Ringling College of Art and Design 2013 Hopefuls

[escaphilia]

Ringling is definitely my top choice!

Even though I'm applying to other places, I feel like Ringling doesn't just teach the fundamentals/basics, but it also focuses on marketable storytelling. Also, I'm still torn between the illustration and computer animation and Ringling has great department in both of those. So I applied to CA with the knowledge I might be in illustration

Quick questions: How is the parking for those that bring cars?

Do the dorms have any kind of kitchen area?

[steampoweredseagoat]

ohrii and diehasen: I know we joke around all the time, but this is an online forum full of prospective students who likely won't understand or misinterpret the context of it. Let's keep things nice here.

Don't worry about it. We all get it. Though, I understand that sometimes it is difficult to read things on the internet.

ANYWAY, for the rest of you - Are you guys all pretty set on Ringling or were their any other schools you were considering too? (:

Ringling is probably my top choice. I'm also applying to SCAD, Digipen, and LCAD. Doubt I'll get into LCAD but whatever worth the shot. Also, I love all your anime furry art it's so cute you have an adorable style.

Kyle go home.
But yeah, another skype drawing session would be cool. Especially with all these fresh faces haha


oh I guess i should put up my art blogg too??
http://rbkjinski.blogspot.com/

Omg! Your art is gorgeous. What even. It's so colorful and creative. Ringling is starting to seem more and more perfect to me. =3=

[Zaqschlanger]

I've been accepted into GAD, so You'll be seeing a lot of me next year woo

[Diehasen]

Quick questions: How is the parking for those that bring cars?

Do the dorms have any kind of kitchen area?

There's a gravel parking area on Bradenton behind Goldstein that most people park at, it's never really full so you're fine on that. There's parking on the street next to the Appleton dorm where I normally park at (but it normally gets filled pretty quickly during the weekdays).

The freshman dorms do not have kitchens, however there is a kitchen in Goldstein you can rent for a few hours. Certain upperclassman dorms (Like the Bayou and Quads) have a kitchen. (:

Ringling is probably my top choice. I'm also applying to SCAD, Digipen, and LCAD. Doubt I'll get into LCAD but whatever worth the shot. Also, I love all your anime furry art it's so cute you have an adorable style.

Good to hear! I was considering Digipen as well but ultimately chose Ringling, the weather is much nicer (for the most part) out here anyway. xD

And thanks! :>


I'm so excited to meet all you incoming freshman c:
It's just really neat seeing you guys getting all ready for college hehe

[themegagod]

Ringling is probably my top choice. I'm also applying to SCAD, Digipen, and LCAD. Doubt I'll get into LCAD but whatever worth the shot. Also, I love all your anime furry art it's so cute you have an adorable style.



Omg! Your art is gorgeous. What even. It's so colorful and creative. Ringling is starting to seem more and more perfect to me. =3=

Kind of sounds like LCAD may be your first choice. lol. If you were, accepted into both Ringling and LCAD, and you had to choose between the programs, which would you choose?

I've been accepted into GAD, so You'll be seeing a lot of me next year woo

CONGRATS!
Awesome to kind of "know" someone who will be in the same program as I am! And thus the GAD class grows!
Guess I'll see you in April fellow accepted student!

There's a gravel parking area on Bradenton behind Goldstein that most people park at, it's never really full so you're fine on that. There's parking on the street next to the Appleton dorm where I normally park at (but it normally gets filled pretty quickly during the weekdays).


I'm so excited to meet all you incoming freshman c:
It's just really neat seeing you guys getting all ready for college hehe

on the concept of dorming and living and all of the rest, what is the "culture" of Sarasota like? My mom may be looking to follow me down that way- you know keep family close and all that, and I was just wondering what sarasota itself is like- Everyone talks and worries about it's bad neighbor hoods, but I've hear very little about the actual area. such as is poverty bad? Are there stores? do people have southern hospitality- you know those kind of things.

And I'm excited to meet you, all the other upper classman, and my fellow classmates as well. Strange to think over the next four years I may be meeting people who I will call friends and possibly work besides for the rest of my life. Time is moving quick now! lol.
I bet it is pretty cool to think that you are going to look at all us new comers with nostalgia, remembering your freshman times. I remember in high school being so caught off gaurd as a freshman- not knowing where classes were not knowing people, etc, but by senior year feeling like I owned the place!

[MangMang]

Oh man, I have not posted in a while.

Zaqschlanger: Congrats for getting accepted, man! That's awesome!!

Bragle... As far as schools, I'd have to say Ringling is also my first choice. I do wish they gave out more scholarships; it isn't like they can't afford it. Yeesh! But based on my research, they're the best for 3D animation. I guess CalArts is cool, though, but I like that Ringling's curriculum is so varied in that it teaches you 2d and 3d, and all the nifty details in between.

I SWEAR, if I don't get in this year I'm gonna blow a gasket. This is my third time applying. Does anyone know the ratio of CA applicants to accepted students? Everywhere I search, I hear different things. Just trying to find out what their acceptance rate is for the CA program; I know it's pretty low. :/

BUT...I guess that will give me time to apply to other schools. Anyone have any suggestions?

Also, do any of you guys know much about the GAD program? I want to get into Concept art and character design/3d modeling. I know GAD focuses a lot on the modeling aspect, but I heard they focus more on backgrounds rather than characters. I'm not 100% sure though...

[Diehasen]

on the concept of dorming and living and all of the rest, what is the "culture" of Sarasota like? My mom may be looking to follow me down that way- you know keep family close and all that, and I was just wondering what sarasota itself is like- Everyone talks and worries about it's bad neighbor hoods, but I've hear very little about the actual area. such as is poverty bad? Are there stores? do people have southern hospitality- you know those kind of things.

And I'm excited to meet you, all the other upper classman, and my fellow classmates as well. Strange to think over the next four years I may be meeting people who I will call friends and possibly work besides for the rest of my life. Time is moving quick now! lol.
I bet it is pretty cool to think that you are going to look at all us new comers with nostalgia, remembering your freshman times. I remember in high school being so caught off gaurd as a freshman- not knowing where classes were not knowing people, etc, but by senior year feeling like I owned the place!

Well, people are kind of exaggerating a bit on how "ghetto" Sarasota is. It's certainly not the nicest area ever (at least around campus) but it's definitely not as bad as people make it out to be. There's not a whole lot to do for our own generation outside of campus (though friends and I like to go to this karaoke bar, to the beach or ben and jerry's every once in a while) but for the older folk there's still things to keep them occupied. Lots of mom and pop shops around St Armands and Main St, nice restaurants (but many in the more expensive range xD), movie theaters, most things anyone will need to get by. Sarasota appearance wise probably isn't the prettiest as far as real estate goes but the beaches are pretty and the areas around Main Street look really nice! I'm used to the suburbs of Texas with it's cookie cutter two story houses so the surrounding areas of Ringling are a little unappealing, but there's definitely some areas that have lovely housing (in the higher range - which is generally occupied by the retirees). I think your mom would still enjoy her time out here, it's just there's not too many middle-aged folk out here, mostly college students or the elderly.

As for Southern Hospitality, I would say no, not to that extent, but people are still nice out here. They'll help if you need help, but they don't really go out of their way the way you'd see in Texas or where ever. Granted I haven't been in many situations where southern hospitality would have come into play.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Also, do any of you guys know much about the GAD program? I want to get into Concept art and character design/3d modeling. I know GAD focuses a lot on the modeling aspect, but I heard they focus more on backgrounds rather than characters. I'm not 100% sure though...

Look into Digipen, it's got a good Game Design program too (:

As for the GAD program, I'm currently a GAD major. I'm only in my freshman year, but we will do some character design, it's just we're more heavily focused on environments. (: Sophomore year we start doing digital modeling and such. I believe their is a concept design elective you can take if you still want some more character design as well.

[themegagod]

BUT...I guess that will give me time to apply to other schools. Anyone have any suggestions?

Also, do any of you guys know much about the GAD program? I want to get into Concept art and character design/3d modeling. I know GAD focuses a lot on the modeling aspect, but I heard they focus more on backgrounds rather than characters. I'm not 100% sure though...

For animation- of course there is calarts- then SVA in new york also has a good reputation. SCAD in Georgia is not too bad, and if you are looking to stay in the south east area of the US its not all that far away. I've also heard good things about the animationmentor program online- but that is specifically focused on only animation (making things move and act) and nothing to do with modeling and so on. I think If I can find time, I might couple that with my GAD education (possibly after Ringling Graduation-seems like way too much to do both at the same time) so have a really solid grounding in animation also.

As far as info on GAD- I was just accepted so I have no hands on knowledge, but i've read a lot of GAD info and blogs for the passed 2-3 years, so I'll tell you what I've understood, but I have no idea if anything I say is fact. Any one who knows more, please feel free to correct me!
It seems GAD being new is still kind of working out the kinks, but overall, it tries to teach as much about game art as it can fit into 4 years. There is a lot to do with backgrounds and environments, and also a lot to do with modeling. I'm not sure how much is based on individual side projects and how much is based on class projects, but it would seem that by the end, GADs are able to model just about any asset that they might want- be it a character, a machine, or an environment. I've seen lots of 2-d digital painting and drawings, texture designs, fantasy illustrations, and a lot of concept art on many pages of the blogs. At some point it would seem as though a platformer is created, where a character must walk jump and shoot (to move boxes), around a created environment, and each seems to have an individual personal character. There also seems to be a good many projects where students must model a character, So I don't fear my education in that area would be lacking.
From what I understand, eventually, you sort of take the reigns of where you want to focus, and you seem to be able to become that member of your GAD team. A lot of GAD projects seem team based, so a lot of what I understand Is each person works on individual pieces of a project. I assume, if characters are what you'd like to focus on, and you can find a way to include those types of assets into your ( or your group's) project(s) you would be allowed.

Backgrounds, textures, and various other assets definitely appear to be the main focus of the program, but that doesn't mean we cannot be the year to change that. If you look at the student gallery for GAD, you will notice many characters floating about the videos. they don't seem to be the focus, but I bet they could be.

But hopefully it won't need to be a concern of yours, as the third time will be the charm and you will get right in. If you do think GAD may be more suited for you, call up your counselor ASAP, as unlike other programs I don't think you can get offered a seat in GAD if you don't get into CA. IDK, they may have changed that now that GAD is on a rolling admission, but it seems as though it does fill quick and differently than other majors, so you should call and just make sure that you wouldn't need a second application if you are interested.

[JAndrews]

Ringling is definitely my top choice. I LOVE Florida, the beach is right there, it's small, it's got a good animation program...It's got everything I want and need in a college. After that, I'd probably say my runner up is SCAD, mostly since I've got a 10K scholarship for it. Then SVA and CCA are my other two backups.

[themegagod]

Ultimately all students are not on the same level when they are accepted. I wouldn't say the reason is to guzzle money- there have been some students here who came in with little ability to draw, but turned out to be amazing 3D modelers and texture artists. On the CA side I would say the ability to draw is more important, but ultimately your inability to succeed in one aspect of art won't necessarily prevent you in succeeding in another. The 40% statistic you are hearing is an over estimate (it's more like 34%) and it is not based on students failing. That amount of students *do not complete their degree* which means students who voluntarily switch majors, have medical complications which don't allow them to complete their scheduled credits, fail their liberal arts, and fail in the department count as well. It also means students who can't afford to return to school are included in that statistic. I have had friends and acquaintances whom have dropped out for these reasons. I also have a friend who had to leave the school to complete military service for his country. There are other reasons that statistic is so high, I'm sure.

I couldn't give you an accurate number on what percentage of students genuinely fail out of the program- the reason being is this (supposed) policy: If you fail one of your CA/GAD department classes, you cannot move on to the next semester in these majors. You are effectively removed from the program until you can retake the class you failed- and sometimes if the incoming class for that semester is too large you won't be able to get back into the major. This is a student-by-student basis thing and doesn't have to do exclusively with skill. It may include whether the student actually bothered to turn in their assignments or not, because believe it or not sometimes a student thinks they can pass without ever turning in work.

As I have said in one of my previous posts- you get in essentially based on potential and ability to understand basic artistic principals. Not everyone lives up to that potential. That may be the student's fault, that may be the wrong fit between the student and the school, or it may be the classes they take. I would say in the case of Ringling- the #1 reason why students do not complete a degree is cost.

for some reason I never seem to see your posts until much after you have posted them. Good information to have eventually read in any case.

[foxes]

Wow, I haven't posted here in a long time. I applied to Ringling for computer animation. Also applied to Cornish for print art, DigiPen for digital art and animation, CalArts for character animation, Art Center for illustration, and SVA for illustration. Supposing I get into any of them, I'm not really sure what my top choice would be. Ringling was my dream for years, but I'm not so sure I want to even leave the state anymore.

[Lectriece]

for some reason I never seem to see your posts until much after you have posted them. Good information to have eventually read in any case.

Yeah, my post count is still very low so I get caught by the filter every time on this thread. :/

For those who haven't seen my prior posts, I am a GAD senior who lives off campus. I came to Ringling out of high school and am an out of state student. I'm happy to answer any questions I can about the school and department, I have a few info heavy posts earlier in the thread.

Ca acceptance rate this past year was about 85 students. GAD had approximately 55. An underclassman can probably confirm this better than me. There is a Ringling admissions/applicants facebook group run by the school who could probably provide you with the most accurate info.

When I entered the program we had 35 students for my year, 6 left the program (major switching or withdraw) after spring of freshman year. We gained 2 transfer students, but have since had several students jostle out of our year/program/school. GAD is currently short on faculty so I would expect your class size to be slightly smaller than this freshman group.

The culture of Sarasota is varied, there is Newtown area which is the more low income area with a higher crime rate, I've been told. Sarasota has some left over race/class segregation era BS that can still be witnessed today, not like separate facilities. There is downtown Sarasota, which is basically the real "city" area which is high income, fairly clean, small city culture with tons of food, expensive shopping. Ringling sits on the transitional edge between these two locations. We are near some small beaches, but the bigger beaches are about 20 mins away by car. Like any city we have a population of homeless people, for the most part I have not heard of them giving students trouble. For the most part your interactions with the "high class" people will be at donor events, it is beneficial to all students and the school if you are respectful as these individuals often contribute money for what scholarships we do have and improving our facilities. In addition, they appreciate our art as students, if you are in CA/GAD you will be seeing their tour groups quite often in the open labs. Your interactions with any of the locals will depend on where you live, whether you choose to participate in volunteer work, where you shop, what social events you attend, etc.

[escaphilia]

Thanks! I pretty much cook all my meals, so it would be a weird transition to eat from what the school offers

[themegagod]

Thanks! I pretty much cook all my meals, so it would be a weird transition to eat from what the school offers

That's one of the big reasons I'm looking to live off campus- I've developed some particular eating habits as of late, and I highly doubt that the school provides the food stuffs I eat. BTW is there a farmers market anywhere in the region that anyone knows of? I tend to get my vegetables and fruits in a bit of bulk.

I've been cooking since I was 5, but I wonder, how is cooking going to possibly interfere with all of the time spent studying and working on projects?

[Lectriece]

BTW is there a farmers market anywhere in the region that anyone knows of? I tend to get my vegetables and fruits in a bit of bulk.

I've been cooking since I was 5, but I wonder, how is cooking going to possibly interfere with all of the time spent studying and working on projects?

There is a farmers market by the Whole Foods downtown every weekend. It's about 5 minutes away from the school by car. I used to do a lot of crockpot cooking before I came to school, but ended up switching to microwave cooking full time to save time. Be wary if you are vegetarian/vegan of the cafeteria/prepared stuff they make... They make so much stuff a day that they probably don't worry that much, but I have seen things w/eggs and meat in them mislabeled as veg*. :/

Some of my friends do a lot of soups and sandwiches, I do a lot of grain + veggie mixes and tofu, I think we spend about the same amount of time cooking? You can also make stuff in bulk and freeze it in single servings over the weekend. There's a few veg* friendly restaurants around, but there is also a raw and vegan cafe downtown and New College has a vegetarian cafe on their campus. Don't know if any of this applies to you gamegod, but I figure it could be useful to someone?

Sarasota just got a Trader Joe's in September. We also have a Costco, Dollar Store (don't know the name), Walmart grocery, a Super Target, Publix (tons), and some smaller name groceries and a few ethnic groceries in the area as well. There is a Publix and Walmart within a 5-10 minute walk from the school.

[themegagod]

There is a farmers market by the Whole Foods downtown every weekend. It's about 5 minutes away from the school by car. I used to do a lot of crockpot cooking before I came to school, but ended up switching to microwave cooking full time to save time. Be wary if you are vegetarian/vegan of the cafeteria/prepared stuff they make... They make so much stuff a day that they probably don't worry that much, but I have seen things w/eggs and meat in them mislabeled as veg*. :/

Some of my friends do a lot of soups and sandwiches, I do a lot of grain + veggie mixes and tofu, I think we spend about the same amount of time cooking? You can also make stuff in bulk and freeze it in single servings over the weekend. There's a few veg* friendly restaurants around, but there is also a raw and vegan cafe downtown and New College has a vegetarian cafe on their campus. Don't know if any of this applies to you gamegod, but I figure it could be useful to someone?

Sarasota just got a Trader Joe's in September. We also have a Costco, Dollar Store (don't know the name), Walmart grocery, a Super Target, Publix (tons), and some smaller name groceries and a few ethnic groceries in the area as well. There is a Publix and Walmart within a 5-10 minute walk from the school.

Am I that much of a give away? I'm not quite vegetarian, but I'm roughly 80% vegetarian, and a lot of it is raw or steamed with very little carbohydrates... so actually, this information was quite useful for me.
Luckily this means for me, little cooking time- but often a good deal of prep. I was just thinking, I know that between prep, cooking, and eating, a meal usually takes about an hour to hour and a half- and if what people say about the intense programs is true (80-100+ hours a week) that would seem to mean every minute counts. I assume making meals all at once and in advance could save a lot of time- guess it's time to start practicing getting my weeks food together now.

[escaphilia]

This information was helpful for me as well Lectriece, thanks!

I'm right there with you themegagod! So, that's probably something I'm going to have to really consider with the whole dorming versus living off campus. I was really set on living on campus; especially since I rent a home now and know how cumbersome it is, but these little nuances I still go back and forth on lol

[themegagod]

This information was helpful for me as well Lectriece, thanks!

I'm right there with you themegagod! So, that's probably something I'm going to have to really consider with the whole dorming versus living off campus. I was really set on living on campus; especially since I rent a home now and know how cumbersome it is, but these little nuances I still go back and forth on lol

Again we agree- It's kind of why I'm thinking off campus is the route I'll be taking. I've yet to live completely on my own yet, but I've been paying an equal portion of my rent/bills for about 4 years. I know that I'll miss out on a lot of the cool experiences of dorming, but

1) the whole meal plan system and no kitchens.

2) the price: Rent prices are high enough- dorm prices are worse... and to think it's for a part of a room. logic tells me it doesn't add up.

3) Basically again price! If I can find something nearby- ghetto or not- i don't see travel time being a big issue, and if I look at 40 grand over the next four years on simply dorms and food- I think I could find better living arrangements in that price bracket.

Bills are annoying, and there are no payment plans on those- so that means if going to college and not working- that is going to mean making sure you get enough loans to cover those expenses, and the right type of loan that can be used to pay for something like non dorm rent. Yet it does also mean no RAs, no curfews, no guest limits (depending on landlord), kitchen, bathroom, and your own room (unless you decide to split it to save even more money).
For me, I think I may have to miss out on the dorming experience based on my personal pros and cons.

a part of me though, wishes that on campus was an option just to try it. Maybe I'll do it for a semester just to see how it goes. lol. I'll do it as an upper classman, just to be different.

[escaphilia]

Yeah, the prices seemed a little off kilter to me as well, and I'm sure they wouldn't hand over an itemized statement - so it's kind of like....hmmmmmm.

Yeah, I would agree with you on those pros/cons. Bills ARE annoying and then you also have to factor the 'unexpected', like if something gets broken/clogged/bug problem/whatever then that's extra money. You may get a great landlord that's like 'okay no probs I'll have that fixed in a jiff' without any cost to you - but honestly, from my experiences that's far and few in between. And, some will downright refuse/get out of paying in some way, leaving you with a very expensive repair bill. Not sure what the rental laws look like in Florida, but in Texas it's very much home owner oriented. So, sometimes it's better just to fix something yourself than go through the legal headache.

Also, you have to worry about neighbors, finding potential roommates (if you want to cut down expenses), and the other stuff you mentioned.

I keep hearing it's a 'ghetto' around the school, but I can't help but wonder how much of that is just based on individual perspective. I've in essentially lived in a barrio before when I first started to 'make it' on my own; I was sandwiched in between a guy that grew huge cactus in his backyard w/ chickens running around (I used to get giant wolf spiders because of it) and a guy that grew marijuana in the back. I'm pretty sure he was selling it too, and it was really awful when I would come home from work and have to scuttle into the house because I'd get catcalled at. Then several houses down someone turned their house into a brothel before the cops finally busted it (police were notoriously slow). Sooooooo, idk if I might be shocked/scared/unable to rent around the school.

However, I do enjoy my freedoms and home comforts, plussssssss room for all my stuff D= lol

so, at this point I'm liable to throw a dart at one or the other or go with that haha

[anomalexie]

Again we agree- It's kind of why I'm thinking off campus is the route I'll be taking. I've yet to live completely on my own yet, but I've been paying an equal portion of my rent/bills for about 4 years. I know that I'll miss out on a lot of the cool experiences of dorming, but

1) the whole meal plan system and no kitchens.

2) the price: Rent prices are high enough- dorm prices are worse... and to think it's for a part of a room. logic tells me it doesn't add up.

3) Basically again price! If I can find something nearby- ghetto or not- i don't see travel time being a big issue, and if I look at 40 grand over the next four years on simply dorms and food- I think I could find better living arrangements in that price bracket.

Bills are annoying, and there are no payment plans on those- so that means if going to college and not working- that is going to mean making sure you get enough loans to cover those expenses, and the right type of loan that can be used to pay for something like non dorm rent. Yet it does also mean no RAs, no curfews, no guest limits (depending on landlord), kitchen, bathroom, and your own room (unless you decide to split it to save even more money).
For me, I think I may have to miss out on the dorming experience based on my personal pros and cons.

a part of me though, wishes that on campus was an option just to try it. Maybe I'll do it for a semester just to see how it goes. lol. I'll do it as an upper classman, just to be different.

I'm in the same boat :Y I really want to dorm, but it's so expensive. I'm a little scared to live on my own and have to work to be able to pay for my car, gas, food and rent and utilities. I don't want my concern for making these bills on time take away from the quality of art I want to be producing. Considering I barely make $600 a month as it is and half of that goes to paying the lease on my car, I feel like I'll end up relying on art commissions and I don't even know where to begin with that. But if I can save a couple thousand a year on loans for room & board... ugh, it's just so difficult :C

Ringling is my top and only choice. After receiving a presentation on the school in junior year, I've had my heart set on it ever since. This is my second year trying, hopefully it'll be my lucky year

[themegagod]

Yeah, the prices seemed a little off kilter to me as well, and I'm sure they wouldn't hand over an itemized statement - so it's kind of like....hmmmmmm.

Yeah, I would agree with you on those pros/cons. Bills ARE annoying and then you also have to factor the 'unexpected', like if something gets broken/clogged/bug problem/whatever then that's extra money. You may get a great landlord that's like 'okay no probs I'll have that fixed in a jiff' without any cost to you - but honestly, from my experiences that's far and few in between. And, some will downright refuse/get out of paying in some way, leaving you with a very expensive repair bill. Not sure what the rental laws look like in Florida, but in Texas it's very much home owner oriented. So, sometimes it's better just to fix something yourself than go through the legal headache.

Also, you have to worry about neighbors, finding potential roommates (if you want to cut down expenses), and the other stuff you mentioned.

I keep hearing it's a 'ghetto' around the school, but I can't help but wonder how much of that is just based on individual perspective. I've in essentially lived in a barrio before when I first started to 'make it' on my own; I was sandwiched in between a guy that grew huge cactus in his backyard w/ chickens running around (I used to get giant wolf spiders because of it) and a guy that grew marijuana in the back. I'm pretty sure he was selling it too, and it was really awful when I would come home from work and have to scuttle into the house because I'd get catcalled at. Then several houses down someone turned their house into a brothel before the cops finally busted it (police were notoriously slow). Sooooooo, idk if I might be shocked/scared/unable to rent around the school.

However, I do enjoy my freedoms and home comforts, plussssssss room for all my stuff D= lol

so, at this point I'm liable to throw a dart at one or the other or go with that haha

My landlords in NJ would say they would do something about the issues which arose, but by the time they would get around to anything it no longer mattered. But it did teah me a good amount of DIY so hopefully when I own my own property I should be prepared to keep it myself. What I like is when you tell them about something breaking down, and then they do nothing, but they try to take it out of your security when you leave. Moral of the story: photograph everything.

lol, the cactus neighbor of yours reminds me of one neighbor i had behind my house as a kid. They owned a set of chickens and a single rooster. The rooster could never seem to get his rooster call correct. the last note always fell flat. but it was annoying all day long. not just in the morning. and then the marijuana grower- I've never known anyone to grow it well, but I've known many people who tried to grow it. closets, regular planters, all over. I knew some really special people in my high school days. So I'm right there with the skepticism about the ghetto. I've heard it too many times and then been surprised to find it's just an area that is poverty stricken- not a bad area, just poor.

I'm in the same boat :Y I really want to dorm, but it's so expensive. I'm a little scared to live on my own and have to work to be able to pay for my car, gas, food and rent and utilities. I don't want my concern for making these bills on time take away from the quality of art I want to be producing. Considering I barely make $600 a month as it is and half of that goes to paying the lease on my car, I feel like I'll end up relying on art commissions and I don't even know where to begin with that. But if I can save a couple thousand a year on loans for room & board... ugh, it's just so difficult :C

Ringling is my top and only choice. After receiving a presentation on the school in junior year, I've had my heart set on it ever since. This is my second year trying, hopefully it'll be my lucky year

but wouldn't you have to work even more to afford the dorms?
If anything living on your own should remove some of those fears.... and also if you do get into CA (hopefully you will), after roughly sophmore year- from what I understand, it's almost impossible to work part-time much less full time.
As I said- Hopefully you can find a way around it- but most of what you will need to pay for shelter may very well wind up as debt. . but it's worth it in the end. Just try really hard not to let it stress you out. that's the hard part.

[Amaranthine]

Personally, I recommend living on campus freshman year, as it really helps you get to know the campus and make friends. That being said, the meal plan is mandatory for freshman, even in some capacity (unless that's changed). I believe it's required in freshman tuition to have a minimum of one meal a day plan. Friends I had that lived off campus would try and take advantage of that since they were paying for it anyways. I lived in Keating my freshman year and spent a lot of nights microwaving dinners, especially since I was a vegetarian at the time. You make do with what you can.

I lived about 3-5 minutes from the school at Cimarron Lakes (http://www.cimarronlake.com/Index.html) when I was an upperclassman, and I had a good experience there. It's north of Ringling near University, which is where Sarasota gets more safe, so I never had any issues at my apartment. It was also nice to have my own washer and dryer in the unit.

[MangMang]

I lived about 3-5 minutes from the school at Cimarron Lakes (http://www.cimarronlake.com/Index.html) when I was an upperclassman, and I had a good experience there. It's north of Ringling near University, which is where Sarasota gets more safe, so I never had any issues at my apartment. It was also nice to have my own washer and dryer in the unit.

Do you remember how much the rent was or what utilities were included? I'll be living off campus with a roommate,and have no idea where to look.

Off subject: I love your profile picture. I'm a huge fan of Sailor Moon.

[steampoweredseagoat]

Kind of sounds like LCAD may be your first choice. lol. If you were, accepted into both Ringling and LCAD, and you had to choose between the programs, which would you choose?

To be honest. Now that I've seen the requirements for the portfolio for LCAD I'm probably not going to bother even applying. I need to be incredibly skilled to pull off those requirements, which I'm not, not yet at least. But if I did have to choose it would be LCAD. I don't know what it is about LCAD, but I love it. I love Ringling too but LCAD just a tiny bit more.

Good to hear! I was considering Digipen as well but ultimately chose Ringling, the weather is much nicer (for the most part) out here anyway. xD

And thanks! :>


I'm so excited to meet all you incoming freshman c:
It's just really neat seeing you guys getting all ready for college hehe

Yeah, that's my biggest problem with Digipen it's up in the northwest, it gets cold up there. I like how Ringling is right near a beach. -3-


Also, Zaqschlanger congrats on your acceptance. CA majors are still waiting. xDDD

[Zaqschlanger]

All I remember about LCAD, was that on a portfolio day, when I showed my portfolio, they didn't critique it, they critisised it... The guy quite literally berated all my work, said that most of the pieces looked like quick sketches (yeah cause my 7 hour still life toooootally looks like a sketch...) and said I need to make some actual game art to show them


While Ringling told me exactly what to do, and Jackie said she liked my stuff

But both schools are equally impressive, I just did not have a good experience with the staff

[Zaqschlanger]

Edit: oops double post

[themegagod]

Anybody know what type of classes we will be taking our first year?
also what type of gap there is in the winter, between semesters?

The reason I ask is because I'm seriously considering taking some "supplemental" classes online at CGMW, as they have a summer semester that should line up nicely ending a month before the start date of classes, and it seems like a good way to get confident in my artistic abilities, and learn new skills before even taking classes in Ringling. I figure If I do Take LA classes to free up time while in Ringling, I'll do that after I have been in ringling and have been able to talk face to face with advisers and counselors.

My questions come, in that I do not want to take classes which will be redundant in that they will be relaying information I will already be learning in other pre-rec classes.
The other question is in wondering if winter break is enough time to squeeze community college or more CGMW classes in, or is it more just a couple week break?

[Amaranthine]

Do you remember how much the rent was or what utilities were included? I'll be living off campus with a roommate,and have no idea where to look.

Off subject: I love your profile picture. I'm a huge fan of Sailor Moon.

At the time I rented, it was about $1000 a month for the townhome unit. I had a roommate as well. I think their standard two bedroom was about $900 (I had some friends in those), but rent could have gone up or down, depending on the market. Utilities were not included, but internet was about $30.00 a month and electric around $70 or so. A quick look on forrent.com shows they're still about that price:
http://www.forrent.com/apartment-com...le/1009715.php

And yesss Sailor Moon is the best

[Amaranthine]

Anybody know what type of classes we will be taking our first year?
also what type of gap there is in the winter, between semesters?

The reason I ask is because I'm seriously considering taking some "supplemental" classes online at CGMW, as they have a summer semester that should line up nicely ending a month before the start date of classes, and it seems like a good way to get confident in my artistic abilities, and learn new skills before even taking classes in Ringling. I figure If I do Take LA classes to free up time while in Ringling, I'll do that after I have been in ringling and have been able to talk face to face with advisers and counselors.

My questions come, in that I do not want to take classes which will be redundant in that they will be relaying information I will already be learning in other pre-rec classes.
The other question is in wondering if winter break is enough time to squeeze community college or more CGMW classes in, or is it more just a couple week break?

There's a 3 week gap or so around Christmas, so not much time to take any other classes. As far as supplemental classes, be aware that very few classes from other colleges transfer to Ringling, so it's most likely not worth it to take other classes, unless you are just wanting it for the skill gain/experience. I took one community college liberal arts class over the summer to transfer so that I could have extra space in my schedule to take other classes, which is fine imho. But I wouldn't take any art classes to try and skip over the ones Ringling offers. That's why you're there after all.

[steampoweredseagoat]

All I remember about LCAD, was that on a portfolio day, when I showed my portfolio, they didn't critique it, they critisised it... The guy quite literally berated all my work, said that most of the pieces looked like quick sketches (yeah cause my 7 hour still life toooootally looks like a sketch...) and said I need to make some actual game art to show them


While Ringling told me exactly what to do, and Jackie said she liked my stuff

But both schools are equally impressive, I just did not have a good experience with the staff

I'm not surprised by that at all. The portfolio requirements for LCAD are life drawings, character designs, character expressions, and completed story illustrations. They seem like a very elite school that only accepts artist that are already good and have an idea of what they are doing.

But I agree both schools are very good and getting into either one of them would be totally okay by me. =3=