I’d posted this under the other heading already…but some thoughts on two other schools I’m a little familiar with that haven’t been mentioned…
MICA:
I thought MICA had an interesting approach in that they were much more flexible than RISD in what your major was/how open it seemed to be and their argument was that’s really how artists function in the professional world and as creators (ie they switch between all sorts of mediums throughout their lives).
My daughter really liked the school - the campus, programs, facilities, larger community etc. She was applying during the time that there were riots in Baltimore and we were signed up for all their social media and I was impressed with how the school communicated with parents (via their FB page etc) and also how the students and faculty engaged with the larger community during the height of the tensions and how they continued to engage afterwards.
Daughter was accepted to MICA, but RISD and Syracuse gave her bigger merit and aid packages so they got bumped down our list.
RIT:
We visited early on in the process and she chose not to apply (although her portfolio was accepted as a sophomore! darn kid way to diss any potential aid $!!) since they didn’t seem that strong in her major Illustration & she wasn’t keen on location etc. BUT as a tech school their animation, film, gaming etc seems top notch. I know several graduates in the gaming industry and the school seems much more ‘job’ and industry focused than a typical art school.
Syracuse:
They also have a good art program, generous aid (since they have a HUGE endowment) and some interesting combination majors in both visual and performing arts. Plus under their “TransMedia” heading there’s connections to their Newhouse School of Communications. http://vpa.syr.edu/
Hope this helps!