On the Road to College with Betsy Woolf – Savannah College of Art and Design

With its admissions building located on perhaps the prettiest street in Savannah, Bull Street, just steps away from bucolic Forsyth Park, the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) is an urban school that is all about the arts – fashion, fine arts, entertainment arts, building arts, communication arts, design and digital media. It’s located in a Southern city noted for its history, hospitality, architecture, culture and live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss.

Most of the SCAD buildings, which are located throughout a three-mile area of downtown Savannah, have been restored, and a shuttle bus system is available to take students around the “campus,” although many students bike. The program is on a quarter system – 10 weeks per quarter with a seven-week long winter break. There are liberal arts requirements, which vary by program, and students do not have to declare their majors until the end of freshman year.

Students studying at SCAD will find small classes. Lectures are capped at 30 students, and studio classes are capped at 20. The food served on campus is predominately organic and local. There is a tea room run by SCAD students, a SCAD Museum of Art, a SHOPSCAD that features goods created by SCAD students and grads, and activities that include an International Festival, a Sidewalk Arts Festival in Forsyth Park, and a celebration of fashion, design, architecture and of course, style, called SCAD Style that features industry experts like Alexander Wang and Betsy Johnson. Shows at Trustees Theater include 3D films; it also is the site of the annual SCAD Film Festival.

Students who apply to SCAD apply to the entire university, so in addition to studying in Savannah, they can study in Hong Kong, Atlanta and Lacoste, France, just outside of Paris. Portfolios and auditions are not required for undergraduate admission, although applicants are encouraged to present portfolios or audition when possible to enhance their applications and to be considered for scholarships. Once a student applies (admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis), he or she works with a personal admission staff member who will recommend any additions to the file, such as letters of recommendation or a resume. The average test scores at SCAD are an SAT of 1000 (critical reading and writing) or an ACT of 21. Students apply using the SCAD application.

Oh yes, and the beach is only 20 minutes away!