Portfolio: Coll 101 assignment.

Amber Springer
Coll 101 assignment
College fair review

1. Provide the name and a brief description of the following colleges

A public college –
Alberta College of Art
A famous arts college, I like this college because it had the exact degree programs I want, they will accept transfer credits because they receive so many students from other countries. I love that they specialize and are most know for the two majors I want to go to most, Photography and Graphic Design. Its now one of my choice schools, tuition is relatively low, especially for an arts college, they have a job placement program and a small- medium freshman class size. They are a small college, with a low teacher to student ration, at 1:9. The only reason I could see why this would not be a choice school for me would be that it is out of the country, living there would be a challenge, I would need to get housing (I believe on campus housing is available) and a job in Canada.

A private college –
Cornish College of the Arts
This is also a renowned college is the world of art, the name of Cornish is very famous. I like that if I attend, I would have that name backing me up, rather than a smaller or more unknown college. The tuition is more expensive than my choice schools, by about 10,000 a year. But I love the small college feel and with only 800 students you know if you are accepted, you are among the best up and coming artists. They have my choice degree programs. I love their location as well, I wouldn’t have to adjust my life seriously to attend there, I would be within driving distance of my current location, and it being in Seattle would give me plenty opportunity for fun while working, studying and in my free time.


A rural college –
Northwest College of the Arts
Because of the college fair, this is now my choice school. I love the rural location; they have a large waterfront campus close to Seattle. The tuition is the lowest I have encountered. I also like the dual major program, witch would allow me to learn and apply both of my most desired degrees (fine arts and design). Also, they have an accelerated curriculum, where I would be done in 3-4 years instead of 5 like most dual major programs. I was also impressed by the representative, he was extremely helpful in answering my questions, and I will contact him in the future for further admission questions.


A traditional large university –
Art Institute of Seattle
This would be my 3rd college of choice, and once again this college has already made a name for itself in the artistic community, witch is very helpful when looking for a job as a graduate. Although the schools I have seen before were relatively small, the Art Institute is widely established all over the country, if I decided to move out of state, the name would carry with me. I like a lot of the same things about this college that I do about others, like the rest, they are hands on, trying to focus on small class sizes in which to best stimulate creative ability, a urban campus ect. They are medium tuition, about 15,000 more than Northwest College of Art.


A small alternative college –
I did not look for a alternative college, I have a very specific major, so all of the colleges I am looking at have specialized degree programs, I don’t want to be back burnered by a institution that has a photography degree as a small, relatively unnoticed program they offer. If there was a small alternative arts college, I would certainly look into it. 2. Select a college major; describe three colleges with quality degree programs in that major.

My most desired major is a fine arts degree in photography. At the college fair I saw 4-5 prospective colleges with quality degrees in that field.

One of them was California College of the arts. CCA did not impress me much in person, the tuition is very expensive, and the first year you do not get to choose the classes you take. Their brochure was much more informative and inviting. I was impressed, however, with the representative of CCA. She was knowledgeable in my degree program, and her advice even helped me that day during the college fair. She addressed the high tuition costs and told me that a lot of it could be waived they had more scholarship opportunities than most. Considering the price of tuition, and the face that I would need to move out of state upon acceptance, I would probably not apply to this college. But if it was in state, I would be interested I attending.

The second college I explored was Alberta College of Art and Design. I was also favorably impressed by the rep there, she was friendly and knowledgeable. I did not discover anything too profound about this college, I think the only thing that really sets it apart in my eyes would be its location, I wouldn’t have considered a college that was out of country before the fair. I would like to attend this college, but I think the transition would be one of the hardest; I do not want to be that far away from my family and friends. I don’t see the educational experience being that terribly different than anything I had already seen; they are a small college, with relatively low student to teacher ratios, low tuition and an urban campus.

The last and final college I explored for their photography degree was Northwest College of the Arts. I was by far the most impressed with this college. They have almost obscenely small class sizes and teacher-student ratios. They are a private college, and I would appreciate the challenge of getting accepted there. I love the low tuition and the spacious natural campus. They have modern, state of the art facilities as they have recently moved due to expansion. They I could double major in both my fields of choice, and actually graduate faster than if I was enrolled in another dual major program. If they accepted my transfer credit, I may save a truly incredible about of money and time in college, the experience would be completely different here than any other college.


3. After attending a seminar at the college fair, describe its content and evaluate the information received.

The workshop I attended was “How to Write a Better College Essay.” I found the information very useful. She had been a dean of admissions, and she has read literally thousands of essays. The speaker told us the importance of a few main items, the first one being something as simple as follow the directions. Her next points stressed the importance of personal voice in your essay. She said be real, be yourself, use whatever talents you have. One of the best pieces of advice she gave me was to play to your strengths. If you are good at creative writing, then write it like a story. I didn’t know you could do that, I thought it had to follow the traditional essay format, that’s something I will be using when I write my own college entrance essays. She said there have been many cases where she could see talent, but the student’s refusal to brag about their own qualities in their essay may have cost them admission. She was entertaining, and what I learned in that seminar I will be able to use in other essays as well, so that was 30 minutes of my time very well spent.

4. Write a personal evaluation of the college fair experience.

The college fair was a complete success for me, but only because I was prepared in advance. If I had just shown up there, the experience would have been completely chaotic and nearly worthless. The fact I came prepared with what was important to me, the questions I wanted to ask, was invaluable.
The information I received that was the most important was probably when I asked the rep from NWCA how I could impress the admissions officers most with my portfolio or application. He told me that my portfolio was extremely important, that showing examples that you could grow and had talent was consequential. “But even more that that”, he said “you can impress us by showing a desire to learn, a desire to attend, a passion for your art.” That’s something you won’t get offline.
I don’t think I have any unanswered questions that I didn’t ask at the fair. Now my question is will my credits be transferred? But that will be part of the next step, which is starting communication with these colleges now. I should start thinking about my portfolio, and how it will affect me in the admissions process.
The fair was a great experience for me, I had fun, and I learned more in a few hours that I could have online. I met people, I shook the hands that might hold my admissions essay, I got numbers for the people Ill be talking to throughout the next three years, with all luck.