Pre-college summer classes/program for high-schoolers: worth the money?

[rantnnravin]

This past summer, my DD (rising junior) went to the Parson's New School pre-college and earned 3 credits for the course she took. This coming summer, she will be doing a similar program at School of Visual Arts - also a 3 credit course. (Both schools are in NYC - we are on LI.) Both programs are 3 weeks @ about $5000 including room and food. I'm am thankful to be able to allow her to do this as it not only helps her to develop as and artist and build her portfolio, but it also gives her a bit of the college experience. (And how cool is it to spend 3 weeks in NYC as a teenager!)

She is currently taking AP Portfolio Development and will be taking AP 2D-Design next year. Many of the art schools that we visited during National Portfolio Review Day at Javits this past November commented that if nothing else, attending programs outside of HS arts classes demonstrates commitment and motivation - a quality many of them look for in a candidate. Plus, the college credits don't hurt ;-)

 

[rnorwo1]

My daughter did a 2 week summer residency program at SAIC (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) last year and it was well worth it. She received a partial merit scholarship based on her portfolio submission and that helped with the cost. It was a great learning experience and she met some good friends. She created some excellent pieces while there that she added to her portfolio and was able to earn 3 merit based art scholarships for college this year at NIU. She also received 2 hours of college credit hat she was able to transfer to NIU.

Being part of the program does increase chances of SAIC scholarships and also waves the application fee. DD's best friend talked her into going to a different college and she regrets it.

I noticed on their website that they do offer more to attendees, and they have the 2 week programs, so this may be a real contender. So glad to hear that she had a good experience, sorry she's regretting her choice

The other college programs we looked at were all 4-5 weeks long, which is why SCAD's 1 week programs were appealing. I'm sorry, but I don't know of anything else.

Thanks! I have found a few 2 week ones, these are a little more reasonable for his first time, I think.

2 friends of my DD went to RISD and SCAD, respectively, and neither did any summer programs. Both got generous merit aid.

Oldest DD got her BFA in Art and Design (minor Art History) at Alfred University in 2013. She absolutely loved it there, small university, it's one of the very few in NYS that offers glassblowing and glass sculpture (she concentrated in Neon and Glass and painting), and they are one of the top schools in the country for ceramics. She liked that it wasn't strictly an art school, and took many courses in other areas so that she had a wider education (and better job prospects) Best of all, tuition was less than half of RISD and SCAD, as the art and engineering schools at AU are part of the NYS college of ceramics. She also got the best financial aid package than anywhere else.

I saw that AU was one of the top ceramics program, congrats on admission and scholarship!

This past summer, my DD (rising junior) went to the Parson's New School pre-college and earned 3 credits for the course she took. This coming summer, she will be doing a similar program at School of Visual Arts - also a 3 credit course. (Both schools are in NYC - we are on LI.) Both programs are 3 weeks @ about $5000 including room and food. I'm am thankful to be able to allow her to do this as it not only helps her to develop as and artist and build her portfolio, but it also gives her a bit of the college experience. (And how cool is it to spend 3 weeks in NYC as a teenager!)

She is currently taking AP Portfolio Development and will be taking AP 2D-Design next year. Many of the art schools that we visited during National Portfolio Review Day at Javits this past November commented that if nothing else, attending programs outside of HS arts classes demonstrates commitment and motivation - a quality many of them look for in a candidate. Plus, the college credits don't hurt ;-)

That's good to hear! I just found out about the portfolio reviews, and there was actually one in New Orleans, which is a little over an hour from us, just a couple of days ago! I'll know to watch that carefully for next year.

OK, so I've identified a few programs with 2 week courses that offer scholarships. I'll turn it all over to him now and encourage him to apply to a couple. Then, I guess we will just see if he gets any scholarships and what our financial situation is like then. It looks like the fees aren't actually due until June in most cases, so who knows, maybe I'll feel more comfortable about letting go of that money. Then, we can look at one of the more intensive programs like SCAD for the following summer. Thanks again for all the advice, sounds like there are lots of high achieving kids around here!!

 

[SunTravels]

I attended The University of the Arts in Philly pre-college program in 2001. It was a four week program, and I believe tution now is around $3000, but I don't know what the room and meal plans cost on top of that. I loved the experience and would highly recommend it. They do give 3 college credits now also. It may be worth looking into.

 

[rnorwo1]

I attended The University of the Arts in Philly pre-college program in 2001. It was a four week program, and I believe tution now is around $3000, but I don't know what the room and meal plans cost on top of that. I loved the experience and would highly recommend it. They do give 3 college credits now also. It may be worth looking into.

I'll check it out, thanks!

 

[DawnM]

For $5K, I wouldn't, but that may just be me.

My friend's son did a 6 week program for around $3K, that seems more reasonable.

 

[pandamom]

I noticed on their website that they do offer more to attendees, and they have the 2 week programs, so this may be a real contender. So glad to hear that she had a good experience, sorry she's regretting her choice

It really was a fantastic program! I liked that she was given freedom but also had to "check-in" during the day and in the evening. The dorm rooms are huge, have a kitchen and are in a secured building. Fun activities are scheduled for evenings and the weekend. The dorm and class buildings are located in the middle of everything. There is a target across the street, tons of restaurants (though a meal plan is included,) a Blick Art Materials store, the Art Institute of Chicago and Millennial Park are all within walking distance. They are extremely generous with scholarship money.

 

[rantnnravin]

For $5K, I wouldn't, but that may just be me.

My friend's son did a 6 week program for around $3K, that seems more reasonable.

i guess it depends on what you want on your transcript - an "A" and 3 credits from Parsons is a pretty big deal in these circles.
$5k for a 3 credit class at a private university plus room and board in NYC is par for the course.
Interestingly - NYU had a similarly priced pre-college program that did not even offer college credit.

 

[rantnnravin]

... a Blick Art Materials store...

OMG - i think i really should buy stock in Blick - LOL

 

[rnorwo1]

i guess it depends on what you want on your transcript - an "A" and 3 credits from Parsons is a pretty big deal in these circles.
$5k for a 3 credit class at a private university plus room and board in NYC is par for the course.
Interestingly - NYU had a similarly priced pre-college program that did not even offer college credit.

After talking to parents of older kids and the art teachers at his school, it seems like this really is a big deal (unfortunately). I don't think not doing it will mean he has no hope of good school, scholarship, and job, but it does appear to help in this field. Let's just hope he gets a scholarship to the summer program! It may ease my anxiety about him ending up waiting tables for a living!

 

[clutter]

I don't know anything about the arts, unfortunately (dd is all science). But I was just looking at one of the "class of xxxx" threads on the CB, and a couple of posters were concerned about their children not being enthusiastic about going away to school.

My dd was able to do a semester of 11th grade away from home. That was a fantastic experience that opened her eyes to the joys of going away to school as well as learning other than in a normal 'high school' setting. Unfortunately, it also put us way behind in college visits. And her top choices of schools were spread out all over the country.

That summer, she did a week summer program at one of the schools on her list. That gave her the ability to really discern what she was looking for in a school as far as size, setting, etc. So it helped prioritize and eliminate the remainder of the schools she was considering. Based on what she experienced, we visited the next most likely school that she would like, and she totally fell in love with it. So it saved us way more in travel costs than the program itself cost.

In your case, and especially since it seems that these experiences gives your ds a chance to build his portfolio, it might be worth doing a program at both a university and an art school to give him a feel for the difference. My dd also took a class locally to get the college essay written, and boy was it ever a life saver to have that done before senior year even started. I imagine that it would be the same with building a portfolio. It would probably be so much less stress to modify a portfolio than to build one while dealing with everything else his senior year.

 

[rnorwo1]

I don't know anything about the arts, unfortunately (dd is all science). But I was just looking at one of the "class of xxxx" threads on the CB, and a couple of posters were concerned about their children not being enthusiastic about going away to school.

My dd was able to do a semester of 11th grade away from home. That was a fantastic experience that opened her eyes to the joys of going away to school as well as learning other than in a normal 'high school' setting. Unfortunately, it also put us way behind in college visits. And her top choices of schools were spread out all over the country.

That summer, she did a week summer program at one of the schools on her list. That gave her the ability to really discern what she was looking for in a school as far as size, setting, etc. So it helped prioritize and eliminate the remainder of the schools she was considering. Based on what she experienced, we visited the next most likely school that she would like, and she totally fell in love with it. So it saved us way more in travel costs than the program itself cost.

In your case, and especially since it seems that these experiences gives your ds a chance to build his portfolio, it might be worth doing a program at both a university and an art school to give him a feel for the difference. My dd also took a class locally to get the college essay written, and boy was it ever a life saver to have that done before senior year even started. I imagine that it would be the same with building a portfolio. It would probably be so much less stress to modify a portfolio than to build one while dealing with everything else his senior year.[/QUOTE

I agree completely! DS is pretty shy and reserved, so I'm hoping this will help him ease into the thought of college. Now, if this were the only benefit, I'd say he can learn with the baptism by fire method, as a little therapy would be cheaper than this, haha! He has been working on another piece all evening to submit for scholarships to the summer programs, so I'm excited already to see him self-motivated (that hasn't been a strength of his yet!)

I agree completely! DS is pretty shy and reserved, so I'm hoping this will help him ease into the thought of college. Now, if this were the only benefit, I'd say he can learn with the baptism by fire method, as a little therapy would be cheaper than this, haha! He has been working on another piece all evening to submit for scholarships to the summer programs, so I'm excited already to see him self-motivated (that hasn't been a strength of his yet!).

 

[FINFAN]

My DD passed on the Pre-College at Ringling due to cost. Travel to Sarasota from IL, her time off work and non- 100% certainty she wanted to attend were big factors. I actually think National Portfolio Day put her more on the "scholarship map" than the pre-college did. Yes, she would have earned 3 credits, but she earned those thru AP Art in H.S so it balanced out.(at the time, doubling up on those credits was not an option at the school) and her major of Computer Animation was pretty specific in the courses and time it was gong to take, 1 class wasn't going to change much of anything cost wise. She was accepted on the spot at NPD , but passed on that to shoot for acceptance to the CA program. Once she was accepted for that( 100 students per year at the time), she made her decision to attend, and she got in w/out the pre-college. I highly recommend NPD for your son to see what comments are being made about his peers portfolios, school comments etc. I know the recruiters have been coming around but it is really a great experience seeing /meeting more students than just from their high school/ Art shows etc. IF your son decides on private Art School..PLEASE be sure they are accredited and classes will transfer out if he changes his mind. Most have specific majors and not a whole lot will transfer to another school if he is not happy in his environment or any other reason there. Also please have him contact Studios, Advertising companies, anywhere he thinks he would be hoping to work and see where they recruit from. Have him research what locations jobs are at for his major...be it East or West Coast, and if he can afford the COL in these places. My DD passed on a position with Blue Sky in CT, her very first job offer to boot, because she knew the risk of Animator positions reducing after a film is made and there are not a lot of other studios in CT. She didn't have a car yet and cost of living there was insane for the salary she was offered. NY was a fall back option if she had been laid off but again, rent and commuting costs would have been pretty tough. She declined, but a week later she accepted an offer in San Francisco because, well, no winter lol and she knew there was a larger "pool" of companies/studios for the inevitable lay off that all artists face at one time or another. Fortunately, she has not had to deal with the lay offs (knock on wood) in the 5 years since she has graduated(but other than her boyfriend, everyone she knows has been let go, studio closed, project $ dries up etc., movie finished~ bye-bye) , has taken other jobs by her choice tho. She does not regret not taking pre-college one bit, but said some kids who DID take it did enjoy being away from home and in FL for a few weeks. Basically, if your kid is trying to get into a very competitive program and it will prob increase their chances some and the school sees that you have the $ to attend, also increasing the chances. Your DS should join some of the sites and talk to actual current students..many current or Grads are involved in the Pre-College Programs and can give the real low down. ConceptArt.org is a good one. Most schools have a page and they can be very helpful. Also, full time in the Arts can be tricky , meaning, full time with benefits etc. MANY positions are contract that will for sure, have you working way more than 40 hours per week, but no benefits, so keep costs in mind for insurance etc. That isn't just for the arts anymore either. I know it is a huge deciding factor in positions my DD gets offered..not worth it to her to not have the security of full time benefits, paid vacations etc. SO,,,while the Pre-college can be fun and somewhat useful, also using that time to research the heck out of his future (as in, will he be outsourced? Will he maybe want to have a back up plan in another field and the $ could go toward that?) could yield to be more valuable in the long run. Long post, sorry, but wanted to add to what others have said.

 

[rnorwo1]

My DD passed on the Pre-College at Ringling due to cost. Travel to Sarasota from IL, her time off work and non- 100% certainty she wanted to attend were big factors. I actually think National Portfolio Day put her more on the "scholarship map" than the pre-college did. Yes, she would have earned 3 credits, but she earned those thru AP Art in H.S so it balanced out.(at the time, doubling up on those credits was not an option at the school) and her major of Computer Animation was pretty specific in the courses and time it was gong to take, 1 class wasn't going to change much of anything cost wise. She was accepted on the spot at NPD , but passed on that to shoot for acceptance to the CA program. Once she was accepted for that( 100 students per year at the time), she made her decision to attend, and she got in w/out the pre-college. I highly recommend NPD for your son to see what comments are being made about his peers portfolios, school comments etc. I know the recruiters have been coming around but it is really a great experience seeing /meeting more students than just from their high school/ Art shows etc. IF your son decides on private Art School..PLEASE be sure they are accredited and classes will transfer out if he changes his mind. Most have specific majors and not a whole lot will transfer to another school if he is not happy in his environment or any other reason there. Also please have him contact Studios, Advertising companies, anywhere he thinks he would be hoping to work and see where they recruit from. Have him research what locations jobs are at for his major...be it East or West Coast, and if he can afford the COL in these places. My DD passed on a position with Blue Sky in CT, her very first job offer to boot, because she knew the risk of Animator positions reducing after a film is made and there are not a lot of other studios in CT. She didn't have a car yet and cost of living there was insane for the salary she was offered. NY was a fall back option if she had been laid off but again, rent and commuting costs would have been pretty tough. She declined, but a week later she accepted an offer in San Francisco because, well, no winter lol and she knew there was a larger "pool" of companies/studios for the inevitable lay off that all artists face at one time or another. Fortunately, she has not had to deal with the lay offs (knock on wood) in the 5 years since she has graduated(but other than her boyfriend, everyone she knows has been let go, studio closed, project $ dries up etc., movie finished~ bye-bye) , has taken other jobs by her choice tho. She does not regret not taking pre-college one bit, but said some kids who DID take it did enjoy being away from home and in FL for a few weeks. Basically, if your kid is trying to get into a very competitive program and it will prob increase their chances some and the school sees that you have the $ to attend, also increasing the chances. Your DS should join some of the sites and talk to actual current students..many current or Grads are involved in the Pre-College Programs and can give the real low down. ConceptArt.org is a good one. Most schools have a page and they can be very helpful. Also, full time in the Arts can be tricky , meaning, full time with benefits etc. MANY positions are contract that will for sure, have you working way more than 40 hours per week, but no benefits, so keep costs in mind for insurance etc. That isn't just for the arts anymore either. I know it is a huge deciding factor in positions my DD gets offered..not worth it to her to not have the security of full time benefits, paid vacations etc. SO,,,while the Pre-college can be fun and somewhat useful, also using that time to research the heck out of his future (as in, will he be outsourced? Will he maybe want to have a back up plan in another field and the $ could go toward that?) could yield to be more valuable in the long run. Long post, sorry, but wanted to add to what others have said.

Thank you so much! I did not know about the portfolio reviews until this thread, and we missed the one closest to us by a few days. I will keep up on that to find another opportunity. I'll give him the forums to visit, also, thanks. Yep, he is very concerned about being a starving artist, so I'm hoping he will choose wisely with more marketable skills, like maybe graphic design. Congratulations on your daughter's success!!

 

[QueenEleanor]

When you ask "is it worth it?" then the question is...is what worth it?

If you can afford the experience then generally, yes. Kids get all sorts of experience in these programs. Even if your son doesn't create a new piece for his portfolio, he will learn from living away, from being in a dorm environment, etc. The poster whose daughter learned she did not want to pursue cancer research provides another type of learning, that of being able to cross something off the list. (This happened to one of my daughters too. A month-long architecture program locally taught her that she did not want to be an architect!)

The experience of living on a college campus (or similar) is...living in that environment. It can help temper his expectations when he does go off to college but is it necessary? I'd guess there are lots of us who never diapered a baby before our children were born and yet we've (and they've!) managed okay. So the next question is....is the art instruction better in this particular place than is available to you?

That's impossible to answer for two reasons. A more experienced or more degreed teacher is not always the best teacher for an individual's needs. So you can spend all the money in the world for your kid to study with a Macarthur Fellow and they might not connect. The second issue is the act of learning. Although we are taught by others, we learn by ourselves. All learning happens when two synapses in our brain get close enough to get excited. This can be when someone shows us something, but it happens equally if not more often, when we are engaging in something, trying to figure it out, rearranging this, lightening that...until Eureka!

If the program is outside of your abilities, and you're not sure, artistically, whether it would provide enough for your son, or whether developmentally he's ready for a college campus-type situation, consider renting time in a studio where he could work on his art four mornings a week, while still living at home.

If "is it worth it" refers to (a) admission to college or (b) scholarship or even (c) college credit, then no. Merely attending is not worth it. Attending an expensive program merely signals that the parents can afford expensive programs. That said, sometimes attendees -- especially those are naturally outgoing -- make connections. Networking always has benefits; one hears about things, receives advice, recommendations, etc. but they are unlikely to make a difference in opportunities that would justify the tuition for the summer program. The more exclusive the school, the less they take into consideration that someone attended their summer session. But if the school is not particularly exclusive and your son connects with an instructor that could be beneficial to some extent.

Another thing to consider: Living away from home, being responsible for oneself, a group environment...these require developmental readiness. A kid who is not ready for them will not benefit, and could suffer. Another of my daughters went to a writing program at a college. She was young, and writers, by nature, tend towards the introverted. She was lonely and didn't have the skills to seek out social interaction.

Good luck to you and your son!