Life was really simpler when I attended college.
I remember casually taking the SAT test one Saturday in high school, but I couldn’t possibly tell you the results (nor do I want to know). These days, GPA, SAT/ACT scores, AP courses – not to mention how much you help the poor – are all measures pored over by college admissions.
What happened to the days when attending design school was simply a matter of enrolling? As if a diploma and filling out a registration form didn’t demonstrate a real passion for a life-long career.
For my oldest daughter, Haley, who also has an interest in my profession, it’s something like being a contestant on American Idol: do or die. This past Tuesday, she attended an all-day tryout for future graphic designers (or, as it’s called these days, “visual communication design”) at the University of Washington.
Over 130 kids where there, vying for 42 spots. Bring your portfolio, they were told. Demonstrate your creative thinking with two live assignments that would make most professionals more than a little nervous, and make sure your resume and a letter of intention are free from typos.
A week will pass before Haley knows whether the design professors are more like Simon Cowell or Jennifer Lopez. And since they only encourage freshman to apply, don’t bother applying next year if you don’t make it. You only get one chance.
Jeez. And I thought some of my professors were tough when their critique was less than enthusiastic about one of my lame design solutions.
Nothing to do now but wait. Drum roll, please…
by Haley Anderson