Any College of Fine Arts/Art majors here?

[gnarly sky]

Majors under a Fine Arts or Art college are probably one of the toughest majors in America.

I'm an Architecture major and want to kill myself but love it.

What major are you (if from a College of Arts)? How hard hard is it? Art, architecture, painting, photography?

[Skadrist]

One of my best friends had his GPA destroyed by taking architecture.

[recall reality]

I'm working on my BFA in Graphic Design.

The course load is pretty ridiculous. The major is 78 credits, in addition to a 15 for my (required) minor and 60 or so Gen. Eds. On top of that, every studio class which is "3 credit hours", is actually 6 hours a week and I spend more time working on things outside of class. Few of my friends from other majors had nearly this much time consumed. That said, it's time well spent.

Surprisingly, at least to me, most people at my school who sign up for graphic design switch majors because of the difficulty. It's extremely competitive and the department is notorious for trying to weed people out. Even once we've gotten going, we have to pass a fairly tough portfolio review to get into 300 level design classes. The scrutiny has made me feel prepared to make it in the field though, I certainly love the work.

[the secret wars]

I'm working toward my BFA in photography. I go to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
I'm in my senior year which means one thing: Thesis. I'm so stressed out about it.

[nostalgically]

i graduated with a degree in design studies w/ an emphasis in graphic design in spring '08 (technically fall '08, but that's a different story). i had always been an artsy kid but the funny thing is, music got me interested in graphic design while i was in high school. i was tooootally into the scene (concerts every weekend, wearing band t-shirts everyday, aspiring to be a merch girl, etc etc) i actually wanted to design band t-shirts and logos, so that's what inspired me to go for it.

UNFORTUNATELY, graphic design wasn't all i was cracked up to be. the workload was exhausting, the constraints of all the projects and critiques made me second guess myself and hate everything, and i felt like i was losing "me" in my own designs. it all just looked like corporate fodder and made me SO disillusioned with design in general. although i was hating life, i stuck it out and finished school w/ nothing to show for it but my degree and my shitty portfolio that i hated anyway.

i tried to find a design job i liked, but no one was hiring or the jobs were just unfulfilling (mind you, we were neck deep in recession bullshit when i graduated). after detoxing from school for about a year (detoxing my brain, i could get into why i think college, esp design school, brainwashes you, but again, that's a different story/post), i stepped back and looked at my life. i realized that graphic design wasn't for me, but i still wanted to work in the arts, so i decided to scrap my portfolio from university and start over. i'm planning on taking some comm college classes in sewing and drawing and trying to get a certificate in apparel construction to supplement my BA, and then possibly studying overseas for art.

SO, moral of my story is: really take your time and know what you want to do before you start something. my advice is to not rush into your design classes and really decide what you want to do. take a few classes at a community college to get a feel for it, or ask to sit in on some art classes before you enroll. also, keep in mind that you person you are when you are 18 is going to be completely different from the person you are at 24. you will change and your decisions may change as well.

[alight/electric]

SO, moral of my story is: really take your time and know what you want to do before you start something. my advice is to not rush into your design classes and really decide what you want to do. take a few classes at a community college to get a feel for it, or ask to sit in on some art classes before you enroll. also, keep in mind that you person you are when you are 18 is going to be completely different from the person you are at 24. you will change and your decisions may change as well.

I could not agree more with you. I'm a Theatre major at Columbia University, (while not an Arts school, it's Ivy League, and it is fucking intense). Theatre is something i have loved passionately since i was kid and i've always been convinced that i would major in it and go on to be a stage actor until the day i died. However, the older i got, the more i realized that there has to be a back-up plan when going into an arts arena. So i'm minoring in Psychology, which sort of ties into theatre in a way, but can develop into a career of it's own.


So, (@ the original poster) if you are interested in going into architecture, make sure you leave yourself with a safety-net in case it doesn't work out or you get tired of it, or whatever. I'm not really sure of any good art schools to recommend for architecture. I believe we have one here at Columbia, but i can't promise. I also know that there's a good architecture school down in Atlanta, but the name totally escapes me at the moment.

[LamarVannoy]

I'm studying fine arts at the moment but our system is different to how it is in America. We dont have 'majors'. What happens is in our first year (its a three year course) its compulsary to do every subject which includes figure drawing, general drawing, abstract drawing, painting, photography, art history, sculpture and printmaking. Then in second year we choose two electives (I chose drawing and painting) and drop everything else (except for the 3 drawing classes and art history. They are still compulsary). And I think its the same in third year.

Its way more intense than I thought it would be. All my friends who go to uni only have to go 3 or 4 days a week for a couple of hours each day whereas I have to go every single day from 9:30-4:30. Its hard work but I'm enjoying it for the most part.

[concernedparent]

One of the hardest? Really? I wouldn't even think it would compare to engineering or anything like that...would it?

[TJ Wells]

I'll be starting two years (already did all Gen Eds at JuCo) towards a bachelor's in film with a focus in post-production in the fall. I don't know how anyone who chooses to get an Art degree could think it's one of the hardest majors, considering not many people go for art degrees for the money (hence they go for it because they love what they want to do, which right there makes it quite a bit easier).

[-karla]

I'm studying fine arts at the moment but our system is different to how it is in America. We dont have 'majors'. What happens is in our first year (its a three year course) its compulsary to do every subject which includes figure drawing, general drawing, abstract drawing, painting, photography, art history, sculpture and printmaking. Then in second year we choose two electives (I chose drawing and painting) and drop everything else (except for the 3 drawing classes and art history. They are still compulsary). And I think its the same in third year.

Its way more intense than I thought it would be. All my friends who go to uni only have to go 3 or 4 days a week for a couple of hours each day whereas I have to go every single day from 9:30-4:30. Its hard work but I'm enjoying it for the most part.

sounds similar to how it is in NZ... but our fine arts degrees are four year courses (!). it really put me off at first because most of the fine arts degrees in UK are three years, but i'm glad for the extra year now... even if it means more student loan debt.

starting my third year in less than a month. let the madness begin, again.

[rhombuspresents]

I did VCD at the college here in edmonton, but when i was done i decided i wanted a degree as i could do alot more with it than my diploma.
3 years in now in my BFA in Art and Design (religious studies minor) and definitely straight up design at college was so much harder than university has been so far, even after having to take say German and Comp Sci and such. Though I only take 3 classes every semester, but take them year round as I also work full time. But I would def have to say that people that scoff at especially Design and don't think its tough, they've got another thing coming. You're definitely working a different part of your brain than say the Engineers, but i'd say its just as much work. In college i averaged 100- 120 hours a week total on school, either being in classes or working on projects. I did pretty well but barely slept and only did school.

I would imagine that architecture and say industrial design would be almost as exhausting, so i would definitely recommend making sure that you really want to do it and are passionate, because it'll be tough. but, you gotta do what you love, and never settle.

[eclypsion]

Architecture is definitely an intense, time consuming major. When I visited Cornell they told me that the architecture studios were open 24/7 because sometimes students would have to be there in the middle of the night still working on projects, crazy.

Anyways, I'm not applying to any arch programs though, hoping for a BFA in graphic design, communications design, advertising, or photography.

[onelastdisaster]

I'm an Applied Media Arts major with a concentration in Photography, I go to a state school, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

[Sigur Ros]

I'm looking into doing Fine Arts at Columbia In Chicago. Anyone doing stuff there?

[Broclee]

Ah, the fine arts majors, where the fun never stops, even on breaks!

I'd definitely say it's something to consider long and hard before you jump in, because it's a huge commitment. Even for someone going into arts education, like I'm doing, it's almost just as time consuming as someone who (to keep with my music paradigm) is doing a performance degree. It's ridiculous, but I can't imagine working towards anything else right now.

[steveC]

I'm looking into doing Fine Arts at Columbia In Chicago. Anyone doing stuff there?

I went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Early College program this past summer and I would HIGHLY encourage you to try something like that if you want to get a feel for art school. It's pretty intense; it's supposedly a semester of work in 3 weeks, but it had to be one of the best experiences of my life. I'm not sure how ECP classes compare to regular college courses, but the facilities were fantastic and the area in which the school is located is unbelievably great (imo). I'm looking to go into fine arts at a liberal arts school, but if I were to go to an "art school" art school, I would go to SAIC in a heartbeat. Food for thought, I suppose. Are you a junior or a senior?

[Acad08]

I am about to graduate with a BA in Music Business.

It's great and a lot of fun, but the reason many people say Music is one of the 'hardest' majors is because it's abstract.

[Broclee]

I am about to graduate with a BA in Music Business.

It's great and a lot of fun, but the reason many people say Music is one of the 'hardest' majors is because it's abstract.
Or because of the fucking course load.

I have friends in other majors who have one or two classes a day, and no classes on Fridays. I'm booked solid every day, and don't really get a break on weekends.

[swirlofhues]

I'll be starting two years (already did all Gen Eds at JuCo) towards a bachelor's in film with a focus in post-production in the fall. I don't know how anyone who chooses to get an Art degree could think it's one of the hardest majors, considering not many people go for art degrees for the money (hence they go for it because they love what they want to do, which right there makes it quite a bit easier).

i think that's a common misconception of art students. a lot of people drop out of art school because they figure out that they can't handle it even if they have a passion for it. anyway, it really is the course load like someone pointed out above me in a post. i have many music performance friends that average about 5-7 classes a day. their units are broken down a lot smaller because a lot of it is rehearsal and such, but it's just a huge amount of effort to be in class for soooo long and then expected to study and practice afterward. i feel like i compare it to a lot of other majors that are so hard, like pre-dent or pre-pharm. i'm not saying they don't study just as hard or even harder, but they dont have to.. dedicate their lives to it haha. everytime i talk to an art major, art school is their lives.

[Acad08]

Or because of the fucking course load.


Oh god definitely.

[teaahnuh]

oh goshhhh. these comments make me so nervous. Im a senior and am about to go to college for communication/advertising/graphic design (its different for each school). I got accepted to FIT, SUNY Purchase, School of Visual Arts, and SUNY New Paltz so far and am starting to feel nervous about attending college in the fall. This is so freaking intimidating.

[I am Mick]

Majoring in Creative Writing. And then I will be very poor for the rest of my life.