4 Factors to Consider Before Choosing an Art School

If you are thinking of going to art school, you want to make sure that go to the right art school. It goes beyond simply making sure that an art school is accredited. You need to make sure that the name of the art school looks good on your resume. Not only that, but you want to make sure that your art school portfolio is strong and full of really great work by the time you graduate. When you meet with possible employers, your portfolio may be stronger than your CV, because the creative fields pay more attention to talent. Despite that, though, you need to go to art school to hone your talent. If you’ve always loved the art – maybe you spent your childhood in museums – art school will offer you an invaluable education that will reward you throughout your entire career. Here are four factors to consider before choosing an art school.

1. Size of the Facilities


One of the most important factors that you want to consider is the size and quality of the facilities that the university has to offer. If you were going to Penn State University for one of the big criminal justice degrees, the facilities may not matter, but in art school, you want there to be a big studio with a lot of materials. Light helps too when you are painting. If a school’s facilities aren’t great, you may want to keep searching. You can usually find pictures of an art school’s studios online.

2. Track Record of Graduates


A lot of art schools educate artists that go off and have fruitful careers in multiple fields. If you want to go to the right art school, you want to make sure it has a history of accepting and graduating successful artists. If an art school doesn’t have a history, you may not want to go. The simple fact that a successful artist has graduated from an art school will tell you a few things. The first thing it will tell you is that the school is good. Also, it will tell you that if you put the name of the school on your resume, it will resonate.

3. The Cost of Tuition


Tuition is important, but it’s not everything. Sure, tuition is a critical factor if you can’t afford art school, but there are some ways to get creative. For instance, you can find a grant. Grants are great because they give you the opportunity to go to school and not have to worry about oppressive loans. You could also go through the route of applying for loans, but you don’t want to feel stuck when you graduate.

4. Quality of Professors


On top of everything, you want to consider the quality of the professors that teach at a particular art school. If a professor doesn’t have what it takes, it can really hinder your education. You won’t know if an art school has good professors, or not until you do your research. A simple search online will tell you all you need to know.