city, and there's very little impressive student work.

CIA is more or less an "artsy" art school, from what I can tell. The location is interesting, though--right next to the Cleveland Art Museum. My dad's a prof at Case Western Reserve, and I'm around the campus every now and then. If you like Cleveland, it's pretty cool. I'd choose CCAD before CIA, though. In my opinion, if you want to go to a school like CIA, you'd get just as good of an education from Akron U. They have a pretty good art program for a state school.

I did the Precollege program at CCAD. It's a pretty strong program there for illustration, and manga-like art is encouraged there. I believe that there are also film classes open to anyone who wants to take them, but don't quote me on that. The campus there is all right, and it's near Eastman mall (very great dining there :)).

But... I'm just a random person on a forum giving you advice! You should really visit each school and form your own impressions. :)

As far as the financial issue goes, I really recommend just putting a TON of time into your portfolio. I was set on Ringling last year, and I put somewhere around 200 hours into mine. It paid off. There really is no better way to earn money for school. Like Storyboard Dave said, also apply for financial aid through a FAFSA form.