I’m a current high school senior applying for film/writing/screenwriting programs at both arts and liberal arts colleges. I applied to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s BFA Writing program which is less studio/fine art based and more geared around creative writing. Since being accepted, I decided to fly out to Chicago and tour the school because I’m highly considering attending it. As I recently just took the campus tour of SAIC, I thought I’d share my experience.
THE CAMPUS:
Unlike most of the liberal arts/arts colleges I applied to, SAIC’s campus is embedded into the city of Chicago. There’s no specific gated off area with dorms and a dining hall and a block of classrooms – it’s all spread around the Loop. Every building is within close proximity to each other (and the dorms) which I personally loved because it truly felt like Chicago was your campus. The spaces that SAIC occupy are AMAZINGLY equipped with state of the art facilities and programs. I toured the visual communications center at SAIC, which is basically their graphic design department. The floor in which visual communications takes place is incredible, packed to the brim with colorful walls and spaces where you can print your work onto anything like buttons, stickers, massive posters, etc. I also was able to tour the film/animation building which, again, had insane equipment. It’s obvious that SAIC puts a ton of care into what they offer their students. They supply a lot for students in all of their classes, and all of their resources are ready and available for your art making practices. Since the art studios are open 24 hours, SAIC has a special transit service for students who stay late to work on their art and want a ride back to their dorm when it’s less safe outside. So, for instance, if you were to stay until 3am working on a piece, you could call the SAIC transit service and get a ride back to your dorm (or the nearest CTA stop if you live off campus).
THE DORMS:
They’re. Huge. I was shown around a double room (a room with two people living in it) and it was extremely spacious. For a double room, there is a small kitchenette and a bathroom with a shower/tub and toilet and sink space, as well as one bed on the floor and one loft bed. Though the loft bed is there, if neither of the roommates want to sleep in it, SAIC will provide a second bed for the floor. The dorms are big and also spread out over the downtown Chicago area (the one that’s the farthest away from the class buildings is only a 10 minute walk). They’re co-ed and there are options of getting a single, double, or triple room. All depends on what you want and the availability of housing.
THE AREA:
I love downtown Chicago. The Loop is very nice and feels super safe. I’d consider Chicago to be a healthy mix between NYC and San Francisco – just a little less gritty than NYC and more breathing room than SF. There’s also amazing food here and CTA (Chicago’s public transit) is always moving. There’s a ton of diversity in Chicago and the city is massive so there’s always something to do. You truly can’t be bored here.