Top 10 Art Colleges - Otis College of Art

Find out more about this Los Angeles Art and Design College

Aug 4, 2009

Comparing art colleges? The Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California answers questions that help to describe the unique selling points of the school.

Named for its founder, General Harrison Gray Otis, the Otis College of Art and Design boasts an urban campus that's close to the beach. As one of the top art schools in the United States, Otis' Communications Director Margi Reeve took the time to answer some questions about the College for potential art students.

Can you briefly describe the flavor and feel of your campus?

Otis has trained artists in Los Angeles since 1918. It is an urban campus, about one mile from the beach and the city's art and entertainment centers. First-year housing is in a nearby apartment complex, and upperclass students live off campus in the nearby communities of Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, Playa Vista, and Mar Vista.

How many students do you have?

What is your largest major?

Fashion design and communication arts (graphic design/illustration/advertising design)

Can you briefly describe your financial aid?

We offer merit-based scholarships and need-based grants, as well as work study programs and loans. Our financial aid counselors work closely with students and their parents.

Can you provide the number of scholarship programs?

What percentage of your student body has some kind of financial aid?

Of that percentage receiving financial aid, what is the average percentage of their tuition being covered?

Besides learning the nuts and bolts of creating art, how do you prepare your students business-wise for a career in the arts?

Through professional practice courses, internship programs and career counseling. This year, the internship fair drew more than 300 employers from the area. Many employers, including gallery directors and museum curators, visit the annual exhibition of work by seniors.

Career counselors advise on career options, grad school admissions, résumé writing, portfolio preparation, and opportunities for exhibition, scholarships and fellowships. Our alumni network and online job boards are valuable resources.

How is your college involved in the community in which it is located?

All students enroll in site-based Integrated Learning courses with community partners. This year, students worked with Homeboy Industries, Global Green, Center for Study of Political Graphics, and Friends of the Ballona Wetlands.

For students who live on campus, what features are there in the community for them to engage in?

There is no campus housing but students participate in the rich cultural and recreational life of Los Angeles.

What is unique about your college that makes it the best choice for attending?

Otis College of Art and Design is ideally located in Los Angeles, a city that has long been a magnet for artists, dreamers, and innovators from around the world. Its sunny climate, frontier history, and open landscape have engendered a unique spirit that values

ideas, diversity, and creativity. Otis' unique mix of art and design majors offers young talents an engaging means to develop their creative best while linking them to careers and opportunities that will better the world and forge a more sustainable future for all. The trademark Foundation Year Program paves the way.

The upperyear majors offer internship opportunities, which provide invaluable career experience before graduation. Our exciting Integrated Learning curriculum teams undergraduates to address real site-based issues with a variety of community partners. Otis has evolved over the decades to meet the changing needs of students and society. Yet the heart of the school remains constant.

Otis has welcomed generations of students into a nurturing environment, where instructors are mentors, and students are encouraged to find their individual identity and artistic voice. Otis students learn from teachers with active professional practices and multiple points of view. The College has stayed true to its mission statement: Otis prepares diverse students of art and design to enrich our world through their creativity, their skills, and their vision.

The copyright of the article Top 10 Art Colleges - Otis College of Art in Art & Society is owned by Mary Rayme. Permission to republish Top 10 Art Colleges - Otis College of Art in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.