#scad help

HAI!!! So short answer: YES GO TO SCAD

Longer answer:

Hey! It's great to talk to you! So as a motion media major, I dont have a lot of information on the dramatic writing major. BUT I do have a LOT of info on the school as a whole!

Money

Scholarships

So I really sympathize with your situation as I came into SCAD in an INCREDIBLY rough financial situation with my family. I still am! And it's true, scad is pricey, dude. but. There are resources. If you want specific links and resources, I would not mind at all talking to you through more replies or through dms, whatever you feel comfortable with! But from a general standpoint, what i recommend for you is emailing the scad advising team (your advisor) or the scad admission department and asking them about your undergrad scholarships. If you have a lot of high school credits, good grades, GPA, leadership positions, awards, etc. Anything like that, I would tell them about it! I would tell them anything about your position, your circumstances, why the school is important to you, what you need, all of that! Tell them everything and try and get everything you can out of them through scholarships to cut down that hefty cost. I know some people here who got over 20k from just doing that, going back and forth with the advising team. It's especially helpful if you talk to them about what other schools may be offering you in comparison. I would also recommend going to the scad website and looking at THEIR resources for outside scholarships. So far, they have been so much more authentic and useful than niche or scholarships.org for me, at least.

Loans

So I ended up getting a pretty decent number in scholarships for my first year, but i was still left with a LOT of money I needed in loans. I think my best piece of advice here is to not be afraid of loans or debt. Yes, you should respect this is a big decision and that you need to take it seriously, but the fact is that the majority of people are in major amounts of debt and they still live their lives. I really recommend, if your family is able, to apply for the FAFSA Parent PLUS loan. It is super reliable, and it's through FAFSA, which is LEAGUES better than private loans. If you are going to look for private loans, then always focus on those apr rates, but I really don't recommend it, period. I would also recommend accepting those smaller loans scad offers. Now, a warning about the Parent PLUS loan, you need a decent credit score for it. Well, maybe not you, but someone in your family does. I come from a single parent household, and my dad's credit score was denied for the loan, so we reached out to my grandad back home to be an assistant on the loan. What this means is that, while the loan is under my dad's name and he and I are responsible for paying it back, they are using my grandads credit score as collateral. Now, this loan has to be refreshed every year, so you are stacking the loans on top of each other, but this is normal. This is what everyone does, so dont be intimidated. Plus, there's always a chance you can increase your scholarship number as the quarters go one, so hopefully, that loan amount decreases each time!

Prep

Build and submit a portfolio and resume if you haven't already. There are pretty hefty scholarships for a good portfolio and resume. I ended up earning some of my money from that, so if you ever need help, feel free to reach out, but remember your advising team (should) always be there to help! You mentioned being a dramatic writing major; your portfolio can include your writing works, but i would also include any other works of art you've created if you have other mediums of art. And if you don't, that's okay!!! It's just always helpful to have a diverse portfolio.

School life

On the topic of the school itself, I will be fully honest, no matter who you are, there is a community here for you.

I personally came from a super weird and out of the ordinary high school and even with those odd social standards, I have had NO problem meeting some of the most wonderful people. I encourage you to join the discord groups they have for upcoming scad students and exploring some of the groups they ahve as you get accustomed, and then branch out if you do choose to go here! There's so many clubs, sports, teams, groups, everything you can name is here! Maybe not as many sports as one would like but even then they have some crazy stuff lol! Actually, in that same vein, i actually volunteer with the freshman kinda outreach program they have called SCAD Squads? It's a group that organizes these super fun events for students to get to know each other and have fun throughout the quarters from huge karaoke nights with strangers to color runs to game nights and whatever else we can think of! So just trust me, in a social aspect, you will belong.

School itself

It's worth it. 1000000%. I know I'm only a year in, but oh my god. I have made the most insane and wonderful connections through this school. From celebrities within the fields, I like to professors that have done EVERYTHING. The professors are almost always more than qualified for what they teach in a way that gets you excited to learn from them. It really is a dream. Not to mention, the work is insane. Yea, the workload can be a bit much for some people depending on your major, but it is so worth it. My art has dramatically improved since I've been here, and the work I have done is vastly important. The classes you take here and the lessons you learn, I promise you won't find anywhere else. In fact, SCAD even has a copyright on how they teach their classes I found out lol. So quite literally you won't get it anywhere else. Point is, yes it's expensive, sometimes it may even feel like more pricey than its worth, yes it's hard work, no it isn't perfect, but I promise you it is worth it. The amount of times I have been walking home from class and just seen the sun set over the trees and felt so overwhelmed with just how grateful I am to be here.

Complaints and warnings

This school isn't perfect. You will meet those asshole guys who you're surprised go to an art school when they've got those weird homophobic views or whatever. You will meet rude professors or classmates or faculty. You will feel dissapointed by a grade or hurt at the loss of a scholarship. I mean dude were going through a housing crisis where SCAD is accepting more people then they have rooms for! There are problems with this school, but you will find they all seem small when you are walking down Broughton with a group of friends and the knowledge that you will be leaving this school with a job doing something you love. I know this all seems like an insane advertisement or an invitation to a cult. But I need you to understand I'm a real person dude. I was a kid who came from a rough home and world where I didn't feel like I would ever find a place that felt right. I came from a place where I thought I would never escape the things I was going through. And now I'm living my dream doing what I love every single day. It's like disgusting how much of a walking advertisement I've become lmao.

Conclusion

Sooo hey everyone. My roommate and I have signed our lease for our off-campus housing. Yay! I am looking forward to the move and yet...not looking forward to the move… We went with 1 of 3 apartments close by in the area. In my opinion, off-campus housing is the most economical and sensible way to go if you care about your money. If you don’t, then by all means check out on-campus housing. But for those who are having a hard time deciding between the two cost-wise, I have finally made a chart visually comparing the FIRST YEAR cost of living for incoming freshmen and transfers depending on the choice of living style.