Lets say it: it is not easy to get accepted to a Design College or University!
If we check some of the Forums on Design schools on the net we read about young students trying hard to get in their preferred Design institutions. Sometime you are not accepted and do not know what to do, you start thinking that maybe it is better to give up and try a different field, you get frustrated and mad. You just walk away from your passion.
Guess what? The first time I tried to get in Art Center it did not work out! So I found myself facing the same type of unconfortable feeling, to solve my problem i decide to talk to someone in college to share and understand if I could have done something about it. He (a professor) told me to go to Art Center and talk to the foreign student advisor about my file to know the reasons of my refusal.
That has been a great advice, I went and talked to a fanthastic lady who took all her time to explaine to me that my refusal was primarly due to a long "waiting list" (normal thing for some important schools) and that I should have retraied in a year. She also suggested me to use this time to go to follow some night courses in another Art college to improuve my entry portfolio, and the most important thing was that she made me understand the philosophy about Art Center to help me to better target my sketch samples.
Two years later, after attending PCC in Pasadena, I started Art Center graduating in 1989 and since then I work in the automotive design field.
With this little story I would like to tell you that you do not have to give up too soon, try to know the reasons behind a refusal, try to adapt your work to the school culture of which you want to be part. I know it is not an easy task, but to follow your passion and will it is worth trying. If you are young (I was 19 at that time) just try again being more prepared (time is on your side), naturally if you are older (24 or 26) think it over before taking your decision because today's designers market starts at about 24/25 years of age.
Good luck!
