A first-year’s critique on OCAD
By Merrill Liu
I want to start off by saying IN YOUR FACE URBAN MYTHOLOGY! I beat the Freshman 15, didn’t gain a single pound and I have a work out regime of a three-toed sloth! My amazing body aside, now that the year is winding to an end, I’m gonna review OCAD. The bathroom stalls have 50/50 reviews scribbled one them, so I guess that’s where I’ll start.
Doth decrees the stall: OCAD is boring. Wow, a school? Boring? Say it ain’t so! Honestly, even in art school, if you expect to go to school to have some good lulz, you should have spent that tuition money on strippers and clubs. But, I do agree OCAD is stale in terms of student life. I mean our only sports group is Chinlone (actually they’re not on the website anymore, so what now?), and does OCADA counts? Fraternities don’t exist on OCAD, but do you really need a Frat to be a Frat boy? To my understanding all you need is a keg of beer and a toga. I do think the school could be more active, but boredom is too easily fought off in downtown Toronto to be a big issue. So not only the school and clubs need to be more active, but anyone who’s bored should just party more.
OCAD sucks. This ambiguous comment is gonna let me talk about academics. Let’s face it, we’re an art school. You’re not gonna write a 12 page essay on whales. Try explaining that to stereotypical Asian parents. I ought to be locked up for hours studying everyday like cousin Wang. Well mom and dad, I actually learned shit this year, but more importantly I did shit. No one cares what marks you got in school, just your portfolio and how big that smile on your face is. I can’t say I was enlightened this year, but I picked up a few useful tricks without having to sit through a dumb lecture on how to use the pen tool. I did that quite frequently in high school. So I have my 8 hours of sleep and partly decent things to put in my portfolio (hey I’m only a freshman), which is much more useful than staying up to write some dribble on about the Baroque era. Not to say I didn’t write essays (and to my guilt I liked some of the topics), but the reason we got a lot of studio classes is because the lectures will never help us in the workplace. They just put them in there to make OCAD an university. You should learn your art history, but it’s more for your information than it is for your job, unless you’re a Curator. Then you guys are such a minority most of us don’t remember you exist.
So what would I give OCAD? A ‘B’. For being really boring, but educational, good location and not as expensive as fucking York/Sheridan. Well maybe I should ad a – to that B for the bell curve.
I agree. There is NO student life. there was even more student life when I went to George Brown the year before but blame that on shitty Student Union that doesn’t give you anything and everything closes at 4pm ugh! I can’t wake up early and I have class then. This is such bullshit and from my knowledge it doesn’t prepare you for the workforce. shouldn’t it do that? otherwise it’ll take 7 years if you go to another college afterwards. I’m not looking forward to future years if it’ll be like this. In plus I don’t know if I’m in the right program and too many shitty teachers. I learned way more and became much better when I went to George Brown College in their Art & Design Foundation program. They have way better teachers that try to make you better and are way more passionate about it. Oh and their classrooms are much better with a ton of light. I dunno I’m really dissapointed in OCAD. I thought it would be much better. And I don’t want to be graduating at 28 and can’t find a job cause OCAD doesn’t help you with that. :\ I kinda want to stay cause OCAD’s in a much safer place than George Brown College and it’s nice during the day and winter.
I’m kinda dissapointed there isn’t places or events to meet fellow students and sessions to help you with careers and being more prepared with the workforce. Also classes with Adobe programs that are required would help although George Brown would probably be better for that. :\
It’s really a matter of what you need to learn. I took every art course my high school had to offer, and a few clubs. One of my teachers would give me a free period for the demo and tutorial class because he already did the same demo for me at least twice. So when an OCAD prof told me they wouldn’t be going through the Adobe software I was relieved. But I do know a lot of other students who never had experience in software were severely disadvantaged. OCAD is a very relaxed school compared to other schools. It’s for ‘coasters’ really. It’s something I’m fine with me, but it’s not for everyone.
OCAD’s best selling point in my opinion is location location. They should really considering adding a more software technical course in electives in first year foundation. I mean you can pick between technical and theoretical English courses in first year right?