One thing I keep hearing from underclassmen at SCAD is that things are too hard. And not just classes, but making friends. Finding your spot amongst the craziness that is the foundation of art school. I know what that felt like because I was there too.
I came all the way from the clear and crisp San Francisco Bay Area. Yeah. All the way over in California. So, when I told people I was going to SCAD during the tail end of my senior year in high school, the most frequent question was, “wait, what is that?” I didn’t know a single soul over in the South. I was anxious, but I knew that this school was where I had to be. I mean, I paid the deposit so there really wasn’t an option of turning back.
I watched all my best friends from high school go off to college and make new friends. When I went off to start my college journey, my friends were my two roommates. And they were my only friends for the entire fall quarter. I only made one other close friend. Sure, I met other people, but when you’re a writing major and they’re a sound design major, it’s safe to say you probably won’t see them again.
And don’t get me wrong, my roommates becoming my friends was an absolute blessing. But that didn’t stop me from feeling alone. Because I would still call my best friend in Colorado, crying in the courtyard of Turner at 10 at night saying that art school was too hard.
And the truth is it is hard. But I only found it hard because I’m impatient. I’m the most impatient person in the world, and I get it from my mom and it sucks. But I only had to wait because my sophomore year, I started my major curriculum. I met the people who really understood me and friendships started to form fast. And thank God, because I’m stuck with these crazy fools until I graduate next spring.
So, when I have underclassmen tell me that school is hard, my advice is to be patient. And trust me, I know that patience is a virtue, and I’m still working on it. But I feel like that is the golden advice for this school. Be patient. If your class is just sucking the life out of you, be patient because, in a few weeks, you’ll never have to be doing 20th-century art history again. If your painting or drawing is just not coming together, be patient because it won’t come together and look great until you reach the end. If you have no friends, be patient because I swear you’ll make some. In your major, in a club, in Ex Libris when you accidentally reach for the same book. You can and you will. So stay positive and be patient.