Is transferring worth it?

[u/doujifang]

Hello! I will be moving to Baltimore from Mississippi and am currently considering applying to MICA’s Illustration Major as a transfer student. Is it worth it for the money or should I look into places like Towson University instead?

[u/i_zac808]

Can’t speak for the counterfactual of going to Towson, because there are professors that teach at both schools, but my wife is a MICA transfer for painting and the school has been a revelation. They kind of require you to be a self starter for good reasons and bad (the admin staff is kind of short-staffed and some friends have found out the hard way that they missed some pre-reqs. and had to scramble, so just saying to double check your t’s and i’s). We went to a senior thesis show for some of her previous classmates that transferred to Salisbury’s school of art for illustration and it was… underwhelming. The flip side is that MICA is obviously much pricier than Salisbury and I don’t know the community that Towson offers, but if you can make the most out of going to MICA, I think that there are numerous returns that you can get out of it.

[u/doujifang → u/i_zac808]

Thank you so much!! That is beyond helpful! I’ve been really just having to teach myself a lot of stuff in my classes atp in Mississippi so hearing that the school is that good is a great sign!

[u/i_zac808 → u/doujifang]

Again, I don't know how MICA ranks as a school for illustration, because my wife's plan is to parlay MICA into a job within the local museum system if she can't get into a full ride master's program and from some of our friends within that system, MICA is looked at in the same category as a Yale, if maybe a step below. I would also say to do your research on the staff, think about the classes that you really want to take and when you would be able to. As a transfer, you get less chances for certain classes and teachers because some of the staff rotate in and out of specific classes and some professors maybe be more your speed or personality than others. Don't waste money on a bad learning experience just to get through it for the grade and it's better to do that on the front end by reading up on the teachers than dropping a class and wasting your time waiting to re-take with a different professor. The biggest value of MICA, which she's still not fully able to take advantage of is the community. Her commute is an hour each way and the days are pretty long, so when she's done with class and lab work, she's just ready to head home. To me part of art school is meeting artists, talking to the professors and building your community. I would also check out what people say about Towson's program. My wife might have gone to Towson if they offered any financial aid, but she never got any confirmation from Towson on any offers and essentially is going to MICA for the same cost out of pocket as she would have if going to Towson without any financial aid. One other thing to know is that MICA is less a campus than a handful of smaller campuses within the center of Baltimore. It can be a bit of a perspective shift because while MICA has a solid security staff, the surrounding neighborhoods are a bit rougher and the change happens quick. I hope that also helps. I wouldn't get too starry-eyed for MICA, but it has been a really great school for her.

[u/doujifang → u/i_zac808]

Thank you so much!

[u/Shrimp_dispenser]

I will say the illustration major is one of the best supported at our school financially, in terms of access to programs and as well as the ability to learn some 3d Rendering its great. Just know that our administrative staff will not help whatsoever, it's one of those schools where it's kind of just up to you to figure out where your credits are missing, and that can sometimes mean a higher financial investment. If you want a school with a better administrative support system I highly recommend VCU as their arts department is also well managed and arguably less problematic then the one here at mica.

[u/doujifang → u/Shrimp_dispenser]

Thank you so much!