Maryland Institute College of Art Top Questions

Reputation isn't everything. No matter how good a schools reputaion is, if its not the right fit for a student he/she isn't going to get the most out of the education. Think about what you want enviornment will allow you to absorb the most out of your education, and not only will it make you happier, but more successful. Once you have chosen a college, the bast advice I can give based on my experiences is to get involved. The more energy and effort you invest into your school, the more it will invest in you- take advantage of everything it has to offer. Lastly, have pride and confidence in your decision! Find what drives you, trust your instincts and do what makes you happy. The more faith you have in your choices the more they will pay off in the end. Best of Luck!

Manage your time! If you keep a to-do list, use a calendar and keep track of all your assignments, events, meetings, etc. you will have so much fun in college, and have enough time to do anything you want. College is all about experiencing new things and learning in order to make it the real world, so manage your time and enjoy it!

My college experience has shown me than college is what you put into it. No matter where you go you can't predict what kinds of people you'll meet or what teachers you'll get, and in the end it's up to you to squeeze every drop you can out of your time at school. When you decide to go to college, you have to make an agreement with yourself to work hard, because even if you have the best teachers and facilities you can't succeed unless you really dedicate yourself to enriching your mind. I would recommend that any studends considering colleges should focus primarily on how prepared they are to accept the responsibilitiy of their own education.

The best advice I have is visiting the campus and finding out about not only the academic life but as well as how students are socially, how they live on a day to day basis. Talking with students already attending that school and find out their interests, what they enjoy about attending that college. Find out about the course work, how students and professors interact with on another, how formal and informal are the relationships between instructor and student.Talk with the Activities board and find out what activities the students are most active in at that particular school. Check out the surrounding areas, restaurants, grocery stores, theatres, reacreation etc.. and see how safe the area is and whether that community is one that the prospective student would like to live and participate in.

Visit every college you apply to.

Visit as many diverse schools/campuses you can; it will be overwhelming at first but in the end you will know what the right school for you is. Be open and don't let friends influence your decision. Only you know what school is for you.

Be sure to pick one that you love. Pick a school that really cares about you individually, a school that recognizes your needs as a student and as a person. After that, pick the school where you're comforatble and feel like you belong.

If you have a dream, wake up and get a reality check. The water is cold in the mainstream. Times are tough and people are losing their jobs. But if you love doing art, by all means put together your portfolio together and apply here. The facilities at MICA are clean and accessable,and the instructors are knowledgeable and friendly. The courses ahead are numerous and the challenges articulate and difficult. And get a Mac.

Choose a school that fits you, not that simply has the bigest reputation, or where your friends are going. School is an oppertunity to expand your mind and grow as a person, so you should choose a school that will help you do that.

To find the right college, i believe you must first start narrowing what you might want to do for the rest of your life. That sounds a bit harsh, but having a generalized idea will help you limit your choices. I knew i was going into art and i knew i wanted to be somewhere on the east coast, so i narrowed my choices to MICA, Cooper Union, RISD, and PRATT. RISD was out of the question for me, whether or not i wanted to go there; the reason being because they did not offer meret scholarships. I couldnt be in debt for the rest of my life. Anyway, visit the campuses. Let them explain everything they can. Ask questions that they havent touched upon. Think about where you see yourself in for the next four years. Know the area as well--the school might look glamourus but the area might not be in the place you hoped the school was in. Make the best of it. Have fun. Work hard. Wherever you go, I guarentee that you will learn more about yourself than anything else in any school.