It has been almost a year and a half since my last journal entry. I can't believe how much has changed since then. The reason I am writing this journal is because I know that a year and a half ago I would have loved to read a journal very much like this one. I got accepted last year to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia PA. I moved to the city in August of this year from my home town in Oregon. I am three months into art school and thought I would tell all you aspiring artists that might still be a fews years out from college what art school is all about.

CLASSES

I am currently enrolled in what is called "foundation year" most art schools have a foundations year which is a set of preselected studio courses that are designed to enhance all basic skills for further study. The foundations classes at UArts are Drawing, 2 Dimensional Design, 3 Dimensional Design, Art History and Writing 1. You can also take en elective, I chose Glass. The studio classes (drawing, 2D, 3D and Glass) are all three hour classes I take twice a week. Your second year of college those all become six hour classes. pretty intense, but really not that bad.

WORK LOAD

My advise is do not go to art school if you can't manage your time, you will have a lot of work to do, and not that much time to do it. You really have to know how and when to prioritize. If you are really serious about what you love to it, its manageable, but if you are thinking about doing the art school thing its something you really need to think about. Teachers often tell you that it will take six hours-ish to complete a certain step of a piece and if you don't ACTUALLY spend all six hours on it, they'll know and they'll call you out on it.

WHAT YOU'RE LEARNING

here is an example of a few of my assignments:

select a theme and design a mobile composed of two closely related sets of dynamic forms arranged in complimentary groups totaling anywhere between seven and fifteen components. Establish a hierarchy within the composition based on contrasting sizes, material, and spatial orientation. The arrangement of the support arms is a primary consideration. The mobile structure should enable compositional relationships to change in interesting ways as the positions of the forms in space become reconfigured.

Identify the location and date of each piece and explain what has occurred with respect to the understanding of the figure in this category of Greek pedimental sculpture.

ABSENCES

at my school, three absences and your professor can fail you, five and you get dropped from the class. Its really best to just come to class, if you're sick I suggest suffering through.

PARTIES

they're all off campus, and generally fabulous. Halloween at art school is a trip.

POPULARITY

good news, once you leave high school popularity pretty much vanishes, there are just too many people to have an "in" crowd, you hang with who you like, and its amazing. I really love that you just sort of get to know people based on interests rather than looks. I'm not going to lie and say that it doesn't matter, but its seriously a way smaller deal than it is in high school. ALSO if you have blue hair, or huge glasses, or face piercings, tattoos, whatever, you will NOT be unique. its sort of the norm here.

BOYS

a lot of them are gay. probably half to two-thirds actually. Don't get me wrong, thats great, but as a straight woman it can sometimes be frustrating. If you're a gay man, HUZZAH art school will be the bomb. ALSO girls, at parties, seriously just be smart, this is just general college advise and has nothing to do with art. If you are dressed like a you-know-what boys will assume you are. Be safe, but have a good time. Last say on that front, PLEASE don't ever be the drunk girl/guy who says "oh-my-god I'm like SOOOooOOooo drunk right now..." common sense people.

QUESTIONS

have any? ask me!