New York University

Date: Nov 22 2009
Major: Fine Arts - Painting/Sculpture/Photography/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a studio arts major here at NYU and although this school may have a great reputation and really good external resources for an artist considering the location, I ultimately view Steinhardt to be extremely overpriced. Although we pay the same amount as the rest of the students here our program is overlooked when it comes to divvying out finances. I think a lot of out tuition money goes to pointless aesthetics such as extravagant staircases. The studio facilities are awful, the Barney building is our only resource, which is an old building that has undergone some renovation, but maintenance really lacks as well as space. The classes seem limited because of the spatial problem. If your thinking about sculpture I would avoid this school. The wood foundry is fine but welding is the only metal work available. Casting is completely out of the question. The general feeling of the program is very open, the curriculum focuses on contemporary art and half of the work produced is conceptual bullshit. It's refreshing to have a school that allows you to develop your own individual style but at the same time it seems that they may lack the initial structure needed. Te critiques are pointless. Half of my teachers have no constructive criticism, and I often feel that they lack the motivational skills to help the students that are really struggling. It seems that the professors are just talented artist but poor teachers. I think the tuition here is outrageous and really just not worth it for a studio art's major. This is not a major that is going to lead to extreme wealth so if your thinking about getting into debt over this I would advise otherwise. NYU is not an art school, don't let the name distract you. I often feel like I have just been bought and in the middle of some business transaction, but for the other schools here like Stern or CAS it really could be worth it. You purchase this reputation so later you can be bought. NYU is a good school and maybe worth your money depending on the department, but I do feel like Steinhardt is a joke, do plan to transfer out. However, there are a lot of people who are really eating up this program and may be getting enough out of it. I just come from a more traditional educational background and am really tired of seeing googled images of penis's and piss in jars being passed off as good art.