There is a lot to be said on this. First, ensure you have support with developing your portfolio. Also, good, free resources can be found at the National Portfolio Day college fairs.
When considering college, do the homework! One does not buy a house or a car, which carry comparable value, without weighing the pros and cons. As much as students and families want to send their progeny to the best school, “best” is a relative concept. If you struggled in the “regular” courses and nose-dived in honors or AP courses, then highly selective college settings may not be your “best” fit.
Look at portfolio requirements before your junior year and use junior year to work on your portfolio.
The sage advice “be yourself” is now being echoed by college admissions officers across the country. Too many formulaic and passionless personal essays are leaving top-tier colleges and universities disappointed. The class of 2009 was expected to be the most highly qualified yet, but the run-of-the-mill “professionalized” applications were viewed as too perfect and robotlike to get to know the students, leading to a difficult admissions year. Admissions officers advise that not allowing a student’s personality to shine through during the application process is making the entire process fall short. They are calling for students to quash the desire to over-polish their applications or allow parents or other admissions consultants to “spin” the application beyond personal recognition, essentially leaving the student and the student’s personality out of the process entirely.
Some colleges have unique admissions standards for certain majors. An art student should prepare for the admissions process by first understanding the general admissions process, and then by understanding the departmental admissions process. What is the difference you might ask? The difference is that all students have to go through a standard admissions process, but there are some departments such as art, engineering, business, etc that might have a different process in regards to how they admit students. The best way to find out is by reviewing the online website for the department for the college you are interested in attending.
Most art students will be required to submit a portfolio of their work for acceptance. Art students should look at prospective schools and see what the portfolio requirement entail (how many items, what format, specific types of art, etc). This should be done early on in the process so that they will have enough time to put together all that is required. They should also work with their art teachers who have experience in this area. Many art schools will offer portfolio review days, where a student can bring their materials and get suggestions on what to add or change. I would highly suggest attending one of these local sessions, even if isn’t at school they are considering.
If you are an artist, a theater major, film maker or a musician chances are you will be required to audition or present a portfolio. You must prepare your portfolio/audition carefully and methodically. Most portfolios are submitted online now, but don’t wait until the last minute to put it together. As soon as you have a college list, read the audition requirements for your major and start preparing EARLY. Chances are you may need to travel to some of the auditions, so save your pennies. Begin during your sophomore/junior year looking at schools so that you will be ready to concentrate on preparation spring of your junior year and the summer before your senior year. The early bird gets the worm!
Art students wishing to attend college and developing their craft need to consider the portfolio from their freshman year of high school if possible. Do NOT throw anything that you have drawn, painted, sculpted, etc away. Your earlier work can provide a great perspective of the progression and sophistication of your work.
Carefully. Arts students will be required to demonstrate their artistic talent which will translate into additional time-consuming work on their part.
They need to prepare a portfolio
Art students may apply different type of schools with different requirements. however. they should pay a visit to the schools and speak to current students about academic requriements as well as other experiences. it is suggested that students should prepare art samples and profiles to show strong interests. it will help students to gain perspectives if they are parepared to submit best work.
Students in the arts have an extra layer of procedure to go through when they apply for schools. Step one is the application process, and all the different pieces- Transcript, test scores, recommendation letters and essays. Like any student, these must be submitted by the deadline.
Portfolio, portfolio, portfolio. Start early and build a good, complete one that represents the artist you are – not one that represents the artist you had to be in the last month when you had to hurry to put the last eight pieces together to finish before the deadline! And don’t neglect your other academic subjects. Conscientiousness in those subjects will reflect well on you. Art schools and departments do care about you as an overall student and person.
First you need to consider whether you want to major in the arts or go to an art school. Whether you choose an art school or a college art major depends largely on your goals and what you are really looking for in your education. If you go to the art school you can focus on your art work to the exclusion of pretty much everything else while an art major at a university will only be a part of the overall program and you will still be required to fulfill other academic requirements. But you will also have greater access to the other things that can characterize the college experience. You can find the appropriate career preparation through either approach. In either case you will need to have a fully developed portfolio of your work to show the admissions office. That wil be a critical part of their selection process.
Most art schools require a portfolio with a representative sample of a student’s prior work in the field of art. Some schools will ask for a portfolio which demonstrates a particular spectrum of skills, themes, or styles, but in other cases, there will be no specific requirements, and students may submit whatever of their past work resonates with them. There may be a request for a minimum/maximum number of samples or a very specific number. Look on the websites of the institutions in which you’re interested to determine their individual requirements. Also note how various schools would like to receive the portfolio – CD, etc. As with all parts of the application, a student should be aware of and meet deadlines for submission.
Going through the admission process for a major in art is a little different than applying for other majors. A potential art student should be continually working on their portfolio and constantly seeking critiques. An artist should not only have a hard copy of their portfolio, but also be able to present it through an online portfolio platform. Typically students that want to major in art have probably taken Advanced Placement classes in art and are used to the rigor of portfolio review for potential college credit. They should be prepared for the admission interview but also for an interview with an art department representative whereby they can speak eloquently about art in general and be able to defend their ideas. They should also be open to constructive criticism and open-minded to all forms of art and opinion.
Portfolio…portfolio…portfolio…
Start working on your portfolio and get it in front as many people as you can so that they can review it and give you feedback so that you can improve it. Check out the dates for the National Portfolio Days. This event gives you an opportunity to take your portfolio around to a bunch of different colleges who happen to be in once place for the day and will review your portfolio. Make sure that you use a lot of different mediums.
Start creating a portfolio, NOW. Ask your art teacher for guidance and assistance with this. When visiting schools with art programs, ask for feedback on you portfolio BEFORE you have to submit it for application. It is also important to have studied the various mediums. Even if your portfolio is primarily of one technique, your transcript should show that you stretched yourself and have some experience with photography, ceramics, wood, paint, metal, etc.
Students interested in the arts must prepare for the college admissions process just as every other college-bound student with one exception. Students interested in the arts must begin compiling works for a professional art portfolio. The art portfolio requirements vary at each college and so it is essential to contact your college admissions counselor or Art department for these specifications.
For the visual arts, applicants need to be working on portfolios from the beginning of junior year. It is a good idea to take a course in portfolio development, either in your high school or in a summer pre-college program. Check out college counselors who actually specialize in this area, who can help you develop a portfolio and even set up a website. When you visit colleges, meet with the arts department to find out the portfolio requirements.
Be creative! Make your art works, application, essays be one of a kind. Be yourself and express your unique talent in it. Act from your heart and you’ll be in. That’s the way it is!
Have your portfolio ready and available for reps.Make sure your portfolio is up to date and that you have all areas of your expertise, drawing, shadowing, coloring, what types of supplies you know how to use, etc.
For the visual arts, applicants need to be working on portfolios from the beginning of junior year. It is a good idea to take a course in portfolio development, either in your high school or in a summer pre-college program. In the NY area, for example, check out portfolio programs at Pratt or FIT. Check out college counselors who actually specialize in this area, who can help you develop a portfolio and even set up a website. When you visit colleges, meet with the arts department to find out the portfolio requirements.
Get organized!
Yes it does. Each campus has their own ideas about what makes a high quality freshman class. For some it can mean more men because there are to many women attending, for others it is more minorities and then of course geography plays into this process as well.
Well in advance. Here’s an old caveat:
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