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I am dying to go to the Cooper Union school of art. I don't know why but ever since i visited the campus (or building...to be exact)Cooper Union is all i can think about.
If anyone has been accepted or knows of someone who has pleassssse respond.
I'm wondering what my chances are...i know...that NO one has a good chance...but...last december, when i was a junior, i went to the open portfolio review...and my reviewer got up from his seat to go and get me an application...he told me to apply early and asked me if i knew how rare this was....then i told him that i was only a junior and he said he was absolutely blown away...his exact words were "i want to see you at cooper union"...... of course i was elated after this to-do...but then later in the year i applied for the summer hs program ...and i didn't get accepted....i hear it has a lot to do w. where you live...and i don't exactly live in the area that they were looking for participants from ...but still i was disappointed...also this reviewer was impressed ..but i didn't get the same reaction as the last time...this man said "really all i can tell u is to keep going..keep doing what you're doing"....


now i have been doing just this ...i've been slaving over paintings and sculpture this summer but...i was wondering is there anything i should do now that might boost my chances?
and also...how important is the skill factor

because...it's not as though i don't have skill...i just feel like a lot of people who apply are much more skilled than i am...i mean their work is a lot more traditional...i have some really wacky creative stuff...which is why i think the first guys was "blown away" ...but lately i keep asking myself ...should i spend more time being crazy me and coming up with inventive works...or should i focus on skill ..how to shade a face perfectly- the exact proportions of a left pinky toe ect....

any answers or responses for that matter would be just lovely!


thanks soooo much.

michaelangelina

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Tuesday, August 31, 2004 - 11:37 am: Edit

No doubt about it: Admission to Cooper Union is tough. Their web site says they typically receive 1200 applications for 250 places in the art program.

A strong portfolio is important - but so is doing well on the home test which they send you after they have received your application (Deadline is in January)

They also have an Early Decision option for people who know Cooper is their first choice - no information about whether applying ED affects your chances, however.

My advice: decide if you want to do ED or not - and be prepared to do a knock-up job on the home assignment.

But --- don't get your heart set on ONLY Cooper. Keep your options open. There are some other wonderful art schools out there that you should also be applying to at the same time. Take a look at Rhode Island School of Design, Maryland Institute and College of Art, the Chicago Art Institute for starters. Good luck!

By Dramatica (Dramatica) on Tuesday, August 31, 2004 - 01:51 pm: Edit

Michaelangelina,

Cooper Union is a great school but do not obsess on just one school, specially one with so few slots.

I echo that if art is your thing, you also should look at Rhode Island School of Design, Pratt School of Design and many other fine schools.

Be aware that your portafolio is going to be crucial for any art school and that Cooper Union is very traditional in its approach to art instruction. A "traditional" portafolio would probably be more desirable than "whacky."

Last year Cooper Union admitted 9 kids from Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach Florida. They are are all starting this Fall.

These are kids traditionallly trained, many since sixth grade. I mention this so that you understand that where you live is not as important as having whatever it is that they are looking for at the time that they make their decision. Obviously Cooper Union did not care that 9 came from the same school. What are the odds? Also, I do not believe that any of them did the summer program.

Contact Cooper. Ask them what type of portafolio they favor and then follow their instructions.

Good luck.

By Michaelangelina (Michaelangelina) on Tuesday, August 31, 2004 - 05:46 pm: Edit

i see what you're saying...but when i said wacky...i meant...interesting......cooper union gets hundreds of applicants who are very talented...but very few of them actually think ...if traditional is sketching exact replicas of photographs or painting flowers and puppies...traditional is not cooper union at all..i can tell u this just having seen the senior projects.
i believe that cooper union chooses students who stand out because they think as much as or more than they produce....i dunno i could be wrong...i suppose i could be interpreting your use of the word traditional completely wrong....i'd appreciate if you would elaborate on that ...thanks, michaelangelina

By Dramatica (Dramatica) on Tuesday, August 31, 2004 - 11:22 pm: Edit

Michaelangelina

By traditional I did not mean flowers and puppies. I meant that the work that you submit should show that you have art training and that you are familiar with the submission of portfolios.

Copies of exact replicas of photographs that do not move the viewer is not art. I have known people who are great "craftsmen" and can reproduce things that they see but without any depth. That is usually not considered great art. Great art has a message or purpose, the ability to move someone.

About 3 or 4 years ago I had a brief conversation with a Cooper Union faculty member who told me exactly what I said to you, that Cooper Union is very traditional in its approach to teaching art. They require that their students learn technique.

I think that I misunderstood what you meant by whacky. I equated it to haphazard. What I do know is that when the Dreyfoos kids submit portfolios they are very professional and show that those kids know what they are doing and that even if a canvas may just have an abstract blob, it shows that it was deliberate, has a purpose and was executed with technique.

I do not know if this is sufficiently explicit. If you are really serious about Cooper Union, you should probably take advantage of going to one of their open house days at Cooper Union where you show them your work, they give you feedback and you tour the school.

Dont give up, give it your best try!

By Michaelangelina (Michaelangelina) on Wednesday, September 01, 2004 - 02:22 am: Edit

hey...thanks i understand what you mean now...and i have to say i do aggree with you....and yes i have been to the open house..i wrote about it in my original message haha

one last question...and i suppose you could say that is a matter of opinion......for a prospective fine art major would you say it's more worthwhile to apply early and take advantage of the benefit of less competition...or apply regular decision and take advantage of the two mounths that separate the dates...creating 3-5 more quality pieces of art to add to a portfolio?

By Dramatica (Dramatica) on Wednesday, September 01, 2004 - 09:05 am: Edit

Michaelangelina,

Early decision applications signal to a school that you are their fist choice.

Yes it is a matter of opinion and no one can predict what is the best path to take, but do be realistic: do you honestly think that you will create 3-5 more quality pieces in the 2 remaining months?

I would contact the school and ask whether you would be precluded from being considered during regular decision if you are not selected during early decision and whether you can submit additional pieces. You do not have to identify yourself. If you can remain in the pool, you can apply early, knowing that you can always be reconsidered. I would keep working on the additional pieces because you need to plan for alternatives.

Talk to your teachers or someone who will give you an honest evaluation and see whether you really need more samples. Remember, quality usually triumphs over quantity.

Do check Rhode Island School of Design. I have a son at Brown and I can tell you that the Providence area is great and RISD an awesome school. You will be close to Boston and not so far from NY either and RISD is way up there in prestige.

I mentioned going to Cooper for the open house because I was not sure whether you had done the portfolio review right at Cooper or on the "traveling" portfolio day where a million schools see hundreds of kids and where the Cooper line is always the longest.

Got to run. It seems that Hurrican Frances is heading our way and we have to start getting ready.

Remember no one can predict what a school will do!

By Ktwofish (Ktwofish) on Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 02:41 pm: Edit

Michaelangelina...

The Cooper Union home test is quite demanding...especially if you do not have an extensive portfolio. They require several pieces of original art that have to fit in the envelope they send you (it is large but not too large :-) You will only have 2 - 3 weeks to complete the home test, which is not much time if you do not already have some examples completed that you can send.

Remember--Early decision is binding...you have to go there if accepted. Be sure you will be 100% happy there before you apply ED. If there is any doubt, do not appy ED.

Check out RISD. After we visited, my daughter completely dropped the idea of Cooper Union. We loved the college atmosphere in Providence, and the RISD reputation. Depending on who you talk to :-), RISD has a better reputation than CU...but the free tuition and Manhattan location is quite enticing for some.

For perspective... In addition to RISD, we visited Pratt Institute in NY (daughter did pre-college there), Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in Savannah, and Ringling School of Art & Design in Sarasota, FL. After the visits, RISD was at the top of my daughter's list. So what I'm saying is...visit a few schools and apply to at least 3 so that you have options. FYI...Pratt, SCAD, and Ringling also offered merit scholarships, but RISD did not...did not apply to MICA.