Is it hard to get into art school? You bet! There are many factors that play a part in your admission process. Not only will the admission officers take a closer look at your academic achievements, they also want to get to know your personality and your talent to see if you match the program you’re applying to.
Your main question must therefore be: how do I pick the right art and design school? With a crazy amount of creative schools, colleges, institutions and conservatories out there, this can be a daunting task. That’s why I created this step-by-step guide for you to find the art and design school of your dreams!
Step #1
Figure out if you’re more of an artist, a designer or a bit of both. If you’re not sure about the differences, read this article first. Once you have figured this out, you have narrowed the types of schools you should look into down to one of these three categories; art school, design school or art and design school.
Step #2
Decide if you want to study abroad or in the country you live in. For inspiration, look into countries in North America, Europe or Asia since the best art and design schools are located here.
Step #3
Make a list of the best schools in your field of interest, located in the country (or countries) you picked in step 2.
Step #4
Gather all the essential information about these schools and answer the questions below. If you want to study in America, this website is very helpful.
Location: Do I see myself living here? Yes/No
Cost per year: Can I (or my family) afford this? Yes/No
Acceptance rate: Do I stand a chance? (Don’t you dare say no!) Yes/No
SAT or ACT scores: Are my scores good enough to apply? Yes/No
Atmosphere: Does the vibe I get from my research fit my personality? Yes/No
Program: Do they have program(s) that appeal to me? Yes/No
Step #5
Try to eliminate the schools that are not a good fit according to the previous step. Ideally, you now have a list of 3 to 5 schools in front of you for which you have answered yes in all previous questions.
Step #6
Time to apply! Make sure you find out everything you need to know in order to successfully create your portfolio, fill out your application and prepare for your interview.
How do I get into an Art & Design school?
You have figured out which schools you want to apply to. Great! Now, how are you going to get in? I’m going to be honest with you, this is not the easy part. It takes hard work, courage and a lot of creativity.
To give every talented soul out there (including you!) a fair chance, I decided to collectall my knowledge and expertise and create an online course on how to best prepare for admission to the art and design school of your dreams!
Ready to create a kick-ass portfolio, learn how to talk about yourself and your work and prepare for the actual admission interview? Download my free Ebook so you know exactly where to start!
What are the Art & Design school admission requirements?
There are a few things you can find out before you start creating and assembling pieces for your portfolio. Make sure to do this research for every school you’re applying for.
Find out...
how many pieces of work you ought to apply with
how you ought to showcase your work: digital or hard copy
if the admission officers want to see your process (sketches, photos, drawings, notes, doodles, moodboards, research) or only the end result (finished work).