The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is a prominent fine arts college in the nation. It is located in Providence, Rhode Island and was founded in 1877. As a matter of fact, it is usually called the Harvard of art schools. Since it has a very lofty reputation, it is no surprise that its admission standards are one of the most selective in America. It places strong emphasis on the applicant's portfolio. The portfolio should consist of twelve to twenty examples of any two- or three-dimensional work that the applicant completed recently. Three drawing samples are required by the hopeful student. Each drawing must be done by graphite pencil on a sheet of white paper measured at 16" by 20". The first drawing has to be a bicycle. The second one must be an interior or exterior environment. The subject matter of the third drawing is up to the applicant. The normal admissions standards of high school transcripts and the SAT scores are also part of the admissions process.

RISD's mission is to provide the highest quality of instruction in visual arts, design, architecture, and art education to prepare its students and the broader community to be creative and responsive to the needs of a global society. Each year, more than two hundred prominent artists, critics, and authors visit this highly reputable campus. The student body has over two thousand students from all over the world with close to three hundred and fifty faculty members and four hundred staff members.

As to its degree programs, the Rhode Island School of Design offers sixteen undergraduate majors and seventeen graduate majors. Degrees from apparel design, textiles, furniture design, industrial design, and interior architecture are among the undergrad majors. Photography, ceramics and art history are three of the seventeen degrees offered in the graduate program. There is a Graduate Thesis Exhibition to show off the works of its graduate students. The Fleet Library is one of the oldest independent art college libraries in the nation. It has more than one hundred and fifteen thousand volumes. This collection provides strong historical and contemporary perspectives. The library is also hailed for its artist's book collection, its rare books, and impressive visual resources collections.

If your son or daughter has artistic talent and he or she wants to pursue it further, then the Rhode Island School of Design is a great place for them. It will allow them to be around other talented students and highly skilled professionals. This creative atmosphere may not be offered at your local university. So, all of your parents should save your pennies and consider that the money spent will be worth it in the long run.

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