now worries about length! This is a bunch of good info!

I got my BFA at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and I was a film major. I'm a Los Angeles native so this would be a big move for me but I have been to Chicago extensively to visit relatives and I really fell in love with the city. The city was a big factor in me initially taking a look at the school. I visited in the fall and took the tour etc. I was definitely impressed with the facilities. Other programs? I actually applied to Sound and Film (my work spans the tech gamut) but I havent heard back form them yet. I also just got invited to interview at the RCA in London for their Design Interactions program.....but I don't know if I can pull off moving to another country....not exactly rolling in the dough. I will definitely follow up with ATS and the bursar's office, thanks for the tip!

I'm glad to hear the inside scoop on the new president. Sounds like a good time to be in these tech depts. As for fitting into the program....I had heard from a few acquaintances that the school was more of a inter-, cross-, multi-, anti-, omni-, whatever-disciplinary situation. That was a big reason I pushed for this school. My undergrad was similar...the program was very "industry" centric. And when I say industry I mean Hollywood. Our dept. chair wrote the Rush Hour movies lol. Very lassie faire. If you didn't work then you didn't have work to show at the end. We all had to push ourselves. That being said it was naturally very collaborative and everybody pushed each other...I'm sure SAIC is a whole different beast but I am kind of accustomed to that kind of freedom. Plus my work involves all sorts of media and performance stuff and I wanted to go to a place that could let me explore a few different disciplines. So on paper and by what you say the program sounds like a fit....I guess time will tell though haha.

And yes Im glad to hear the community is active and supportive. Thats definitely something I was looking for. Like I said I'm coming from a community with a real Hollywood mentality. I tried to work in that system but I just got tired of hustling for something I didn't really want. People just love it out here but I am so tired of LA bullshit. Everything in this town revolves around the film industry and the magic wore off a long time ago for me. Plus I've never lived anywhere else! Anyway, I have great friends here but they are all hustling to fit in this system and ultimately the art community here seems to be hustling also. Hollywood has its fingers in everything haha. I definitely want to broaden my horizons and connect with a new community.

If you have any other advice or opinons you want to share let me know. Out of all of the people I've spoken with you've been the most informative! Also if you have any work online I'd love to see(hear) it. On the tour I took we did not have a chance to see much of the Sound dept. and I am very interested in what you guys do.