Cooper Union School of Art Q&A

@cooperunion

47 posts

Are cooper art students usually good w finding a job by the time they're graduated

I can’t speak for all graduates, but honestly I believe that cooper students have better chances than other art schools. Its rare to find Cooper graduates that regret going here. Mostly because the student/teacher ratio is so low (8:1 for most classes), which allows you to network and reach out to professors for jobs, advice, etc. But also because Cooper’s focus is on self-motivation and creative problem solving, which are really beneficial skills to have once you’re trying to get gigs. Ultimately I think it depends on the kind of student, what kind of career they’re seeking, and how they spend their time at Cooper.

How is the financial aid at cooper when you aren't eligible for the fafsa

I’m not sure! I would have to direct you to the admissions/financial aid department. They might not pick up lol but shoot them an email or try ringing a few times.

Gahhh, I've been thinking about applying early decision, but what happens if I'm accepted and they don't give me enough money to attend?

Not sure how that works-- I would call up the admissions or financial aid department.

do I have a higher chance of getting a full scholarship if I apply ED?

Full scholarships are based on financial need (ie FAFSA) and are not first come first serve. Just make sure you hit all the deadlines.

How big is the portfolio envelope is it hard to fit all your materials in it

There are specific dimensions to the hometest box-- I’m not sure exactly what it is this year but make sure you read all the fine print. Applications will be automatically rejected if they dont fit the dimensions. If you mean the portfolio envelope within the hometest box: up to you.

Okay !! So I see here that along with a portfolio submission, it's recommended we submit a sketchbook. Is this supposed to be a sketchbook completed to perfection on some CalArts type shit, or is a regular, everyday sketchbook okay? And do we absolutely HAVE to mail our portfolio materials, or can we scan and send digital copies?

Your sketchbook is an integral part of the application– though I wouldn’t say it has to be CalArts type shit at all. The definition of what a sketchbook is can be completely up to you: stapled receipts, notes for the hometest itself, diaries etc all are things I’ve heard people submitting. Whatever it is, just make sure it feels honest, personal, and speaks to ideas you’re interested in or want to convey.

re portfolio materials: Cooper loves to have physical things. Send in photos if need be but it will not come across as well as sending original copies/physical objects.

Hi! This is an unofficial student-run blog to help you out with your cooper application process, since cooper is so unhelpful about it. Ask away

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random person here: my gpa is a 3.8, SAT is a 1240, and my drawing skills are about a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most impressive; what would you say my chance are?

Honestly cooper doesn’t care about grades or scores, or even drawing skills-- they care about your creative problem solving kills, and mastery of visual language. Sometimes even that isn’t enough-- Cooper is so arbitrary with acceptances because their focus is to curate a grade of artists that can play off each other and learn from each other. I can’t tell you at all what your chances are-- but good luck!

#hydrochloric-kid

what do graduates of the school of art find themselves doing for work after college?

Theres a wide range of careers school of art graduates end up getting into, which is definitely due to the nature of cooper: Super indisciplinary, so that you don’t just graduate with one arbitrary skill, but visual language skills and creative problem solving skills that you can apply to any creative career. We have alumni leading interactive design experiences at IBM Watson (Jenny Woo), or directing Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins), etc, etc, etc.

Cooper graduates are pretty in demand, but you have to work hard at networking (with professors especially), and creating an applicable body of work to the direction you wanna head in. You can get yourself some pretty good gigs if you apply yourself.

hey !! I have a few questions. what's the art climate at cooper like in comparison to schools like sva or pratt (is it more fine arts / traditional oriented, or are things like comic art prevalent, etc.) ? also, in terms of a portfolio, does everything have to be super realistic, or can I have a balance between realism and stylistic work ? I come from from a low-income family (my dad makes 35k a year to support 4 people), how much in loans do you think I'd have to pay? thank you !!

re: art climate

Cooper is definitely more contemporary fine arts focused. But many people interested in illustration or comics use this to their advantage, and end up graduating with a body of work/ portfolio that is much more unique than schools like SVA.

In terms of portfolio:

No, everything definitely doesn’t have to be super realistic. As I’ve said before, portfolio isn’t really as important as the hometest. You wanna be as experimental as possible, as thoughtful as possible in your hometest. If you are drawing for some prompts, realism should be a specific decision, there should be a reason for it. Balance your skills (ie. show them you can draw, can paint, can sculpt, but also try out mediums youve never touched before). Cooper is an interdisciplinary program, and they are looking for people who aren’t afraid to do it all. I would look up some accepted hometest examples online so you can see what I mean.

re: financial aid

Though the financial aid office is notoriously chaotic because of the lack of people they have working there, they’re actually pretty good in helping out low-income students. Cost of attendance, and the amount of financial aid offered here is definitely significantly more than other art schools. A lot of people attend for free, and Cooper even completely covers rent for some.

Good luck!

i want to apply to the school of arch. do i still have a good chance of being accepted if i have no experience w the technicalities of architecture but have always been interested in it and possess good drawing skills?

Yes. Cooper is more interested in potential than inherent knowledge re: architecture or the art world.

I hear cooper is an extremely challenging environment but would u say the stress/workload is worth it at the end of the day?

Heavy. Especially freshman year. But definitely do-able. For most people, the environment is so different form their lives before that the stress goes hand in hand with excitement. There will definitely be many sleepless nights, but you will feel very productive.

After freshman year, you are in charge of how challenging your environment is, based on your coursework. Cooper also really encourages taking a gap year or gap semesters throughout your 4 years. But all in all I would say its definitely worth it.

How hard is it to get in for Illustration? What should my portfolio look like?

The school of art just has one major: Fine Arts. That being said, you can focus on whatever you’re interested in, i.e only taking drawing, painting, or printmaking classes. There are no courses focused on illustration or figure drawing or anything like that-- but you can still do it in other classes.

Your portfolio should show what you are interested in, but I wouldn’t spend too much thought on it honestly. Your hometest and sketchbook are what matters at the end of the day, and you should focus on being as experimental as possible. Try mediums you have never tried before, be vulnerable, pour your heart out!!

when do you usually get your financial aid package? and does it also include loans? only one of my parents is working and they’re not sure if i can afford living in the dorms

Usually around May. It includes everything your eligible for, including loans. If one of your parents isn’t working that usually should reflect in your fafsa-- cooper is pretty generous with financial aid. A lot of people I know didn’t have to pay for tution or even housing, cooper covered it all. Good luck!

are there any classes that go till late evening/night? (like past 6-7 pm)

Yes. Many classes run from 6-10 pm

Hey! I'm a va major at Baltimore School for the Arts lookin at colleges and so far cooper is my top pick. Could you tell about what kind of scholarships i could apply for?

Cooper gives every student a half-tuition scholarship. Additionally you ay qualify for financial aid. There also is a Merit Scholarship, that’s around 1-2k per semester, but thats it! :(

When you get accepted to this school do they give you a “starter kit” like a bunch of new art supplies ?

I wish!

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