The Ringling College of Art and Design

Date: Jan 20 2017
Major: Art & Design Department (This Major's Salary over time)
Ok starting with the academics, Ringling is a great school, but you have to know where you want to go and what your career plan is. You must come in with a declared major because every class you take is catered to this major. I am in the most competitive major in the school (computer animation) which had a 12% acceptance rate for the 2015/2016 year (the acceptance rates vary by major). Expect to work hard. Also, they aren't here to teach you the basics, you must come in to the program with at least a decent understanding of drawing skills, both in traditional and digital art. Some of the teachers are warm and welcoming, some are harsh and will make you cry; you want those harsh teachers cause they force you to work harder and be better. Ringling doesn't mess around, they treat you like a profesional from day one so be prepared to not miss a single class, never be late, never make any excuses, and treat your art as your job.

When it comes to social life, we aren't all just weird hermits. Yes most of us love anime but there are also parties every weekend, games of manhunt and capture the flag each friday, clubs, events, beach trips, and lots of stuff to do. Most of the socializing you will do will be the shenanigans you get up to with your floormates. (the dorms here are fantastic btw). The thing is, with all the work you have to do, YOU WILL be INCREDABLY BUSY. You will make lots of friends, and people at ringling are really supportive and accepting, and you can have fun, but don't let that get in the way of work. But all in all, socializing is not a problem and you won't be missing out on any fun since there's fun to be had all around.

Don't take all the negative comments too seriously. Ringling is really hard and thus it has a steap drop out rate, so a lot of people get super bitter about it and go on rants. Ringling is amazing.

But, just as a warning, Ringling pours most of its time, money, and resources into its most popular and succesful majors, thus computer animation and game art are some of the best programs that you can find in the country, meanwhile majors like fine arts and some of the design majors are left by the wayside, so be careful in choosing your career. (motion design and illustration are also very good here)