<p>Make sure the art schools are accredited, and not one of the for-profit ones that are advertised on the back of buses. Many of those take your money (or sign you up for loans) and run. </p>
<p>Try visiting during the school year. We went to some during the spring break and some during the summer. The ones that had the best vibe for us were the ones where the students were there. D was invited to sit in on a poetry class by the liberal arts dean at KCAI, which was a great experience. At MCAD she stopped to talk to a teacher who was holding class in the adjacent museum, and she attended the NHIA pre-college workshop. These ended up in her top 3 choices. </p>
<p>Past alumni weren’t a factor in her choice. She sees the schools as what she can learn from them and how they can help her attain her goals, not their prestige. She looked at student work on line, and if she liked what they were doing, then she was interested.</p>