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Transfer to MICA vs SAIC
mapofthesoul
35 replies4 threads Junior Member
I’m a transfer student from Virginia. Both MICA and SAIC offered me around half tuition in Scholarships and grants. I also got into VCUarts but was not given any scholarships. I didn’t really like it when i visited and my scholarships from the other schools match the instate tuition so I’m not really considering it. For MICA I would be an illustration major and for SAIC I’m a Graphic Design major. Essentially I would like to explore both (possibly minor or double major) and i was wondering if anyone had any insight on these schools/programs?
23 replies
Replies to: Transfer to MICA vs SAIC
Do you have work already lined up that will allow you to pay off this kind of debt after graduation?
Do you have any place where you could finish your education without that level of debt?
You might also consider where you want to launch your career. MICA is going to be better known in the East while SAIC will have easy name recognition in the Midwest. However, based on my own kid's recent experience with the job hunt, the biggest weight will be given to your portfolio and prior job experience. Internships and freelance will be very helpful there, so attend the school that continues to help you build your expertise and resume. You very likely can't go wrong with either place.
Congrats and good luck to you!
If your mom co-signs rather than borrowing parent PLUS loans, look around for affordable life and disability insurance policies for yourself in the amount of your co-signed loans. That way if something truly unfortunate should happen to you, she won't be left owing that loan.
My D just graduated from another art school but will be starting a full-time job in Chicago, where I imagine a lot of SAIC jobs are located. During her job search, she was never asked about her transcript, and she didn't bother putting her GPA on her resume. All everyone seemed to care about was her portfolio and work experience. So receiving quality (letter) grades may not be so important on the job market, although I supposed at some point she might have to provide proof of degree or something. For grad school, letter grades DO tend to be important, and I understand in that case SAIC is able to produce a quality-grade transcript if needed.