Everything You Need to Know About OCAD

[@monkymoo6726]

Things to consider before coming to OCAD: - there's no res: you're spending shit tons of money living downtown, or a still a bunch of money AND time commuting. - there's nothing to do at OCAD besides art: seems expected, but i mean, you don't have many experiences to participate in other hobbies (ie. sports, clubs, etc.). the school only offers you art because they specialize in it, so while other universities have a large student body with diverse interest and thus start lots of clubs for you to join, chances are, you're not going to get that in ocad. so if you want to have other hobbies, this place isn't really going to help. - from above points: you don't really get a "college experience", or you get a really different experience. most people still live at home bc they can't afford downtown rent. there's not a lot of clubs you can really join to accelerate the friend making process. - you need to actively go out to make friends; and with that, you kind of see a repeat of high school with cliques, you can see the group of "popular girls". (though, it's not as bad as in high school) - the school is not as prestigious as you think, but it's as intimidating as you think. there are better art schools out there, just know that. just because it's a university now, doesn't mean it's a good school. i want to say 15 people from my highschool applied, only 1 was rejected, 3 of them got early acceptance from portfolio review day. maybe that speaks to my highschool more, or it's that the schools not as prestigious as it seems. nonetheless, people still carry the place as being very great, which can be kind of intimidating. you're also surrounded by lots of talent so if you're not in the right mindset, it can be really scary and stressful - you're investing a lot into art. think about that before you come. it's like 7k a year, but you also have to think about art supplies, printing, materials, tools - it's more than just a flat tuition. - Consider if you really want to go to art school at all. The guys in this video had a point, certain programs, you can learn everything yourself. consider what you're planning on getting out of going to school - it needs to be more than just "to get better at -program name-", because frankly, you can do that on your own. It's not like going to study to become a lawyer, or an accountant or whatever, you can learn just as much on your own in art without having to spend tons of money on it. There's plenty of good reasons to go to art school, but you should consider it before coming to ocad - to add on above. because ocad specializes in art, there's a real limit to what else you can learn here. So unlike most other post-secondary schools, you can take other classes and learn other things. At ocad, you can only really explore ... more art. You can be in any program at another university and take an art elective but you can't come to ocad and take an electives about most other things. - also, you have no fall back if you change your mind about art. If you're debating, there's no way to test the waters before you change your program, you may be able to transfer some credits, but otherwise, you have to recommit to completely changing programs. - know your program. look at program guides. a lot of programs are actually really structured, where you're not getting any choices in classes until 2nd year, and even then i'll be from a list of liberal arts. You might not get open electives until 3rd year. but that's only some programs, so check yours before hand. Things to consider when you come to OCAD: - FUCKING GET A LOCKER! cannot express how big of a deal this is! even if you think you won't need it, you probably will. DON'T BE DUMB AND THEN MOOCH OFF YOUR FRIENDS FOR A YEAR. But if you REALLY think you'll need one, if you have a friend, consider sharing one, split the cost and share (they recently raised the prices of lockers anyways, so ...). it's good to have a place where you can put stuff, in case you really need to. - If you commute, especially by gotrain, be careful of the cycle you fall into. you'll likely end up coming to school, going to class, then rushing to make sure you catch a train - this is especially so for certain lines that only run during certain times, or trains that slow down at certain times of the day. You'll likely sacrifice being able to meeting new people. consider that, because a lot of people end up not really having a social life with people at school because they need to catch a train right after class. - try to talk to people outside of your year and program. reasons above and below this note are plenty, but it's just good to know what else happens in the school. - consider thesis profs early on. look into who the thesis profs are, and take their classes so you can get an idea on what kind of prof they are. it's risky going into thesis with a prof you've never heard of before. Especially in first or second year, when things don't matter as much, try not to repeat profs, it's good to learn as much as you can from different people anyways. - also, see if you can learn more about the assignments you'll do with each prof. they all have different approaches to teaeching the same course, some will align more with your interests. For example, 2nd year illustration has a class you have to take called media stuido digital, where you learn and explore digital mediums. it's a broad topic, some profs will teach you photoshop and illustrator very in depth, so if that's what you want, consider Castillo. But others, will teach you a little of everything, ie. photoshop and photoshop animation, illustrator, maya, after effects, 3d modelling and animation, etc - ie. consider Coburn. They both also have very different ways of approaching the class. Castillo does 3 week assignments, Coburn does weekly projects. You're not going to be able to find this anywhere else but talking to people in the years above you. - learn as much as you can about things outside of just your courses. it's so important in art to be diverse in what you do. the more skills you can pick up, the better for you. you don't want to come out of 4 years at this school and realize you've only gotten better at 1 skill, and have learned nothing else. - Don't take rate my prof as gospel. it's honestly a really bad indication of what the prof is going to be like. you only really get extreme stories on there, of really good or really bad reviews. you lose a lot of middle ground and you're honestly not going to know until you're in the class. also, rate my prof deletes a lot of ratings, especially ones that mention favouritism, which can be a really big deal in some cases. - it's honeslty a really ugly and old building. nothing else. it's just really ugly. the interior aesthetic is cracked concrete floors, chipped paint and sharpie graffiti. - don't walk up the stairs between the 4th and 5th floor of the main building. the 5th and 6th floor is the big floating box, there's like 10 flights of starts between the 4th and 5th floor to take you up to the floating box. it's not that bad coming downstairs, it might make you kinda dizzy, but still. - a lot of things are poorly designed, most doors are stupid - they should be pull but they're push, or vise-versa. room numbers don't make a lot of sense. There's probably a lot more to add but this is a long enough comment. These are a combination of things from my friends from a variety of programs. Take everything with a grain of salt: we are all very similar personalities, so you might not have a very diverse point of view.

[@RebekahFeliciano]

Thank you for taking the time to write this! Really helpful ~

[@violetcampbell9974]

seriously thanks I'm grade 11 and I suck at everything except art so gotta see which us best

[@newparadigm4161]

Love your comments. I am a alumni graduated before the campus was upgraded. In those days, we printed out our work to show the instructors.

[@daysgone_by3825]

thank you so much for this comment, I was really considering ocad but I just might have to change my mind a bit.

[@Saba-su4ld]

what school do you recommend for industrial design?

[@keemyaparsa7603]

The most shocking thing I’ve ever heard: a university with no gym

[@sunkun983]

Those guys on the bench are the realest

[@joanaffleck7880]

I don't think so.

[@joanaffleck7880]

We where the rebels in the early 70's.

[@JD.727]

Here's one thing I wish I knew about OCAD: They will not teach you art skills. Maybe in a few of your first year general art classes, they will offer some technical instruction, but the majority of classes are "make it and I'll mark it." They think they will teach you "conceptual skills," but is that something you can really learn from attending school/is it worth it? I am realizing the more classes I take here, that they expect you to have all the technical skills you need before you attend, or you will not have the artistic skill toolbox to succeed. If you have gone to a high school that offers art in-depth skills, you're in luck! But then, why come at all? The best thing is probably teaching here -- you'll make sunshine list money for critiquing student art and you can wear whatever you want to class.

[@Saba-su4ld]

omg..what program did you study? and what school do you recommend for industrial design?

[@discoballer]

Stop 😂 The grange was there for me when no one else was 😭

[@panizsalehi1968]

PLEASE DO Ontario Tech University

[@joanaffleck7880]

I went from 1968 to 1971. I am glad I did. I was good but not perfect. But you did learn to be an individual and create your own work. Even though there where some instructors who fraught against individual creativeness even back then.

[@violetcampbell9974]

do you know what jobs that could be available with going here

[@mikko4794]

1:14 so don’t come here for the fine arts? But I applied there for animation.. can someone explain why?

[@AshleyLowis]

A bunch are talking shit about this university when you make it what it is, I had a great time in my program and learned a lot when I went there a few years ago. A number of people not taking advantage of all that it has to offer shouldn't be a deciding factor for you to not attend. I know many who went to high ranked master programs here and ivy league schools in the US after completing their undergrad here. I also think they're improving their classes and working their way up because they were initially a college, so this transition does take time and testing what works and doesn't. They have some amazing talented professors and students. Go to their yearly graduation exhibit and judge for yourself on the quality of work produced.

[@kiarakim490]

oooh that last advice super good!

[@sarrahpatla2108]

Can anyone suggest a good place to study Graphic designing. I'm looking for a degree (most of them offer a diploma :/) Also how is the GD program in OCAD?

[@sivjos7703]

you may find interest in the advertising program at ocod for the bachelor of design

[@haleyanddeana8882]

this is the only school where i can major in graphic design and minor in photography, if this place sucks that much idk what to do. York i can do graphic design, but they have no courses in photography.

[@chrisw395]

You can learn photography in a club probably

[@jessforan7810]

They have courses in photography, idk what you’re talking about. We have darkroom and digital classes

[@jessforan7810]

you need to look in visual arts, thats where photo classes are

[@aikowatanabe2711]

Shout out to Nicholas J Sagar !

[@zoeb102]

is there any good universities that'll lead me to an animation career in Toronto? I'm having trouble finding one.

[@jessforan7810]

Sheridan is good

[@santinomondaca5173]

@@jessforan7810 not in Toronto

[@khricket]

@@santinomondaca5173 then no.

[@snacksgobrrr5910]

Algonquin college is actually a top school for animation in Canada! A lot of students who go into the program get jobs out of the gate after graduation. I'd say you should take a look at it :]

[@beatricesiaw8776]

1:49 LMAO!

[@Campbellsoup-y8u]

If not ocad what other schools offer good art programs??

[@sparrows3232]

some people say Sheridan does

[@alisa2702]

ryerson if your looking at film/photography or animation etc not fine art

[@talyakooper774]

Ryerson University for interior design

[@michellebagchi1461]

@@sparrows3232 sheridan offers a double diploma instead of a degree

[@ines7101]

@@michellebagchi1461 sheridan animation is a bachelor’s

[@alivi1pw0]

kinda late but can anyone tell me some tips for preparing an art portfolio please? i want to attend ocad u and metropolitan toronto university, the illustration programme. I'm so confused about the portfolio stuff rn

[@ruilover8829]

I think that you need just to expressing your art in many kind of forms? You need to make like a realistic art, Cartoons, traditional arts, perspective arts, complusory, building, colors. There’s an up coming application coming around November if I remember it, you still got more time to prepare for your art portfolio. I’m also gonna apply too but I hope I won’t get rejected lol. Goodluck tho!!

[@ruilover8829]

There’s a web where you can put your portfolio in too. I think they told about this in their channel

[@Jinssoysauce]

Hello I want to Interior Design. I'm grade 12 and I've actually applied to ocad? Please tell if I should come here or reconsider because I have applied to other uni too

[@FreeddyPlays]

Im a 4th year at ocad. Its definitely not the university experience. Its a lot of work and long hours very few social opportunities

[@cassiebrittny982]

RECONSIDER!!! WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE

[@khricket]

@@cassiebrittny982 can you explain why? I'm a mature student looking to apply not afraid of hard work. Not interested in parties

[@talyakooper774]

Omg hi! I want to study interior as well.. I see that you posted this a year ago so where did you end up going?

[@jawadnoor2298]

This is not a complete uni....literally a mini college

[@cassiebrittny982]

That's the DAMN TEA F OCAD. WORST DECISION I EVER MADE WAS COMING HERE

[@mphigina]

Can you elaborate please. I'm considering going here

[@cassiebrittny982]

@@mphigina I have a video on my channel all about it. Check it out

[@joanaffleck7880]

It was on the tip of disaster when I went there in the early 70's. But I did start painting again later in life and it has been a release in freedom from the crap society pushes forward.

[@eduardotorres3457]

Universities shape u, but the hard works is all yours

[@OLPlalogi]

Go to Trinity Western University next

[@pidekpottery5933]

worst school ever attended that's what i wish i knew

[@joanaffleck7880]

Gone down hill to bullshit.

[@alicue6209]

what happened?

[@robod1scop910]

Guys on the bench were cringe as hell lmao