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Step Five: How to Choose a Design School
Valerie Atkisson/ArtBistro
What are Your Priorities?
There is no perfect school. What you have to do is to find one that matches your priorities. The factors to consider are:
- Location
- Cost
- Reputation
- Strengths of the program
- Teachers that you want to work with
- Facilities
Try to determine if the school can improve your strengths and your weaknesses that you have determined in Step 4. You will probably want to visit schools before and or after you have applied and been accepted to be able to determine which ones most closely fit your priorities.
Art School or University/Liberal Arts
There is also a decision to be made about art schools vs. universities. In many ways these are similar institutions. The main difference is that art schools will typically focus the general education requirements around design and a greater portion of your credits to be in design. This can be good if you have determined that you want a specialized education. Typically the level of academia for your general education will be better at a university or liberal arts college. This may be a better approach for students who want a strong higher education with their art degree.
