(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to the Academy of Art University. My name's Dominic and I'll be your host for today's online open house. We're glad you could join us for this informative look at the academy. Today's open house is designed to show you what it's like to be a student here. Whether you study online or on site. You'll get the inside scoop on the 30 art and design degree programs we offer, our facilities and technology, and what student and campus life is like.
We'll also talk online learning, show you some of the amazing work our students and alumni have also been producing, and walk you through some financial costs and resources. By the end of this session, we hope you will have the information you need to determine if the academy is the right place for you. And remember, if you have questions along the way, feel free to ask them in the live chat box.
Our team is watching for your questions and will be happy to respond. Okay, let's get started. - My grandfather and grandmother started this school in 1929 to guide and instruct the next generation of artists, and I'm proud to say that over 85 years and our vision is as strong and successful as ever. And what we believe in is that anyone with commitment and passion can learn the skills necessary and that the creative class that we are training here are the problem solvers and the visionaries of tomorrow.
(upbeat music) And we've learned from our over 85 years that it is the hardworking student who succeeds. It's only 10% talent and 90% hard work. The Academy of Art University is an urban campus and we span this glorious city of San Francisco and this city is your home and it is your campus.
(upbeat music) - We provide a professional environment so a student can feel comfortable about trying, failing, and succeeding. - They help you think of the real world so when that day does come, you're not panicking. - I know all these things I never thought that I would even begin to know how to do.
- The academy will show you opportunity. It's up to you to take advantage of that. (upbeat music) - As you find your way from residence halls to classrooms, from sport fields to studios, you will find a sense of common purpose and community.
I promise you will find an artistic home. - As you can see, there's a lot of history here. And it is an exciting place to be. But now let's take a closer look at some of the things that make us different. It has always been our goal to partner with professional artists and designers to help develop the courses you take. Our hands on curriculum is practice based, which means students get real world experience while earning their degree.
Our course content is continuously evolving to meet the rate of industry change. This means the skills we teach are the skills you'll use professionally. Now, who better to learn from than faculty who are industry based professionals. Our distinguished art and design faculty have worked or are currently working professionals in the industry.
They literally do what you want to do one day. You'll find that our program directors and faculty hold an impressive array of credentials. Of course in order to support an industry based curriculum, we provide students with some of the same hardware, software, and facilities that industry professionals are using right now.
The next part of the equation, is our career services department. For over 90 years, we've built strong partnerships with professionals and leaders in the industries we teach. Our career service department is at the forefront of building a network of industry partners, continually seeking to hire, mentor, and collaborate with our students and graduates. Each semester we have industry panels, company presentations, in class lectures, portfolio review sessions, and interviews.
Students have the opportunity to start building their contacts with industries well before they graduate. We teach you the skills to build a portfolio from day one. By graduation you will have created a portfolio that reflects your skills and demonstrates to employers that you are ready to get to work.
With this advantage, students are able to enter the profession without missing a beat. All of this comes together to help our students to become successful. But there is one missing piece to this equation. And that is you, the student. What do we mean by this? Let me introduce our senior vice president of admissions. - Hello, I'm Hector Verdugo, senior vice president of admissions.
From our very first day of class in 1929, our doors have been opened to students from every sort and every background and every skill level. If you're passionate and motivated you can excel in any program we offer. Our inclusive approach gives students a place to truly be themselves and creates a learning atmosphere like no other. We teach skills and as Will Smith has said, "Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours of beating on your craft."
That is why we're looking for dedicated, motivated, curious, and hardworking students that are passionate about their work. And are innovative and creative thinkers. We want storytellers and collaborators. And of course, we like problem solvers who never give up.
Our students are an impressive bunch, which is clearly reflected in the quality of work they produce. But don't take my word for it. Let's take a look at some of the award winning work our students and alumni have recently created.
(upbeat music) - Our students and alumni have gone on to win many prestigious awards like the Grammy's, Emmy's, and Oscars. They all got started just like you, learning the fundamentals right here. Let's look at what campus life is like at the academy. Ask any student and they'll tell you that attending the Academy of Art University in San Francisco is an incredible experience. The city is our classroom, our inspiration, and our home with some of the most impressive natural beauty on Earth. Our urban campus is comprised of 40 buildings, all of which are woven into the fabric of downtown San Francisco, and connected by our free shuttle system.
This puts our students within feet of amazing music, art, culture, and all the great restaurants that San Francisco has to offer, including a number of academy cafes where you can take advantage of our low cost meal plans. We also offer 40 different social, professional, and cultural clubs, a fraternity and sorority, academy run art galleries, libraries, gyms, and an indoor swimming pool. And our academic resource center supports both online and on site students. Each academic program provides students with an industry opportunity. For example, New York Fashion Week, and the annual San Francisco Fashion Show, partnerships with GM, Volvo, and Jaguar. Advertising students work with real clients at Young & Hungry, a student run ad agency.
Web design and new medias Ideate conference connecting students with companies like AirBnB, CapitalOne, Google, Lyft, PayPal, Uber, and more. All of this comes together in our massive networking event, The Spring Show, open to both onsite and online students to help facilitate career connections, getting student work in front of industry leaders to receive professional feedback, and interview with future employers. Take a look at the vibe of last year's Spring Show. - Spring Show is a great representation of the Academy of Art University.
It really shows that there's so many different creative fields and it's one event that represents all of it together. - The most exciting part of today was actually to look at everyone's presentation from beginning to end. - I am impressed, flabbergasted, astounded. That's what is feels like in the Spring Show. All of the other pieces are dope and on point and beautiful and captivating. - This is a great opportunity for me to show myself to the industry directly and can say I'm really good at this.
- It's actually really emotional for me because this is a great community. Everyone's really nice and my things got recognized and I'm gonna show it to the world. - I hope you got a few tips of advice as a future student from these success stories. Simply put, the academy is a great place to learn, build new connections, and simply have fun. Students who take full advantage of all the opportunities we offer are often the happiest and the most successful.
Yet, another unique opportunity we offer students, and one that may surprise you, is our NCAA athletics program. Let's see what it means to be an artist athlete. - Academy of Art University is the only art school in the NCAA. - No one really realizes an art school has an athletic department. - You can pursue as an artist, you can pursue your love of sports and you can be successful in both at the same time. - What I love most is that I can tie the two together.
I can be a sports reporter, I can do stories on athletes, that's something that I've always admired once I learned all the skillset and communications. - Growing up I was always a basketball player. It wasn't until I came to Academy of Art where I really developed a passion for the art.
- We have graphic designers, multi media communication, architects, and industrial design all on our baseball team. - It is one of the unique places in the country where there is that balance between the academics and athletics. - It helps you be more open minded, it helps you try different things with your schoolwork, and just in life in general and your perspective on how you look at things. - I think what the school does so well is unlock that inner artist in you.
- They have the talent, they have the vision, the passion to be an artist and the Academy of Art has so many different avenues to take. - Basketball was my life 24/7, so coming here and kinda finding something that I could be good at off the court, gave me so much more passion and pride in myself in what I do and it translated into the way I play. - The artist athlete is someone who wants perfection. The artist athlete is someone who wants to work really hard.
- Our NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports program has 14 varsity athletic teams. Here you can pursue your love of art and design and your love of sports. Speaking of athletics, what do Venus Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Shaquille O'Neal have in common? Each of them have earned college degrees online. The online education program at the academy is impressive and effective, giving students choice, flexibility, and the ultimate control over their education. Academy of Art University has played an innovative role in customizing an online art and design learning experience with original content, created by our professional instructors.
As you can see, our online offering is unique. We have covered many things from today, from our philosophy to our student work, campus life, online and many other things. So let's dive into one of the last topics, financial cost and resources. How do you pay for college and what is the process to get started? - First, it's important to know that every student's situation is completely different.
And there's no one size fits all financial aid plan. That's why we're committed to working with you and your family and help you customize and create a plan that works for you. We're here to help, simple as that. If financial aid is how you're planning on paying for your education, then take a look at this short video that gives you a bit of insight into the process whether you're about to graduate high school, transfer from another college or university, or you're looking to improve your skillsets and career opportunities. - So you want to go to college or career school. Maybe you started saving early.
Maybe you'll discover some buried treasure, but more likely you'll need another plan. So if paying for college is going to fall on your shoulders, the U.S. Department of Education's office of Federal Student Aid is the best place to turn for assistance. I bet you didn't know that we're the largest provider of grants, loans, and work-study funds. All of which are easy to apply for. And when it is time to apply for aid, head to your favorite spot to complete the free application for federal student aid or FAFSA.
Each October, a new FAFSA is available for the next school year and completing it is free when you go to the official website, FAFSA.gov. Your selected colleges will use the information on your FAFSA to figure out how much aid you'll get so make sure your info is accurate, but if you need to, you can go back and make some changes. If you get a grant or work-study job, congrats, you won't have to pay the money back. However, a federal loan is borrowed money, and you'll need to promise to repay it. Remember to borrow only what you need because a federal student loan is a real loan, just like with a car or home loan, it's important that you understand what you're agreeing to. Although college financial aid and the prospect of an instant noodle diet can be a little overwhelming, you'll be putting yourself on the path to success when you take the time to plan out your options and let the office of Federal Student Aid help you along the way.
If you have questions or need more information, please visit studentaid.gov. - We understand that college is an investment and requires careful planning. And as a degree from Academy of Art University is and investment that can create personal, intellectual, and professional gains for the rest of your life. Full cost of attending the Academy of Art University are covered in detail on our website. Here's how you start the process. Step one, fill out an application for admissions.
There's a link in the meeting that will take you to the application, and once you finish the application, you'll be assigned an admissions representative and your representative will be your go to person for all things academy. And if you need help with the application, feel free to call us directly at 1-800-544-2787 and we will personally help you through the process. Step two, complete your free application for federal student aid, or better known as the FAFSA. Be sure to include our school code which is 007531. As soon as you fill out the FAFSA, we can create a budget worksheet so that you and your family know what to expect.
Finally, once you've completed these steps, we will connect you with your personal financial aid representative to help you review options and create a customized and estimated financial aid plan together. We will tailor a manageable financial aid plan to help you cover the cost of your educational investment. Your journey begins with these three simple steps.
So we've covered a lot of things today. Key points to remember, you can't start a journey without a first step. Apply to the university. An admissions representative will walk you through the admissions process and guide you through the program that best suits you. Creating a financial plan. Financial Aid is help to build the plan for you and your family.
And remember it's all about learning skills. We can teach you the skills, you need to put in the effort and do what you love for a career. On that note, I'm going to introduce an alumni Jan Philip Cramer who took his love for animation and film and made it his career. And remember, a journey always begins with a first step.
Let's take a look at his journey. - This is what I love doing and what I have focused my career on. Chasing this dream of making CG just as life like or as real as possible. (thrilling music) I just love this, I love making films.
I love making performances on characters that you don't even think about. They might be the bad guy but you still like them and it's because they have so much character. As an animator I was very young in the industry.
I moved over to Weta and worked on Avatar and I was just so proud being in the room with those people. And then after three years you're done, and seeing that becomes the most popular thing of all time there is a great deal of satisfaction in life when what you create is beloved by people. Now that my career has evolved, I oversee a department of people that are all trying to create fantastic work. I wanna find ways to have them thrive and have their creativity come to life. Going to the academy for me was quite important in my career.
I learned more than just animations. Once you become a leader, all of a sudden your gamma has to be way larger and I think you look into your feedback on more and more things. It really helps I think to have a well rounded education and have more understanding and background in art in general. One important aspect in my career was this year I became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
That was extremely emotional and I just started heavily crying and I did not imagine that I would react like that. I wanted to be part of this since a child because I grew up in Germany, it's just impossible to even think about working in Hollywood when you've never been there. For me, being apart of the academy it means giving back to the community, and I'm super proud to be part of that. - Well as always, I'm impressed with what our students and alumni do every day.
So thanks for hanging with us. We'll be happy to answer any questions you have. We hope you found this helpful and feel that the academy is where you want to be. There's no better time than now to start your creative journey, and we invite you to join our community, no matter where you are. So take the next step and apply towards a career you will love. Just click the link in the live chat to start your application.
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2022-07-12