ACCD or CCA

I just got the good news that I have been accepted into Art Center College of Design and California College of the Arts. Now it comes down to deciding on which school to go to and yet, I have no idea which school would be best.

I’m looking for a school that will give me the best education in Product/Industrial Design to prepare me for the real world.

here are the pros and cons of ACCD:
Pros
-ranked #1 for product design
-great alumni network
-near family
-LA has great car culture

Cons
-not near companies that I want to work for
-TRAFFIC
-no housing

CCA
Pros
-Near many companies that I want to work with
-has housing
-no need for a car

Cons
-nowhere near family
-cold and foggy weather

What are your opinions on this situation? I know it might be dumb not to go to ACCD since it’s one of the top design schools in the country, let alone the world, but it seems there are more opportunities in San Francisco for internships. Money is also a decision factor, but I haven’t received scholarships yet.

ACCD or CCA?

these are all pragmatic ways of measuring pro’s and con’s, very objective.
and design is a pragmatic profession, very results oriented.

becoming a designer is not. you have to be subjective and passionate. if you’ve not visited both schools and talked to the faculty and students - do so immediatly. where you feel the most energy, that feeds you personally - thats the right choice to make.

A lot of the firms in the bay area recruit from Art Center. Frog was pretty packed with art Center kids.

A lot of active design professionals in SF consultancies work part-time at CCA. It’s a great way to network with your professors and get internships if you’re good. I’ve seen a lot of students get picked up this way. Though I would argue that Art Center may provide a better program. At the end of the day, it’s all about how hard you push yourself as a student -the program won’t make your portfolio for you.

I think Quinn makes an excellent point. You make your portfolio, not the school. It is that portfolio that will get you the job.

That said, what a school can provide are the contacts to see your portfolio. That is why you go to Harvard versus U of Whatever.

So in recap, no-spec is right that you need to find the school where you will create your best work but also which school can open doors when you graduate.

Disclosure: Modern Man is currently a grad student at ACCD on scholarship. Don’t tell anyone.

If you applied to ACCD by the January 15 (for summer) or February 1 (for fall) deadlines and just receive your ACCD acceptance letter in the mail, you probably won’t get a scholarship notice until another two to four weeks from now, if you do get a scholarship at all.

Modern Man sees your concern about distance between ACCD and internship/job opportunities desire in San Francisco as very much putting the cart before the horse. You will not do course work at ACCD and an internship duiring the same term. Many ACCD students temporarily relocate a lot further away from ACCD than San Francisco for internships.

Also, contrary to what rumors you might have heard, L.A. has lots of houses, not just freeways. This is evidenced by the fact that Modern Man lives in a very cool old house with his SO, dog and cat, just a 20 minute trip form his front door to his ACCD studio door.

Last Modern Man ACCD tip: Bring money - lots.

Welcome back, Modern Man.

Best modern man post so far… That was funny.