Design school in atlanta: Portfolio Center? Creative Circus? Georgia State U?

[DB]

I'm trying to pick a school to study design. I can't decide between these
three.
How do they compare, reputation-wise?
Should I spend an extra year studying art theory/history at a college, or
focus on professional design at a private institute?

And if there's any advice you'd like to impart on a newcomer - success tips,
regrets, etc - please speak up.

Thank you very much. As you probably know, this is all very overwhelming.

Dave

[Luna]

I'm kind of in the same boat myself, except I'm about 80% decided on
Creative Circus. What I did was, I looked at the brochures, looked at what
they promised, and got all set to start visiting campuses, but then I
decided I'd probably better work a year first to save up some money and
make sure this is really what I want to do, because damn, school is
expensive!! What decided me on Creative Circus, btw, and this may not be
the best way to decide, is I met one of their students and I mentioned I
was interested in the school. She said the atmosphere there was very
friendly and warm, and that was the deciding factor for me.

In article <am8a3o$cr1$1...@slb3.atl.mindspring.net>, "DB" <no...@this.time>
wrote:

--
-Michelle Levin (Luna)
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick
http://www.designbyluna.com

[Edward Wedig]

I dont know anything about any of these places, but a place
called "Creative Circus" doesn't sound very professional. :\

-ed

****************************
Edward Wedig
Graphic Designer - Web Designer - Gamemaster - Nice Guy
www.edtheartist.com and www.docbrown.net
****************************

[Carol Ott]

I'd rather hear that their graduates have gone on to successful careers --
who cares what the atmosphere is? Atmosphere won't pay the rent later on.

Do these people offer a 4-year program, or is it a certificate mill? I'd be
inclined to get the 4-year degree -- you'll have the opportunity to take
business courses, and that's very important -- even if you don't plan on
running your own business, it's nice to have some savvy in that department.

And I have to agree with Ed -- "Creative Circus" just doesn't sound like
something I'd take seriously if I saw it on a CV.

Carol
www.csottdesign.com
www.csott.com
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"Edward Wedig" <doc_b...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
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[Luna]

The atmosphere isn't all of why I want to go there. Everything else was
covered already. I only heard about the school by posting a question here
about design schools in Atlanta, and hearing good things about them on this
newsgroup.

I'd already gotten the snail mail packet of information before hearing
about the atmosphere. It's a two year program, 93% successful job
placement, teachers are working professionals in the design industry, they
share some instructors with The Portfolio Center, they cap enrollment at
75 students per discipline, they work your ass off, (12 - 15 hours of
classes a week, 40-60 hours of work outside class) As far as the business
end of things, it looks like they integrate that by organizing students
into "teams" of Art Director/ eDesigner / Copywriter and make them do
ongoing projects together the way you would in a real world situation.
They also have classes like "eDesign Business" which is described like this
in their course catalog:

"Working on a practical level, the student will produce a kit of essential
business practice forms. Basic bookkeeping, accounting, and tax reporting
technniques are covered and students will become familiar with government
and community resources available to a growing business. Students will
produce a written marketing strategy to help identify and contract
potential clients in need of their particular skills and services."

It looks to me from their catalog like they do a good job of covering the
fields they teach, and preparing students for the real world. It looks a
heck of a lot different from the Art Institute and AIU, which are schools
that I think of as "certificate mills." The Creative Circus doesn't
advertise on tv, and you have to do more to get in than just write a check.
Something else that appeals to me is that most of their students are older,
late twenties, and already have some experience in "the real world" and I
think I'd fit in better with them than with fresh out of highschool kids.

Now, I'm not an expert on design schools, but my impression of this program
is that it's intense, professional, and has a sense of fun. And why not a
sense of fun? What's wrong with that? Are we pursuing creative careers
because we want lives of drudgery and boredom?

In article <BL%h9.341$XE1....@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net>,

[Carol Ott]

I like the fact that they have small classes -- that's a definite plus.

Carol
www.csottdesign.com
www.csott.com
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[Samantha]

If you are willing to go outside of Atlanta, SCAD in Savannah is excellent
in both graphic design and computer animation. I don't recommend spending an
extra year in art history, because most schools give you a very strong
foundation in it as an art or design major. (it's important to look to the
past to learn and explore). I am not familiar with the Atlanta schools...
but I am sure you will find a program that you like. And other posts are
right, job placement and class size is more important than the name and
famousness of a school.

SCAD's site: http://www.scad.edu

Samantha

"DB" <no...@this.time> wrote in message
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[DB]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I've got a couple more questions and I'm
going to post them as new threads. So if you've got a minute, I'd love to
hear what you think about graphic design as a career.