RISD’s campus will be a beehive of activity tomorrow as students and many others participate in a student-organized sharefest of their personal work, projects and interests.  If you’re here, stop by and enjoy, or be sure to visit the site to see what’s going on.  If you join us at RISD, you’ll always be encouraged to challenge the usual, stretch your capabilities and reach beyond the easy stopping points.  So, let us know… Ed Newhall, Director of Admissions,  contact me at enewhall@risd.edu 

In the last post you learned that the decision letters have finally been mailed. We know you have been waiting patiently for a while and we want to thank you for giving us time to complete out reviews. As those letters travel through out the country and around the world we know there are those of you that have made personal friends with the mail carrier in your neighborhood, checking daily for a letter from RISD. Those of you who are still waiting…hold tight, it will get there soon!

To help you through these final days and hours I have interviewed two RISD seniors about their application experiences. They have experience and insight into this whole process and a little advice to offer.

Susanna Vagt is a senior from the Chicago area and Kate Selbert is from Bridgeport Connecticut.

 Tell us about the experience of sending in the application? How did it feel to finally send it in the mail?

Susanna: 

I brought my bike drawing to Portfolio Reviews in Chicago (hometown), for feedback.  The admission officer I met with suggested I rework it and study more from life.  So I did!  The moment of folding the drawings into quarters stand out painfully in my mind, and I still remember writing out “2 College Street” on the envelope.  I sent all the materials at once so the moment had some serious gravitas.  
 


Kate:

I was most excited about the bike drawing. Motorcycle? Tricycle? Can it be a car? Or just a bike. A friend’s mom let me borrow her antique pink bike from the 50s. It was pretty sweet. It had tinsel on the handles AND a basket. I should have just sent in the bike itself (the admissions committee would not have been impressed). Folding the drawings was a bit painful but finally sliding my application into the mailbox was gratifying. 
 


Did you visit the campus prior to applying?

Susanna:

I did visit. My first impression was how joyful all the students were. I watched people carrying canvases and lugging pieces of wood.  There were beaming charcoal-covered faces coming out of freshman drawing studios.  Students at RISD are not angst-ridden, they are glad to be making and studying art.  What could be better?
 


Kate:

I came in the spring so I distinctly remember walking up the incredibly steep hills for the first time, looking at all the magnolia blossoms (there are a lot of magnolia blossoms. My tour visited the apparel department and we saw the lines of dress forms and in textiles; the loom room and shelves filled with spools of yarn. There was a lot to see, I enjoyed it. 
 

How did you feel while waiting for the decision? Were you nervous, excited, relaxed?
 


Kate:

I got my decision pretty quickly because I applied for the early December 15th deadline. I knew by late January so while most of my classmates were still panicking I was sitting around, relieved, waiting for September. I had to wait a while, since it was January. I think I was more stressed waiting for September than when I was applying. While I was waiting for decision I was applying to Cooper Union, but stopped as soon as I got my acceptance letter. That may seem pretty ridiculous, but it saved me a few years on my life (there are a lot more than three drawings due for the Cooper Union application).

Susanna: 

I, too, applied for the early deadline, but I was waitlisted to the second deadline.  It was really difficult when I got the letter from Ed Newhall that my application had been put on hold until April.  So as not to freak out, I used the waiting time to continue making art and re-consider whether RISD was the best fit for me.  By the time the second letter came, I’d calmed down and reassured that my future wasn’t doomed.  But only slightly.
 

Where were you when you finally found out? Explain your experience.

Susanna: 

I was in English class when my mother called.  We’d agreed beforehand that I would open the mail from schools, but with RISD’s letter there was no need: ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ was spelled across the envelope.  
 

Kate:

My mom called my high school guidance office and paged me to the front desk. When I called home there was no answer and I immediately figured something was wrong and that someone was in the hospital. I spent all day panicking and wanting to go home. When I got there, of course, there was the ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ envelope on the kitchen table. I figured out why she had called me pretty quickly. 
 

What advice do you have for those applicants checking their mailboxes right now about the whole process?

Susanna:

Put the time to good use: cultivate a new hobby, learn to play the nose flute, study tree-identification.  (Some people’s definitions of ‘good use’ vary.)  Waiting for the envelope actually was a valuable time for me.  It helped me evaluate my interests and work on art more. RISD doesn’t exist to determine a person’s life; it’s here to fuel a passion for art that already exists and hone skills.   
 

Kate:

Sue is right. I’ve found while being here it’s important to have other things to be passionate about besides art. These interests feed back into your art and make it richer. I know a lot of kids here who join the Brown choir, learn archery, crew, learn Chinese, go running on the weekends or learn semaphore (flag language fyi). This is less advice for waiting for your letter, and more general advice. As for waiting for your letter: learn to knit (it’s more relaxing than you may think). 

Many Thanks to Kate and Susanna for their advice. If you wish to see some more of their art work check out their websites here:

Susanna:  www.susannavagt.com

Kate:   www.coroflot.com/kathryn_selbert

Good Luck everyone!

Leon Paul Hovanesian II

Contact me:

lhovanes@risd.edu

All of our freshman decision letters went in the mail a few days ago and everyone in the Admissions Office is now taking a deep breath.  There were so many wonderful candidates in the applicant pool this year and, as always, we could not admit everyone we felt was deserving, and prepared,  for the possibility of joining us at RISD.  Whether the news you receive from us is positive, or not, or somewhere in the middle (don’t give up you waiting list people), we want to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who made the big effort to apply and share your work and interests and aspirations with us.   For everyone in the Admissions Office and on our faculty Admissions Committee, it is always an inspiring time to see all the energy, talent and hope among this emerging group of artists and designers.  We’ll be in touch!

Ed Newhall, Director of Admissions, contact me at enewhall@risd.edu

It’s reviewing time of year here at RISD, which means that there is a tinge of drawing fixative in the air and we are hunkered down at our desks with boxes of files.  Let me just say that reviewing applications is one of my favorite jobs.  I always appreciate how willing you all are to grant us a window into your lives.  Through the artwork you submit and the topics you choose to write about in your essays, we get to know a bit about your background and interests and view of the world. We learn about your personal tragedies and triumphs.  It’s a very interesting process for us, and not something we take lightly.

Hopefully by this point your college applications are complete and you can take a deep breath and start focusing on all the other important things in your life again.  But what exactly happens to all those application materials that you carefully package and mail off to colleges? Well, let me fill you in on how the process works here at RISD.

Every piece of information you send to us ends up in a file folder with your name and RISD ID number on it.  We spend a good week after the deadline processing all the mail we received, and sending out completion notices to everyone whose application is finished.

Once everything is filed, applications are broken up into two different groups.  Group one is students who expressed an interested in Architecture, Interior Architecture, Industrial Design or Furniture.  Group two is every one else.  The qualities we look for in an application are more or less the same for both groups, but we tend to be a tiny bit more concerned with how 3-D design major students are doing in math and science classes.

Over the course of a few weeks, all applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee - a fifteen person board composed of admissions office staff and faculty.  Each application is looked at twice.

After every file has been evaluated, we meet as a full committee.  We discuss and vote on any applications where there was a major disparity between the two evaluations, and we finalize admissions decisions.  The committee meetings are a great culmination to the review process, because they give us an opportunity to reflect on all the drawings, artwork and stories we’ve encountered over the course of the year.

From there, we compose decision letters and mail notification on April 1st.

So, until then, good job on all of your hard work, and best of luck with your applications to RISD and all the other schools you applied to!

Meryn Hall, Admissions Officer

Contact me at mhall@risd.edu

When I was a young child, my grandmother would always have a jigsaw puzzle under way on a table in her living room.  She taught me the patience and careful observation that eventually brought all those hundreds of pieces together in a new whole.

Choosing the students who will be part of the next class at RISD is a bit like putting together a beautiful/fascinating puzzle.  As we now pass our application deadline and continue to sort all of the drawings, CD’s, transcripts and recommendations into the waiting application folders,  it reminds me of sitting with her and organizing all the individual pieces to begin to create the whole.

Our Admissions Committee members are now beginning the rigorous process of reading and learning about all of the talented individuals who aspire to challenge and develop their skills and their lives over the next four years at RISD.  We are always excited by the anticipation at this time of year, as we “meet” a new generation of creative thinkers, who we know will be shaping our world in many ways in the decades ahead.

You invested a great deal of effort in preparing your application and we will do the same in discussing our sense of how you might benefit from, and contribute to, RISD.  We know we will have more highly-qualified applicants than we can accept in the class, so we will try to make a skillful blend of people with different ideas, skills, perspectives, backgrounds and aspirations to create the most intriguing and inspiring puzzle here in Providence in the coming year.

Hats off to those students who were recently added to our  new puzzle from our first application deadline.  Those acceptances went in  the mail at the end of January and, if you haven’t been there yet, admitted students might want to visit the RISD 2013 Facebook group to begin to meet people who could be your classmates in September.

Ed Newhall, Director of Admissions, contact me at enewhall@risd.edu

The final deadline for freshman applications is upon us, and confusion abounds!  Is it a postmark deadline? A received by deadline? Are you open on Sunday?

Hopefully I can dispel the panic and confusion once and for all (or at least on this piece of things).

First of all, February 15 is a receive by date–we want to receive all of your application materials by this date.  This is not a postmark deadline.

As it happens, the deadline falls on a Sunday, and the next business day is a national holiday.  What this means for you is that you have two extra days to get your materials to us!  Make sure we have all of your materials by February 17th.

Finally, a story:  Last year, on February 14, a student was on her way to mail her drawings to RISD.  As she walked down the stairs, carrying one of the drawings, she tripped and spilled cough medicine all over the drawing.  She called me in complete hysterics.  I reassured her that a drawing with cough medicine on it would be fine, but she wanted to re-do the drawing completely, so we gave her an extension on the deadline.

We want you to be able to complete your application, so if some kind of craziness happens and you need an extra few days, give us a call.

Lucy King, Assistant Director of Admissions

Contact me at lking@risd.edu

The freshman deadline is coming up soon, February 15 is the day we need all the materials in Admissions. As applications and requirements flow everyday into the office, we start seeing the familiar names of great students we have met that past few months. My fellow Admissions Officers and I travel all over the United States to visit high schools and attend Portfolio Days. I had the privilege of traveling to Puerto Rico recently and meeting with the islands many talented students. While on the island I worked with RISD alumni and gift glass artist Nikos Flores. He took time out of his schedule to accompany me and speak about his experiences as a RISD student and to review portfolios.   Nikos invited me to tour his glass studio in San Juan and see some of his current work. I was able to snap some great images of him working at his furnace and creating some blown glass work.   Many thanks to Nikos for his help. Nikos is in the process of expanding his glass studio to work with interns and students. His mission is to develop Puerto Rico’s first totally dedicated school/program for hot glass. To learn more about Nikos work and studio, feel free to contact him at Nikosflores@gmail.com.  

The alumni network is one of the many aspects that makes RISD such a special place. RISD and Providence will always feel like home for alums, and the almuni network lets you take a piece of that home with you where ever you establish yourself. From Rhode Island to the island of Puerto Rico. Where do you think you will take RISD (or find it)?                

Leon Paul Hovanesian II
Admissions Office
lhovanes@risd.edu    

Here’s another freshman project from the Foundation Studies exhibition in the Woods-Gerry Gallery.

 This is from Martie Holmer’s 2-D design class. The assignment was called The Great Pilaster Project. Students started off by researching architectural elements and decorative designs from various cultures.  They were also given limitations such as the dimensions of the paper and the use of gouache. It also had to have a man made element, a floral element, and a human/animal element incorporated into the project. What I like most about this project is the students’ varying interpretations of the assignment.

The show will be up until Feb. 15^th.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Antonio Peters Admissions Officer

apeters@risd.edu

Foundation Studies has a show up right now in the Woods-Gerry gallery. It is an amazing show, with well over a hundred freshmen projects on display. From drawing, 2-D and 3-D classes.  This is a project from Wendy Seller’s fall semester class.   

The assignment was called Head/Hand Project and the only material students could use was chipboard. The form had to be self-standing, asymmetrical and could be observed from all angles.

The work from foundation classes will be on display from January 30th to February 15th. If you are in the area come take a look!

If you have any questions about foundation studies or the show, feel free to contact me any time.

Antonio Peters Admissions Officer

apeters@risd.edu