Ask the Appeal: How To Choose A Bay Area Art School

It's Academy of Art. Singular. Although I'm not sure what this one art is since they're spread so thin. I had to guffaw when they started teaching drama. It's not a bad school, and I had some good experiences there -- but I can't defend the accusations that it's all a real estate company masquerading as a school.

I was kinda jealous the first time I ever set foot at SF State (my sister went there) because there actually is something of a physical cohesion. The fact that the Academy IS all over the city means there isn't a central location to hang out, and it can be a headache commuting from class to class. This may not be a huge factor in choosing a school, but it's something to think about.

- Academy of Art class of 2002, graphic design.

Oops, change noted. Thanks!

I received my MFA from the Academy in 2 yrs. It should take no longer than 2-3 yrs max... 4 yrs would only be if you took classes part time.

Is it also important for you to have the option of pursuing an advanced degree or transferring to an another school? If it is important, you'll need to investigate whether credits and/or degrees from the schools you list are accepted at other programs. I participated in an orientation for one of the programs you mention where I was informed (and have been told by former students) that neither their credits nor their degree was accepted at other accredited schools when they tried to transfer or tried to enter an advanced degree program. They had to start all over. Just because a school claims to be accredited doesn't mean a whole lot -- there are various agencies that will accredit a school's program, but many are not recognized by other schools. If you're trying to get an advanced degree or even transfer to some place like SFSU, your degree or coursework from one of these programs may or may not be accepted. Check it out. Ask other schools if they would accept credit from XXX program if you wanted to transfer or get an advanced degree. Here's a bit of info about accredidation: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg6.html#NationallyRecognized.

Also, if you're transferring FROM another school (as I did), keep in mind that unless you want to burn out and die by taking 3 or 4 major classes in one semester, you'll end up spending much more time at AAU/AAC than anticipated due to having to space out your classes and not fill them up with prerequisites in between. Community college is great for saving $, but time... not so much.

When I've gotten into discussions with my art/design friends about this topic the general consensus seems to be CCA > AAU and that one "shouldn't bother" with anything else in the bay area.