I’m 21 years old and, I would like to get into transportation design. From reading these forums it seems like UC DAAP would be the perfect school for me because of the cooperative program, relatively low cost, reputation for turning out good designers, and ‘ground up’ education in basic design skills for students who don’t have much of an art/design background.
My plan is to attend a local university in the fall in order to build up liberal arts credits at low cost, and get a high enough GPA to transfer after a year. I wasn’t the most motivated student in high school, and I graduated with a sub-3.0 GPA. This would also give me time to work on my sketching skills and build up a portfolio.
Cars are one of my main interests in life, the design side much more so than engineering. No other type of design involves me emotionally like transportation, but I know that the field is highly competitive, and I would like to have some skills in other types of ID so I’ll have some fallback/entrepreneurial opportunities.
Is the transportation track at DAAP so focused that it’s all I’ll know upon graduation, or is it a little more rounded?
Does this seem like a solid plan for getting into a design school?
Should I email UC for a list of their liberal arts requirements? I know I’ll have to contact them to make sure of what credits can be transferred.
Any thoughts on getting into and succeeding in DAAP or other ID schools?
Thanks for your time, these boards been a wealth of information.
It sounds like a good plan, shows more commitment than wanting just in-State tuition. The rounded-ness of your education is up to you.
Trans design is very focused - strictly cars - strictly for the sponsors’ brands (since they hire the co-ops and pay for the studio they make the assignments).
This is what it takes to get into the feild, period.
here’s my two cents: if you really want to be a car designer, then it doesnt matter where you go to school… right now DAAP is “reving up” thier trans program.
No Spec is right its all cars, all styling and all to please corporate sponsors like GM, Chrysler, and Honda. Kids do get good internships from these places, but even more do not.
most car companies only hire interns in the summer at DAAP there are 4 quarters of co op… you can intern in the fall and spring or winter and summer.
I would recommend going to DAAP and not doing the trans track. study in the regular ID studio, get a balanced education (not just car styling) and use independent study courses to focus on cars/transportation.
I never did cars at DAAP, but had a perfectly great opportunity to do them when BMW Designworks USA offered me a gig, although i currently am heading to IDEO…
bottom line, do what you feel is best for you… and if that’s the trans track… then do it and KICK ASS!
Avoid the car specific studio and learn how to design. Dont worry about getting an automotive specific education you’re just undercutting yourself and shutting yourself off in a field that requires an open mind. If you really want it then you will work hard at it just dont half ass it and waste a design education for a field that has only a few openings a year. The automotive field is very hard to get into and not as groundbreaking or exciting as it appears you’ll learn this despite the elitist aura that the car studio puts off.
The main reason that schools have an automotive design studio is for money and exposure. Luckily it hooks a lot of design minded people that realize other areas of design.
If you really want to bring your GPA back up before getting into design school go to UC as a liberal arts major or undecided and get everything out of the way while applying for the summer studio. They have a summer school session where you take all of your design fundamentals classes in one quarter. Just buckle down that first quarter to show that you have your crap together and apply. From seeing all of my friends from high school get liberal arts degrees I know that if you try that you’re going to get too comfortable and chance straying.