MICA vs SVA

staar2215
Mon, 23 Mar 2015 11:14:59 +0000

Hi,

I applied to SVA and MICA(Maryland Institute College of Art). It was difficult to find courses in Illustration because there are very few colleges that offer this as a graduation course. I got a reject from SVA, but got accepted at MICA. I didn’t apply to SCAD, because I think the program is very new.

While I’m very grateful to be accepted at MICA for it’s because I have been granted a partial merit based scholarship, I’m worried about a few things:

1. It is a 2 year program and the course is structured to offer 1 year for teaching, 1 year for your thesis ( I’m not sure I want to spend an entire year doing a thesis. I would prefer being exposed to more illustration techniques, and a practical application to illustration)

2. The college is in Baltimore, which has a high crime rate in the US. ( I don’t know if NYC would have been safer)

3. Am I missing out on the exposure, Alumni network, NYC illustration scene ?

The cost of the SVA course is TWICE that of MICA, and the cost of room and board would also be tremendously high in New York. In addition to this, Illustration as a career option does not promise a stable income to begin with.

I’m wondering if I should take MICA keeping in mind the costs, or stay away from Baltimore due to the safety issue.
Does it make sense to re-apply next year? I know that the competition for SVA is stiff, so I’m not sure if I will get in next year.

I’d really appreciate hearing any suggestions/responses in this area.
Thanks a lot in advance for any advice!

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