Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

My original plan was to go to Suffolk Community College; it's less expensive and much closer to home/work as opposed to going to a four year art school plus I felt it was a good way to get my feet wet. The problem I'm concerned about is getting my four year degree; will the associates I get transfer to a four year degree?

I just don't want to get through my associates only to find I have to complete another four years of school to get my bachelors degree.

I know it's down the line, but I know someone who transferred from one art school to another and in the end only got like six credits. I will die if that happens to me!

I checked SCCC website and the schools that they work with aren't really art based and none are actual art schools so I'm kind of worried.

Am I being ridiculous?

Re: Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

It will depend on how the 4 year school evaluates the credits. Is there a way you can call the 4 year art school's admissions department and speak to a transfer counselor? They would be able to tell you what courses would transfer and what would not.

Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

No, you are not being ridiculous. You need to check it out carefully. I know someone who wanted to get a paralegal degree and for housing reasons kept switching schools, only to find out later that some credits wouldn't transfer, or that she had been badly advised or choose her courses badly and still needed to take more. So be certain.

Speak to the art school you would like to go to about what it accepts and what courses a transfer would need to have completed. My cousin went to FIT in NYC, and another relative is about to graduate from Parsons. FIT is much cheaper. Both started as freshman. It might be worth going into NYC to get a degree. Good luck!

Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

You are definitely not being ridiculous. A 4 year college not taking all credits from a community college is not uncommon- my cousin had to do an entire additional year because her school would not take all her credits from Nassau.

Re: Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

Re: Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

Do you definitely need/want a 4 year degree? depending on the field a 2 year plus experience may be enough. However I completely understand just wanting the education for it's own sake.

Art schools are more specific, so I see how Community College credits may not transfer. FIT is part of the SUNY system, so they are a more affordable option ( and close to Penn Station.)

I wonder if FIT may be more amenable to taking community college credits?

You should also look into a 4 year on LI that might transfer better to an art school. It is still more $, but then you don't have to deal with the commute right away. I wonder if staying in the SUNY system might help--like Farmingdale to FIT, maybe?

Or maybe NCC works better with art schools that SCC?

Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

I went to FIT and I know so many people who transferred and did not get a lot of their credits transferred. FIT is very specific with their classes and credits they will accept. I would def check with any school if your plan is to transfer and see what they will or will not take.

Re: Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

This is such an important factor in choosing a school. I received my associates and transferred to a university school that had an agreement to transfer most of the credits for the specific program I went for. If you are interested in SCC, ask them if they work with four colleges that take their credits (for your intended major) and ask what colleges/universities they are.

Also, see what four year colleges you are interested in. It might save you time and money to just attend the 4 year college to begin with.

The core classes should transfer like English, math, science, but often times they don't.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Re: Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

Also see if schools have online classes, some of my courses were online and it helped a lot with less traveling. Or even hybrid courses where they meet once a month or every so often and the rest is online.

Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

I checked out sccc and unfortunately FIT isn't a school that they work with for transfer students. Actually it seems none of the art schools I'm looking at (or not) do. I want to get my degree in graphic design which sccc has an associates degree in but my concern is that they don't have any kind of reciprocal program with any art school be it on LI or in NYC.

Ideally, I want the four year degree. I do have graphic design experience but I want the four year degree.

I think I have a lot of calls to make and see what I can do.

Re: Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

Re: Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

Probably not what you want to hear but my cousin has a degree in graphic design from SVA and tried very hard to get a career going after finishing the program, and was unable to. He now works in CUNY processing financial aid for incoming students. He is now pursuing a grad degree for free at another CUNY for some other type of graphic arts field.

I think school choice matters a great deal with specific fields, and as others have pointed out, its not wortg wasting your tuition dollars on a program where you will not be able to transfer them to another school, or worse- not get a decent paying job out of it all.

Re: Spinoff to Going back to School for a Career Change: How did you pick the school you attended?

what type of art job are you going back to school for?

i am the creative director at an ad agency and my degree is in graphic design. The resumes for the designers and programmers that I get now, a lot of them come from programs/certificates that are offered, rather than 4 years school.

When hiring, in my field, what matters is their talent and mastery of the programs, I don't look at degrees.

The problem with a 4 year school that is not a specific art school like SVA, parsons, FIT, you spend a lot of classes filling up requirements.

If you are going the graphic design route, I see a lot of kids coming out of briarcliff that have fantastic portfolios - also farmingdale has a design program which seems decent and affordable.

Also, have you thought about the continued education program at FIT --- great program - you get a certificate at the end - graphic design, web design etc..... it seems fantastic.

Also, look into getting yourself a subscription at lynda.com. Its the best. you literally can teach yourself any program from there - illustrator, photoshop, indesign - can allow you to skip some introductory classes.

Just something to keep in mind, depending what specific job you are headed to.

Message edited 4/10/2014 1:55:41 PM.