MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art)

MICA (visited 6/8/23)

This is a great school! I had driven by campus several times and finally found time to go visit. Campus is a great mix of new and repurposed buildings built into the historic district of Baltimore – including one of the old Rail stations. Students have access to a lot of things on and off campus: there’s a Light Rail stop on campus (and students get discounts on this) so Baltimore – and DC – are really at their fingertips.

The Light Rail station with a MICA building behind it.

Students don’t declare a major coming in (but can indicate an interest on their application). When they come in, all students take part in the required Foundation Year/First Year Experience. They all take drawing classes but also get exposure to working in indifferent mediums like digital and sculpture. In that first year, they get to choose 1 elective which could – but doesn’t have to be – related to their intended major. Students will declare their major in the 2^nd semester.

Our tour guide had a lot of good to say about facilities on campus as well as the professors. Classes cap around 16 students in order to make sure they have access to materials and have attention from the teachers. “They push us out of our comfort zones and are always looking for ways to push boundaries and be on the cutting edge of artistic options.” She took us through a lab where they use things like bacteria, mushrooms, fibers, and other natural things to create sustainable and eco-friendly art. They’re in the process of creating a full major for this (and they already have an Ecosystems, Sustainability, & Justice major).

MICA is innovative in how the offer classes to make things as accessible as possible, including offering half-semester class and workshop options. Students have the flexibility to take electives in whatever they’re interested in to personalize their education. Our guide, a Fibers major (she came in as Interdisciplinary Sculpture) took a Glaze workshop where they were taught to make their own glazes for ceramics. Students and the school push interdisciplinary boundaries and encourage students from different disciplines to work together. Graphic Design (which is a phenomenal program) often partner with Printmaking students.

An interior view of the old Rail Station which is now filled with labs (including weaving looms), art galleries, classrooms, and more.

MICA sets their students up to succeed:

• Not only do they learn all the artistic skills they’ll need but also the business side and other ways to make sure they can work and support themselves as an artist.
• Their Ratcliff Center for Entrepreneurship pulls in students who are interested in running their own businesses; the business classes are geared specifically to artists. They also have Shark-tank type competitions to get start-up funding.
• Internships are required.
• Students can sell their work in the store on campus as well as at Art Market in December.
• Students can pursue a join BFA/MAT in Art education; students going through this program have a 100% placement rate.
• All seniors have studio spaces. Seniors can request to have a weaving loom in the studio.
• MICA graduates have access to all the resources on campus here even after graduation including databases with internships and job boards.
• JHU/MICA joint film center is close to MICA’s campus. MICA offers a Film & Video minor for undergrads and an MFA in film.

Part of Founders Green Dorm Complex

Founders Green is a great dorm complex and has the only student parking lot on campus. The freshman suites (and almost all first-years live on campus) fit up to 4 people (and has a full kitchen!). There are some singles. Interestingly, students have to bring their own desks! Our tour guide loved living there – but unfortunately it got cut short by Covid. She said she was actually surprised at how much she enjoyed the people she was living with: “I thought the other students would be stuck up but I made lifelong friends, especially since we got kicked off campus.”

For admissions, they require a portfolio of 12-20 finished pieces; they want to see technical skills as well as concepts and themes – and they prefer that the portfolio matches the student’s interests so they can assess if the applicant is likely to do well. “If they want to go the extra mile, combine this with a theme/concentration like you’d do for the AP portfolio. If it was a solo exhibition, could you write a single statement of explanation?” said the rep we met with. The portfolio is a major part of the app combined with the GPA – that determines the merit-based scholarship, awarded at the time of admission. Admissions counselors are happy to meet with them during the process: “We aren’t here to judge. We’re here to help and guide them.” National Portfolio Review days are also a good option in order to get feedback.

The rep recommends taking part in MICA’s or another summer program: “Students can get credit, work with a faculty member, live on campus. This is a really great opportunity to figure out if you really want to go to art school. It may not be what you think it is – or you find out that you don’t really want to be immersed in art 24/7.” If cost is an issue, scholarships (need and merit-based) are available.

They’ll read the essay. “We often see the same one over and over. If you want to stand out, don’t tell us that you started art at 3! Tell us something different.”

© 2023

Spalding University

Spalding University (visited 9/23/19)

I had no idea what to expect from this school. I thought I’d spend an hour or so talking to the rep, poking around campus a little, and leaving. I didn’t have hugely high expectations. I knew that it was very much an urban campus, Catholic, and from everything I had heard, a small regional school – all of which is true, but I ended up liking several things about it. However, there are a few things that would make it a hard sell for students from outside the area.

Campus map showing its integration into the city

What makes Spaulding unique is their approach to classes. This is a great school for someone who is looking for a different way of scheduling. There are a few schools in the country where you can take 1 class at a time (usually for 18 school days) and then move onto the next. This is similar but with more flexibility. They split their semesters into three 6-week blocks with a week off in between. Students take either 1 or 2 classes in each block with classes meeting Monday-Thursday for 1 hour and 40 minutes each day. This allows students to take up to 18 hours in a semester while never taking more than two classes at a time and to customize the class load to meet graduation goals. Because a 12-credit semester is considered full-time for Financial Aid and athletics, they can choose to take only 1 class during 1 of the blocks each semester. This is particularly great for athletes during their in-season, students who want to do internships, seniors studying for the LSAT or MCAT, etc.

The Contemplative Garden in progress

The school was founded by Sister Spaulding (Sisters of Charity of Nazareth) when she was 16 in order to “teach girls crazy things like science, math, and reading.” They trace their nursing program back to a cholera epidemic when some students asked doctors to teach them to care for people with the disease. Today, they maintain their Catholic heritage, but the mission extends far beyond that. “We’re as Catholic as you want it to be, but in reality, we’re more historically Catholic than actively Catholic. There’s Mass offered on Tuesday but it’s never required.” Students have to take 2 religion courses, but there are 20+ to choose from. They are currently building a Buddhist Stupa, a contemplative garden, and a Zen labyrinth in an empty lot next to one of their current buildings. You can check out the contemplative garden here.

Part of the interior of the original old house.

This is definitely an urban campus. The original building is a gorgeous historic house that was built in 1879 by distillers. “Surprisingly, it became available in the 1920s!” (Fun fact: it’s said to be haunted by a mischievous boy). In the courtyard right outside this building sits a Tulip Poplar, the largest tree in the city. Since the university opened, they’ve bought up several buildings in the surrounding blocks, but there is no central campus although there is a lot of green space, including a 5-acre site that used to be an overgrown parking lot. “We’re trying to bridge the gap in the revitalization.” There is very little security in most of the buildings (although we saw several officers around; it is still an urban campus!),

The Tulip Poplar

but signs on side doors ask people to use main doors for entry. “You can exit from any door, but only enter in some because of security,” said a rep. They have 8 acres of athletic fields about 4 blocks west of campus. They open these to the community, as well. They have some lined for field hockey and lacrosse but don’t offer them as varsity sports at this point. Most of the buildings are very well maintained and/or have been renovated. The library did smell a bit musty, but they were some really amazing hammocks inside, donated by the President of the college.

Some of the hammocks in the library donated by the college president.

The College President, Tori Murden, was the first woman to row across the Atlantic (check out her book Pearl in the Storm), the first woman and first American to ski to the geographic South Pole, first employee of the Muhammad Ali museum. She’s doing a lot of things to help the university (she grew up in Louisville and earned her MFA in Writing from Spaulding). Although they don’t have a huge endowment, they’re in no danger of closing. “We err on the side of caution. We don’t borrow. We do fundraising instead of using tuition dollars, and we don’t build anything until we can fund it.”

Columbia Gym with the replica red bike over the door.

One of their main buildings is the Columbia Gym which now houses several sports teams, an indoor batting cage and golf center, a large auditorium, and more. Over the main entrance is a replica of the bicycle which was the imputus for Mohammed Ali to start boxing; he had left it outside the building and it got stolen; he went in for help, and got introduced to a police officer who taught boxing. When Clay said he was going to beat up whoever stole the bike, the officer said he’d better learn how to do it properly and started training him.

Spaulding has 1700 students with undergrads making up about half of that. Incoming classes have 150-200 each. “We’d like to be closer to 210-220.” Retention first-second year is 76% with graduation rates in the 60s. “It’s not where we want it to be. There are several factors that feed into that,” said the rep. “One big one is that we tend to take chances on students that maybe other schools won’t. They often say the right things in admissions but can’t walk the walk. We’re over 50% Pell Eligible here. We try to give them wrap-around support, but for some it’s more difficult.”

“We’re striking a balance between supporting people but also being mission-appropriate in reaching out to people who need it,” said another rep. They’re working with an Educational Advisory Board to try to increase success rates. They have a software programs that will look at things as simple as tracking attendance and using analytics to look at courses like the SU100 (intro to college). “If you aren’t successful in that class, you won’t be successful in others. It’s an effort class: If you show up and turn in the work, you’re going to get an A or B.” They take conditional admits who complete an intensive 1-week bridge program over the summer and meet with success coaches throughout the semester. To be an unconditional admit, students need a 2.5 GPA and 20 ACT (or SAT equivalent).

One of the many courtyards that helps make it feel a little less urban.

Dorm capacity is about 450; students coming from further than 50 miles away must live on campus for 3 years. Local students are welcome to live on campus, but they want to provide an opportunity for them to stay at home if that helps them finance their college education. Only about half the undergraduates live on campus, making Spaulding (at least as a non-commuting student) a harder sell – but students find connections through athletics or video games or even the city! “You’re in Louisville and there’s a ton of great things to do off campus, including UL (DI) football games.

Conversely, the price-point is phenomenal and makes this an easier sell for students! The cost of attendance for tuition, fees, and R&B (double occupancy and a standard meal plan) falls just under $33,000! They have some really good scholarships, too, including:

• Heartland Scholarship: anyone coming in from outside Kentucky gets a 10% reduction.
• Bonus award: This is worth $1,800+. Students with an 18 ACT+ composite score (or an equivalent SAT) receive their score x $100! Scholarships are stackable up to the Cost of Attendance.

Classes are kept small. The largest ones are usually 20-25 in the first year and 12-14 in upper levels. Many of the majors are profession-focused: business, communication, education, psychology, social work, and natural science including the pre-professional and Health Science tracks.

• Students can double major in Accounting and Business and graduate in 4 years!
• They have a BFA in Creative Writing and a renowned MFA program.
• Criminal Justice started in 2019 with concentrations in Corrections, Forensics and Electronic Crime, Juvenile Justice, and Law Enforcement.
• Nursing: there are spots for everyone as long as they meet the minimum GPA requirements and pass the entry exam.
• Fine Arts has concentrations in General FA, Graphic Design, Digital Media, Painting/Drawing, and Interdisciplinary Sculpture.
• The Center for Behavior Health provides counseling services for low-income in the area (students can get clinical or shadowing hours), and students can get EdPsych testing done for free by the Psych Doctoral students!
• Students can come in with AP credit for scores of 3, 4, and 5, allowing them to graduate early and save tuition money.
• Spaulding has paired up with Western Kentucky University for a Study Abroad consortium. WKU has a winter term right after New Years. Spaulding students can enroll in the pre-class during Block 3 and travel right after the holidays.
• Students can supplement their schedule with classes at nearby schools (up to 2 per term)

© 2019