Scam Art Schools (and why you don't need to go art school) | ARTISTS BEWARE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- / catgraffam
Hey everyone, I hope you enjoy this deep dive into the world of scam art schools for the first video in my Artists Beware series. Unfortunately there are too many of them to go into in just one video, but I wanted to pick out some of the most nefarious to give a picture of what can happen behind the scenes in higher ed. Maybe a second video will be required down the road!
I would love to hear your experiences and your thoughts on art school. Stay tuned for the next Artists Beware video on NFT's. I'm going in hard.
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I hugely appreciate you putting all of this together Catherine
As an educator, I can’t thank you enough
I went to AAU, and I learned more from your channel than I learned in some of the classes there.
I'm constantly crippled with anxiety and having you playing in the background really calms me down. Thank you Adam!
I love your channel, Adam! You're a real inspiration to me! 😁
Love your channel! You are so inspirational and your videos are so great. Whenever in doubt, I listen to once of your videos!
Love and enjoy your videos Adam !!!!
Thank you so much Adam ❤️
I did 6 years worth of art degrees in the UK (foundation, BA and MA). The total tuition cost for all 6 years was still less than one year at CalArts. The US system is nuts.
thats mad, so how do Americans afford to go to CalArts? Is this a school exclusively for the children of very wealthy parents or can you just be saddles with a ton of debt?
I was literally thinking the same thing watching this, it's completely mental!!
@@kriddz I'm not in college yet. But coming from an American, even CalArts, one of the most expensive as far as art school goes, is pretty median, if not just a teensy bit on the upper range for the average college year. Colleges are marketed as a business model here unfortunately, and it's really scary considering you don't really know what you're getting into unless you do extensive research and/or have an insider perspective.
@@kriddz we either are from incredibly rich family's (most rare option) or we don't go, or we go into a lot of debt my mom went to a different college (not related to art) and she is 46, she is still in debt
Colleges are rarely for schooling people here, they're for getting money from students
This video should be mandatory viewing for every high school art class.
My friend really wanted to go to Art Institutes and she dropped her math class because of this dream. Luckily, she didn't go through with it and is now a veterinarian.
Ur right, I think schools should start viewing this to students in the future
Not even just art class, just a high school requirement to learn about exactly what students are getting into
Yes, yes, yes.
My mom told me "if you got this good on your own, then maybe you can get better on your own too."
It's weird that she can bum people out and uplift them at the same time.
I think you have an awesome mom.
But I think she’s right. My mom does the same thing to me. Haha
My mom told me my art isn't worth anything or else people would be buying it. And i had to school her about advertising 🙄😒😑 she still tells me my art isnt worth anything. 😔
That’s literally genius. I wouldn’t be bummed at all, I’d be super uplifted. She’s basically saying that you’re going to be just fine and you’ll be successful no matter what.
Give your mom a hug. She just saved you four years of your time.
i went to community college and public university for my art education, and received tons of opportunities and support from both schools. i really think you don’t need to attend a prestigious private art school to be successful in the art world!
this was also the path i took towards an art education. having the opportunity to double major in other humanities departments just generally helped me become a better educated and more well rounded person as well
same and same with how humanities and gen ed helped me become a better artist
Where did you go? Sometimes that works well...
@@griffinbunn2380 i don’t know about the op but i went to losrios cc district in California
really all you need is the will and work ethic to get better at your craft, and contacts.
PREACH! I am leaving Academy of Art University for a state university after a year of having gone under so much debt and learned NOTHING. Their style is getting their telemarketers to call you over and over and over again until you break and enroll in another semester until you graduate and realize you have NOTHING.
I hope everything worked out well for you!
I went to the Art Institute of Phoenix for Game Dev. had $70,000 in debt when I graduated, no job offers, and it was ALL about sales.
I also went to the art institute of Phoenix for video game design. I had to take a quarter off due to a cancer scare and when I returned back they told me that I could get back in however my tuition would go up from $35,000 a year to $75,000 so I essentially could not afford it. I was also only a few credits away from graduating, and all I got was debt.
Sounds about right most of the folks in my class didnt get jobs. After school
Are you guys indie devs?
HI KAI
Holy moly! for that $$ you could have bought a decent house somewhere o.o
I nearly attended Academy of Art University (got accepted and even toured the campus)....but my parents did NOT vibe at all with the loan plans, so I did community college and transferred to a UC instead where I graduated with no debt. So, I dodged a bullet.
In San Francisco? I almost went there too.
Same, I’m glad my parents talked me out of it. I was planning going this year. They said they didn’t feel comfortable with me going there with the school accepting everyone and all, saying that I worked to hard in my high school class to just go to a school that accepted everyone and had such a low graduation rate. They told me just to do my prerequisites and focus on getting scholarships while creating my portfolio to go to a better less dodgy school.
Parents really do be having their children’s back sometimes
I regret attending it a year, I hated it so much ^^;;;
I’m there now but dropping out after the semester is over, online school is just isn’t for me and after this video, I’m glad I’m quitting that school while I can and I’ll self teach my creativity where I can learn on my own pace and not being told what to draw and stress on being graded on “their standards”
Same. They kept harrassing me too, by calling me multiple times a day. Even at night!
The way you smile when you say "art institute has been on rapid decline" is giving me life and watering my crops
hehehe
@@CatherineGraffam u sound like a communist
@@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631 communism lives rent free in your head
@@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631 No, she sounds more like Consumer Reports for art education. Communists are about revolutions, collective farms, government ownership of all businesses, and gulags or re-education camps.
@@CatherineGraffam so if you had to name some art schools that had no scams or anything which ones would that be?
as an ai grad, i can appreciate this. this place ruined my life & i owe so much money with very little to show for it. spent ten years trying to get back to myself. i now work retail & am burnt out creatively.
All of your debt should be forgiven it's a crime.
^ This is why I don't trust most art focused schools. They play us like we have no brains and lots of money. with all that money we could have started an art house.
Damn, so sorry v.v i almost went to AI but it was so pricey
@@adrianazashen my aunt worked in readmissions... my parents basically made me go to that school so someone could "keep an eye on me." it was quite a lot.
I went to the Art Institute Online from 2003 to 2004. I hated the "facilitator" versus instructor setup and quit. I'm so glad I did, especially with everything I've heard more recently.
I would always recommend investing in yourself, not art school. It's a tough road in the field of art, but school won't make those ambitions of yours any easier. I felt the same way about my non art college degree as well.
@@Guar_dian mhm same I want to be a comic illustrator some day
I was a „teacher“ at a scam school once for a few classes until i realized what a horrible place it was. They didn’t call their students students, but customers behind closed doors. „Do what makes the customers happy so they stay at the school“ (aka tell them their work is ok or good, never tell them anything too bad)
I could do what i want in my class, nobody checked or cared what the students learn, as long as it sounded legit on paper (i did creature design) and at the tests in the end all went through no matter what they did as long as they did something.
They also payed me per hour of teaching, so practically nothing (i was just a freelance illustrator back then and thought it’s nice to teach students stuff i care about...they scammed me too, but their students way worse!)
Wait so you had no education background or education credentials? Not coming at you because im sure you tried yourself best but educators in my state has standards, code of ethics, etc, to go by. I don’t see how a legal credible educator would just sit by knowingly if the students were being scammed
@@ChaoticClarissa They probably have a BFA.
I graduated from the Academy of Art University. I had a great experience there, some wonderful professors, and I'm working in the field I studied for. HOWEVER, the 100% acceptance rate is concerning. I saw a lot of students whose artwork was at such a rudimentary level that it wasn't likely that they would develop professional-level skills in just four years - meaning they would graduate $80k in debt without a chance of being hired. While I might not go as far as to call the school a "scam," it's a dishonest business model. Not everyone can become a professional artist, and to put someone $80k in debt while assuring them that it'll all work out is just predatory.
Also, about that vintage car collection. The owner of AAU has a building on a major street in SF that's just a place to display her vintage cars for passersby. Again - the second most expensive city in America...and she owns a building just to show off her fancy cars. Unbelievable.
Ahhh so that's what that building was. I thought it was the school building for the students who actually designed cars. Makes more sense
I remember hearing from fellow students that you couldn't even visit the building to study the cars without paying a fee- but whenever I went by, it was never even open for anyone. The year I graduated I heard from professors that Elisa Stephens bought herself a *second* helicopter.
I have a question of applying for AAU is a good idea or not, I did apply and I’m worried if I might’ve made the wrong decision
@@scribblemeeps even if you apply, it's not set in stone for u to start. I think u have up until 7 days into classes to quit/drop without any fees. But until u get a confirmation saying u were accepted--and until you actually go/start--I don't think they can really apply fees. But make sure you tell them and/or at least the gov if u filled out loan/grant or FAFSA
@@scribblemeeps You don't have to attend just because you applied. Secondly, in my opinion AAU is a good school, it's just extremely expensive for a career path that doesn't usually pay very much.
Im a highschooler trying to find my college and this genuinely helped me rethink my decision on some colleges. I genuinely thank you so so so much.
Sameee
Tip from someone who has enough educational debt to buy a small house... big name schools mean nothing... Go to a decent and AFFORDABLE college, state schools are best for price.
To add onto what the previous commenter said, I highly suggest looking into an associate of fine arts degree from a community college. It’ll cut your total costs and is a transfer degree that will let you transfer straight into the art program at a state university. Most art programs require your first two years to be foundational art and gen ed courses, then you apply to the specific program within the art department with the portfolio you’ve made through those foundation classes. An associate of fine arts degree lets you get those gen ed courses and foundational art classes out of the way for far cheaper and have your portfolio ready. Plus, if you decide during those two years that you don’t like art as a profession or want to focus on something else, those two years aren’t wasted because that transfer degree can go towards any program.
You can go to community college to study and combine it with some online classes depending on what major you want to pursue. If I am a citizen, I will just go and learn online since it so much better and learn a lot from it.
Completely agree with the other commenters, try a community college if you can! I went to one for two years and made money on financial aid while I was there which helped me to save up for when I transferred. There’s tons of great options, don’t be afraid to shop around for something that really suits you. :)
I was studying in art university in Russia for free. The level of skills our students got was thousand times better then what I see is done at school in the US. And moreover I got most of my knowledge about illustration (I was studying design in university) by myself (from different sources + daily!!!! practice). And I am doing pretty well.
I can’t imagine how US art grads can create wonderful art if their freedom is taken away by enormous and useless education debts.
Bro I love Russian art and all of its movements
How do you get in as international student? ;_;
You so lucky I still draw my art
Where did you study and would love to see your work 😀
@@kolacao8134 yes please I want to know too :”) thinking of applying internationally to UAL
My tips for art school. A good school not a scam school. A tl;dr is that art is just like learning anything else. Good mental health, good study habits, and good physical health is key.
a) If you had bad study habits in high school art school won't magically make it better. Art is something that requires extra studying outside of class, discipline to keep daily habits, ability to take criticism, and most importantly the ability to meet deadlines. I personally found it easier because I'm doing art but that can only get you so far, you MUST consciously fix those habits yourself or seek help.
b) Communication. The art world is full of introverts but you must do your best to make connections- I would argue that's practically the whole point of art school. All those artist you admire or teachers you want to learn from are just normal introverted people. Go make some friends and nerd out over art together. Connections help so much in job hunting it's so important especially for that first job. You don't have to be everyone's friend but DO NOT BE A JERK. The art world is small and people will remember.
c) Avoid bad sleeping habits at all cost and stay physically healthy. As a student this will help you learn and absorb knowledge. 3 hour life drawing sessions would be easier if you're not exhausted by just standing. And as a professional artist this will keep you from burning out and continue making beautiful art for years to come.
Ah... Well I think I fail on all departments then.
Thanks for saying this, I really need to stop hoping for things to be better and actually start working on making them better myself. It's just... really hard to start and even harder to keep it up.
Thank you for this. I'm doing academy of art online, and I'm working on better habits since it's all on my own schedule.
Man I worked from 9am to midnight or 1am working to complete the homework assignments (they always assigned a stupid amount of homework) and I was treated like I was inadequate though I was definitely above average in quality compared to other students. I wasn't a rockstar student but there were people in class that I was shocked were still in the program when I struggled to get through the program at my level. I left bc I decided to value my mental health above their standards and im so proud of myself for doing so. The rockstar students that shamed me for caring about my mental health more than the school aren't using their degrees bc they got burned out and now can't even look at 3d model. Take care of yourself, your health physically and mentally is so important and RESEARCH!!!
Thank you! This is really helpful and I’ll definitely try to apply these in my art life
I was in a life drawing class at college, I loved it, I was taking anti depressants then covid happened closed the college campus and I'm depressed again 🤦♀️
Forgot to mention what I tell perspective students is to take some business courses. Because whether you’re going into freelance or fine art, technically you’re becoming a small business. I know it’s boring but it’s key when you’re starting out.
That’s fabulous advice! A class on contracts could be super helpful, too.
Which ones?
@@bluefoxthecutest2628 I didn’t get to take any business courses but I’d talk to a community college. You only need the basics. How to go over contracts, basic management, and tax stuff. There may even be something free out there.
@@drawrobot My first semester of community college is over with, good grades so far. I have no idea what I am doing, even filled out the FAFSA for the wrong year. Always heard to take business classes as an artist but wasn't sure specifically.
Also marketing would be useful
I went to FIDM in LA for my AA. I am incredibly grateful for the experience and education I gained, but I have to agree with you here 100%. I have a very large student loan even after financial aid and scholarships. Im writing a course now for youtube to be geared more towards the applicable skills I wish I had learned in school and i feel alot of private schools completely miss. I could have saved myself $100k and gone to a state school and received the SAME education. Thank you for this, i wish I saw this when I was in high school.
Kel! I'm here because of your story post about the NFT video!
I attended an atelier for 18 months. HORRIBLE experience! I feel like I escaped a cult. I made no progress at all. ( Really.) I found a well respected realist artist in my city. He was a winner of a Grand Prize at the Portrait Society of America. He encouraged me to enrolled in our local community college. He thoughtfully evaluated the assignments I was assigned at the college. My skills took off like a rocket and I saved a ton of money and time.
what atelier??
I'm not American but i like watching videos on art schools in America, cause the audacity of these schools just baffle me. This is the most interesting video yet cause i learned a lot.
I wanted to like but its at 100 so.... here *thumbs up*
Academy of Art drama get juicier! Elisa stores her PRIVATE car collection in a building owned by the college under the guise of a "Car Museum" which I have never seen open or a single soul inside. Oh, and of course they charge a fee for entry! *allegedly*
Also, I know several bachelor grads and every single one had to do 5 years for a 4 year degree because the school changed graduation requirements all the time.
Been there. They made me take another year because "Required class is not available this semester" Twice! Bastards!
MFA graduate here, tons of mounting debt for nothing. Doing Uber and retail to survive
Yeah they literally thug your coffers. The co-ed dorm on Sutter street was the shit in 2005 tho 😂
I’m glad I didn’t go to the academy of arts institute. I went there for a summer program when I was 17, and I LOVED it. I met friends, and just had such a great time living independently in San Francisco. I was fully planning on going until my mom told me at the last minute that I couldn’t go because it was the opposite end of the country (we lived in New England). I was so upset, but based on the comments and this video... my mom saved my life!
Omg I had the same experience w Academy of Arts in SF! I also ended up not going but bc my parents wanted me to get a degree in the sciences LOL
holy shit same!!! it was an amazing experience but because it was free to do if you didn't live in a dorm
*scrolling through the comments to see if anyones talking abt the college i'm in rn because i'm terrified that i'll never be able to pay back all the loans i had to take out*
Hefty mood
What school? I go to SCAD and I’m worried
@@kassk3056 I'm in Pratt, I think I had a friend who transferred to SCAD because it's supposed to be better tho
@@patch5674 I just committed to Pratt! I’m a writing major tho
same here, i’m going to SAIC this fall. i got lucky with scholarships tho and don’t have to pay much with loans but i’m still nervous it won’t be worth it
I went to a community college for 3D Animation didn't graduate due to things happening in my personal life. I learned soo much from that school the professors were fantastic and trained us not only to seek help but how to teach ourselves and how to do our own studies and research. And it was only 4,000 dollars a year!
Oh I forgot to mention at that college I was encouraged the more experienced students to teach other students.
Woah, what college was that?
What's the school called ?
@@thinthle Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, NY I loved it there just wish I could have finished and gotten the Digital Animation degree maybe someday I can go back and finish.
@@Valmera Mohawk Valley Community College In Utica, NY they cover the whole Animation Pipeline. In the Senior year we worked on our demo reels and 1 minute film, Advanced Animation techniques, and a 3 minute film the last semester and a 3 minute group project everyone is put into groups and you have to either make a short film or one year they made a 2D game I helped with the game that year I did some of the backgrounds for the game.
It makes me sad to see how bad the Art Institutes have gotten. As a graduate from the Art Institute of Seattle some 20 years ago, at the time AIS was one of the BEST schools - it was hard as hell, it worked you to the bone, and yes, it was pricey, but you got your moneys worth. Starting from a class of over 300, in two years of an AA degree it whittled down to a graduating class of under 20, but every single one of us landed a job immediately. What I learned there was hands on in-the-workplace professional skills and intensity, and that degree and work has been the basis of my graphic design career ever since. In comparison, when I went back to school to get a proper BA 15 years later, the International Academy of Design Technology was a true scam school - I was appalled at how little they taught their students and spent the whole 4 years tutoring my classmates in everything the teachers and curriculum wasn't teaching them. I was GLAD to see that cereal box diploma mill go out of business. The crash and burn of the Art Institutes, though, is saddening to me - they used to be really good competitive technical schools.
They still advertised themselves as such when I was in high Scool around 10 years ago and have a similar ad strategy in their YT ads. It really is sad to think they were what they say they are at one point and then just… stopped being so.
"Academy of Art University" sounds like a parody
Back in another lifetime I went to Academy of Art. My animation instructor, whom was legit, firmly believed that the whole operation was a real estate scheme. He's probably right
This is unrelated, but I absolutely love the Sophie portrait in the background.
This video is CRIMINALLY underrated and needs millions of views. 😭
This is SUCH an important video for young artists. It should be shown to every high schooler pursuing art school.
Honestly so many private art schools are so shady, I'm so glad I went to community college + state university, I'm broke as hell so my financial aid has covered my full tuition and overall I've had a positive experience, especially at community college, those were some of the happiest years of my life.
I did the same. Community college was fantastic and I learn a lot in my state school.
THANKYOU I appreciate your comment.
"I'm an artist, teacher, and overall general disappointment to my family" Cath... Girl... You got me. First video, not even 15secs in and I am clicking on the subscribe button XD
same, I subscribed as soon as she said that too
I attended the Academy of Art University and realized that I wasn't learning what I needed to, to succeed as an artist/designer. I ended up leaving to Los Angeles after I got accepted and attended Art Center (Pasadena), which was one of the best decisions I ever made! Art Center taught me so much and helped me greatly within my artistic journey! AAU is just a money factory, sadly. There isn't a portfolio requirement and many students drop out after their first semester. It's sad.
AAU student here. I've heard so many good things about the Art Center. What did they teach you that AAU didn't? I'd love to hear what I missed out on.
@@Epsellis Well, in short, I learned more in one single semester at ACCD than two and a half years at AAU. Not even kidding. My major was Transportation Design. Stewart Reed was/is my mentor from Art Center. Tom Matano was my mentor at AAU. He even recommended that I go down to Art Center (he graduated from there as well). I recommend anyone who wants to succeed to attend ACCD and not to attend AAU because they're just a place to suck you dry without giving you the skills that you really need to grow your talent. Sad, but very true. I wasted too much time at AAU.
The Art Center is such a great school! I only took 2 classes in high school, but I really enjoyed their courses. It was such a great way to learn Maya and the character design class was helpful, for a portfolio I later used for the university I ended up going tp.
@@sapphicsiren That's awesome! Sounds like you took their Art Center At Night/High School program?! Yeah, teachers and higher-ups (Design Chairs) really care about their students! Glad that it all worked out for you! 😁
I heard of art center and I was hesitant on applying but after hearing your experience it sounds really good!!
LOL don't go to art school period. Why would I pay thousands of dollars to do something I can learn on TH-cam for free? Plus community college classes are awesome.
Mhmm
having an education will help with finding jobs
@@kh14 you can find paid courses online, all of which are cheaper than spending a single year at an art school. in the video, it is mentioned that your portfolio is going to be the most important thing, not necessarily where you went (if you're not an international student). if you want to learn how to manage a business, you don't have to go to an art school for that.
@@penguinxrock you do still need a degree to find jobs in art and creative industry. Art is not as easy as you think. There are rules when it comes to art and design, and sometimes you need guidance from professionals. Yes, taking online courses is an alternative way to study art but they dont teach the subjects in depth. Most of them are just tutorial videos. Online courses is just a 'platform' for you to 'decorate' your resume. Just go to any state universities, most of the universities provide art and design courses. The prices are cheaper and the teachers are professionals, not only that your portfolios will be created and professionally guided by teachers during your school years.
@@mayann2009 i agree that a person should go to some sort of college or university, but i probably misinterpreted k h's comment. i thought they were trying to imply that someone can only find (art related) jobs if they go to an art school, or that community college classes didn't count as an education.
i apologize for the fact that my response wasn't super clear either. i meant to imply that someone could be going to a community college where they learn other skills and improve their art in or out of school.
Ai visited my high school multiple times and presented to the higher level arts classes in effort to recruit high school juniors and seniors. I am so glad I was never interested in them and decided to go to a public university design program. Their presentations always gave me a weird vibe.... Interesting to see they were actually shady af.
Currently doing the community college -> public school art thing. As an added suggestion, if you want to get some experience studying with larger art schools like SVA, check their community courses! Because they aren't part of the formal degree program, a lot of these classes price match state college summer courses. They aren't cheap, but they are a lot more affordable than the schools' degree-based tuition.
AI graduate as well, 50k in debt and no job, and they still will not give me my degree papers. I'm pretty much just screwed over now, chronic depression, and just no motivation for art whatsoever where as when I first started it was the thing that made me the happiest my entire life growing up.
No jobs here as well. Only my amount of debt compared to yours will make you feel happy again!
The craziest part is I applied for both of these schools, and you my friend have saved me I guess I gotta look for other music production schools
Consider finding a community college that offers music production!
Yeah there are so many affordable but good programs out there!!!! I believe in you
Same!
I went to Ai in Austin and honestly I should've seen the signs from the beginning. I researched a lot of art schools, and most if not all of them required a portfolio to accept you. The recruiter from Ai was so aggressive in getting me in no matter what. I even asked "should i send my portfolio?" and she was like "oh yeah, please send it in." She was clueless... And I guess so was I. :(
PS. Love your shirt btw!
Academy of Art university harrassed me sm after I applied for a scholarship.
They called me multiple times a day, even sometimes at night! My mom had to go off on them for them to finally stop, lol!
I got accepted into SCAD last year but my parents were like that’s way too much money; and it took me awhile to see past the glitter to see that they were right. I go to the Rochester Institute of Technology now and I’ve learned way more and have met a lot of people who aren’t trying to pigeonhole me into a specific art program.
I'm an AI grad myself (2009), and there are SO many red flags I either missed due to being a first-gen college graduate or blatantly ignored because I was no quitter. I had a point about a year in where I seriously considered dropping out, and in hindsight, I made the wrong choice by staying. I'm drowning in debt, but on the bright side, I made the best friends I ever paid for! 🤣😭
I met my husband! It’s now been 20 years we’ve been together. I tell him he was very expensive! 🤣
Hey I dropped out and in still drowning in debt! 😂😂😂😂 The friends I made are the best too so I guess go to Ai if you want an amazing circle of friends!
The moment the recruiters said to me (as I held my portfolio in my hand) “oh you don’t need to show us your portfolio” after saying that they needed one…I was very much WTF.
Oof, Art Institutes... Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. I remember getting their brochures in my last year of high school and being very interested. I got incredibly lazy (read: depressed), applied only to the local public university, met loads of people that I still talk to today, took classes in tons of different subjects, graduated after 4 years with absolutely no debt, even clashed with police lines during the student strikes. It was a blast.
Crazy that I actually went to an AI school. I graduated and mind you this was 1980. My tuition was 15k. No computers or visual graphics. But we arned about composition, airbrush, how to do four color separation, use markers for fashion illustration, gouache, paste-up, design. How to develop film there was life drawing, silkscreen. So with portfolio in hand, off we went writing resumes, pounding the pavement. One of my friends got a job with Vogue, another with Perry Ellis, I went to work for Tandy. Then transferred my AA to a community college to work on my Bachelors. The instructors I had were great, lots of pearls of wisdom. We had Don Punchantz come in and teach us a class and give us pointers. He was a top illustrator at the time doing ads for Coke, Noxema, a lot of clients. How sad AI went wayward. Now, I am learning to paint and dabble with art on my ipad. So easy now!
Update: The entire Art Institute system permanently closed on September 30th. I feel for all of the teachers and students.
They were scamming us, predatory lending to us and ripped us all off and got us all into student loan debt good riddance to them also the teachers weren't really teaching us anything just giving us links on how to draw from TH-cam, no lie I was one of those students they royalty screwed over
I do not see how you can be a disappointment to your parents but if true...I will be your momma: "YOU MAKE ME PROUD!!!" "GOOD JOB!"
I went to the art institute actually worked in the financial offices when i went there. I remember seeing an overwhelming amount of students come into the offices asking to dropout from tuition cost which the school only push students to towards more loans. I think the number they told me about the amount who landed jobs after school was close to 95%....but later saw they pulled that from the 20% who actually graduated(having to dropout). On top of that, they were including jobs like GameStop as successful jobs in their field.
One of my worst fears....ending in debt. I'm so glad I'm going to a community College for animation
So I went to Ringling College or Art and Design for Computer Animation. I choose it because it had the top program for this degree. It was a rigorous program, we worked day and night, and the competition was intense among the small amount of students they accept into the program. I graduated with honors and my thesis film won an Academy Award. I was set with the skills to get a job very easily.
I never had trouble finding work. My second place of employment was a high paying job, for entry level. Here's the problem though... Ringling racked me up around 200k in student loan debt, and even with this high paying job I could not afford the payments.
Yes the degree program was fantastic, yes it promised jobs, but it costs so much, unless you come from wealth you end up in a very precarious situation. It's hard for me to decide if I regret going. My student loans all got dismissed due to disability, so I'm very lucky to not have them hanging over me. If this didn't happen though I would be screwed for the rest of my life because of a financial decision I made at 20. I don't think someone can learn this field in particular on their own. It is extremely technical and involved, but there has to be better options.
It REALLY depends how dedicated you are in your craft. Some people get (high-paying) jobs because of their portfolio, experience, or someone they knew in the industry. Art school can be a big hit or miss, but what it boils down to is how lucky (or the timing) you are to get a job in your field on your skill set.
Oh I also graduated from CA at Ringling!! What was your thesis film, if you mind me asking?
do they offer scholarships? if so, how much of the tuition do they cover? one of their programs looks really good for me, but there’s no way in hell i can go without at least like 80% of the tuition covered
Wow congrats on your success from Ringling but you present an interesting Catch 22.
@@TardisInHogwarts Dia de los Muertos from 2013
I remember back in 2019 my parents were trying to get me to go to the art institute, I was like okay I'll look into it. I looked at the projects of past students, from that alone I went back and told them it was a scam. They clearly just want money and give you no valuable skills.
That is actually really smart that you did that, looking at student work. I didn’t even know to do that until after I had been going to school and wanted to transfer to a 4 year school.
I think I will do that. Thanks for sharing
Why pay for art school at university level when you can just listen to Ethan Becker?
....and then my baby brain refuses to do anything he tells me xD
the art prof too!
My photography teacher in high school was an alumni from academy of art university and he really wanted me to go there... anyway I’m glad that didn’t happen!!! Community college has been a great education AND some of the professors I took also worked at CalArts and Art Center. @ anyone reading this, don’t overlook community college!
I think it depends what you want to do. General fine arts majors are pretty solid in community college but if you want to do something that requires high level software or equipment, community colleges usually don't have the means for those. I'm a professional animator and I remember looking at the animation projects at community or even lower level art colleges and cringing.
I attended AAU as well and totally recommend anyone against attending there. I also attended Art Center (ACCD), so you're totally correct about learning good art skills at a community college, if any Art Center alumna teach there. Concept Design Academy (Pasadena) is great as well! I took a class there, under an Art Center alum for cheap! 😁
@@alexgaggio2957 Great comment! 😁
Dude community college is so underrated. I’ve been duell enrolling at my local community college and it’s been amazing, they have great animation courses
@@golfwang8084 exactly!! My college has a great art / animation department
I visited the art institute in Hollywood. They seemed really sketchy when I interviewed the admissions office. They were really desperate to make me join, which is never a good sign. I declined them and sure enough a year later they closed down. Boy did I dodge a bullet.
I'm a BFA dropout from Digipen. The amount of money it costs to go there, along with the absolutely brutal work environments made it super difficult for me to keep my head above the water. I dropped out in the middle of my sophomore year. I wish I'd just stayed in Community College.
I haven't heard anything about digipen, I will definitely look into it and I am sorry that you had such an awful experience.
I have one more year of art school and I'm honestly considering of just dropping out because my mental health has gotten worse and is down in the gutters. Plus I don't feel like I've learned anything of value, but I'm drowning in the assignments that we get. It's just been an overall terrible experience that I don't think I can endure for one more year.
You were going to game Design?
@@kolacao8134 Film Animation, kinda funny cause now I'm doing game design on the side lol
i spent time at both private art school and public university, and honestly i really love public university. i can get accommodations for my needs, and the professors are much more understanding than i experienced at private art school. i love my professors so much, and they really value their students!!! also, i love this series. i am so excited for more videos from you (i really could just listen to you talk about anything tbh, you just have a good voice and word choice), as a fan of your artwork and your previous videos of your process!!
This is really enlightening and I feel for the students who were duped in enrolling and are saddled with enormous debt. I head a marketing department (current Marketing Director and former Art Director) and occasionally post jobs for graphic designers. I get flooded with resumes and portfolios from AI “grads”. Out of 300 or so resumes in the last round, roughly half had AI on their resumes and none were even remotely qualified, esp when up against Art Center or CalArts grads.
I work as a college access counselor helping high school students apply to college, and the points you made are all things I tell my students regularly. For-profit schools are SO predatory & their degrees are usually not viewed the same as non profit degrees by most employers. I have students who are interested in cosmetology or automotive technology who get lured in by the promises made by for-profit schools and I have to explain that they could just go to a community college and get a better degree for a fraction of the price. And you're totally right--ALWAYS check a school's graduation rates. If only 25% graduate, the odds are not in your favor, and you don't want to find yourself in a ton of debt with no degree to show for it. Anyway, I basically never comment on YT videos, but I just wanted to thank you for the really valuable tips you shared in this video!! We definitely need to help students be aware of these red flags.
Omg! I’m a stay at home mom (and artist) and I was looking at the online program for painting through the Academy of Art! I clicked for information and decided that it was sketchy. They hounded so hard. So I’m so glad to hear that they are actually as unsavory as I thought. So thank you!
The Art Institute ruined my 20's and early 30's because I'm still in debt for a school that wasn't even worth it. Went to the San Francisco one.
Hello from Delhi. This video is a real eye opener. You're saving a lot people unnecessary trouble and heartache.
This is SUCH a good video, and your part about going to public university rather than private art school is so true. When I was in high school I desperately wanted to go to private art school for illustration and had to cajoled to attend a state school by my dad (Kutztown!!!), and I'm so, so grateful that he pushed me to do that. In that school's program illustration was wrapped up in their communication design department, so from there I was drawn into graphic design and trained in something I didn't necessarily even know about before, but ended up loving and -being good at-. My program really prepared us for life after college (internship program as part of course credit requirement, professional practice courses, on campus design jobs in departments within and outside of the art college proper, etc), and I ended up getting a job right out of school-which I'm still in. And your point about privilege and luck is so true-going to public school allowed my dad to actually help me financially through school so I'm debt free, but that wouldn't have happened if I decided to go the private school route.
One thing that wasn't touched on as much was the people within the program you go to-private art schools have the benefit of built in industry connections, but public colleges have a different kind of network associated with them. With my program specifically, and likely in any program you are in, there's going to be a niche network of alumni and clusters of school friendly places that are likely familiar with your specific program that seeks them out, but you're never going to find any of this out online or on social media. Heck, when I moved to another state for my studio job I literally dragged a classmate down with me after posting a job listing on our class fb page, and are in the process of hiring another person from my program. Networks are networks regardless of where you go! Go to public school! and if they offer a gen-ed course on weird topics take them!!!!!
Illustration is definitely a good route to go down for public university. Unfortunately it really depends on your major. I'm a professional animator who went to a private art school. When I was looking at schools in high school, I remember being really turned off by what the public colleges were creating, it was either too artsy fartsy or didn't have the technology to actually make it look good. Community colleges and public universities rarely have top level software and equipment that you might need in your field so it's best to know what you want to do ahead of time. I highly doubt I would have had motion capture experience in an actual motion capture studio had I gone to a community college for animation.
Glad to see this video, been thinking of going to community college. I’ve always had a hard time with getting an art job and most people would just say that is up to a “perfect” portfolio, but in reality I just think it’s luck and having money, or parents to take you in, so you don’t have to care about a job.
Having gone to community college, I totally recommend it, I had such a positive experience studying art at a CC
I am sadly a victim of the Art Institute 😔 They had a super cool friendly guidance counselor call me and get me in as soon as possible. They told me I had so much potential and that all of us who had made the choice to go there were better than those who hadn’t 😂 that they were highly connected with people in the industries. Financial office went over my paperwork with 17 yr old me alone while my dad was on the phone 2,000 Miles away. I attended 3 classes for 2 weeks and then coincidentally caught pneumonia causing me to fail all of my classes from bad attendance for the first quarter. Distant family warned us that it was a scam and I dropped out. 3 weeks and we owed them $3000.00 on top of all the entry fees and AI art kits we had to buy.
I went to AAU from 2009 - 2010 and that was one of the worst decisions I made. It's 2021 and I'm still paying off that debt. Four years ago I started at MassArt (a state art school) and that was the best decision I made. I graduate this month.
woo boy I had a roommate who was from AI and another at Academy of Art and its pure evil what those places do to them. My AI roommate was also one year away from graduating right before their San Francisco campus shut down without notification. They had regular mental breakdowns from the stress. From what I know, the students protested and forced the campus to open back up to allow them to finish their program.
My Academy of Arts roommate had to take an extra year because of terrible communication from their offices about their graduation requirement. She tried to contact them on a regular to clear things up, but they took weeks to reply, and she had to pay for that final year. Apparently it's a regular issue. Once you're in the door, they stop caring.
They owe a busload in student loan.
My advice is to go to a State college with a good art program for more conceptual art, or an atelier/apprenticeship program for technical art. Much cheaper, and smaller, much more support. The teachers generally are more caring, and just as skilled (or more skilled in the case of Atelier).
Real thoughtful of you to make this video. Artists definitely need this kinda stuff
This is a great video!!! You're really going to be helping people by spreading this information.
I distinctly remember The Art Institutes advertising was really at its peak in 2012-2014 when I was researching colleges. You couldn't escape the ads on TV. While I'm not an artist, a few of my high school friends were and they nearly got swept up by their marketing. Thankfully, one of our career advisers set the record straight for all of us before anyone applied. She went on a full-on rant. The situation inspired me to do a research paper on for-profit colleges in my senior year because something about those schools seemed fishy. Glad to hear the Art Institutes have declined so quickly, but I do feel so bad for all of the students who must have gotten shafted in the process.
I’m so glad you made this. Back when I was a senior in high school I was so close to applying to Ai Philadelphia until I did my research. The tour impressed me but also left me with a sketchy feeling. I ended up going to a community college and then a public college instead. I feel so bad for those who are suffering from these scumbag schools.
I'm so glad you addressed this honestly. young students need to hear it.
I almost went to Ai 25 years ago, but it was too expensive as an international student.
I never did get a degree but ended up doing the top fine art shows in the country. So no, you don't need a college degree or the debt. Business knowledge helps. Dont just accept, use your common sense and gut feeling. you have to be committed and work for it.
I live in the area of R*ngling and I completely thoroughly agree with you on going to public uni for art school. These private art schools are such scams, and prey upon the vulnerable and starry-eyed and its disgusting. It's the main reason I didnt go to an art school full time, and then didnt even end up pursuing an art degree - so many of these schools are just not worth the money and you can get it for better else where. My friend ended up goin to public uni for art and now shes got an extremely set gig - her talent has developed beautifully. Continuing on R*nglin, the classes I took at R*ngling for three summers were a complete waste. I ended up taking some courses and getting some guidance at Art Students League for much, much cheaper and learned more there in a summer than I did three summers at Ringling. ASL is "private", technically, but its not a real university and never claims to be- its more like a lecture hall that houses really fantastic artsts and people where you can weave in and out when you wish - and i found it to be much more helpful to my artistic development.
Thank goodness I dodge the bullet on this one ! I remember when I was a teen in my senior year of high school, I had big dreams of becoming a fashion designer and I remember I reached out to the Art Institute of Jacksonville, FL for questions about their programs. I was interested apply till I saw the cost of their application, which was $50. I decided to step back and look else where for something affordable. Things got weird when a recruiter called my mom and I to pressure us pay for the application. The recruiter was oddly overly emotionally about it too, saying things like "it just $50 dollar". My mom hung up on the recruiter because we thought her behavior was weird and insensitive. $50 is a lot of money to someone from a low-income background like myself.
Not to get off topic but your pfp is beautiful and I love your clothes and hair.
@@keepyourshoesathedoor oh thank you so much 🥰
WOOOOW! These are all art schools I was looking at when I was in high school (2010) some of older friends went to AI too. I’m so glad life happened and I didn’t go... Also big ups to your so for returning, after 5 years fighting cancer and trying to catch up on life I’m planning on returning to college at in my 30s. I feel a little weird feeling so old and I’m always fighting my age anxiety as an artist. Loved this video thank you for warning the younger or more naive prospective students!
Thank you for sharing this video. I really got emotional watching the whole thing because I was definitely a victim of the major scam that is The Academy of Art. I think about the part when you said that you would be hindered for life, and that is exactly what it feels like.
I attended the Academy of Art University in 2009, as an acting major (it was their second year of having the program, which I thought nothing of at 18) As a child from a poor immigrant family, I wanted to do the best I could to succeed. However, there was no way that I could keep affording the tuition, let alone room and board. While attending AAU, I experienced racist and classist comments from many of the professors, staff, and students who had enough money to attend without working.
My educational advisor was a terrifying person to deal with. I remember one year when they changed the label of my degree to MPT (motion pictures, and television) and in the process of changing it, I was required to TEN more classes because the major had been "updated". At that point, I began to fall into depression because I realized that I had gotten myself into a massive amount of debt and that even with a degree, I was never going to recover from it.
Now years after I left, I've decided to go to school to become a dental hygienist, and I plan on opening an art shop (because I do digital illustration now). The only thing that has kept me from falling into complete depression is that I want a better life for myself. My credit is ruined because of this school, I was homeless for a year (while attending classes) because of this school, I lost many years of my life to this school, and for all of it... I couldn't even graduate because I could not afford it. But I refuse for that to be the end of my life story.
If you have read this far... Please do me and yourself a favor and do NOT go to The Academy of Art University. That school took a lot more than money from me, and I don't want that to happen to any future artists. Especially those who come from a lower-income background. If fate ever has it that I have a wider reach as an artist, I will denounce that school until the end of my days. There is no justice for those of us who were victims of these schools, but at the very least I can hopefully stop other people from making my mistake. Please, please, do not go there.
Super excited about your next video about your art school experience. Also love love your gouache paintings!!!!
This is my second episode and I am already a fan!. Thank you.
its so sad, i went to that school and worked in the financial department. The recruiting office was so scammy they didn't care if you dropped out cus they got a commission as long as you did the first semester. I ran out of room to file all the drop out students and had to stack them on cabinets. Half the teachers were deadbeats who told you to watch youtube tutorials and some were amazing but clearly couldn't teach you what they should be because they had to pick up the slack for the other teachers. Then they thought it was a good idea to fire all the teachers except for 2 to teach the entire animation students but hire 20 more recruiters.
As a AAU (Academy of Art University) alumni they actually used to use the low graduation rate as on campus grind culture motivation thing. Often it was framed that majority of the students who attended wouldn't have "it" and you wanted to be part of the three percent, the cream of the crop. The school and the president has also been barred from purchasing anymore real estate due to the fact she owns like 20-30% of the city , the last school building purchase was done so through her friend "donating" it to the school. Most of the school buildings if not all are not up to fire / safety code.
Also they only guarantee housing for first year students, afterwards if you want to continue living in their on campus housing its first one come, first one serve, so typically during finals you were also in the midst of trying to figure out where you would live the following year.
LMAO theres literally AAU folks in these comments saying "you have to have the drive!" like yeah you have to have drive in community college too but they arent scamming you there for the same education ripppp
WOW - you are SO great at this. I love your style of presenting and the quality of your content! It does my heart good.
Thanks so much for this! Can't wait to watch every single thing in this series!
I recently gradated from the Academy of Art University this past year. The school was going great until Fall 2019 when the animation department started to make a lot of cut backs and a lot of staff members from both that school and every department were let go. The President of the University is the 6th richest person in San Francisco, has a private car collection, and yet some of the dorms we students had to live in were physically falling apart. I lived in a much older dorm and got water damage from a pipe in my room. My room mate and I were transferred to a much nicer room, and then we found out they tore out the ceiling and walls and discovered back mold in our room. The housing department of this school is horrible and don't care for the physical well beings of the students, and once we finished our last final we had 12 to 24 hours to pack and clean the whole room before checking out of the dorm.
I am planning on going to academy SF but in the gaming department. I took some classes already in community college so they fill some class requirments. Not sure if u know if the gaming department is ok over there?
@@misspikapika7972 I have a lot of friends from the gaming department. As far as I know they are actually really great, I really like a lot of the teachers from over there. What is your major going to be in?
I spent so much money on my BFA art degree and end up teaching myself everything.
this is the most insightful video i've seen on art school pitfalls. ive done quite a bit of research but i still came away from your video with a lot of new knowledge. thank you, i appreciate this so much
not only am i thankful for the information in this video (as a hobby artist that once thought about going to these institutions) but you are also very amusing :)
it was a good watch
I went to Kingston University in London for their Master's of Animation program. Their website made it sound like the program was taught by industry professionals and that they give you the knowledge you need to get into games, etc. The instructor was someone who had just graduated the year before and it showed. I was really really disappointed. I basically just ended up using tutorials to teach myself 3D and only used the uni facilities for rendering. I would go to networking events and ask real industry professionals for advice and show them my portfolio. It helped a lot. I really don't understand where my £13K for tuition went. It was such a waste of money.
Also, master's degrees only take a year to get in the UK and it was totally not enough to learn the craft and get a job. I've been graduated since January 2018 and have struggled to get work since then.
Hey! I'm a professional video game animator who works in London. Let me if you want to connect and get feedback on your reel. (Apologies my TH-cam channel is a little out of date but you should be able to find my website)
I have an Academy Of Arts brochure on my bookshelf, and I am completely grateful that I found this video. This has opened my eyes to art schools. I also graduated my local community college with an Associate of Arts degree which is great. I was legit considering to go to Academy of Arts but now I'm completely avoiding it.
Wow. So much useful information. The algorithm sent me here. Your teal art wall backdrop is gorgeous.
This video actually helped me a lot on the decision of what college I want to go to. Thanks for posting this!
Thank you for tipping me over the edge of decision and inspiring me to take a closer look, was literally three weeks away from starting summer classes at AAU till I added up the overall cost I’d have to bear from their financial “aid” plan.
I've got the other useless degree you mentioned (English), but I've always kinda wished I went into art instead and I've looked at some of the private schools you mentioned. You're the first person I've seen lay this stuff out so clearly, and as a potential sucker who didn't know what the red flags look like, I really appreciate that.
Love this! I love it so much that I sent it to my favorite teacher, who originally taught art but now teaches animation and graphic design for my high school's career tech program. You get college credit from it and it takes up half your day every day for 11th & 12th grade. This is great info for her students! And everyone else considering an art degree. I would like to add, though, that potential students should seriously consider what they want their art degree FOR. These days, we're so fortunate to have access to limitless online content for free or for comparatively low low low prices. If they're wanting a degree just to get into illustration for books or something in that vein I think most folks would get more out of a skill share account and learning how to get the most out of social media platforms while continuing to work some sort of day job. Plus, then, you don't have to waste your time re-taking your high school classes.
This honestly came at the best time for me. Thank you for making this 💜
academy of art keeps reaching out to me and i had an icky feeling about them
Stay awaaaay
I applied in 2019 and I’m still receiving emails about student loans. Run far away
They kept messaging me and this is what I sent them
"You'll have like the lowest graduation rate and your classes are expensive af. And most of the people doing 3D animation tend to not get careers and have like 30 years worth of debt. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ so idk"
Then they replied
"No worries. If you change your mind, visit our events page on our website or call. We’ll be happy to help."
Psh help my ass
I attended the AI of Chicago and after 4 years had nothing to show for it. I hadn’t even practiced graphic design again until recently.
I’ve been waiting for a video like this! I almost got scammed into both of these schools, I’m so glad I went with my gut.
Much adoration and appreciation for putting this video up. Thank you Catherine!
I just had wish I had the foreknowledge and had a video like this back in my Academy of Art University days in the late 2000s. I was basically taken in by the "facade" that the school was trying to portray and thinking, "Oh if it's expensive it must be good". This place was just a endless money pit and unfortunately I'm in a debt around 80,000 plus because of it.
I adored a few of my classes and instructors, while most other instructors were basically there for a paycheck and never nurtured students. Many weeks would pass and you would see the class shrink to just 4 people at the end from the beginning of 20. I made it into 3.5 years out of the 4 and almost finished my 3-D Animation program but I was setback by a death in the family and wasn't able to finish. It's still hard to recover mentally from the trauma and had I continue and finish AAU, my family and wouldn't be able to put a roof over our heads. So I made the hard decision to quit school and help provide for my family. Watching your video, I NOW realize there were so many red flags at the school, that I wished my young self had taken into consideration.
Honestly, I wish I had really taken the community college direction and not be involved in one of the Scam Art Schools.
I was seriously considering going to Academy of Art U, but instead went to attend a state school (UH Manoa) for the much lower tuition. That decision probably saved some some grief. Thanks for the video!
My partner graduated AAU, as did many of my friends, and I went there for about a year and a half before I wised up and realized that I just couldn't afford to keep going. AAU has some phenomenal teachers, and you definitely can learn some great skills. But their 100% acceptance rate does cause classes to suffer as you can sometimes have a teacher spending more time trying to help a student who's not on the same skill level get caught up. I had a few members of staff tell me that AAU wasn't a great idea given my poor financial situation, and I'm grateful that they inspired me to seek other means of education.
One of the worst parts of AAU is the mental mind fuck they give you. There was this ideology at the school that "If you can't accel at this school, you don't have what it takes"
Orientation had a lot of that. Threatening you that if you couldn't put up with the deadlines in school, you'd never make it in the professional art world. Ignoring the fact that when your school has 40 campuses in one of the busiest cities in America, getting to class on time was impossible somedays. Ignoring the fact that if you lived outside of the city and had to commute, your school day could be 10 hours long including traffic. This ideology was a key part in making sure students didn't blame the school for a single damn thing, and all short-comings were based in the individual.
When they raised my tuition an extra $900 one semester, and in the same letter stated that they were cutting bus routes to save money, and limiting software access. I had enough. Don't forget that back in about 2013 they disabled the photoshop licenses to all of their graduates, so that software you paid for with your hard earn money was taken away from you... Only to have AAU tell you that it was actually just a perk and not a condition of your tuition.
And yes, the president does have a building full of classic cars with glass windows so you can drive by them and see how wealthy she is. Yes, she does have a gaudy house, and yes, she's generally an unpleasant person.
AAU has great teachers, but horrible people up top. Some of the worst.
Teachers actually helped students who aren't at the same skill level as others? What a dream. Mine pay attention to those exceptional students who already had some experience in the industry/know how to manipulate the software very well before they came to my school.
@@YOYO-dv8gv yeah, don't get me wrong, that happened too. It depends on the teacher. I think both scenarios are detrimental to teaching a class if the teacher has to spend too much of class time on any one student.
I'd say most of the time, teachers offered to help kids after class. But that was a problem too, because if you didn't live nearby, you probably didn't have after class time.
As someone who still attends school here I agree with everything you said. The reason I’m finishing my BFA is because It is fucking impossible here in the Bay Area to get a job in Fashion without one.
Great video! So happy I discovered your channel!
this video is so important -- I hope prospective art students heed your advice because you're right on. thx for sharing 🎨