Coursework
Past APs: Calc BC, Lang, APUSH, World - 4 on APUSH and 5 on others
Enrolled APs: Lit, Psyc, Stat
Art: Have taken a foundation class, currently enrolled for both 2nd level 3D and 2D art classes offered in my highschool.
Foreign language: 2 years of Spanish
Awards
Accepted into district level concert and jazz bands
AP Scholar with Honor
Extracurriculars
Concert Band (is actually a class): Highest ensemble since freshman year. Started in last chair, auditioned up to 2nd chair in my junior year. Placements auditions for senior year have not occured yet.
Marching band: Trumpet, Mello, 1 year as section leader, 1 year as drum major
Tri-M: Member of leadership this year
NHS
Essays/LORs/Other
Portfolio: Medium level?
Recent works include: 2 realistic graphite drawings based on pictures I took, an acryilic painting
Older works include: 5 high poly sculpts, 2 high poly hard-surface models, 6 low poly hard-surface models
Cost Constraints / Budget
Assume no budget constraints. However, I will take any recomendations for cheaper schools (30k yearly?) that have good animation programs.
Schools
Based on initial look at acceptance rate.
Safety: SCAD
Match: SVA NYC
Reach (dream): Ringling
Are you interested only in specialty art schools? So much of admissions is portfolio-based at these schools that it’s hard to “chance” you… but there’s no reason to believe that that the schools you listed aren’t realistic.
MassArt could be worth a look: https://massart.edu/program/animation/bfa/ The cross-registration opportunities with other excellent schools in the Fenway neighborhood could be a great enhancement. In addition to academic classes at other schools, you could take music classes at Berklee and continue to pursue jazz.
I understand that admissions to these art school are highly portfolio based. I am more than willing to link my portfolio here. I was originally hesitant to include it as the “How to” thread discouraged including PII. If someone could confirm that doing so wouldn’t go against community guidelines, I can add a reply linking to my Artstation.
Regarding scholarships, I’m not really sure if I qualify for any need-based financial aid. I want to assume not as my household income (I believe) is around the 100k range. However, I haven’t filled out the FAFSA yet so I’m not really sure.
You should be able to get an estimate of need-based financial aid using Net Price Calculators. I’ve never looked, but I suspect that four-year universities (like USC and CMU mentioned above, as well as your state flagship) might offer a better price than standalone art schools, not to mention the flexibility to add or change to a more traditional major if your interests and goals change.
Exactly. You might get a better deal from a traditional university, and have more academic flexibility.
Check Syracuse’s NPC too - they don’t guarantee full-need-met aid, but they come very close, and I’d expect them to fill any gap with merit for a student with your stats: Net Price Calculator
DePaul’s aid isn’t full-need-met (only 70% of documented need met on average), but with your stats, according to their NPC, they would offer 25K in merit, plus additional need-based aid if you qualify. I put in a 30K SAI, and the resulting Net Price (before any loans) was 35K: Net Price Calculator This is a terrific school for all types of crossover between CS and the arts.
Truman State’s in-state full-pay cost of attendance is only 27K/year, and at minimum you’d get 5K in automatic merit, so your worst-case price would be only 22K/year, and larger competitive scholarships are possible. Tuition & Costs - Truman State University
I would be concerned about the price of the art schools you’re considering, for a family in the 100K income bracket, unless you were offered a significant scholarship.
I would strongly encourage you to take on as little student debt as possible. Breaking into the animation field can take time, and students with big loans can be at a huge disadvantage because they can’t afford to take a lower-paying entry level opportunity or to wait out a dry spell.
Other schools you might research - Chapman (though recent CDS shows it meets only 77% of need on average) and Tufts. Both would give you the opportunity to major in other things. Tufts has a 5-year joint degree program (you can earn a BFA and a BA/BS).
Ringling is VERY heavily focused on portfolio. While good grades are a plus, it is your artistic ability that will be judged. The admission to CA at Ringling hovers around 10%. It’s an extremely tough program with no guarantee of success–that will lay with you.
A good portfolio will focus on life drawings. Figure drawings, action drawings, quick sketch showing action. 3D art–models, sculpture.
Look up National Portfolio Days where you can sign up to have your portfolio reviewed. These can often be done on-line by zoom if you aren’t able to attend in person. You can sign up with a particular school. You want someone in CA to look at your portfolio–the different departments–illustration, game art etc.–look for different aspects in your work.
You have a good school record. I’d personally look for a more traditional university that may actually provide more opportunities than focusing solely on art and animation.
While you have SCAD listed as a safety I’m not sure it is. It may be a safety to get accepted but not sure that’s what you may want
Unless the program has changed recently you may be easily admitted to SCAD as a freshman but not necessarily admitted directly to the CA program. You have portfolio review at some point while you are a student that will give you entrance into the program as either a 2D or 3D artist (Ringling is 3D–if that’s not your thing, don’t bother).
It’s a competitive program there also.
Make sure to run the Net Price Calculator at schools, as some of the toughest private schools for admission may end up giving you one of your best prices.
Some schools that you may want to consider include:
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
DePaul
U. of Texas - Dallas
U. of Utah (and you can get in-state rates after the first year if you follow the path to residency)
Likely (60-79%)
Ohio State
Rochester Institute of Technology
U. of Central Florida
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Florida State
Lower Probability (20-39%)
NYU
Low Probability (less than 20%)
Brown (which has a partnership with Rhode Island School of Design)
Carnegie Mellon (seconding this)
Georgia Tech (and you can also take SCAD classes via the ARCHE consortium in Atlanta)
U. of Southern California
You may also end up getting a waiver for out-of-state fees at the Texas or Florida publics, and they have amongst the lowest in-state tuition rates in the country.