Kendall College of Art and Design and SCAD

[The Lone Gunman]

Hi i'm 19 and i currently go to at community college in mid-michigan and i've received a scholarship of $9,000 at KCAD. However i've received some mixed reviews about the school. i've also been looking at SCAD, large price difference I know, but was wondering how hard it is to get in. I take my art extremely serious but I'm afraid that I'm not up to par as far as the skill level with the SCAD kids. I guess what I'm asking is KCAD a good school for Illustration? What about CCS of Detroit or SCAD? How well do basic foundation courses transfer to SCAD? Should I finish out my year at the community college transfer to KCAD for a year and than off to SCAD? Or go straight to SCAD? Feed back would be much appreciated since I'm stressing.

[Storyboard Dave]

Hi i'm 19 and i currently go to at community college in mid-michigan and i've received a scholarship of $9,000 at KCAD. However i've received some mixed reviews about the school. i've also been looking at SCAD, large price difference I know, but was wondering how hard it is to get in. I take my art extremely serious but I'm afraid that I'm not up to par as far as the skill level with the SCAD kids. I guess what I'm asking is KCAD a good school for Illustration? What about CCS of Detroit or SCAD? How well do basic foundation courses transfer to SCAD? Should I finish out my year at the community college transfer to KCAD for a year and than off to SCAD? Or go straight to SCAD? Feed back would be much appreciated since I'm stressing.

Okay, for starters I don't want to seem biased because I teach at CCS but I went through the same dilemma as you when I was your age. My choices then were Art Center, Kendall, CCS and Western Michigan. I had heard all about the pros & cons of each school and had a heap of literature from all of them, but when it came down to it I visited the schools themselves in order to get a feel for the place that I thought I would feel the most comfortable in.

Now granted with that comfort I also knew that my mission there was to learn. I saw the stuff up in the hallways of current work and had an inkling of what I was going to be shooting for. I also checked out the faculty of all of the schools to see if they were working illustrators (as opposed to professional teachers) and where the recent graduates were working (NOT a percentage, because percentages can be monkeyed with to make it seem as though everyone is working in the field- when in reality they're working as valets, busboys, at Taco Bell, etc.).

All of these schools are good, but whether they're the fit for you remains to be seen. My suggestion would be to take the trip to those campuses and get a tour. See the housing, ask the hard questions, be scared (or inspired) by the current studnet work and see where that particular school can help place you after graduation. Where one school might be ideal for one person, it might not be for someone else.

[Mirana]

I won't tell you where to go, but I can answer your questions about SCAD.

- SCAD is not hard to get into at all--it's hard to STAY in. No portfolio is required for entrance (though it is a good idea to submit one for scholarships). You need a 2.0 or more GPA, and decent SAT scores (unless you've completed a degree already).

- All 13 of my core/basic art classes transferred to SCAD from the local university. Even the ones I took for fun. If there is any question about your classes, you'll be asked to submit a course catalog, syllubi and even a portfolio of work to prove that the classes are equal to those at SCAD. There is a max of 90 hrs of credit that can be transferred.

- If you ultimately want to go to SCAD (or any other college), it's a good idea to give them a call, send a course catalog, and make sure that the classes you are taking elsewhere are acceptable. A lot of the SCAD kids here are dual enrolled in the local university in order to take their low-level classes cheaply. It's an excellent idea.

There are a few SCAD Illustration majors/grads on this board, so hopefully they can tell you more about the department itself (I'm a Sequential major).

[The Lone Gunman]

How does SCAD credit hours work? I noticed that it would take 180 hours to graduate and at KCAD it would take 120 hours. Also when I graduated high school I had a 3.65 GPA but a 19 ACT, I think I have test anxiety. I haven't taken the SAT but currently at college I have a 3.79 GPA so how do they weigh the scores? Also how likely are they to give out scholarships for merit or for your portfolio? I have to work on my stuff a bit but I have always been my own worse critic. Take a look at some sketches http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59033

[Mirana]

Each SCAD class is worth 5 hrs (36 classes total). They are 2.5 hrs, twice a week, for 10 weeks. It looks like Kendall classes are worth 3 hrs (40 classes plus 1 non-credit-but-required "Kendall Experience" class). I don't know how long they are.

I've never taken the ACT and SCAD doesn't list a requirement test score (How old are you? If it's been two yrs since you've been in HS you don't have to send your ACT/SAT score).

SCAD gives 3 types of scholarships: Portfolio, SAT/ACT score and Merit (combo of the two). It is fairly easy to get the base-level $3K per yr scholarship--most students get these. If you want more than that, the easiest way to get scholarship money is to keep taking the SAT or ACT until you hit a bigger award level. I automatically got a scholarship for my SAT score before I had a chance to have my portfolio reviewed (thereafter I got the $40K Merit scholarship). You can read about the levels of academic scoring here (http://scad.edu/admission/financial/scholarships/undergraduate/academic.cfm).

My honest opinion of the stuff in your sketchbook is that you should continue to take as many classes at your current school as possible before you think about transferring. After that, do not include anything like those sketches. Put only completed work in your portfolio. Spend DAYS on the projects you want to make portfolio worthy.

G'Luck.

[Storyboard Dave]

I'd like to see how you handle more finished pieces. The sketchbook stuff shows promise but let's see how you handle a finished piece as well as some color. The finished pieces should show us how you compose and design a full blown illustration. Sketchbook stuff is usually one hits and it's not enough to score big scholarships at most schools.

[The Lone Gunman]

Well right now I'm 19 and starting my second semester at a community college. I just graduated from high school July 2005. Most of those were my older sketches but the red self-portrait I did recently just to kill time. I'll post some of my finished pieces that I did in Drawing 1, once I get out of my Figure Drawing class at 7:00. I really appreciate the advice.

[The Lone Gunman]

Check this posting out http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=704658#post704658

[Bsmith196]

dude you'll have no problem getting into either school. I'm from mid michigan as well...a couple of miles from wmu. I'm going to scad next fall for vfx. For Illustration tho...Kcad might be just as good. CSS is good too. So if you can'y leave michigan, those are two cheaper and smaller choices.

[Icelandic Norm]

dude you'll have no problem getting into either school. I'm from mid michigan as well...a couple of miles from wmu. I'm going to scad next fall for vfx. For Illustration tho...Kcad might be just as good. CSS is good too. So if you can'y leave michigan, those are two cheaper and smaller choices.

I agree. I think you'll have no problem getting in anywhere. I think it's going to come down to where you feel as though you'll be challenged the most by the other students. Like Dave says, go visit all of these places; they don't seem that far from you.

[ArtEdGradStudent]

Lone Gunman, are you previously of the war3.com forum? Gunny?

[The Lone Gunman]

Lone Gunman, are you previously of the war3.com forum? Gunny?
Nope.