Evelyn K. (James Madison HS) - Rhode Island School of Design
- NYSA Team
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Yunzi (Y): Could you walk us through your college admission results, and share why you chose RISD?
Evelyn (E): I applied to 18 colleges and got into 13 of them. Some of my top choices were UT Austin, UVA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Boston University, and RISD. At RISD, I was selected for their First Year in Florence program, where I'll spend the fall semester in Florence, Italy, with a cohort of about 30 other students.
Y: When did you start preparing your portfolio at ViennArt, and how did you approach the process?
E: I started taking classes at ViennArt during my sophomore year. The approach here was a little different for me because I had never really tried to create my own compositions or develop my own themes before. It felt a little foreign at first, but my teacher, Ms. Allison, who was my first portfolio instructor, really helped me figure out what I wanted to create art about. That ended up being a lot of distinctly personal subjects, such as ballet, beauty, and my Korean culture—things that I was naturally drawn to exploring through art.
Y: What do you think made your portfolio stand out, and what helped you get into RISD?
E: I think the biggest thing that made my portfolio stand out was being experimental and using a wide range of mediums and techniques.
ViennArt made that much easier by giving me access to different materials and opportunities. The sculpture class with Ms. Kay especially helped me become more experimental in my work. Two of the projects I created with her involved techniques I had never tried before, but they ended up becoming some of my favorite pieces to date. I think the nature of sculpture classes lends itself really well to experimentation and trying things you've never done before.
Y: What advice would you give to students who want to get into RISD and other top art schools?
E: For anyone thinking about applying to RISD or making RISD their top choice, the biggest advice I would give is to never stop creating art. Admissions officers can see how dedicated you are, how much time and effort you've invested in your portfolio, and how important art is to you.
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