Savannah College of Art and Design Summer
Are you a budding artist looking to expand your portfolio during the summer? Consider the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Rising Stars Summer Program.
This challenging five-week program awards college credit to rising high school seniors who are ready for a university experience at SCAD Atlanta, SCAD Hong Kong or SCAD Savannah. Students enroll in two college-level classes and have the opportunity to build or enhance their portfolios.
Whether attending in Atlanta, Hong Kong or Savannah, all SCAD Rising Star participants utilize university spaces — from classrooms and computer labs to studios and production suites — in the development and completion of class assignments. SCAD libraries, galleries, and other resources are also available. Students participating in the residential program live in a SCAD residence hall, and all students enjoy meals at a SCAD dining hall.
SCAD describes its summer program as rigorous, and students participate in accelerated versions of SCAD’s standard courses. Tuition isn’t cheap, but scholarships are available if need can be demonstrated.
Where: Atlanta, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; or Hong Kong
How Long: Five weeks
Specific Subjects: Computer Art, Creative Writing, Studio Arts, Design, Textiles, Filmmaking, Printmaking, and much, much more
How Much: $6,000 (includes tuition, room & board); $4,400 (eLearning program)
How Do I Get Started? Go to their website and apply.
How do I expand this narrative arc? Thinking Community Engagement + Environment + Art:
Decorate a local basketball court with Project Backboard
Enhance your community’s beauty with Guerrilla Gardening
Launch a competition to create an artistic design on a local storm drain
HOT TIP: This is an interesting opportunity for a teen with art in his/her narrative arc, and could be a good jumping off point for an interesting essay or a thematic link between art interest and art study. See below for more information about summer programs in general.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SUMMER PROGRAMS: College admissions officers are very adept at identifying “resume padders”: expensive, one-off programs paid for by your parents which do not mesh with your narrative arc. Therefore, make sure any summer program or course you consider falls into one (or more) of these four buckets:
Highly selective/competitive
Totally unique + linked to your narrative arc
Evidence of adulthood (long hours, multi-year commitment or simply hard work)
A jumping off point or expansion for an authentic narrative arc.
If none of the above apply, a program could still have value to you if it allows you to test a potential interest. However, if it does not end up being a jumping off point for further interests, then you may not want to mention it in your high school resume