No laser cutter even? Wow.

I had mentioned a month or so back that I was looking into the Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) as an option to transfer to from Michigan. I was unhappy but more than anything just unsure about the quality of the education I was receiving in industrial design. Chiefly I was concerned about the perceived lack of product design experience and basic design skills at Michigan because of the openness of the A&D curriculum (after our core courses, there are a whole selection of advanced studios we can take, some offered regularly, some not).

This was until I got a closer look at the advanced studios pertaining to I.D. and had talked closer with professors. But just to be safe, and make sure I was making the correct choice, I visited CCAD, which was my top alternative to Michigan. They have a pretty well known ID group, but after visiting today, I have no clue why.

I was unimpressed with the facilities for industrial design for one, paltry and small at best. Also, after coming from a school like Michigan, where things can be hectic and unorganized, this school was a bit off (it was a college day type event, I was impressed by how poor everything was set up, tours before information sessions, not showing you any work spaces in the tour only showing you what some students have done). I was able to talk with the head of the industrial design department there for a bit and came away underwhelmed about the school. It seemed that while there was definitely a course structure set up for you, it seemed very rigid, with little opportunity to try different techniques. Also, being a small private art school, they had no possibility of minoring in anything other than art history or fine arts. I'm interested in a psych minor focusing on how people interact with objects to complement my B.F.A in industrial design I'm getting and my 3 year concentration on mechanical engineering. That's out the window at CCAD.

Oh and the kicker, here I am worried that Michigan won't be able to teach me the technical skills of design and model making and CCAD doesn't even have a freaking laser cutter, M has two. Or vacuum former, M has 2, one large one smaller. Or 3-d mill, M has 2 I think. Or rapid prototyping, M has one. I was amazed. How can you make really intricate designs look really really professionally cutting all by hand? Those CCAD ID grads must be wizards with a good ol' exacto knife!

Plus I'd lose a year in transferring schools, so it would take me 8 years to graduate. Nope, now way at all.

So yeah, I'm staying put at Michigan. If looking at other schools has shown me anything about M A&D, it's that we have some pretty cool technologies available to us and to be thankful for all the extra interesting opportunities that Michigan gives you.
Oh and I love Michigan football so that's a big plus. Columbus is kinda a sucky city anyway. Ann Arbor rules.

Thanks for reading! Go Blue!