Rhode Island School of Design Top Questions

Draw everyday. Anything. Let it be a line or a smudge. Draw what you feel and don't hold back. Also, pick up a pair of crocs for the communal showers.

If I were to go back in time to visit my high school-self, I would tell myself not to worry so much. While grades are important, I think I would remind myself that they are not everything and that sometimes it is wiser to take some time to just have fun and meet more people because you might learn from it. That being said, I would also like to stress the importance of time management. In order to do the best work possible, it is a very good idea to give yourself enough time to do the work, rather than the night before it is due. While this may have worked in high school, there is much more schoolwork in college, and it is important to be somewhat relaxed while doing your assignments, rather than to rush things in an irritated state at the last possible minute. When you are comfortable while working, it makes the assignment more fun and you will be able to come up with better ideas and produce better work overall.

A year from now, you?ll be six states away with an entire new group of friends that actually have things in common with you. Right now, the reason your friends are who they are is because there was no one else that shared your interests ? you?re not interested in drinking. Get your priorities straight. Do more scholarships. Drift above your loser friends. I know how focused you are on track, and how competitive you are with grades ? I know this makes you feel like you don?t have the time to think about paying for something so far away. I know these things, track and grades, are what concern you most, and I know being afraid to not have friends compromises this concern. But soon friends, real friends will be there, and you?ll wonder why you ever cared so much about being accepted by a high school crowd that laughed at trying. Without those ?friends? you can have the time to save yourself a lot of grief in the future. Be confident that people will come into your life that care, without sacrificing who you are.

I would tell myself to consider finances more, to work harder, and to not let the flakiness of faculty deter me or interfere with my goals as a student.

I think I still would have done things the same way as I did. The only difference would be that I would have done things with a lot more confidence, in myself and my decisions. I wasn't sure if I was good enough or had the ability to do what I decided to do. However, following ones instinct is very important. I wish I followed my instinct, instead of testing the water.

Do more, and dont be so afraid to try everything. Don't give up on anything, and don't let other's judgements get in your way. If you live by that, your life will fall into place.

Keep on making art

I would tell myself to be more confident about my abilities. I would also add that I have NO idea what a wonderfully wild ride I am in for. Freshman year ran me through more than I ever thought I could handle, and it made me a more confident artist, an extremely hard worker and it also lit a flame in me to always wonder, and to always question. I came out seeing the world differently. Nothing could have prepared me for that.

really look into the college and know what it has to offer you. understand how far it can take you in the next four years; understand its limitations. when attending, submerse yourself in the school, the people and your surrounding. though it is difficult, put yourself out there and try to break barriors with other students. if you do, you'll be amazed at how much your life will change for the better!

During my junior year of high school, I spent a lot of time researching large universities, small liberal arts schools, and small visual arts schools. I discovered that, though my focus would be art, the most important decision to make was what type of school in which I was interested. A large school offers myriad extracurricular opportunities, sports, and a very different feeling than the small, close community of a liberal arts school; each attracts different type of people, and it is important for high school students to know which environment will make them happiest. After I made the decision of a small visual arts school, I visited and applied to each possibility. Visiting each school was an advantage because it gave me a true feeling of how it would be to live on campus and attend classes; it was important for me to visualize myself at each school to fully grasp how I could fit into a school?s environment. To even better learn which school might be best, it is important to revisit all, and, when stepping onto the right campus, a student will know in their gut they have found a home for the next four years.

Parents will think they know best about where their child should go to school, sometimes you need to slow down and make sure that the parents and the child are on the same page. Also, wait until you get all your acceptane letters, which ever one's you're more excited about you should probably revisit. You should not choose a college because it is labeled one of the best, you should be choosing it because that is the one that will inspire you and allow you to get to where you want to be in life in the most stimulating and intruging way.

To find the right college, the most important thing you must consider is what your passion is (student) and find the college that compliments it. For example, you must remember that you want to challenge yourself. Instead of going to a easy school and getting good grades, its more worthwhile if you attend college where you can challenge yourself and meet other passionate students. To make most of the college exprience, be involved with school activities. Don't be too focused in school work. Even though academic works are important, social connections are as much as important.

It's kind of a crapshoot. Pick somewhere where you like the people and the location. College doesn't matter as much as you think it does-- it's more the connections you make that will help you in the long run.

Finding the right college is very important since it prepares the student for living life independently. The subjects offered by the school, the size and feel of the campus, and students and teachers are all factors in choosing a college. Also, every person is different and requries a different experience. Some kids might not be suitable for college at all. It's important to really want to go and to be ready to work hard in order to aquire new knowledge and skills.

What was extremely helpful for me was talking to actuall students and touring the school before making a decision. I looked at and researched top schools for architecture and made a list based on how professionals in the architecture field rated these schools. I applied to a safety school and two reach schools. After being accepted into all of the schools I toured the campus and met students. On paper a certain school might look nicer or get higher ratings, but it's really just about a positive learning environement for me. I found that the majority of a college experience is determined by the outlook and passion of fellow students. The majority of what I learn and where my inspiration comes from are my classmates. However, one thing that I didn't pay much attention too at the time was the financial aid. In hind site I may have gone to a different school because my family's financial picture recently changed and I don't know if I'll be able to continue my studies here at RISD. Just be sure to visit the schools and talk to actual students before making a decision.

Whenever you feel like you're not going to be successful and that you're wasting your time, remember. You're 18-22 years old. You don't know shit yet. You're there to learn. To make connections and make mistakes. The most important thing you can learn in college is learn who YOU are. After that, it's all about how to deal with other people. You must always be open to criticism, but willing to defend yourself where appropriate. Worrying too much about what other people think is high school behavior and the sooner you can drop that the better. One last thing: long distance relationships suck. Get out there and meet new people.

Students should start looking into colleges (especially for art school) sometime during sophomore year. Parental help is essential, as a lot of friends who did not are dissatisfied with or neutral toward the school they now attend. Request catalogues, check out websites, and visit campuses you are that interest you. Attending national portfolio day was a huge help in choosing the right art school as I was able to talk one-on-one with faculty and alumni about my work. It was also necessary to visit many schools and look at their facilities as well as the cities surrounding them. You can't go to school somewhere you don't feel comfortable living. Seek out a school whose mission and belifs feel similar to your own. You don't want to spend four years or more at a college where you don't agree with your professors and don't care about the material. Don't believe everything you hear, examine the school carefully, and fight for what you believe. Do not accept mediocrity in your self or education.

STUDENTS: If you're clever, you will do well, wherever you go - college is not the grand formative egg from which one hatches completed that everyone seems to think. In that vein, don't go to school to 'find yourself', or to 'discover' what it is that you really want to study. There's no shame in holding off a year or two to become less of a mooncalf. Know what you want before you select your schools, and don't settle for second-best or more-convenient. Don't be half-hearted about anything, once you're there. Go at it all fiercely and don't malinger or complain. (W.H. Auden: 'Wear your tribulation like a rose.') Give any school a year before you decide to leave it, or, for that matter, to stay. Above all, I say to you what one of my professors said to me: If you make a mistake, and you will make mistakes, it's all right; in the aftermath, you will put your house in order. PARENTS: Let them go.

Buy your children pepper spray/make sure they take the bus because this school is in the city and can be dangerous at night.

find what major you want to do, and find good schools in that area. and within those schools, find out where you want to live in, and choose that school. environment is just as important as the school because if you want like where you are living, school life will suffer.