Anonymous asked: Hello! By any chance could i have your overall opinion on ateneo's fine arts program? I plan on taking Information Design there, but I'm not really aware of how good it is.
I’d be remiss to say that Ateneo’s Fine Arts program (especially BFA Information Design, which — especially with its recently reconstructed curriculum — is quite literally still in its diapers) is completely…complete.
I feel as if my design education in terms of developing technical skill was lacking, if only the curriculum were taken into consideration. Otherwise, Ateneo’s environment has provided plenty of opportunities for me to keep being engaged with enough design work to challenge and develop myself.
However, the BFA ID curriculum is not what it used to be. Freshmen these days are trained to be familiar with technical basics during their first semester (as compared to our first real design class being in our junior year). There are also a lot more design electives available (iOS app development and branding being the newest). They’re all fairly new so I’ve got no clue how shiny and polished they’ll be.
If BFA ID has one strong point, it’s getting you to really think and be intensely critical. Every choice you make with regards to concept and aesthetics will be studied and criticized, and by the time you graduate you’ll at the very least have incredibly high standards.
So, bottom-line is the experience is always going to be different for everybody, and at the same time, the course isn’t where your education ends.
BFA ID is still in its experimental stage. While it builds familiarity and interest, how you get better will be how often you engage with design in other environments. There’s Ateneo’s thriving org culture, for starters. You’re also going to be pitted with some of the most talented young designers out there, and you might see them as competition or experts you can scaffold some skills from.
It definitely all depends on how much you’re willing to work. There you go, young ‘un.
