Academy of Art. Opinions?

[Chibblz]

I just wanted to know some opinions if you guys have any.. Since I've been trying to get into their Fashion department for the past month or so, and if I get the funds, I should be a student by next month. Basically, I need to convince my parents to help me pay for the tuition because they aren't gonna help. ;.;

[Kazuko]

did you try applying for fafsa? I mean you could agree for them to pay a certain portion like room and board and have financial aid take tuition something like that.

[Oniko]

I dont really know about that department.  I'm in the animation department.  Personally I like the school.  I mean it's jot problems here and there but what school doesnt, overall I'm really happy that I chose it.

[Jerry]

being in the HR thingy, im guessing your choosing this academy because of future oportinitues in the future...

in other words, when your grow up you want a nice job with a degree in _insert cool artsy degree here_ then you could get into places like:

video game companies?
Art studios
Graphic Design
Web Design
Marketing
Advertising
Cool stuff that pays $$$

Thats the reason why you want monies from the parents.

In short tell them getting help from them would be " AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR FUTURE!!! "

Of course, you dont want to blow this opportunity so study hard, get that degree... and then GET A JOB....

otherwise why pay $$$ monies if you dont do anyting with what you learned.
Make something of yourself people.

[Chun]

Tell them it's your passion. Most parents in today's society realize that a degree is all that is necessary for their child to succeed, so if you know that this is exactly what you want to do, do your research with the University tuitions, give them a projected time frame (How fast you can finish) and also show them what awards/programs are available there. The more credibility the institution, the better your chances. The more prepared you are, the more mature you look, and the more trust your parents can put into you for their funding.

Also apply for Fafsa, see if there are any scholarship opportunities, and remember: There's no shame in not going to your college the first time around, fresh out of high school. You could take community courses to fill up more of your lower division requisites, and it's much easier to transfer to any college as a junior than a freshman applicant.

Good luck Chibblz~

~Chun

[red_thestrals]

I dont really know about that department.  I'm in the animation department.  Personally I like the school.  I mean it's jot problems here and there but what school doesnt, overall I'm really happy that I chose it.

Yeah im an animation student there too *raises department's flag (if he have any)*, so i dont really know much about the fashion department.. the fashion students DO look like they're happy for what they're paying... i guess.

[Jun-Watarase]

There's no actual requirement to get into AAU other than paying the tuition-- no portfolio, or anything. There isn't much competition of getting into the school at all. When the thought of "prestigious fashion school" comes to mind, I think Parson's. But aim low first. Setting a goal too high would just leave you frustrated if you're too impatient to make the steps towards it. Though, my personal opinion goes with saying that going straight to AAU isn't a smart move at all. Before getting your degree in art, you should probably get your general education credits done at a city college first, then apply to AAU (if you even still want to go there, by then) as an undergraduate. Not only do you save a ton of money by this, rather than paying AAU's tuition fee and doing them there, once you get your GEs out of the way, you could focus on art once you apply for AAU. You could also use that time to SAVE UP for the tuition costs, actually PLAN AHEAD and prepare financial aid, and even give your parents heads up, rather than just going up to them a month before the semester starts and trying to get them to spring $20,000.

For all you know, fashion may not even be what you want to do for the rest of your life. If it's truly a passion, it can wait. Get everything else you need done in school first, then pursue it. You can still take courses in fashion and build up some sort of sense of the how it's done. Just a question though, what got you into fashion and what do you generally know about it? Not to completely discourage you, but art majors are EXTREMELY difficult to succeed in, especially super competitive fields like fashion. You need to know what you're doing, and you need to be able to do it very well. Unless you have some sort of super amazing talent for it already, expect to work extremely hard to acquire some sort of talent.

In fashion, you need to know the names of styles, styles belonging to decades, distinguished features past designers have created, designer's names, design's history, fabrics, how to construct anything with them, occasions, the difference between high fashion and the rest, the industry, and how it works. (I could list more, and more clearly, but I have to leave in a minute. :U) I don't claim to know everything of fashion and its industry, but one thing I REALLY recommend is... get some connections. You need them.

[Jerry]

*stuff*
but one thing I REALLY recommend is... get some connections. You need them.

Yea, its ALL about networking and who ya know. Passion helps a bit with sticking with ANY industry for 5+ years. people have a habit of changing their minds alot now...

only being in HR for 3 years, and you should see how diverse some resumes are now-a-days... It's almost like a checklist of what industry people HAVE NOT worked in yet. :P

[XpHoBiaX]

I totally agree with Jun. I too have put in for AAU. To be honest, I think it would be best if you went to a community college/lesser college then AAU and took basic courses in your preferred field. What you think you are great at, may not be what the instructors think.

I totally threw the college thing out the window. What I wanted to learn can't be tuaght in a hoity toity university. (Lost Trades) And in my biased opinion, most universities are hoity toity money wasting facilities.

There are ways to persue your dream. Take an apprenticeship at a place that does alterations. Get first hand sewing knowledge, join a group that sews periodical clothing. Just so you could get a feel for what you may be doing. (it's always way more then that though @_@) You'll be doing A LOT of sewing! lol I really do hope you can get in. AAU is a very niiiiice place.

I wish you best of luck!


 

[Jun-Watarase]

There are ways to persue your dream. Take an apprenticeship at a place that does alterations. Get first hand sewing knowledge, join a group that sews periodical clothing. Just so you could get a feel for what you may be doing. (it's always way more then that though @_@) You'll be doing A LOT of sewing! lol I really do hope you can get in. AAU is a very niiiiice place.

Lol, OP still hasn't said anything yet, but I agree with this point. There are other ways outside of studying the field at school to build up your skill. The thing is with art careers and competition is that you need to have, not only skill, but the ability to impress and transcend what others you're competing against can't do-- something that makes YOUR work unique and worth marketing. And at first, chances are you'll probably have to do what is marketable, before you're able to express your individual style completely. If you know other people or communities that are into fashion, I'd suggest getting into them so you can develop a sense of what's in, what will be in the future, what other people are doing, what you can build upon, and perhaps develop some strong friendships and connections while you're at it.

Also, remember the "design" portion of the fashion industry. This means, using your brain and developing a sense for innovation. Think about what you think the fashion industry needs in terms of design, whether it be for practical usages, aesthetics, new possible trends and etc. There are ways to implement elements of trades outside of fashion with the work you'll be creating, too. There's tons of things that you can spend time thinking about and putting effort into designing-- it's up to your own creative ability to be able to peer what is in and outside of the box.

What you think you are great at, may not be what the instructors think.

And this. This applies for many people who get into art, and why it's so competitive. Anyone could sit through a course and learn techniques, but only a few can succeed and actually work towards the talent that is needed for these kinds of professions. I know way too many people who have gotten their art degrees that struggle with the uncertainty of their professions. Art careers are very unstable, and most have no clue whether or not they have what it takes, or whether or not it was a smart move at all. Most of them don't even work in a relative field once they get a job, after college. And even some that I know with art degrees that post their work on their online portfolios are just terrible.

I originally wanted to work in an art field in music composition, or work close to the environment as a studio engineer-- then rejected the idea because of my discomfort with the uncertainty, and decided to just push it aside and do it as a hobby. If I were good enough, I wouldn't need a degree in art to make it in the industry, really... a piece of paper that tells your employers that you've studied in that field doesn't equate to actual talent and ability. What you do gain in art school is learning techniques and how things operate-- the rest is entirely up to your own skill. Unless you strongly feel that you can rely on just that, you should take this into serious consideration before you dig yourself into a hole you can't get out of. (i.e. wasted funding turned into debts you'll have to face upon graduating/dropping out)

This is what you want to do though, so find other means to do it and do what you NEED to do first. After you get a good idea, that's when you should make larger steps like applying for expensive schools to get a degree.

[Steve.Young]

I originally wanted to work in an art field in music composition, or work close to the environment as a studio engineer-- then rejected the idea because of my discomfort with the uncertainty, and decided to just push it aside and do it as a hobby. If I were good enough, I wouldn't need a degree in art to make it in the industry, really... a piece of paper that tells your employers that you've studied in that field doesn't equate to actual talent and ability. What you do gain in art school is learning techniques and how things operate-- the rest is entirely up to your own skill. Unless you strongly feel that you can rely on just that, you should take this into serious consideration before you dig yourself into a hole you can't get out of. (i.e. wasted funding turned into debts you'll have to face upon graduating/dropping out)

Most people don't understand this. They see fancy school, fancy degree, oh em gee I'm going to succeed just because I went to this school.

Seriously, its not what you learn but how you apply what you learn in your own way to create new ideas and new things.

Think of it this way. In business, you learn techniques and solutions for things that "USE TO WORK". Marketing campaigns etc. that seemed to use to work on your target audience. Times change, peoples consumer behavior changes. Now you take those ideas you learned and form new ones for the future, "WHAT WILL WORK".

What use to work =/= What will work. *shrugs*