Columbia College Chicago

It is the only college in the midwest that offers a degree for traditional animation, which is my favorite form of storytelling. Also, it is one of the most accepting colleges in terms of the LGBTQ community.

I love the commitment the college has to navigating their students to success. The environment seems like nothing but supportive and the perfect place for an individual interested in art to thrive. When I visited the campus of Columbia College Chicago, the staff in charge of transferring students--what I will be when I attend in the Fall of 2025--seemed passionate in making sure we were presented with the same opportunities as the other students and it gave me a sense of hope. The music program is very in-depth and aside from teaching students the fundamentals of producing, they also helped develop lyricism and recording skills--which is something I am very interested as well. I know that attending this college will refine my skills as a singer and songwriter and properly prepare me for the music industry.

I absolutely loved my time at Columbia College Chicago. I gained industry knowledge from industry professionals, which was invaluable to my stage management career after graduation. I do think the tuition is way too overpriced, but overall, I had a great experience.

Columbia College Chicago would not be the school that it is without its students. I am in constant awe of my peers and they motivate me to take advantage of the schools resources and opportunities. The cafeteria at school is abismal, youll be lucky to find fresh fruit to buy on campus. But we are located in a city so you can always eat off campus.

Columbia College Chicago is a great school. The staff is well trained and are industry professionals. They are experts in the fields they teach and have extensive connections. They give great constructive feedback and are always willing to help their students.

The mental health services are lacking a bit, but the professors I've had have generally been very supportive, helpful, and want you to succeed. There are tons of different resources & opportunities to pursue in your field that help you build your resume 7 make connections, and the professors here are really experienced & have a lot of connections in the field. The people I've met so far are really passionate about their art & overall I've had some really positive experiences here so far.

I love Columbia It was my first choice in high school where I wanted to attend. Columbia knows how to run a school. The school area might be sketchy sometimes as there's a lot of nearby alerts but it's downtown Chicago with many types of people I wouldn't blame the school on that part. Inside I feel safe as it's hard to get in without a student ID. The school always had flyers and fun events on campus before covid like game nights, cooking, sewing, dancing, and any major or culture-related events you can think of! Now off-campus with covid, there's some online too to keep us sane. I believe we lack in sports but we finally have a gym at the student center! Now personally heart to heart with the school walking around campus I feel off but not in a bad way, every single student has a talent or a motive and during high school, if I mentioned what I wanted to do, fashion, they’d tell me it was a waste of time trying to design as it’s me vs a billion. Although at Columbia students and teachers believe in my passion and support me. It’s something I’m not used to, it motivates me to keep pushing in my worse. Here I can share my ideas and dress how I want without anyone giving me a look because everyone loves how different everyone is from each other and gives each other pointers and ideas in class and out.

Please do not waste your time and read all the fine print. They care about wallets and pushing a biased agenda, nothing more, nothing less. Professors are less than adequate due to Columbia turning them over non stop and most faculty are prior students who are not experts in their fields. They actually have a comedian studies student in their admissions department, that's not a joke. Anytime you seek financial aid they tell you to take out more private loans if possible and nothing more. They also hold your official transcripts until your balance is paid which is insane in this economy. Avoid this school. They probably wont stay accredited for long.

Columbia is all-inclusive for the aspiring artist. I was able to deepen my appreciation for all arts--particularly music and film--while I was a student. Students were encouraged to give their unadulterated opinion on arts and politics. It's great!

I was once asked what an inconvenience store would sell, and my response was "Columbia College Chicago merchandise". Most of the teachers were adjunct, and none of them made enough to care about the students. The professors that were passionate about their field were often fired, simply not present in enough of the majors, or too interested in selling their own books and bragging about their accomplishments. The campus never had a lot of extracurricular activities going on, the students were always high, and I found it very difficult to make friends. Professors focused on getting students to compete with one another rather than collaborating, which was supposed to be the goal of the cohort. The school cut classes and completely changed around many majors halfway through my time there, which completely damaged some students' educational paths. Columbia even bought the debt of another school halfway through my time there and guaranteed them a tuition rate they would never consider offering their own students, who had to deal with crushing tuition raises every year. I honestly wish I had dropped out before acquiring too many credits, although it would not have mattered because almost none of Columbia's classes transfer to other colleges. Instead of believing the lie that I would be guaranteed a job after graduation because "employers love Columbia grads", I wish I had been shown the reality that Columbia does not prepare students to compete for careers in competitive art fields. I don't know anyone in my cohort who got a job related to their studies after graduation, and I consider my diploma to be nothing but an incredibly expensive receipt. I am glad to have the degree because it allowed me to apply for the graduate degree that will lead to my dream job, but I would give this school less than one star if I could.

I have loved my experience at Columbia College Chicago. It feels good to be surrounded by people doing meaningful and creative projects all of the time. The teachers are pretty much always available to answer questions or provide feedback. They have a lot of film screenings, practicum events, and networking resources. They really care that you meet the right people and are set up for success when you move on from collegiate life. I am really thankful for my opportunity to study there.

Columbia College Chicago is a excellent school. I'm so happy I decided to come here to get a acting education. There are many good teachers here who help the students with their lessons and want to see them thrive and do something with their lives. Also there are many programs that help the students with their careers and what they want to do in life. Also there is a club here for every student that can help them make new friends and feel at home.

Expensive, but worth the money if you go for an internship.

My overall opinion on columbia college was great school. My tour guide made sure that everyone felt comfortable no matter our different majors. He also thoroughly showed us places that can be of use to our personal life outside of the class. After the tour we also were able to meet the head of admissions who explained the whole process to us to make sure that we went home with all of our questions answered.

Amazing school to attend if you are interested in arts media fashion business. They have many different course to choose from. The school is in the heart of Chicago so beautiful and so many things to do because everything so close by. My favorite thing about the school was the campus it was so nice and roomy. So many different cultures and many people to meet from all over the world.