#rizdee

FAN - BATH CADY - SHOWER SHOES - CAMERA - BACK PACK - UMBRELLA - PRINTER - BATH RUG - HANGER - STORAGE BINS

Other Items You Might Need:

WASHI TAPE/ POSTER PUTTY- MIGHTY STRONG BOOTS -  GOOD COAT - SKETCHBOOK - WATER BOTTLE/ THERMOS/ MASON JAR - OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATION - LOTS OF QUARTERS - EXTENSION CORD - STICKY NOTES - NAIL CLIPPER/ SCRUBBER/ BUFFER/ FILER/ REMOVER - BIG MIRROR - AREA RUG - SMALL LAMP - BED BUG MATTRESS COVER - SWIFFER/ HAND VACUUM/ ANTIBACTERIAL WIPES - SNACKS - FRIDGE/MICROWAVE

Art Supplies:

Buy at 2nd life as soon as you get your list or get the chance to buy at class. A lot of newsprint, charcoal, drawing boards, cutting boards, scissors, box cutters, xacto knives, and portfolio bags

Safe to buy from home: glue of every king and tape of every kind andlots  masking and duct and double sided. 

The Obvious:

Clothes. It's only hot for a few weeks. Make sure you bring a couple of coats. Long Johns and Leggings don't hurt for super cold days or on crazy snow days where you just wanna be outside all day. Lot of dark colors to camouflage the charcoal is cool too. Pack comfy sleep clothes. Don't forget socks, underwear, and shades. For shoes, shower shoes, running shoes, boots, and etc. 

Snacks & Food. The Met is open until 1 in the morning for pizza, ice-cream, and fruit/salad. Sometimes what you're craving isn't there and sometimes, it's 3 A.M. and you want ramen or something healthier like dried fruit and almonds. 

Furniture/Bedding: Optional small furniture like a bookshelf, magazine holders, clothing/drying rack (for hanging or drying), a lounge chair, pillows, mattress pad, comforter, blanket, sheets, duvet cover. 

Toiletries: shampoo/conditioner, face wash, body wash, and lotion, towel, and laundry bag (w/ detergent & fabric softener). Don't forget sunscreen if you know you need it!

1- Hi, should I go ahead and  buy adobe software on my own for my personal computer before I get to RISD or do they offer a discount of some sort once you’re a student there?

If you were already planning on buying the Adobe Suite anyway, go ahead and buy the Adobe software. There is no special “RISD discount.” However, for those who are not sure whether or not to buy the software, you can save $$$ by using the RISD computers, which have most programs you will find yourself needing throughout the year. RISD computers are found in the lab in Homer, lab in Waterman, and the library. The hours of availability of those resources may be limiting. In that case, you can just buy the Adobe program for the month of your project since they charge you monthly. Click here for terms and conditions: http://www.adobe.com/misc/subscription_terms.html. 

2- I know laptops are not required but do you recommend buying one anyway? Do most freshmen bring laptops with them foundation year? Do you think it would be safe to buy a Macbook this year to continue throughout college? Or would it be safer to rent a cheaper laptop for foundation year?

In freshman year, you most likely (like 99.8%) won’t need strictly a macbook to do your work. If you don’t have a mac yet, I would wait until you get into majors because new upgrades and technology always spring up year after year. You will receive an e-mail from your department next summer.

However, having a laptop in general can be very helpful. Possible reasons for needing a laptop: late night essay writing, e-mails from your professors/supervisors/RA’s, online reading assignments, taking notes during class, digital projects, etc. I would say compare prices between buying a cheap laptop and renting a laptop and make your own judgement.

3- I am an international student. I have a lot of suitcases. Where do I store them? One possibility is buying a storage unit. However, that can become expensive and inconvenient. What you will most likely end of doing is loft your bed and store your luggage in the space you just made. 4- Can I bring furniture?

There isn’t much room. Keep in mind that everyone gets a desk, chair, bed, mattress, drawers for clothes, and closet space. Some people bring rugs, shelves for books and storage, lamps, and small stools/lounge chairs. Also, many people rent microfridges. Other than that, it would be smarter to stay away from big furniture! The rooms are not mansions.

5- What art supplies should I buy in advance? What you need REALLY depends on what your professors want you to bring. Don’t buy the charcoal RISD seems to be crazy about. Your professor might prefer vine charcoal over compressed, 2-B over 4-H, Winsor & Newton over generic brands, etc, etc, etc! So, get here and buy the specific supplies, once your instructor e-mails you a specific list. Some instructors don’t send you a supply list. In that case, they will probably give you time on the first day of class to buy supplies.   However, if you want to save money, bring your essentials that you have laying around in your house! Items may include: ruler, tape (double-sided, masking, duct), pushpins, hot glue gun, glue (elmers tube glue or stick glues), portfolio bag, paint brushes, black sharpie marker, mechanical pencil, pen, scissor, and x-acto. Also, if you have a printer, camera, and tri-pod, that could become super useful. I bought a cheap $30 printer for freshman year liberal classes and it has come a long way! No need to be super fancy. 6- I’m from California. I am super new to east coast weather. What clothes should I bring? Bring a coat and by “coat,” that does not mean your fleece sweater. Bring at least one thick and warm coat to happily survive the below freezing temperatures. Bring a pair of boots or thick shoes as well. It snows and you need shoes that will help you block the ice from your feet. Also, keep your really nice white pants at home. You might risk them getting dirty! Many students tend to wear dark colors to better camouflage art supply stains, especially during drawing studio. 7- What are ways to save money in freshman year? How much do you think I will spend monthly? What do students do to make spending money? Is there even enough time to make money? ONE: Eat on campus using your meal plan. Eating out can really add up. Your section might have fun section dinners or your friends might want to go out and eat for a birthday. So, save your dining-out days for those occasions if you’re trying to cut your spending. TWO: When you’re at the RISD store, think about what you NEED vs what you WANT or think you’ll "need" in the future. A lot of students notice at the end of the year that they did not use half of what they bought. Buy your supplies when you need them.

THREE: Buy supplies at RISD 2nd Life on Westminster Street. It’s a student run second hand art supply store with cheaper prices.

Before move-out, RFB asked a few foundations students to for a tour of their room. Julia's room seemed like the perfect room to feature on the blog! 

Before entering, Julia described her space as "cozy." RFB agrees 300%. --Check out the rug and throw. 

Organization 10/10!!!

RFB loves how Julia keeps everything out, yet somehow manages to make everything look organized. 

"I knew I was going to live in a single. Mostly because I'm really messy...but, it's good to have a roommate because living in a single can become a little isolating sometimes." 

"I'm going to live in a co-op during the summer. So, it's multiple rooms within one house. It's the ideal situation for me." Trying different kinds of housing, like Julia is doing, might be something for the rest of us to try out throughout RISD. 

"[The pieces around the room] are mostly stuff that some of my friends from RISD and some of my friends from high school made and things I found."

Jae-Hee Olivia Park

Set of Free Drawings, 2014

Mixed Media and Charcoal on Muslin and Paper

Foundation year instructors constantly exhibit new freshmen work at the Watermen Gallery. Here are the latest projects on display: 

Throughout the year, the Met will host themed dinners. Last week, the Met put together "Pride at the Met."

The decor may have been the greatest part of the dinner. 

Freebies.

Yummy!

First off, CONGRATULATIONS! Relax and treat yourself for all the hard work. You’re done with the toughest part: getting in. Be ready for an amazing foundations year full of lots of art, art, fun, and art! Trust me, you are gonna love RISD foundations. 

Thank you for speaking up. You are not the only one who feels or has felt nervous. The work that is posted on the Facebook page is the best of the best work of the student who posted his/her art. —The best out of the batch. Let me tell you what students don’t post: their weaknesses.Once you start the semester, you will quickly notice that everyone has their weaknesses in addition to their amazing strengths. RISD chose you out of thousands of applicants because something about your art shined. There is a reason you are here. 

Lastly, never forget that you are coming to art school to learn. The more room you have for improvement, the better. Just make sure to come to RISD with an open-mind. —Some professors even prefer it if you did not receive any former formal training. Don’t make expectations or predictions for yourself. Just let yourself go, listen to your professors, and you will grow, grow, and grow. It will show in your work. Don’t be nervous. The risk-taking, hard working, and passionate are usually the ones who succeed at RISD. 

With the hectic freshman foundations schedule, keeping up with your faith, if you affiliate with one, can become a great challenge. RFB got a chance to chat with Aubrianne, Jaeyong, and Ana about their connection throughout foundation year with their respective beliefs. 

RISD Foundations Blog: Where you affiliated with your religion before coming into RISD? Ana: Yes. I grew up Jewish my family is Sephardic. I'm not really a Buddhist; it's just that my father has shared a lot of Buddhist philosophy with me over the past few years.  Aubrianne: I became a Buddhist nearly two years ago, in the summer of 2012. Jaeyong: Technically, I've been Christian since birth, but I made my own decision to actually have that as my Identity since high school. 

RFB: Do a lot of your peers seem to be religious or of the same faith? Aubrianne: There are definitely a few religious people out there, but to be quite honest religion seems to be a rather extreme quality in people; it is either everything or an aversion. 

RFB: Do you think your first few weeks were a little bit off? Was something strange? Was there a schedule you weren't accustomed to? Jaeyong: [The] first few weeks, if not longer, [had] been really difficult for me to balance out my spiritual life and RISD life, but now I realize it was my mistake to even separate those two in the first place.

RFB: How has keeping up with your faith benefited you throughout the tough year? Jaeyong: Pursuing after my faith has always helped me to have purpose, to remain hopeful, but above all else, to be fearless of failures, which led me to be more ambitious with my works.

RFB: Do you do a weekly attendance of your congregation? Aubrianne: I have never been associated with a formal temple..for the most part I practice on my own, but I make time for something nearly everyday. 

RFB: Has it been a challenge to remain faithful? Ana: Yes. I think that having faith in the unknown is extremely important, and also humbling. I've certainly struggled with the unknown and the lack of control that I feel because of it.. and there have been times that it has made me very anxious...Faithfulness for me is less a connection with the one god, and more of a radical acceptance of the unknown.