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Jun 2017

I'm currently considering colleges and I have it down to two right now. I either want to go to Savannah College Of Art and Design (SCAD) or New York City School of Visual Arts (SVA). I was wondering if anyone who went to either of these schools could tell me their experiences and pros and cons?
In my research I did on both schools I found the biggest cons and pros for both -
Cons
SCAD - Large, and 11 hour drive from my state to there
SVA - Expensive, not as relaxed on art portfolio submissions, rooms are kinda small

Pros
SCAD - Cheaper, higher freshman financial aid, more relaxed on art portfolio submissions, for nonprofit, decent comfy rooms
SVA - a 1 hour drive from my state to there, smaller classes, not as hot, graduates earn more salary post-graduation, for profit

Another thing I know is that SVA is about helping their students learn how to get a great salary while SCAD is more focused on educating their students about their major and teaching the class as a whole, not as much individually.
Honestly I love both these schools so much and I really need a few other's opinions in helping me make a final decision. Thank you.

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I'm a graduate from SCAD (specifically the Atlanta campus) and don't mind sharing a little bit about my experience there.

It's been awhile though (I graduated back in 2011) so not everything about my experience is going to be the same especially since the campus I went to was pretty new and still figuring stuff out.

I don't know much about SVA, but I know with SCAD, it works on a quarterly schedule so quarters can be pretty intense. The recommendation was always three classes, but only take one studio class per quarter, take two if you have to, never take three if you can help it, cuz you'll end up overwhelmed quickly (something I can attest to).

AT THE TIME, most of the professors teaching were from their respective field and not students who graduated and decided to teach. That was both a good and a bad thing because you knew the information they were giving was definitely current and useful, but they weren't necessarily trained to teach and that would sometimes make it difficult to get the kind of help you needed.

In the sequential art department there WAS a lot of focus on getting publishers and businesses coming in to take a look at your work, and a good percent of the graduating class was hired before they were even finished with their degree (I was almost one of them but didn't wind up pursuing it for personal reasons irrelevant to SCAD as a school). Again I have no idea if this is still the case as most of the folks coming in (like Axel Alonso from Marvel) were friends with the professors there at the time. It's possible they still do but I'd find someone who's going to SCAD Atlanta currently and ask them before basing your decision on something like this.

The freshmen dorms are at an excellent location and you pretty much don't need a vehicle to survive as even without the shuttles, there's a nice little backway you can walk to get to the school. There's plenty of stores in the area, including a big art store, all also within walking distance. The only issue I really had with them is one time they flooded, and another time someone was smoking in their room and all the smoke was filtering into my dorm and the RA's couldn't figure out where it was coming from. But you know, lil things like that are just part of dorm life. (It does rain a LOT here in georgia, but I wouldn't be surprised if they've taken care of the flooding issues as those dorms were still pretty newly renovated at the time)

Ahhh I can't think of much else to offer but I do hope this helps.

I went to SVA for pre-college and took cartooning courses, but I ended up going to Uarts in Philly for undergrad illustration. The dorms at SVA were definitely smaller and more crowded than as Uarts. Like my freshman year at Uarts there were two of us in what was basically a small one bedroom apartment, we each got our own closet and bunkbed and used the top bunk as extra storage for clothes. At SVA there were 6 of us in one dorm, two people each on three bunkbeds... all sharing one tiny bathroom. Not sure about SCAD, but at SVA you might find it's more comfortable and affordable to live off campus after freshman year. When it's all said and done, dorms are such a minor part of college life.

I would say specifically look into the classes offered in the major you want to go into. And look into the teachers. Each department in an art school is like it's own little school with it's own community, so you can love a university as a whole and end up hating your experience there if the major your in doesn't have classes that focus on what you're interested in or teachers doing the kind of work you're trying to do.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this, I really appreciate it and it was helpful!
I think that if SCAD wasn't an 11 hour drive I would probably pick it over SVA. Not that I've made up my mind yet. I do prefer SCAD a little more now, it's just that drive that really turns me off. SVA is very expensive however.
This is so hard to do I can't decide :tired_face:

Thank you for taking the time to write this! And lord have mercy picking a college is about one the most difficult things ever. I like SVA, but it's so expensive, and I prefer SCAD just a bit more but it's an 11 hour drive and I don't know if I could handle that.
I wish there was a school that was a mix of both of them so I wouldn't have to choose :sob:
Again, thank you for taking the time to write this!

Not to add more options onto your pile, but have you looked into Uarts or Moore? They're both in Philly, so probs a bit closer to you than SCAD and also cheaper than SVA.

Hey there!!

I am currently attending SCAD Atlanta as a graduate student in the Sequential Arts department. Here is a bit on my experiences and feedback.

  • You will be given the attention you deserve if you actually talk to your peers and professors. It's a decently sized program for undergrad [very small for graduate. There's only 7 of us, including myself!] but the professors do try to get to know you and your goals.
  • I don't recommend living on campus if you can avoid it. I lived in both the freshman dorms and the upperclassman. Freshman dorms were....okay and the upperclassman better. However, it...isn't worth the money you spend to live there imo.

  • At the Atlanta campus [not so much for Savannah] style is not as important. The focus is building the story and producing good work. Style is just simply a factor of your work.

  • The motto is true. Sleep. Comes. After. Death = SCAD.

Hope this helps a bit!

I never heard of SVA and I've known a few CGI animation graduates from SCAD, and as far as talent and salary, where you graduate from does not matter, at least in that field.
School taught you the basic you need and when it comes to the real world, it is up to the individuals to get where they end up.
Creativity is individual skill's to problem solve and learn how to tackle each project they have to face, which is different everytime.

I just want to say before saying anything that I don't mean to insult or disparage anyone in the thread and their choice of school, I know that everyone's experiences are different and that for most schools you get out what you put in. I also want to be clear that I'm not a comics major myself, but I do have a lot of friends who are and who've attended various schools for it.

SVA: very highly respected school. It's expensive, but people coming out of there have a reputation for being used to the workloads and expectations of the industry across the board (as in, all their majors are pretty strong). While your professionalism and portfolio are obviously what's gonna do the talking, it is a 'big name school' and has a pretty prestigious network of alumni. As far as what I've heard it's a harder school, but it's worth it.

SCAD: heard... really mixed things. It's obviously produced some great alums and I know a few people who attend, some of whom are absolutely killer with their comic work and work ethic. That said though, it's REALLY a 'get out what you put in' school. Their standards for acceptance are much much lower (leading to a high rate of people who join with the 'well I didn't know what to do so I went to art school' mentality and subsequently drop out), the rigorousness of the courseload seems to be... kind of lax unless you take the initiative to really step up and push yourself, and some of the business practices I've heard of teachers enforcing are really questionable. Among a lot of younger artists it's known as the 'wolfaboo school' and among a lot of professionals it's sort of regarded as the same sort of money farm / cash grab school as the Art Institutes or Academy of Art. I know I've seen high-level coursework (upperclassman and grad student) coming out of there that wouldn't have been accepted in a freshman course at other schools, and when a teacher at my school looked over my shoulder and I explained it was work from SCAD he snorted and said 'oh, well that's why then'.
Again, NOT saying it's necessarily a bad school in general because I've heard of a lot of people really enjoying it and I know there are some great artists that come out of there, just saying that depending on your personal level of motivation you might get more for your dollar elsewhere. When it comes down to it, if you're committed to improving yourself and put in the hard work then you'll do great anywhere; I think a big part of the choice should involve what sort of environment will suit your growth the best, and what sort of peer group will encourage you to work hard.

I hope that your college search goes well, and that you get in! Congratulations on finishing high school and wanting to move forward with art!

Hello! I'm a SCAD alum class of 2014! I'd like to explain my experience and from what I've seen from my other fellow alums. : ) (I'm from SCAD Savannah btw hehe)

SCAD gives you resources, opportunities to see employers at an annual Career fair, workshops to work on your portfolio/resume, and professionals from the industry often visit to give you advice on what you need to work on. However, it doesn't always guarantee this will get you a job. But this is the same as other art schools in general. Networking is really important, and the effort you put into your work.

The professors too are willing to sit down and help you learn! They sometimes provide extra help sessions on Fridays. I don't know where you were told they don't help you learn individually? Depending on if they have time, most of the professors want to help and I've had many sessions were I was helped one on one. < :

honestly I had a really great time at SCAD, and I've seen many of my former classmates and alumni become successful. But it all depends on you. Everyone's experience is different with different skill levels!

anyway good luck! I hope this helped <3

As a Savannah-SCAD grad:

This is absolutely true. SCAD will happily accept your money whether you're at a level to benefit from their classes or not, and instead uses the "you'll be drowning in work" model to weed out people rather than screening for quality of work beforehand. And it seems possible to just Do All The Assignments --not necessarily do them well -- and make it through.

I always felt like I loved the professors and my fellow students and the classes, but we all saw the administration of the place as just in it for the money.

I was a student in 2005-2009, and this wasn't my experience at the time. I knew folks in the Illustration major who felt they weren't learning anything and transferred to Sequential because it would teach them more art skills -- I also knew SEQA majors who switched out because "I love comics, but I can't handle the pace and the workload of this major." If you didn't work quickly, it could be overwhelming. SCAD tended not to punish you for being bad at art, or for never improving -- you can graduate even if you're not truly at a professional level -- but unless things have changed a lot, they will absolutely ask a lot of you.

While the idea that folks are like "oh it's from SCAD, that's why it's not pro-level" doesn't surprise me -- again, my impression has always been that most folks can graduate if they do the work -- but I've also been hired by one writer who found "graduated from SCAD" to be a big plus. So, YMMV; ultimately, your portfolio is gonna say more about you than your degree.

I was about 7 and a half hours away from SCAD and I mean... you only make that drive a few times a year. My first day there I just cried a lot, because I had never been so far away from home in my life and I honestly never wanted to leave my family. But in the end I was really glad I got the opportunity to be so far away and make a new identity in a new place, and that sort of Getting Far Away From Home is something I would recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to do it!


ALL OF THAT SAID, please do remember that a fancy art school isn't necessary to be an artist!! Make sure you can afford it -- I knew so many folks from school struggling to survive the student debt they'd accumulated despite getting work. SCAD was an amazing experience, but I'd really encourage everyone to think hard on that choice. This is a good article with some thoughts and alternative options!73 My closest friend and crit buddy went to a basic state school when she couldn't afford art school, while I went to SCAD, and yet she's easily equal to me as far as artistic skill and professional work, so it's definitely not the determining factor.

Thank you very much, this was very helpful and imformative. I really appreciate the time it probably took you to write this!