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The Academy of Art University

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityB+ Faculty AccessibilityB
Useful SchoolworkA Excess CompetitionB-
Academic SuccessA Creativity/ InnovationA
Individual ValueA- University Resource UseB
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyB FriendlinessB+
Campus MaintenanceB Social LifeA-
Surrounding CityB Extra CurricularsB
SafetyB
Describes the student body as:
Friendly

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly, Helpful

Female
Quite Bright
Lowest Rating
Excess Competition
B-
Highest Rating
Useful Schoolwork
A
She cares more about Surrounding City than the average student.
Date: Apr 15 2010
Major: Design Arts - Industrial Design/Graphic Design/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
I am an online student, so some of the questions I rated just a B because I have no clue what the campus is like, social activities, resources, etc. The school should put a N/A in those areas for the online students.

I see so many negative reviews here, but don't agree with 95% of it. I do think it is a very expensive school overall. And I have had some issues with the curriculum being outdated. I am addressing that issue now with the school, but it doesn't mean I hate this school . . . quite the opposite.

Somebody already said here that you only get out of school what you put into it. That is very true. I would like to say that age has something to do with doing well in school, but I did well in art school back in 1984 too. Maybe it would be better said that maturity and a good work ethic has a lot to do with doing well in school. If you are expecting to go to art school and breeze through it, you are in for a rude awakening as I think many of the students providing reviews here have discovered.

There are certain aspects of art that can be learned with no talent, but I think having some art experience is necessary to do well here. Think long and hard about going to any art school. Make sure it is the right choice for you because they are expensive.

As someone who has worked 20+ years in the industry, I thought that most of my prerequisites were going to be a waste of time and that I probably knew everything they were going to teach me. I have been more than pleasantly surprised. Classes have been fun and challenging.

For the most part I think the teachers have been attentive and responsive. A couple have been outstanding. You have to be active as an online student to engage the other students and teachers. If you don't participate, school will seem really lackluster. The teachers can't respond to you if you don't ask questions or participate in discussions.

Ok, I'm starting to ramble. Overall, this has been a great experience and I look forward to future courses. To those who think the school is too expensive, perhaps you should consider moving home and becoming an online student. Housing, lab fees and other costs will be gone and all you will have to worry about is the course fees and tuition, oh and purchasing your own computer.

Also, be honest with yourself. Are you someone who is self motivated or do you need your hand held in order to get your work completed? Are you creative or is it just a desire to be creative? Are you willing to put in the hours and do the work required of the classes? If you aren't honest with yourself, you'll most likely end up disgruntled like many of the student giving reviews here are.

           
Responses
commentI Agree with your statement-
I think having some art experience is necessary to do well here.
- I had no art experience but plenty of professional technical experience as a web designer. I majored in Web Design and New Media.

The AAU motto is "by artist for artist." My projects were functionally superior to many others but lacking is style or fashion appeal. The instructors would completely ignore the technical superiority of my work and technical flaws of someone else's. They focus on things like color and style and say things like "that's a very fresh design." or "you've chosen a good photo." or "you've got a good organic feel that fits the brand"

questionI just red your review of AASF. I am 57 and looking into the Web design or graphic art courses on line. Did you find the courses to be relevant to today's technology? Did you find when you graduated, you had what the work market was looking for? Thanks for responding. I look forward to hearing more. \KM
responseThe school in general treats technology like the dirty second cousin of design. In new media dept.. technology is considered a necessity that unfortunately can't be avoided and has some low level market value. And New media is the most technology focused major next to video animation. Basically AAU new media school, like most design schools focus on things that don't change quickly. Accepted, and tested is the basis of the curriculum. Maybe at a masters level they might apply advanced technology, but as an undergrad new media major, just getting competent at the 12 major software apps and dozens of workflows etc is a major challenge for too many of the students to allow going any farther with the ones who are good at technology. The school would rather teach you about making a presentation for million dollar account or putting together a cross media campaign proposal where you'll manage or contract specialized software developers. I've heard developers referred to as keyboard monkeys at this school and students are trained not to trust them with decision making tasks because they'll do something visually or persuasively or stylistically retarded.

If you want to get your hands dirty and work with code at a level that would let you write turtorials for others or even be competitive with an experienced mid career professional you should go to a technical school. If you want to build the cutting edge web apps try full sail or some other technical school or your best bet is work for an industry leader pioneer. If you want to learn the basics of how and when you use a particular technology and you want to learn the skills required to mock up and sell a new technology idea then this is definitely the school for you.

questionHello, I just red your review and really enjoyed! you are honest and gave me a lot of information about AAU, I just worry about the tuition and fees. nobody answer me that how much should I pay for an online graduate program in graphic design. I'm an unemployed and can't pay a lot, I need to use financial aid as well but don't know how much should I pay?
Thanks a lot for your help
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