Are you one of the many thousands of people who want to enroll at an art school, but aren’t sure which one is the best for you? Well my buddy Mike Ngo of ArtSchoolReviews.ca has developed a website to help you decide on that very question. The website deals specifically with schools in the Vancouver, BC area as there are quite a few to choose from. And if you did not know yet, Vancouver is considered to be a central hub for game artists, VFX artists, web designers… and generally a decent recruiting ground for many companies designing games, movies and Web 2.0 applications. So if you’re planning on getting into the industry, Vancouver may be the city you’re looking for and well, ArtSchoolReviews.ca may be the final tool you need in deciding what school you want to go to during your time in Vancouver.
From the schools you have to choose from, there are many that have great names and experience behind those names. But instead of hearing from the schools website or the schools tour guide, wouldn’t you really want to hear directly from the students who have ‘been there, done that’? Some of the schools to choose from consist of schools like the school I went to, Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts), Vancouver Film School (VFS), the Art Institute (AI), Lost Boys Learning, Think Tank and Emily Carr. Many students have taken the courses at these schools. Only some have actually been hired as a result of their education at these schools. Obviously, each person is going to have a different story… a different education experience that may or may not result in a new career at the end of their journey. In the end, it’s up to you and your determination that will be the deciding factor on how successful you will be. It’s what you make it.
So in order to find out what ArtSchoolReviews.ca is all about and why it got started in the first place, I decided to ask the designer, Mike Ngo, a few questions:
What is ArtSchoolReviews.ca and why did this all get started? What is the main goal of this site?
ArtSchoolReviews.ca was created as a side project for me. I am a web-designer by trade, and I was looking to learn wordpress/php and develop my skills in that regard. The idea itself was something I had wanted to do for a very long time – to create a central hub where aspiring students could hear directly from alumni of the various art schools in Vancouver.
The main goal of the site is actually threefold. The first of which is to give students and alumni a venue to voice their opinions, good or bad. The second is to provide first-hand information about these schools to aspiring students. And lastly, to hopefully hold the schools accountable to their students, address any issues at hand, and hopefully propel the education system forward.
Which school did you go to and why did you make the decision to attend that specific school?
After high school, I went on to attend the Foundation Visual Art and Design program at VFS. I was desperately in love with film, and naturally, VFS seemed like the next step. I wanted to attend Film Production program, but ended up enrolling in Foundations since I had won a scholarship.
What was your first impression of VFS and how did your first impression change once you graduated?
I was completely naive when I first entered VFS. I thought the whole school would revolve around me, and somehow make me the artist I wanted to be. I quickly realized that my education was my own responsibility. I had to be the one to make the decisions, do the work, get critique, and make things happen for myself.
When I graduated, I realized VFS was just a means. It was a way to become a designer, animator, or director, but it was in no ways a guarantee. I just hope ArtSchoolReviews.ca can help aspiring students realize this even before stepping onto campus – you’re going to have to make things happen for yourself.
Ultimately VFS and other schools alike are businesses and will have a bottom line to live up to. That doesn’t mean that they can’t provide the education you need to succeed. Just make sure you don’t kid yourself. All of these schools require hard work, dedication, and yes…a lot of luck.
You can read more about my own personal experience with VFS here.
If you had a chance to re-live your art school experience at VFS all over again, would you? Or would you do things differently?
I would definitely go back to VFS again, if I ever had the money to “burn”. Unfortunately, I don’t ever see myself with that kind of disposable income to go to VFS again.
Honestly, I can’t say that I would have made any changes to my education. I live by the decisions I have made, and there’s nothing that can be done about them now. I am, however, looking towards the future and ArtSchoolReviews.ca is where it’s at for me.
Besides knowing how beautiful Vancouver is to visit and live in, why do you think so many art students move to Vancouver to go to school? Are schools in Vancouver superior?
Vancouver is definitely a mecca for schools in general. We pride ourselves for being an international city, and I think this is reflected in the amount of schools there are here. I don’t think any other city can offer the variety of public/private institutions as we have here.
Vancouver is a natural draw for international students as well. International fees here are in many cases lower than comparable US schools, which helps in attracting students from all over the world. Students know that they can get the education they want for less and gain industry access by studying in Vancouver.
It seems the site you have developed can certainly become a powerful voice in the industry the more it grows. And it is indeed growing. Where do you see ArtSchoolReviews.ca a year or two from now?
I’m already blown away by how large ArtSchoolReviews has become. The site does end with a “.ca” so maybe we’ll venture out and include reviews from other larger Canadian city. That’s a long time coming though, and for now we’re content with just making the site work for Vancouver.
The site is very much still in its infancy, only 4 months old, and there are still many features that we’re looking forward to implementing. That being said, our focus will always be about the reviews, and we’ve received reviews for maybe 10% of the programs out there. There’s still a lot more opinions that need to be voiced, discussions to be had, and reviews to be received.
As more and more students become aware of this site, it is our hope that the insider information we provide ultimately leads them to success.
The Gamer Report 