Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Top Questions

I would tell myself that high school is just giving you a foundation for what is to come. Take things more seriously and come up with a plan to what you want out of this experience. If your ever in doubt, find the answer; there are many people willing to help as long as u want it. Everyone and everything around you is a resource for your future so take advantage. Ultimately you choices determine where you end up so be conscious of your decisions.

This answer may seem odd; but I would not go back and give myself advice about college life as I live it now, even though I know more compared to what I knew in the past. I know what it is like to be financially independent and how difficult it is to pay for my own school. I learned the value of communicating with people and asking teachers for guidance. And I know how vital it is to seek scholarships, grants and financial aid. Moreover, I even had to charter my own educational path and discover what I really want to do with my life, something that I see as liberating and exciting as a young adult. Yes part of me wants to go back in and guide myself to an easier future (present), but that would deprive me of what I learned to get to where I am now. The responsibilities that I had to adopt, most not out of choice, have shaped me into the person that I am today. As the saying goes; life is not about the destination, but rather the journey. All I can do is move forward and do the best that I can.

Give school your all your senior year, it would have been great to know how much of a transition college was. It is a lot more difficult and so many things are different. Make sure to always go to your classes and try your hardest on every assignment that you get. Don't ever give up, you can do it. Make as many friends as you can while still staying focused on school. Also once you start college make sure to utilize all of the resources given to you by the school such as the school library, free help, etc. Also make sure to talk to college junior's and senior's to get advice about the school you are attending. In the end work your hardest and your work will eventually pay off. Put in those extra hours to make sure you are extremly successful.

The most important aspect I have gotten out of my first year here at MIAD is communication. Communication is a necessity when you are trying to convey your piece of art or design to a potential customer or just friends and family. This college is valuable for me to attend because it is setting me up for a potential job opportunity along with life long lessons I can use long after graduation. Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design has given me a great understanding of what a future job in a design career would be like. Along with the ability to conquer any obsticles that I come across. Finishing school here at MIAD will allow me to persue my career in a field of study that is always changing and growing to the future.

What I have personally gained from the college experience is independence. The college experience allowed me to prepare for the pressures and obstacles that I will have to face along my life's journey. I can truly attest to the fact that the world is so cold and bitter in some instances. You have to know and understand how to weather the storm in order to progress in your career without compromising your diginity. The professors that give a adverse time are only trying to challenge you for your benefit. To be blunt and honest as a freshmen I did not see that. As I matured along my college path I had to say thanks to those professors because of them I am what I am today. I view education as a stepping stone towards a career that will enable me to be a productive member of society. I do not take education as a light thing by any means. My mind often reflects back on how our people had to struggle for the rights we have now. I am grateful and thankful to receive such a quality education. I pride myself on being the best I can be.

I have learned so much over the past 4 years in college, from trying to figure out who i am to what i would like to be once i have finished my degree. I have learned so much everyday and numerous things from the pepole that are around me. College has really helped me to open my eyes to the world and figure out that there is not just a college degree that i am going for but the whole world. All of the possibilities that can be done when you know what you want out of life. And it has made me realize that i am here to do some good, not just for my friends or my community but out there. Where ever that might be. I think that i have got all that i need to out of my college experience, i am very happy with who i have become and what i aam growing up to become.

My name is Elise Thomm and I am a sophomore at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Pursuing a career as an artist here at MIAD has taught me so much about the art world and myself as a person. The small community of this college and its rigorous work ethic remind me of the responsibilities I will someday hold as a working artist in my community. Through communication with teachers I have learned a lot about myself as an individual. My professors have been outstanding thus far and between them and my own immense motivation I am progressing everyday. There's nothing more valuable than the growth I've made and the connections I have because of MIAD. College is by far the hardest thing I've ever endured. I've learned how to balance a job, homework, and my personal life for two years now and its the best experience I've had. I'm certain that enduring all of these tasks is helping me work towards becoming a responsible person every single day. Words really cannot explain how valuable MIAD is to me, and I hope MIAD would say the same about me.

MY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE HAS GIVEN ME THE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON MY MAJOR WITHOUT ANY DOUBT ABOUT WHERE I'MGOING IN THE FUTURE. BECAUSE OF THE PHILOSOPHY, ENVIRONMENT AND STAFF SUPPORT, MILWAUKEE INSTITUTE OF ART & DESIGN HAS GIVEN ME A POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON LIFE, DESIGN & MY COMMUNITY. IT ALSO HAS MADE ME ACUTELY AWARE OF MY SURROUNDINGS. BEING AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY COUPLED WITH THE SCHOOL'S ENCOURAGEMENT TO GIVE BACK HAS GIVEN ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A BETTER CITIZEN WHICH IN TURN HAS MADE ME VERY PROUD OF MY COMMUNITY. THE CLASS DESIGN WHICH IS SET UP WITH NO MORE THAN 30 STUDENTS IN A CLASS, HAS PROVIDED ME WITH A PLATFORM FOR DEVELOPING AN OPEN MIND, THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX AND RESPECTING OTHER DESIGNERS. THE ATMOSPHERE OF THIS SCHOOL IS A RICH BED OF OPPORTUNITY THAT PROVIDES EACH STUDENT ACCESS TO RESOURCES BEYOND THEIR WILDEST DREAMS. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WANT IT. I HAVE REALIZED THAT IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO BE TALENTED IN LIFE, BUT TALENT COUPLED WITH A CONVICTION TO WORK HARD AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH RESPECT FOR OTHERS WILL OPEN DOORS FOR ANYONE THAT BELIEVES.

High school was a routine. College is a taste of real life. Like every other college freshmen on the face of our Earth, I was plunged into a world that was new and strange and scared out of my mind. To deal with such a change, I began to build new friendships and realize the value of student groups. I soon learned that college is more than getting good grades and meeting new people, it is also attaining a degree of professionalism and responsibility for one’s self. More college students should take advantage of the help that the instructors and staff at their schools have to offer. My professors are all very well established in the art world, and the advice and experiences they share are as good as gold. I feel that in the one semester I had so far at MIAD my understanding of how to present myself as an artist and create work of quality has doubled. In this journey to who I will be in the future, my failures become lessons learned and my successes boost my confidence. I am elated that MIAD has become such a great fueling ground for my growth.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself, that college is alot different then high school. I have learned that college takes alot more focus and more homework time. But it is also at a better pace than high school for those who learn quickly like I do. I would tell myself to stick with it no matter how hard it gets. Other than that I would just tell myself to have fun, study hard, and stick with it.

The first thing I would tell myself is to take the Art History and Advanced English course I was enrolled in as a CAPP course, so i wouldn't have to take them in college. The next thing I would encourage myself to do more of is to look into more scholarships and actually take the time to fill them out. Scholarships are a good way to earn some money towards college expenses, and they are well worth the effort, no matter how much I might wish that I didn't have to fill them out

If given the opportunity to go back and meet with myself as a high school senior the advice that I would give myself would be to focus on doing what I enjoy. So many people while attending a college for their first two years go through a cycle of trying to decide if they really want to continue on in the study they?ve entered college for or continue on in a different path towards anther career. So many people often forget to look back and remember what they really enjoy doing. For me it is art, throughout my life both as an enjoyable past time and a subject in school. After going to a college for engineering for two years I ended up going back to doing what I enjoyed, and I am now attending a college that when I was a high school senior I thought was out of my reach of attending. So if I could go back and give myself some advice it would be to believe in myself and continue on in schooling doing what I love to do.

You don't need to know exactly what you want! It's okay if you enter college a little confused. You're there to learn and to grow, and that comes with time. It's also important to know that you need to carefully balance work with play. Yes, going out with your new friends is a lot of fun, but so is getting the most out of your education. You need to remeber that you're paying for these classes and you're paying for this time. If you don't use it well, then you will eventually regret it. Therefore, really learn to separate your weekends from your weekdays and you'll do great in both the social and educational aspects of your life.

Any advice I would give myself is to maybe try harder in school, and things WILL be better when college arrives. I never liked high school and I performed poorly in it due to my lack of concern or care for the institution I was in. I fell through the cracks and had a chip on my shoulder for any form of education after that and felt I was doomed to ever enter college. Had I known my college now would give me a chance of a lifetime to attend, I would probably have tried harder to obtain more oppourtunities regarding financial aid and support. Otherwise, the only other advice or caring information I would pass along to myself is that college is better and college is worth it, and to just keep pushing foward until that days comes along.

Schoolwork is important, but so is friendship. Embrace the connections you make with people, because sadly they might have to end when everyone goes their own way. Don't get so caught up doing homework that you forget to have a social life. Just make sure each is done in moderation. Also, a B isn't good enough. A's all the way.

I would tell myself a ton of different things! I would have said not to go to the traditional university college for a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design, because it won't teach you as much as going to an actual school that specializes in that trade. I would also say that rooming with 3 other roomates my freshman year was a great experience in making a lot of new friends that I continue to stay friends with and talk to. Don't be afraid to pay a little extra tuition to go to the school you have been dreaming of going to since you were in high school. Go for it!

Apply to Columbia College and go there because it is cheaper, more in depth, offers more class selections, and has actual activities outside of class.

I would give my self the advice to not spend so much money, and save more for tuition and art supplies. I would also give myself the advice to prepare to work hard, and concentrate on not letting the hard times make school more stressful. Being happy, and continuing to be happy is very important to make college life positive, and easier. I would also make sure that I knew it would be hard to come into a school where you knew no one, and didn't live on campus. Making new friends is important and really makes college easier to get through. Lastly, I would give myself the adive that it is a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end! Even if your pockets are empty and your 'to do' list is long, you will get through it and have fun!

Go for it! There really aren't any reasons not to.

If I were to go back to my senior year of high school, I would give myself advice in several areas regarding college life. First, I would tell myself to not be so hard on myself, and to ease up with the intensity I added to the assignments that only caused me stress. In regards to a social life, I would tell myself to not room with someone I had previously known in order to meet more people, and to be more outgoing when it came to meeting new people. If there is one thing I regret, it was being too shy to talk to people orientation week; I sometimes feel like I missed out on a lot of great friendships that could have happened, but did not. Finally, I would remind myself not to worry or be nervous about anything. Although it is was scary the first year, I learned a lot about myself and the changes I wanted to make in my life; this is something that only comes with experience through everyday life and situations.

Dream big, go out and make whatever you want to happen. However understand that with big dreams comes hard work.

Really try to pick the school that it best for you. Don't worry too much about the school's academic reputation, or how far it is from home. That will work out in time. Just really take into consideration what is best for you.

You want to go to a school that is challenging where you could see yourself doing what you want to do in the future.

It doesn't matter where you go, as long as you are willing to put effort and ideas toward your learning. Any issues you have at one school, you'll most likely have at another. Faculty are the most important resource in connections to careers and to help you help yourself when trying to further your goals. I found that I benefited more going beyond class lectures and projects and taking my interesets to others for inspiration. I also learned not get stuck in your own major, reach out to other majors (faculty too) for advice on papers or projects-you'll be well rounded and open minded. You have to want to make the most, or else you'll have a so-so experience at any school. Just make sure the school you do choose has the facilities that'll be important in your major, it's up to you to use them. And remember you pay for every class, so go!

let your kids look and experience various schools/campuses without expressing too much of your opinion, dont let money be an issue, it is your future.

I think having goals, passions, or career aspirations figured out before entering college will help you earn a degree in the field you want, in the least amount of time. I know many students who could be graduated, but have wasted time and money on useless classes, and didn't push themselves to the limit. College should be about learning and fun, but many students often let the fun and freedom blur their true goals and commitments. Student loans can't pay themselves off.

As a transfer student, I know how difficult it is to make the right decision for choosing college. There are thousands of colleges out there, so don't feel like you need to accept the first college that accepts you. Be picky, because you put a lot of money into this part of your life. As for finding the college for you, look for aspects that are important to you that will make you feel welcome, whether that be the size of the campus, the number of students attending, or even the activities and groups offered. Once you find the right place, make the most of it by doing things that make you feel at ease in your home away from home. The one thing I really suggest is living in the dorms your first year. It definitely changed my life by meeting all those people that are now my best friends. That was probably the scariest, but most rewarding decision I made. College is a really big change, and I think by doing a few things that you wouldn't normally do is exhilarating and could turn out to be a really awesome decision.

Get out there and actually visit the campus a few times before you make your final decision, get a feel for the place because you will be spending the next 4 years there. randomly talk to people while visiting and see what the students who are attending feel about it, and if they like it. Go where you feel comfortable, when you visit the campus you will know right away if it's for you. Don't go somewhere just because that is where your parents want you to go. This is your education not theirs.

The best advice I can give is to not limit the choice of a school based on the tuition price. I recieved so much financial aid from my provate school that I would have been paying the same amount for a public college. Also, meet as many people as you can, if you are intersted in sports or activities join the club, it will make making new friends easier.