Hello, I am a rising senior who is currently struggling to decide where to apply for ED. I will be applying for the art school (preferably design major) with an art portfolio. I looked into WashU, Cornell, and CMU—which they all have an amazing art department! Due to COVID-19, I haven’t had a chance to actually visit those schools, so I don’t really know what campus life is like at those schools. Regardless of the major, I would also like to know what the environment of those schools is like; it would be very helpful for me to know the differences between those three places since they are all located in very different places across the country. If any alumni, current students, or students who know well about those schools could help me out, I would really appreciate it!
Cornell alum here. Ithaca is absolutely beautiful. Lakes, waterfalls, gorges, Stunning part of the country. Not the easiest to get to, winters can be rough.
Art museum on campus, vibrant arts culture in general, tons of clubs/organizations, wonderful profs and a plethora of courses to choose from. Rural school though, not near any major city so life revolves around what’s going on at campus.
I’d recommend reading the campus newspapers, doing whatever virtual tours you can, looking on you tube for campus traditions, following their social media pages, etc…
Thank you for your reply! I reside in California, so I have never really experienced any harsh winters. Would I have a hard time adjusting to the extreme change in climate? (or does the climate affect college life?)
Yes, I’ve looked at virtual tours and the campus looks amazing! My concern is the rural environment, which I am not really used to being in. Does Cornell have many opportunities for students to connect with each other and have fun despite its rural environment?
I believe California registers as the second most represented state (after New York) at Cornell. If you were to go to school in Ithaca, you would be following a well-worn path.
Another Cornell alum here. I agree with all momofsenior1 says here. Despite its rural environment, Cornell and Ithaca offer students a vibrant, fun, and rich cultural life.
I do think the winter would be a rough adjustment. Not only is it cold and snowy, but winter days are way darker than those in most areas of California. From my own experience, the climate affected Cornell in positive ways (sledding, snowball fights, hiking up gorgeous snowy hills), but it does making leaving for winter breaks more challenging and unpredictable.
CMU and the Pittsburgh area experience cold and snowy winters, too, but it may be easier to travel in and out.
I have never been to WashU, but the campus is supposed to be beautiful and student amenities plentiful. St. Louis is an airline hub, so travel should be relatively simple.
I’m a bit biased toward Cornell but did not recommend it to my daughter because she preferred an urban college. I did encourage her to investigate WashU, though.
Good luck with your choice!
Cornell is not as rural as you fear. When you leave campus, you are in the city of Ithaca where there are many things to do. You will have to make a real effort to get out of town into the farming area surrounding Ithaca. It isn’t like you will stroll out of class and suddenly be facing a field of corn or a herd of dairy cows.
I am curious however, given your focus on art, that these places landed on your application list. Why not RISD, MICA or SCAD?
I think the OP is interested in the excellent art divisions at these universities (e.g., AAP at Cornell).
Depending on your interests, @sUNdEYbA, you may want to consider liberal arts colleges when researching potential additions to your college list.
Thank you!! That was very helpful!
I see, I’ve talked to a few other alumni as well and they have said the same thing, so I’m really considering it! I focus on art, however, I prefer a public/private university rather than an art school. I will be applying to RISD, MICA, OTIS, Pratt, etc for my RD! Also, I seek some interesting cross-disciplinary opportunities 
Yes! AAP at Cornell, CMU Design, and etc are excellent art departments that I am super interested in 
Use the website Niche to help give you a better idea of what campus culture and life is like at these schools. Two of those colleges are urban and the other is not. Personally, I’d choose Cornell, but it’s safe to say that getting there isn’t going to be straightforward.
There have been past threads/ posts on CC about:
- How California students adjusted to winters, and life in general, at Cornell
-Art at Cornell (one very old one I seem to recall)
My recollection is that most of the posters said they adjusted quite well, and really liked the differences in environment of the east coast vs. what they were used to.
Pretty recently, for the first time that I can recall, there were two California parents who were complaining about some things , eg, the dorms weren’t air conditioned (BTW basically few or none of them are, on the east coast, nor would this be useful for more than a month), and transportation woes. I have a feeling they were more bent up about it than their kids were. Then there was one kid from Califonia who really didn’t want to be there, it was his last choice aside from UC Berkeley, and he basically complained about everything, for a while. Then he stopped posting. I wonder what he would say now… But most others I recall not only seemed to cope but affirmatively liked it.
The posts about the art department were very old, and from what I remember they dealt with the slant of the department, like maybe it was particularly strong in some areas and less strong in some others?? So you might want to delve into the character and strengths of the departments at each school of interest.
IF I get energetic I will look for the links, but I don’t promise.
In case it is of interest, IIRC one can dual major in AARP art and a CAS major.
https://internaltransfer.cornell.edu/concurrent-degrees/concurrent-degree/#2
Suggest you also check out U Michigan.
I have a family member who got a Master of Design at CMU. Did her undergrad at a local state school. Really loved it there. CMU seemed to open a lot of doors for her. Pittsburgh has lots to offer. I would say more but my knowledge is mostly hearsay.
Hi sUNdEYbA. I’m the family member mentioned in total1096’s previous post, so this is my “guest post” in their behalf.
I did my Master’s at CMU and loved it there. Pittsburgh is a really unique place that I absolutely loved. It was the steel capital of the world for a long time and then experienced a major economic downturn in the 70s. Since then, a lot of innovative start-up cultures have taken hold of unique old buildings and gave them new life, making it a really vibrant and interesting place. I lived on a street 5 minutes from campus that had dozens of ma and pa restaurants of every type of food you can imagine. There are lots of galleries near campus and community art walks, community gardens, and giant parks.
Pittsburgh is a university city. There are over a dozen universities in the area so there is definitely a student vibe there. The bus system is great and the city is walkable. The city is also gorgeous with all kinds of beautiful architecture and something interesting around every corner. If you like baseball, football, or hockey, there are pro teams and the whole city is passionate about their teams! Pittsburgh also has more bridges than Venice, and has the most bizarre and complicated intersections you have ever seen, but again, students use the buses.
I can’t speak to the undergrad experience much, but there is definitely a lot of hard work involved. You get your own space in the studio and have opportunities to work with local companies or the local community on projects. Most of the student population is foreign, so there are lots of diverse perspectives. Additionally recruiting from CMU is excellent. There are great internship opportunities and all the big tech companies recruit there. I’ve come back and done some recruiting myself with my company and these students are certainly in demand.
The design program at CMU is one of the best in the nation. I still see people’s eyes get big when I tell them I graduated from there. Highly recommend.
Hope this is helpful!
Hi sUNdEYbA. I’m the family member mentioned in total1096’s previous post, so this is my “guest post” in their behalf.
I did my Master’s at CMU and loved it there. Pittsburgh is a really unique place that I absolutely loved. It was the steel capital of the world for a long time and then experienced a major economic downturn in the 70s. Since then, a lot of innovative start-up cultures have taken hold of unique old buildings and gave them new life, making it a really vibrant and interesting place. I lived on a street 5 minutes from campus that had dozens of ma and pa restaurants of every type of food you can imagine. There are lots of galleries near campus and community art walks, community gardens, and giant parks.
Pittsburgh is a university city. There are over a dozen universities in the area so there is definitely a student vibe there. The bus system is great and the city is walkable. The city is also gorgeous with all kinds of beautiful architecture and something interesting around every corner. If you like baseball, football, or hockey, there are pro teams and the whole city is passionate about their teams! Pittsburgh also has more bridges than Venice, and has the most bizarre and complicated intersections you have ever seen, but again, students use the buses.
I can’t speak to the undergrad experience much, but there is definitely a lot of hard work involved. You get your own space in the studio and have opportunities to work with local companies or the local community on projects. Most of the student population is foreign, so there are lots of diverse perspectives. Additionally recruiting from CMU is excellent. There are great internship opportunities and all the big tech companies recruit there. I’ve come back and done some recruiting myself with my company and these students are certainly in demand.
The design program at CMU is one of the best in the nation. I still see people’s eyes get big when I tell them I graduated from there. Highly recommend.
Hope this is helpful!