Art schools for me!

[krish iyer]

Hey there! I'm in the process of looking into an art education in the united states and as someone who's not from there, what are some things I should know about art schools and colleges
most important factors in getting into one
how high school grades factor in
portfolio advice
Any help would be great guys!

[ArtofAleksey]

@krish-iyer many colleges have international students, if you’re in the US, you take the SATs first then get in to the college. I recommend finding some colleges you like and emailing their admissions office and asking them what international students require. They will then recommend you speak to an advisor for what you want to pursue. Im currently in the Fashion institute of technology. Its in NYC and is one of the more affordable colleges. SVA used to have a more rigorous program but I dont know what its like now. California has better art schools from what I hear. Art Center seems to be one of the better ones. But still, go through there catalogs and see which colleges offer what classes and programs.

Dont be afraid to ask the administration questions, they are there to help you.

If i could i would go to an art school in europe.

[krish iyer]

thanks yeah that helps, I'm leaning towards art colleges in America because I am a citizen there and so I'm looking for factors that art colleges in general prioritize for accepting applicants, like is it sat and act scores, or portfolios or high school grades or GPAs or some combination

in terms of programs, I wanna get into character design and character illustration specifically in the animation industry so any colleges that have those programs are my preference
thanks for the response!

[StudioLooong]

@krish-iyer If you are going to go to a liberal arts school with an art program, SAT/ACT and GPA will still play a big factor - you have to meet the general admissions requirements for the school to get in. Some liberal arts schools will look at a portfolio and others will not even require one. Colleges that specialize in art degrees are USUALLY a little less focused on grades and test scores, putting most of their consideration into the portfolio, but it really differs school-to-school so once you find a few you like, make sure to read their specific admissions requirements.

If you want to get into the animation industry, I would look at art schools in Los Angeles, CA. Since the film industry is centered in LA, the art schools there will likely have more connections with the animation studios in the area which will help you get a job in the end. Art Center and CalArts are known to have great programs. Disney is based in Florida and they end up hiring a lot of people from Ringling, so if your dream is to work for Disney, that may be a good place to start.

If you are wanting to go to a liberal arts school, UCLA and USC also have top-ranked animation and illustration programs.

It may help to think about what you would like to do after graduation and where you would like to work. If you have a specific studio or network that would be your "dream gig," look up where their illustrators and animators graduated from. Normally you'll find that 70-80% of them all went to the same school.

[krish iyer]

wow, thank you this was super helpful, this is pretty much what I was looking to find out!
I'll definitely look into these
I'm not very set on what school I go to as long as the program it offers is a good way to transition into the field I'm leaning towards
thank you!