[Ranath]

So I'm 17 and my last year in high school is starting, and I'm planning to study industrial design after high school. I live in Finland, but I'd also like to know what it's like in other countries so speak up please

Everywhere I go, I'm told that it's terribly difficult to get into art school, but when I checked out sites of some Finnish art schools, the work people produce there seems to be trash. Some of them literally look like 6 years old kid's drawings - and we're talking about design schools here, not any modern art or illustration schools.

It's a fact that only 3% of applicants get in, but I have no idea of general skill level of those applicants. Perhaps you guys could share your experiences of how difficult it really is to get in and how skilled people are when applying?

Oh, and are they actually looking for people who can draw, or people who can market themselves as designers?

Feel free to share any experiences relating to art schools/studying

Thanks

[Petri.J]

I don't actually have any expiriences about the subject yet, but I'm applying at the same time you are.
I think that they are not looking for skilled wonder children, but someone who has ideas. That counts me out

[Matthew]

It is a system based on how many times you apply and that is what it is all about if you ask me.

[Telekon]

When I considered applying to design school, I was told not to get my hopes up. I don't know why, but I never really worried about it. It just felt like the next natural progression, and I got accepted. I prepared a decent portfolio with plenty of goodies. To this day, I'm certain my relaxed frame of mind and diverse project selection is why everything worked out. The interviewer seemed drawn to certain projects and uninterested in others. You never know what the interviewer will like and that's why I brought as much as I could. My school sent out a portfolio interview guideline list. If your school has one, I'd suggest following it closely. Above all, just relax, ignore statistics, and be yourself. Once your in school, do your research on Industrial Design Jobs and tailor your schooling to fit current qualifications. This will save you from graduating and still not finding work.

[Ranath]

thanks a lot everyone for answers! Keep them coming!



PetriJ - see ya in UIAH right?


Anyway, the schools I'm thinking of don't select people by portfolios.. it's a 3 step process: first step is exercices they give us, we do them at home and then send them to the school. Best get picked to next step, where we go to the school to do several projects (we've something like 4 hours to do them) and then best get picked to interview and co-operation tests and something like writing test..

[cyBeAr]

Matthew: That is not true. I applied to both kungl. konsth�gskolan (as I know you did too) and "frikonst" at konstfack fors the first time this year and got admitted to kungliga.

What I've been told factors such as age and the amount of times you've applied are only applied in same cases in the final selection round if they're having diffictulties separating one candidate from another.

You've come a looong way and some of your recent speed paints and daily drawings really are great, you seem much more dedicated than me so if you keep at it you'll achieve something big. Don't get discouraged by schools turning you down since their slections seem pretty random or based on other criteria than where you want to take your art.

Regardless of if you're in a school or on your own - learning and getting somwhere will always depend on your own will and effort.


Sorry if I took this thread a bit away from it's initial direction.
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