the art institutes

[mac_p86]

okay i'll admit that i'm enamoured with the art institute of los angeles and it could be because it's near the beach and the fact the it's surrounded by some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry such as NBC, ABC, Paramount, and Activision!! not to mention that they duee have four instructors which have and are working on the KING OF THE HILL series. i've heard both positive and negetive things about this school which tend to offset one another. yes i've heard of the other art schools such as cal arts and the one in pasedena, but i'm not as pulled to look into those schools as i am about AI in LA. i have done alot of reasearch and still contueing to do so and i become more and more comfortable with the school. this school has had success with it's alumni. i have gone to some outside sources to check this out. and i have looked at and responded to other threads on this site about this subject. so why am i
posting this thread? to collected all the veiws and opinions i can from members of this site so i can look at them colectively without jumping to different threads. but i wanna hear from students who have attended this school and alumni as well. if you have a friend that went to this school have your friend respond to this thread. that he said she stuff isn't gonna fly with me!! i want sound opinions from people that have had involvement with this school. and if your gripe is about the finances, well as i have stated in another thread, what school can you go to without going into debt? i've come to the conclusion that unless you get a full ride the only thing you can do is reduce the cost of tutition by collecting smaller scholarships, getting grants, or pay for it out of your own pocket.

[mac_p86]

will somebody please respond to this thread!!!!! however i will be posting up some factors i have recently received about this school when i have the chance.

[evildisco]

Character on these boards attended, so you could try and ask him if you manage to reach him.

I haven't heard much good from AI but that's prejudgemental and misinformed.

[ConCrete]

I too have been consiodering some AI schools...and the bias is pretty much you get what you put in....regardless of the school...AI has some not so happt alumni and some happy ones so I dunno....its sounds like the insitution is just like every other art school....

[thesinfulsaint]

Personally, I'd have to strongly discourage you from attending an art institute school. I've never been impressed with their program. The summer before my Junior year in high school, I went to their "Summer Preview Program", and I really wasn't impressed. That may have just been the way that the program was organized, but their schools really don't seem to be top notch. Part of that is because they're a "For-profit" school instead of a school that's really focused on education. I mean... Look at the fact that a portfolio is NOT necessary to be accepted. I find that slightly suspicious. On top of that, I have a friend who goes to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and she hates it. She's also having a tough time finding a job. From what a hear, this is a fairly common problem. I'd have her post here, but I doubt she belongs to this site. If you're really interested in talking to her, I can get her myspace for you.

Sorry to be so negative. Some of my information above might not be exactly accurate, but that's just how I feel about these schools. Plegh. If you want a quality art school, look into CalArts, Ringling, or Pratt.

[Melis...]

I too have been consiodering some AI schools...and the bias is pretty much you get what you put in....regardless of the school...AI has some not so happt alumni and some happy ones so I dunno....its sounds like the insitution is just like every other art school....

I went to the Art Institute in Pittsburgh, and I'd say you pretty much nailed it with that statement. Just remember that no school is without it's flaws. It is up to you to decide if the benefits outweigh the negatives.

[Mirana]

A good indication of getting screwed at a school is when they are accredited to give out BUSINESS DEGREES (http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/InstDetail.asp) not BA/MA degrees.

[ConCrete]

After scouring the internet for opinions and information I have decided not to attend the AI school in Schaumberg....I thought they had the freshmen storyboards up in the hallway...it was the senior portfolio work...I can do better now and I know nothing about story boards...a lot of people are really unhappy with their educations(or lack there of) at these institues...I dont want to take that chance...

[bounchfx]

After scouring the internet for opinions and information I have decided not to attend the AI school in Schaumberg....I thought they had the freshmen storyboards up in the hallway...it was the senior portfolio work...I can do better now and I know nothing about story boards...a lot of people are really unhappy with their educations(or lack there of) at these institues...I dont want to take that chance...


I'm actually currently attending the AI of schaumburg, and I wish I had done more research before I picked a college.

first off.. I like the place a lot, mainly because, well, I've never been to another college so I don't know what to expect. but there are a lot of things that could easily be done better, which disapoints me in a lot of aspects. I'm currently taking a class that is EXACTLY THE SAME as a previous one I took, only a different name, and one class where theres no instruction at all. we are told what to do, given a week to do it, then we critique it. I don't mind it that much.. but still.. there should be more drawing classes and imo more classes on digital painting and texturing (I'm going for game art and design).

another thing is before I went here I really wasn't quite sure what I wanted to be, I know I wanted to have something to do with games (I know shittons about the industry in every other perspective), and I really wanted to design them, but until recently I had no idea there was an actual game designer position. so I did game art and "design". thought that was it. I'm doing a lot of art now and 3d modelling and such. turns out I really like 3d modelling, but I still want to be able to design games, and hopefully do music.

I suck at art. I sucked before hand. I'm much better now, but I'm no where near being content with my skills AT ALL. The one thing that keeps me going probably is because a lot of the students here don't try at all. It's good in one aspect because it makes me feel better. It's bad in another because it doesn't push me as hard as it should.

but after reading poopinmymouth.com's thing about schools, and now that I know what I'll probably be doing... (heh, another little insight is I really wanted to be a concept artist until I realized how freaking bad I was at drawing, I wish I knew I was going to get into this and started drawing 8 years ago) I really wish I was going to a traditional art school instead that focused more on honing your skills and getting better at it, as well as being cheaper. and no one told me the most important part of getting a job here is THE PORTFOLIO! The degree I'll be getting won't really help me at all in most places, it's the skills that matter, and honestly it makes perfect sense.

as for a portfolio to get INTO a school I've never heard of that, and it kind of confuses me (once again I don't have much knowledge about colleges) because wouldn't you be going to the school to GET better so you can DO your portfolio to get a job?).

I do kind of want to go to a real ART school after this, but I'm not sure, I'm spending enough here (ugh), and I really want to get into the industry and do good, but I need to focus more, theres some crazy artists out there (lots of em at this website!), but it is really hard to get better sometimes (at least at a decent pace) without proper instruction.

some things, like I mentioned before, that I would like to learn but I don't think I'll be actually instructed on how to do at this school would be digital painting (still trying to find a good tutorial or two online, or someone to mentor me through it, ill work my ass off, if you know any website/person, please let me know PM/AIM me), texturing for 3d (I make sweet models imo but it is ruined by the textures), and more drawing and perspective, which I can learn myself as long as I take the time to (which I need to).

sorry for going on so long and long, but I guess there was a lot to get out!

[Elwell]

as for a portfolio to get INTO a school I've never heard of that, and it kind of confuses me (once again I don't have much knowledge about colleges) because wouldn't you be going to the school to GET better so you can DO your portfolio to get a job?).
You know how to get into, say, Harvard, you have to already have really good grades and high test scores? Same principle.

[bounchfx]

You know how to get into, say, Harvard, you have to already have really good grades and high test scores? Same principle.

so basically they want to make sure you have a basic understanding of what you're getting yourself into? I think I got it =D

[Animation Idiot]

Chiming in to say AI schools suck ass. They're overpriced and I've never been impressed with their student gallery work at all. Whats more their degrees are not recognized by other institutions or by employers - you'll get a REAL degree at Calarts, Laguna College of Art & Design, Pratt, or Ringling - but AI schools are for-profit institutions that basically exist as a means of separating gullible students from their wallets.