Your remarks are spot on @milkshakespeare ! My daughter was trying to find out about what she needed for a CS class and was frustrated that it took so long for admin to get back to her and I commented, “well what do you expect when the admin are working artists!” That part of it aside, my d has been told by several students and faculty that CalArts is what you make of it – if you are lazy and unmotivated you are not going to get anything out of the program. It is definitely a school for a more mature kid who really knows that they want to be an artist. I also think that sense of total freedom is overwhelming for some of the younger (18/19 year olds) who are experiencing life away from home for the first time. For my d it has been amazing.