The Academy of Art University

#academyofartuniversity: This "school" is really like the walmart of educational institutions. Greedy and profit-based. Everyone on the top is out to make a buck and the students get the short end of the stick.

You can go to a proper art school in san francisco like #californiacollegeofthearts or #sfai for the same price and get a first-class education. Most of the students do really good work but they are foreign and they do not realize that having a degree from AAU is like having a law degree from an online correspondence course. Yes, you technically have the degree, but it will not get you anywhere.

Most legitimate art schools screen their prospective students in based on their portfolios. AAU does not. It is a free-for-all where anyone who can write out a check is a future art student. You should know that you have the skills and background to be a good art student before you commit to paying all of that money.

Some students do not speak english well enough to understand the coursework and then have to take courses again

Instructors here have to teach a lot of courses each semester so they can not give their best, even though most of them are genuinely decent people.

The president lives in a penthouse in Nob Hill that gets featured in design magazines while most of her employees are struggling to make ends meet. They ride the bus and muni to get to work while she houses priceless antique cars all over the city. The disparity is sometimes too much to take.Do yourselves a favor and apply for the other great schools in SF.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2018

Surrounding City: B+, Collaboration/Competitive: F

Architecture Department:
I enrolled in AAU's architecture department expecting to receive the tools that would help me grow creatively and academically. I don't even know where to begin to explain why AAU's architecture department is so faulty.

First of all, I'm warning that although some places they advertise that the program is accredited. It is only accredited by WAASC, NOT by the architecture accreditation board. And they just started the architecture department so no one has graduated yet, and they still don't have the curriculum don't pat.

If all you want out of an architecture degree is to be a little creative, then go for AAU. Other than that, graduating with their BFA in architecture will do nothing for you. The classes that should be there to support your future in being an architect like physics, language,and mathematics are ALL A BIG FAT JOKE. Excuse me but - I want to be a seriously taken architect and I want to have a level of higher education in subjects other than what is esthetically pleasing for a building.

Most of students are fairly all nice, but some of them are unmotivated and are just wasting their time and money. Whats worse is that they think they're better than you just because they went to a few years of community college. If you're straight out from high school - don't go here. You'll be treated like a baby. A stupid one at that.

Theres no communication with the some of the staff and the head of the department Alberto Bertolli. He just sits around and doesn't give a fuck when the instructors try to talk to him about regulating the curriculum. He honestly has no clue whats going on when the students bring up an issue to him.

Dont get me wrong. There are a few good things about the department. The computer labs and wood shop are all new, and the printing system is pretty efficient. The IT's and the shop helpers are all super nice. The actual architecture studio itself really is a good class to take, but only if you're lucky enough to have at least one of the 3 good instructors there (Ethan Wood, Beverly Choe, & Geoffrey Gibson).

Overall:
If there were one thing to make you feel better about how dreadful the architecture department is, it would be the city of San Francisco itself. It's always alive and there's always something to do with lots of opportunities to meet people. Yes there's a big homeless population, but unless they're hobos in the tenderloin; they usually don't harm people or cause too much trouble.

The public transit system is pretty good, and if you don't feel like taking a bus everyone walks in San Francisco.

In the end you'll realize that San Francisco is your campus because AAU doesn't really have much of one. There is no school spirit. Since there really isn't a campus to unite the students, a lot of people kind of go off and do their own thing in the city. This could be a good or bad thing to someone.

To anyone thinking about going to AAU for majors other than the Architecture department: pretty much the only worth while degree is the Fine Arts.

My room mate was a Fine Arts painting major, and she loved every single one of her teachers. I've seen their course work and how much she and the other Fine Arts kids were improving and i can tell you that it is definitely professional grade work.

1st Year Female -- Class 2014

Surrounding City: A+, Extracurricular Activities: F

I am going into my second year at AAU, I transferred to AAU in 2009, completing a year at my community college to complete my liberal arts. I am an interior design major.

- First off, if you plan on coming to AAU, wait a year and go to a community college or state school to get your liberals done, it will save you a TON of money, theres no reason to pay 2200 for an english class when you could pay 200 for it.

- Also if you enjoy having a ton of time to hang out with friends and party, think twice about coming here, the homework work load is intense, especially in the IAD major. During finals week, which in reality is like the last 2 weeks of the semester, you wont see the outside of a drafting table of computer screen.

- The teachers in the IAD major are overall good, if you the right ones, there are a few that are not that great. Also when it comes to taking the survey classes, take them online, the teacher is really boring and in my case ended up falling asleep every class.

- The teachers to get are Stephanie, Eric, and Molly. Molly, you will probably hate from start to end, I did, but in the end you WILL learn to draw perspective like no other person who didnt have her.

- It is hard to get to know people outside of your major because the campus is all over SF, thats what great about this school and not, you get to see all parts of SF, but its hard to meet other people in other majors.

- Try living in the dorms at least for a year, that way you will get to know a TON of people in different majors, my best friend is a fashion major, which led to meeting other people.

- This is school is VERY competitive, people in your major are always seeing whose the best and what theyre doing, so they can bet you. You have to be on top of your game and do your best because when you have to hang ur stuff up in front of class, your classmates are going to tear you apart. You HAVE to be strong and not be afraid of people when they say things about your work

- Find a few REALLY good friends in your major, they are the ones that are gonna challenge you and help you along the way, its like an undercover competition, but they are always going to be there to help and encourage you.

- With the IAD major, teachers wont tell you where to find fabrics or floor samples, but thats part of the learning process, at first you will be running literally all over SF to find a wood floor sample, but eventually you will find where you can get amazing samples. Thats another things, if you dont know where to get materials, dont be afraid and ask another student where they get theres from, and you can always trade materials with fellow friends and class mate. Thats why too, in your 1st semester in materials class, GO TO FIELD TRIPS! you learn soo much! (Eric takes you on a ton of field trips, which means a ton of free flooring and fabric samples)

- Lastly, art school is expensive, AAU is actually one of the more least expensive art schools, and art supplies are VERY expensive and more than likely you will be running around the city and buying art supplies every week, thats why you have to be serious and know you are going to have to work really hard.

1st Year Female -- Class 2012

Collaboration/Competitive: A+, Social Life: C+