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I need some help finding an art collage.

I'm a junior in high school and I enjoy drawing characters and coming up with concepts for people/amour/weapons/robots. my dream is to create, animate, and rig 3D models and do something with it. In all i'm searching for a good collage for graphic design and rigging. #graphic-design #art #high-school

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Amanda’s Answer

For questions like these, I tend to look for recent lists made by reputable sources. I found an excellent article on prepscholar.org that will point you in the right direction (https://blog.prepscholar.com/best-graphic-design-schools-in-the-us) that includes an overview of what a graphic design program is, the 20 top graphic design schools, and how to choose the right program for you. Included with each entry is the school's location, information about the school, its acceptance rate, and the degrees offered. There are also links to admissions requirements pages. Remember, having a strong portfolio of your creative work will often take higher priority than GPA or test scores. Best of luck!

Amanda recommends the following next steps:

Read the article for an overview of graphic design and how to choose the right program for you
Go through the links for each graphic design program
Evaluate your design portfolio and seek feedback to make it stronger
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Nancy’s Answer

Kutztown University in PA
https://www.kutztown.edu/
Thank you comment icon Hi Nancy, your answer could be made more helpful if you explained why you think this college is a good fit for the student Gurpreet Lally, Admin
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Steve’s Answer

I 100% agree with Amanda Edenfield's response when she says " Remember, having a strong portfolio of your creative work will often take higher priority than GPA or test scores." -- I was laid off in April from a design position. I had a 4.0 GPA, and never was late or missed a college class while attending SCAD; a lifetime ago. Portfolio is king. And focus is a close second. If you know what you want to do, you are further along than most. Corporations will want that degree. Employers however want to exploit your skills. That's why you get paid. Innovative designs either sell their products or entertain their customers. After all, it's about making money as a business. Before settling on any colleges, you should research their equipment. My employer used antiquated methods, and equipment, and now I am struggling to find a job because my skills were specific to them. Colleges fall along the same line. Tech moves fast. Try to stay a step ahead, and always stay focused on your end goal. If you want to do mobile gaming design. ONLY, do mobile gaming design. Tailor your portfolio specifically to the job you are applying for. Stay current with your skills, and take note of popular design styles. Innovation is great, but otherwise you must ensure you meet at least the bare minimum quality-wise that companies are looking for. I know this was a college question, but although I went and got a degree, it's certainly not impressing anyone at the moment. Your work needs to do that! Meanwhile though, your state has a great college in KCAI. Find a college that meets your needs. If you want to become a concept artist check out the folks on artstation.com. If you want to become a technical artist (rigger), check out online groups specific to the 3D package you want to rig in. If it's Spline for 2D...focus on that. If it's creating Mel scripts in Maya, focus on that. Emulate what looks good to you design wise. You don't have to copy, but take note of what works in a particular image, or game. Why do you like it? You have to strive to be the best though, no matter what. Your style will separate you from hacks like me. :) Anyone can do this. Just stay focused and really pursue your interests. Employers always ask about what packages you know (and I know a ton), but really what they're after are the things you can CREATE with those packages. At the end of the day with choosing your college, ensure that you have a portfolio SOLID enough to get you work. IT needs to rival professional things they've already seen. Remember that. Make it look like it came from a studio and you will have a fantastic career. I wish you the very best!
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Andy’s Answer

Hi Cullen,

It's great to see that you're looking into great art schools to set yourself up for success. One thing that you'll have to keep in mind is your budget. Private art schools can be expensive and for-profit programs even more so. Although I attended a for-profit college and have been gainfully employed in the video games industry for over 15 years I would recommend going with a more traditional school for more broad and well rounded education.

From my time in the industry I will tell you that I've met many other talented artist who have come out of a wide variety of art schools: San Jose State University in California, Rhode Island School of Design, Art Center in Pasadena, California, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, etc.

In addition to a strong undergraduate program something you should consider is their career center. How well do they do at placing their graduates into positions in the industry that you're interested in? What kind of relationships do they have with companies where they can offer internships? Of course you'll want to consider the strength of their faculty and any notable graduates.

US News and World Report publishes and annual list of the best universities and colleges. While they don't have specific categories for art you should still be able to get more general information about average class size, faculty to student ration, tuition, etc.

From the details of your question it seems like you are looking into the video games industry or tv and film. Schools like UCLA and Carnegie Melon have programs for film and game design, respectively. Contact the universities that interest you and find out about campus visits and if you can sit in on some of the classes or learn more about their programs. Most schools will have some types of events where they open up the campus and programs to visitors. In these times of COVID-19 and quarantine those might be more virtual than in-person but on the bright side those will be far cheaper and more convenient.

I hope I have provided some useful information for you.

Andy

Andy recommends the following next steps:

Check out US News and World Report to see if some of the colleges and universities you're interested in are there
Contact universities that you are interested in and find out if they'll have open house days or more information on specific departments
Find out what industry(s) you're interested in and see which schools have good connections with companies in those industries
Check out the companies you admire and see where their artists graduated from
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