Cooper Union ED Arts

eskiboy
Sat, 15 Apr 2017 17:43:17 +0000

@Parent207 Hi!! I was accepted ED to Cooper! I think it’s a great school, and there’s loads of reasons why I gunned for it rather than RISD or some other art school, but there are also a couple of gripes I have with it.

To get the bad out of the way, the first of those gripes, like @nmmomma said, is the disorganization. I notice it most in the school website and the student Facebook group / admission process, but the whole institution is sort of in shambles right now. Definitely has something to do with the whole free tuition conundrum, so I’m sure it will go back to being fine once that is settled, but for now, the general feeling of the school is uncertainty. The second and last thing I was, and still am, anxious about at Cooper is the social life. It’s an insanely small school and everyone always said it was quite antisocial. I’m not sure if it’s because the students are worked so hard or if it’s because Cooper just generally draws introverted students, but it seems to be true for the students there currently.

To counter that though, and move on to the things that I love about Cooper: the Class of 2021 is amazing! We all seem to know about the stereotype of the antisocial Cooper student and are actively fighting against it. There are student-run group chats, city guides from NYC natives, and constant talk of going out and partying. We’re using our small size to our advantage, everyone knows each other and everyone is kind and inclusive. Admitted Students Day was this past Thursday, I didn’t have the money to attend, but I heard that it was great and that everyone was just as lovely face-to-face. So I’m not sure about the antisocial myth. Maybe it exists in years above us or in other programs, but Art '21 is definitely a social bunch!

Since that’s more of a recent discovery and something that might not apply for students outside of my circle, the things that drew me to the school initially were the location and the reputation. NYC is so rad! I visited for the first time in the summer (unrelated to Cooper), and then again in the fall for an open house event. For first year students who are doing the housing bit, the residence hall is literally a block away from Cooper Square — and Cooper Square is in a prime location in Manhattan! You go south and you’re in SoHo for shopping or general “cool” spots, you go East and you’re in East Village for bars and eating, you go West and you’re in West Village with the NYU crowd for partying and getting away from Cooper, and you go North for everything else. That’s not even to mention the fact that Brooklyn and Queens are right there as well! Everything I just said could be horribly wrong because I’ve only been twice, but nevertheless, the location was definitely the main reason why I chose Cooper.

But, the reputation was also very appealing! It’s probably the most well-respected art school in NYC and I’ve heard that a lot of students end up going for MFA programs, specifically at Yale. If you make it through, it seems to be very easy to get a good-paying job on the other side. I’m a graphic design student, and when I told my senior design friends (25–35 year olds) working in NYC that I was going to Cooper, they all had good things to say about past Cooper students they knew. The connections you make with your peers and professors are invaluable. Going to a bigger art school, finding a job after graduation might be difficult, but at Cooper since the classes are so small (I think on average there are 65 art students per year), it’s a lot easier.

Not sure what else to say!! Overall, I’m really happy with my decision so far, and I’m excited to move in August! Hopefully your daughter chooses Cooper as well! And hopefully this reply was helpful! <3