Massachusetts College of Art (MassArt)

[Enquiring Minds]

I am well aware of an artists portfolio quality being up to the artist, thanks though. But i'm also sure there is a reason some schools are considered more prestigious than others. Especially after your comment about RISD.

[miu]

With RISD, they are a lot stricter with their class attendance standards. You miss one class for any reason, and the administration chastises you. You miss a second class and they contact your parents. They lay a heavy guilt trip on those students that they think aren't taking the courses seriously. They don't want any slacker students when they have a waiting list of serious students wanting to be there.

And some of their staff is more prestigious than those at other art schools. However, if your portfolio is mediocre, having a famous teacher isn't going to help you.

[NorthByNortheast]

Originally Posted by Enquiring Minds

I would be studying Graphic Design, so I would be getting a BFA or MFA.

Some people give me a hard time about wanting to get a BFA though, and there is a small school I know of that offers a BS in Multimedia Design, although that is more of a technical school and not a college.

As far as RISD, that school is too expensive for me to even bother applying to. I know they are the best art school in the country though, I just can't afford it.

Based on what you've said above, I think MassArt would be a fantastic choice. They have a VERY strong graphic design program at the BFA level (I did my post-grad work there, and I have several colleagues who came through their BFA program). They have a nice balance of theory and practical application and are very focused on having you graduate with a professional level portfolio that will help you get a job, and as I said before, they are strong in the Boston area design community.

In graphic design, a BFA is just fine - you do not need to differentiate between a BS, BFA, etc...the BFA is the standard undergraduate degree for a professional designer.

Also, I didn't mention RISD to make it sound better than MassArt; on the contrary, in graphic design, I feel that MassArt is a much better value for the money. The education is great, and they are practical. RISD is too expensive to pay the sticker price for what you will make as a designer, and often their portfolios aren't any stronger (I have interviewed people from both schools and MassArt portfolios are almost always the winners)

Good luck!

[flowbe202]

Originally Posted by miu

The quality of YOUR portfolio is all on YOU, not the art college you go to.

So true! People with raw talent will always be discovered. But, if you're looking for a career, then you will need the school and its alums behind you to develop your future network. MassArt=William Wegman.

[miu]

Originally Posted by flowbe202

So true! People with raw talent will always be discovered. But, if you're looking for a career, then you will need the school and its alums behind you to develop your future network. MassArt=William Wegman.

True. And why I posted in the OP's thread about his concern over making new friends in Boston, that he ought to focus his socializing efforts at his school.

[SoFresh99]

One thing about MassArt, it is not for the lazy. If you are not a self starter you can forget it, there is absolutely no hand holding/class attendance taking going on. Help is mostly peer based. I am always amazed at how much maturity it takes for an 18/20/22yo to be successful at MassArt. Way more than your average college where you can show up just for the test if you want to.

[NorthByNortheast]

Originally Posted by SoFresh99

One thing about MassArt, it is not for the lazy. If you are not a self starter you can forget it, there is absolutely no hand holding/class attendance taking going on. Help is mostly peer based. I am always amazed at how much maturity it takes for an 18/20/22yo to be successful at MassArt. Way more than your average college where you can show up just for the test if you want to.

This should be true at any art school, if you want to actually graduate with a decent portfolio. Unlike on an exam-based class, where you can sometimes get away with just being smart and doing well on tests even without working that hard, there is no way to get around the time and effort required to put together a good portfolio.

[Enquiring Minds]

Originally Posted by NorthByNortheast

Based on what you've said above, I think MassArt would be a fantastic choice. They have a VERY strong graphic design program at the BFA level (I did my post-grad work there, and I have several colleagues who came through their BFA program). They have a nice balance of theory and practical application and are very focused on having you graduate with a professional level portfolio that will help you get a job, and as I said before, they are strong in the Boston area design community.

In graphic design, a BFA is just fine - you do not need to differentiate between a BS, BFA, etc...the BFA is the standard undergraduate degree for a professional designer.

Also, I didn't mention RISD to make it sound better than MassArt; on the contrary, in graphic design, I feel that MassArt is a much better value for the money. The education is great, and they are practical. RISD is too expensive to pay the sticker price for what you will make as a designer, and often their portfolios aren't any stronger (I have interviewed people from both schools and MassArt portfolios are almost always the winners)

Good luck!

I greatly appreciate your review on MassArt and even though i'm not too fond of living in an area where the cost of living is a bit higher and the weather is just "fair", I guess I have no choice. Lets face it the Westcoast just does not offer as much when it comes to Bachelor of Fine Arts. What you see where I am now is alot of Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Arts and Communication which really have nothing to do with graphic design. There are plenty of technical colleges which give you a degree quicker, but I heard mixed things about those type of schools. They are better for some things but not others. Their credits also don't transfer into other schools usually, which is bad if you want to continue your education somewhere else.

It is very encouraging to know that you like the portfolios from the students that attended Mass Art. The people on the phone seemed very friendly as well. Although I think I handed in my FAFSA application too late though for the MassArt deadline, on the FAFSA website it says June but on another website it said an earlier month that already passed. The reason I handed in my FAFSA in mid March was because I applied to 10 schools and wanted to make sure the correct ones were all on the FAFSA application.

[Enquiring Minds]

Originally Posted by SoFresh99

One thing about MassArt, it is not for the lazy. If you are not a self starter you can forget it, there is absolutely no hand holding/class attendance taking going on. Help is mostly peer based. I am always amazed at how much maturity it takes for an 18/20/22yo to be successful at MassArt. Way more than your average college where you can show up just for the test if you want to.

Well I already have an AFA, just hoping I dont have to retake courses I already took. Also mad that some of the courses I took will be useless for MassArt such as College level Math, which is what i'm currently taking because one of the schools I applied to needed it as a General Ed course. But if I decide to get an MFA later on at a university those classes I had to take might help.

[Malishka]

I wanted to start a new topic but figured i'll just bump this one...

I have bachelors degree and want to continue my education...I want to apply to MassArt to post-bac (photography) and then MFA...Did anyone take this course? How time-consuming are post-bac and masters? Is it hard or HAAAAAAARRRRRRRD ? is it doable at all with part-time job and 3 kids?

Is masters only about a project you do or it involves classes as well?

PLease, write any thoughts, reviews...everything helps


ps
or should i just go to NESOP and get a certificate?