The Savannah College of Art and Design

Date: Dec 27 2007
Major: Fine Arts - Painting/Sculpture/Photography/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
The foundations education is thorough and useful. I find that some majors are better than others, and some are ignored more than others. The professors are most likely to be highly studied in their field, but can't be said for them all.

The administration is corrupt and impossible to contact. They have a fancy beautiful newly remodeled building (York Hall) in which they do their work, but the students have to live in awful dorms. Some are better than others, but I'll talk about that later. If you want to try and change something, or give suggestions on how to improve things, too bad. It will not happen, no one is there to listen. The academic advisers are quite plainly lacking in knowledge. I went to see mine and knew more about the classes and requirements for graduation than she did.

The safety is pretty lax. The guards look at your ID from far away where they are smoking a cigarette instead of at their post. They also spend large amounts of time gossiping with each other instead of actually checking our IDs. I definitely got back into the building after forgetting my ID by just waving a driver's license or credit card. Most of them are too far away to tell the difference. Only once did they actually read our IDs last quarter and that was because someone "dangerous" was trying to get into the school and attack someone. If you're smart and only go out in large groups you'll be fine. Numerous times I went out with just one or two other girls and we would get followed for blocks by strange men wandering the shadows. It was quite terrifying. There was only one announced rape at SCAD last quarter and it's an awful story. I knew many people who had been mugged, sometimes at gunpoint. Just be smart and be careful after 6pm. The stores close (even CVS!!) and the general population leaves the street.

The bus system can be useful but it's really terrible. They don't have enough buses for all the students. Especially the ones going to the foundation buildings and you will be late on numerous occasions because 2 or 3 buses went by and didn't pick anyone up because they were full. If you do finally get picked up after waiting in the rain for half an hour you'll be squished up against someone in a packed sweaty smelly bus only to arrive back at your dorm just as they stopped serving dinner.

The food… oh the food. This section may get a bit vile so if you get grossed out easily move on. During the first quarter I had food poisoning once, and others had it more. I permanently had an upset stomach. I became conditioned to the food so that if I walked into JOs or scafe I would instantly feel ill. After 2 weeks to put it plainly you don't shit correctly. Constipated for days and then diarrhea for days after that. I had a grilled cheese that was sour because the cheese was rancid. The pizza was good, a little greasy, but fine… if you can stand eating it everyday. The burgers were good, but I was worried about eating the meat. The food would sit out for ages before you go to it, the pasta would be sticky or hard. Maybe it was also undercooked. The sauces they use for the pasta is greatly overseasoned in attempts to cover up how bad it is. All the stirfrys takes forever to wait for and the rice with it would be hard or way to chewy. I ate the shrimp alfredo once for a bet, the shrimp was dry, crunchy and very very chewy. It was gross. The salads come out of large tubs where its been sitting for unknown periods of time. Its always wilted and soggy. One time in class I felt so ill after eating that I had to lay down on the floor for an hour to avoid vomiting and my teacher didn't even ask why. The other students instantly understood when I said the food was the cause. Now, I never went to byte cafe because it was so far away. I never went to the sub shop because the only time I wanted to was when the closer places weren't open, but no one would walk to Turner with me after dark. I never went to Streamliner but I hear it was the same as Bobby's. Bobby's was raved about by classmates, but I didn't find it that great. We sat there for 15 minutes waiting for service. I found that the chicken was dry, and bland. But in comparison it was fantastic compared to the larger dining halls of JOs and scafe. Bobby's did have FRESH lettuce. I was stunned. Basically after become sick of the food I lived on microwave meals made in the only microwave in my building. It was such a waste of money, and will continue to be until I'm in a dorm with a kitchen.

As for the dorms, I can only really speak for the one I live in… so here goes: I live in Oglethorpe House. Every room has grime built up in the corners and along the edge of the room where the linoleum is peeling up off the floor. I mopped the floor (with bleach) 3 times before I could even think of walking on the floor without shoes on. We have tiny little ants crawling around on the floor that you wouldn't notice unless you were sitting on the floor, but when you realize they're there you can't help but see them. The sink and bathtub drains will clog very quickly, then you have to wait ages for maintenance to come by. The room is covered in stains of all sorts and not just from paint. I bleached the tub and the tiled bathroom floor multiple times but to no avail, there is just that much grime built up. Many rooms, especially on the six floor have trouble with flooding. I've heard a few accounts of flooding coming down from the room above, and it's sewage from the toilets, not water. The washing machines are very often broken and almost every dryer will leave your clothes just as wet as when you put them in. The building is falling apart, and even chunks of concrete have fallen off the building as you walk along the balcony to your room. The elevators are dangerous. The close super quickly and slam hard. You have to wack the rubber in the door as hard as you can to keep it open, the button won't always work.

The town has very little to do if you're under 21 apart from the few school sponsored events that are actually interesting.

If you still decide you want to go, you better be extremely passionate about your major. So much, that nothing else will bother you.