California Institute Of-Arts

Cal Arts is a great arts school. They are incredibly relaxed and truly nurture artists to come out of their shells. It's made to be a comfortable place for exploration - many opportunities for those who seek them out.

PROS: Artistic to the hilt
CONS: not enough practical lessons on working after graduation

My alma mater. Founded by Walt Disney himself, this college has it all: Schools of Art, Film/Video, Music, Theater, Dance, and Critical Studies--all make for a cool educational experience. With weekly art shows and recitals, check them out. For the money, though, if I had to do it all over again I'd go to Art Center.

PROS: one of the top leading art schools on the planet, diverse academic program
CONS: expensive, left-leaning philosophy leaves no room for dissent, location

I have quite a few friends that attend Cal Arts and they are amazingly talented and passionate about what they do, whether it be music, or animation, or film... The classical music recitals are some of my favorite events. Even though they are not very well publicized, they are worth attending, especially when held in the Roy O. Disney Hall. It is an extremely liberal school, too much so for my tastes, but I have seen some amazing talent graduate among my friends.